The Return
by Sunshine Temple
Summary: Ch29 Reconcile and Refine  Part 1 is now up. After the "Vacation" it's time for the Demon and the Moon Queen to reach an... understanding.
1. Chapter 1 Reunions and Recalls

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Josh Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Takeuchi Naoko, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

C&C is appreciated.

Chapter 1- Reunions and Recalls

  
A woman looked to the horizon. Her red eyes strained to see land where the sky met the water, but she knew the futility of it. The elevation here was too low to see that far. She had grown up with the ocean and the sea of stars, but there was something distinctly wrong about this particular body of water.

She feared it because it was fairly small. She feared it because west of here there were other, larger, bodies of water. She feared it because this chain of immensity was surrounded by what amounted to a single culture, a culture that was not part of her plans.

She feared it most of all because this freshwater sea represented a failure on her part. More than the reserved, regretful interference from Murdock, more than the plane crash, and even more than the DarkStar incident, it represented her inability to control events.

Turning abruptly, her long green hair caught in the wind that the water seemed to constantly generate. Sighing, she left the balcony and returned to her apartment.

***************

Another woman, this one much younger, drove her silver sedan down the QEW. She was traveling east with Lake Ontario to her right. As she approached the city, the highway ran in a sunken trench. Bizarre frescos made of colored blocks of concrete formed the retaining walls. In the distance, she could see skyscrapers and one thin, innocent-looking spire. It only appeared to be a hair taller than the surrounding towers, but as she drove on, the concrete needle grew taller and the two round bulges on it gained definition.

As her car entered the city proper, the road rose on a procession of cylindrical pillars. For the first time she was able to get a good view of the city. Under her, the suburbs coalesced and the buildings grew. 

It was a clean city, almost eerily so. While working for the Company, she had been to a dozen cities in eight countries. A smile played on her lips as she remembered the time she spent in Budapest. Amazing how one can have fond memories of struggling to decipher a frustratingly alien language.

She had now passed into the core of the city. The QEW maintained its parallel course to the shoreline, making the right side of the road a waterfront district filled with marinas and high rise apartments. A largish barrier island sporting cottages, docks, and surprisingly enough a small airport, protected the city's harbor from the great inland sea.

The woman glanced disinterestedly at the horizon hugging structure. She had grown up around the Great Lakes and took the gray weather they constantly created in stride. She laughed at the bittersweet sentiment. No matter what she did or where she went, this place would always be a part of her.

Her path had taken her to the city's stadium… and that thing. She managed to keep her vehicle in control as she drove up to and then past the monolithic creation. The point of the needle was actually in the clouds. It was not concealed by them, but was actually slicing whatever hit it, like the prow of an icebreaker. 

She felt a wave of relief when the cyclopean monstrosity passed out of her view, though it was still visible in the corner of the rearview mirror. She was now in the city's financial district. The buildings on her left were of sane dimensions, actually possessing workable floor space. The jagged and toothed Canada Trust Tower caught her eye. The Company had offices there and it would be prudent of her to explore that area soon.

As she left the city center behind, she shifted lanes, preparing for her exit, route 404. From there, it was just a small distance to route 407. Once on that road, she felt a distinct nervousness. She was no longer just passing through an anonymous city. She was heading for Markham, the town where she grew up.

The silver car exited the off-ramp and entered the suburban sprawl. Weaving along the blacktop roads, she passed through acres of banal sameness. However, the further she went, the more the houses slid further and further from the street and the distance between them increased, until she was driving past almost entirely wooded land with plots measured in the dozens of acres. Unceremoniously, the silver vehicle pulled into a driveway. The woman killed the engine.

As the woman got out of the car, she put her sunglasses up on her forehead, pushing back her center-parted, fairly short hair. She would have preferred it to be longer, but company regulations prohibited it.

Unconsciously, she locked her vehicle while checking to make sure that all of her gear was properly holstered. Quickly and efficiently, she felt to make sure that her flashlight was in her right pants pocket along with her wallet, that her keys were put in the left one next to her company-issue pocket knife, that her palmtop and cell phone were in their belt-mounted holders, and that the docker's clutch was secured and weighted properly.

She walked around to the back of the car, humming a little tune as her boots crunched on the gravel. Flipping out her keys, she unlocked her trunk and pulled out one of two large, black duffel bags. Looking calmly at the remaining bag, she closed the trunk, locking it inside.

There was the remote possibility that the police might search her car, but considering her company's relation with local officials, it would be a minor inconvenience at worst. Carrying the bag by its shoulder strap, she walked up to the front door. Kasumi Tendo had come home.

***************

Across the city in the same bay that Kasumi had passed, two people were standing on a pier. Their backs were to the giant lake, and they were looking at the city ahead of them, paying particular attention to the gigantic spire directly in front of them.

The pair maintained their silence for a minute, entertaining entirely different thoughts. Finally the younger of the two spoke. "So, Pop, what brings us to Canada?" he asked in quite passable English, speaking the last word with definite puzzlement.

"Not thinking about going back?" the older of the two asked, quite surprised.

"Considering what's on the other side of the world, and that our ship left a half an hour ago… Nope."

"Good. Perhaps you're learning, boy."

The younger man smiled darkly. "You still haven't answered me. Why are we here?"

"To visit an old friend of mine," the other replied, visibly unnerved. Gods how he hated it when the boy looked at him like that.

"In Canada?'

"Well, he didn't always live here. No, about nineteen years ago he was convinced to move here. This guy we called The Drake had this crazy land scheme that he worked out."

"So it failed," he observed, turning his attention to the disturbingly sluggish water of the harbor.

"No, it worked marvelously. They both managed to get quite a sum off of it," the elder said, hoping that the boy would not do anything too rash. Well, as long as he got to his friend's house, things should work out.

"Oh," the one who wasn't quite a man said. Was this why his father dragged him all the way to Canada? Just to mooch off of an old friend? No — there had to be more to this.

***************

Kasumi had reached the front steps. Before climbing up them, she got one last glimpse of her car. The thought of getting behind the wheel and driving into the city crossed her mind. She could easily have the Company find an apartment for her. She did not have to return. It would be a shorter commute.

However, there was one thing that Kasumi did not do; quit. So she walked up the steps. Standing in front of the door, she looked over at the bench swing. About five years ago, she had sat there while her father signed her over to the Company.

Kasumi hardly blamed him for it. The Company was one of the best things that happened to her. It was a terrible shame that it took an event of such a magnitude for her to be recruited. She could still remember the sound of her father's voice coming through the screen door.

***************

Soun looked at his old friend and sighed. "Drake? Are you sure there's no other way?"

"Of course there are other ways," the Drake said, giving a rather unbalanced smile. He then regained his composure. "But I think Willard is the best option for her."

"Are you sure? It seems a bit drastic," Soun replied.

"She wouldn't be the first teen I've recommended to them."

"You trust them?"

"Absolutely," the Drake replied, leaning back into his chair.

"What about your own kids?"

"They're both a bit too young right now, but my daughter has been reading their brochures as of late."

Soun looked down at the coffee table. "You're sure of this," he said looking up.

The Drake nodded, "The Company will send someone over if I make the call."

Soun returned his gaze to the table, looking past the police and medical reports on the table. The Drake always had these outlandish propositions, but the reality of it was that they usually worked. Soun trusted the man. Granted, he had a strange sense of humor, but he was ultimately responsible for the financial independence Soun had. The Drake had introduced him to his wife, and short of Genma, was his best friend. Calling Genma and asking for his advice briefly occurred to him, but was dismissed. While Genma did have a child, Ranma was not a girl, and Genma's wife was still alive.

"I'd like to speak to them," he said finally.

The Drake nodded, picking up the cordless phone. The stack of papers pinned under it moved slightly with the removal of the impromptu paperweight. After dialing the number, he spoke briefly before hanging up, "Yes, he's agreed to see you. You have the address? Good." 

"That was short," Soun observed sourly.

"Obviously, I gave the Company all her records. How else would they be able to determine it she was acceptable for the program?"

"When did you do this?"

"As soon as I was able to get a full appraisal of the incident," The Drake said, returning the phone to its place on the table. "It did happen in my sphere of influence," he appended.

Soun sighed, then looked at his old friend sitting across from him.

The Drake looked at his watch. Even under the best of circumstances, it would take several minutes for the recruiter from the Company to arrive. In an effort to pass the time, the Drake tried to engage his friend and former business partner in small talk.

Soun himself was essentially retired; his teaching more of a hobby than anything else. While the Drake had a full time job, he attacked his responsibilities with a gusto that some called outright insanity. This was not technically true. Granted, he was eccentric and enjoyed rather unusual jokes, but this did not mean that he was not in full possession of his faculties. It just looked that way.

So they discussed their jobs, hobbies, and families. In true small talk fashion, the pertinent topics were avoided, although Drake could see Soun's eyes regularly dart back to person sitting on the porch.

The Drake had passed the girl when he entered the house. She was sitting in one of those swinging benches. Gently rocking and staring down the driveway, the girl was humming a little song to herself. When the Drake tired to talk to her, she seemed amiable enough. She was responsive, pleasant, even friendly, but something was amiss. It was as if he were talking to a particularly well designed artificial personality. A construct, a cutout, a simulation. The girl on front of him simply did not seem real.

When he left, the girl resumed her rocking, happily fingering the collection of struts and bars that encased her right forearm. Kasumi smiled as she felt the pressure her left hand placed on the metal transfer into the flesh of her right arm. 

For the first time since her mother's death Kasumi could feel something. She rocked back and forth, absorbed in reality. She felt the pain, the light, the darkness. She had awakened, and considered that simple fact worth any price. As she contently watched a strange silver car pull up into the driveway, she had no idea how high the price would be, or how long it would take to pay off.

***************

"As you know, Kasumi is a very sweet, intelligent, and caring girl," the man from the Company said. In his mid-thirties, he wore a conservative suit that practically screamed "government agent". Introducing himself as Jacob Edwards, he said that he was a psychological consultant specializing in brilliant but troubled teens. The dark humor came in how close this description was to the truth, and how the few deviations made the deception all the more horrid.

"Unfortunately, this is what caused her problem," Jacob continued. "After her mother died, she reacted by caring more about others, becoming very helpful, showing extreme empathy. This in and of itself is hardly a bad thing. It's a sign of good character. Unfortunately, she had put too much on herself, trying to take on the troubles of everyone around her, while all the time maintaining a cheerful, happy façade. It could not last forever," Jacob concluded.

"In a way, it was fortunate that her break happened now, instead of two years form now, or five, or ten. The longer she spent keeping up this charade, the worse the eventual break would be."

The Drake shuddered involuntary. Kasumi's little incident left two people hooked up to machines, three in the burn ward, and another in the morgue. The fact that the chemistry lab had been mostly empty only illustrated how bad things could have been. Technically, it was not Kasumi's fault, but that hardly changed things.

"And your company's program can help solve her problems?" Soun asked.

"In a way, yes. As long as she doesn't backslide into her old ways by becoming a cheery automaton, waiting for the chance to blow again, she will be fine. Under normal circumstances, she would recover on her own."

"Then why do you think she needs your program?"

"Do you honestly think that she'll have normality here? Do you honestly want her going back to that school? And while it's incredibly doubtful that she'd be convicted, do you want to risk it? Willard International Consulting can give her a fresh start, real world training and experience, a college education… a second chance. Don't let a rash decision haunt you for the rest of your, and their, lives," Jacob concluded, morbidly amused at the irony of it all.

"Why would your company do this? What's in it for you?"

"Aside from the benefit of helping someone, there is an economic reason for this too. Kasumi is exceptionally bright and resourceful. Our company is a bit of a think tank. We sell our ability to find solutions to complex problems to companies and governments around the world. She would be taught by these great minds, gaining invaluable experience, and, hopefully once her schooling is over, decide to work for us for a year or two. Think of it as a boarding school."

"So she won't be able to stay home?"

"No. Unfortunately, our nearest research facility is in Des Moines," Jacob said.

"So she'll be unable to stay close to home?"

"Yes."

Soun considered the pros and the cons. On the one hand, The Drake trusted this program, they seemed to have logical reasons for taking in these kids (not only did they get assistants and underlings, but they got potential recruits), Kasumi would recover, and be practically guaranteed a job. On the other hand, she'd be moving away, gone for months at a time.

"But what if the charges aren't dropped?"

"You'll have access to the Company's legal resources. Considering the circumstances of the case, there is no way she would be convicted, let alone have to enter a courtroom," Jacob simply said.

"I have to discuss this with my daughter."

"Take all the time you need," Jacob said, pulling out a card from his briefcase and handed it to Soun.

***************

Kasumi remembered the discussion she had with her father. For once, she'd actually agreed with him. There were several more meetings with Jacob. There were preparations, tests, and exams, right up until she boarded the plane. Then real training began.

She reached out to the door and knocked lightly.

***************

Kasumi was in the kitchen, humming happily. She was wearing an apron over her blouse and slacks, her well-worn boots locking onto the hardwood floors. Two years ago, when asked why she always wore the heavy-duty boots, she had simply replied that she enjoyed the traction and ankle support that they gave. There were other reasons, but they would only have lead to more questions.

She was greeted by a surprisingly exuberant family. Granted, she hadn't been home for over ten months, and even then it was just for a couple of days. Almost as soon as she had dropped her bag, the questions had started. How was Melbourne? How was work? Was she going to find a place in the city?

Kasumi gave a fairly detailed description of the Australian city, leaving out only some of its more unpleasant aspects. Kasumi talked about her coworkers, her bosses, her office, but not about what she actually did. She repeated the simple statement, that because her company worked with such sensitive information, she could not reveal anything that might compromise a client.

The eldest daughter resumed her work. It was sad that the kitchen got so little use when she was gone. Though that made sense. Nabiki was usually busy, and Akane was… Well… Akane. Kasumi shuddered when she remembered the question her little sister asked. On the surface, it was innocent enough. Kasumi had returned home, she was a rather good cook, there were things that she was better at (not that she could tell her family about them), and Akane was willing to learn.

Kasumi supposed that her cheery but flat-out refusal was a bit harsh, especially considering what her father had announced today. Kasumi sighed as she resumed her cooking. Sometimes that man could be such a fool. Even if he was serious with his plans, they were hardly applicable to her. Kasumi's obligations to the Company would cause too many conflicts.

About an hour later, Kasumi heard a knock at the door, followed by several confused sounds. Correctly assuming that her father's friends had arrived, she left the kitchen to meet with them, and for one of the few times in her life, was genuinely surprised.

***************

The foreign girl looked around the room. She sat down and crossed her legs, causing her leather mini-dress to creak. She did not want to have to do it, but considering how short her skirt was, there was no other choice.

Sighing, she swept a hand through her long, full, red hair. There was no way she would have worn this dress had she any choice in the matter. Well… She did have a choice, but that was three months ago, and she had obviously made the wrong decision. The sad part was that after almost an entire month of wearing nothing but leather skirts and such, she'd actually gotten used to them. There was a sort of comfort to the constricting nature of the material, the security and solidarity of it.

No, the devastatingly beautiful redhead corrected, she did not have to wear her little leather dress. She could go about naked, or turn back into her birth sex, and while there was another style of garment, it carried with it other problems. The second choice was the preferable option; however, the requisite material was always hard to find. She shuddered slightly as she remembered a time when changing back was not even an option.

The worst part of it was not the fact that she turned into a gorgeous girl, not that she seemed to be, despite her best efforts, getting used to the curse (well, technically the bit with the dress and the other stuff was a different curse), not that she had to wear those damn high-heeled boots, but that her father gave no indication of caring. Here she was in a garment that could have been sprayed on, and her father was trying to get her engaged.

Finally, her father was getting to the curse. The redhead groaned at such stupidity.

Soun looked skeptically at his old friend. Why was Genma trying to pass off this girl as his son? It was obvious that this beautiful, albeit pale, girl was not male, especially considering how she was dressed. The strange part was not that Genma was not rabidly insisting this, but simply stated, it was as if it were a fact despite all proof to the contrary.

When Kasumi saw the girl enter the house, she immediately knew something was off. That the girl's father, a bandana-wearing oaf of a man, maintained that this was his son was irrelevant to her. What mattered was the small twinge she received when she met this girl. Naturally, she pulled her palmtop out of its case. Once the correct program was activated, she was rewarded with a very disturbing pattern. The procedure for such an event was clear enough. Entering the corresponding password, her palmtop sent out the coded message.

Genma's explanations were interrupted by a shrill ringing. He looked over to see the eldest of Soun's daughter's pull a small cell phone out. She apologized and took the call on the other side of the room, talking softly. "What was that?" he asked.

"Kasumi's a technical consultant for Willard International Consulting. She just got transferred back to the city," Soun responded with pride. Both the Drake and Jacob were correct. The program had done wonders for the girl.

"So she's a viable option too," Genma proposed.

"What's going on here?" Nabiki interrupted. "I mean trying to engage us to some guy we've never met is one thing, but Ranma is a girl," she said pointing to the redhead.

"Just show them," Ranma sighed.

Kasumi had described the situation as best she could. Being unable to say specific words had limited what she could get across, but the Company employee on the other end was able to figure out the situation. Her call had been transferred, and she was now getting her orders. An operation was already being put together.

Akane sat, glaring at the redheaded bimbo across from her. It was not really this girl's fault that her father was an amazingly inept moron. Akane remembered how she felt when her own father made the announcement, that an old friend of his was bringing his son to be engaged to Akane or one of her sisters. Her irritation grew as the spectacled oaf weaved his lies — cursed training grounds, chaotic magic, and what was worse was that her father seemed to be taking this man seriously.

Soun looked over at his friend. His friend's request was simple enough. Soun hoped that after proving that this girl was not Ranma, Genma would fess up and tell him what really did happen to the boy. 

Akane walked to the kitchen grumbling to herself. Why did she have to be a part of these delusional fantasies? Leaning to one side of the entranceway between the two rooms was Kasumi, still talking on her phone. The woman muttered something about a crisis involving a new client. Akane let the issue fall, the older girl did sound rather strained at the news and was busy trying to get things straightened out.

When she returned with the glass of hot tap water. Kasumi had her keys out and was fiddling with them. "Poor girl. She's way too attached to her job," she thought, remembering just how Kasumi got her job.

Ranma looked quizzically as the youngest daughter slammed the glass down on the coffee table. Ranma was getting weird vibes from all of these girls. The youngest was looking for reasons to hate her, the middle was appraising her like a piece of meat, and the eldest took one look at Ranma and backed off. Although in the case of Kasumi, she did receive a phone call, but why did she have a little palmtop out just before she was called? While the redhead did have a way to learn more about them, it was not something she wished to use just yet.

The redhead shrugged off her misgivings and used the water. She felt the familiar transformation. Every time Ranma changed back, he gave a sigh of relief in that not only was he able to change back, but that he returned to his original clothes. He looked around to see the shock evident on everyone's faces. There was Mr. Tendo with a hint of depression and regret. Akane with some revulsion and disgust thrown in. Nabiki, quickly regaining her composure, gave a tight little smile. Meanwhile, Kasumi had stopped talking and was looking at him, not quite with shock, but with an almost expectant dread.

Soun looked at Genma. "So it's true."

Genma nodded solemnly, then brightened, "Don't worry, the boy has handled it remarkably well."

"So the engagement can continue?"

"Yes."

"Well, son, you've seen my daughters. Akane sixteen, Nabiki seventeen, and Kasumi nineteen; choose one and she'll be your wife."

Ranma froze, he knew this was what his father was trying to do, but he had completely forgotten that eventually he would have to do something.

"Oh, he definitely wants Akane, right, Kasumi?" Nabiki started.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Kasumi said, closing her phone. "Don't you think that's a bit too hasty? We shouldn't commit ourselves without careful considerations," she said, walking up to the rest of the family.

"You saying that you might want Ranma?"

Kasumi looked the young man over. It really was quite a shame, but she had her orders. "That depends on a several factors." She looked at her watch. "I have to take a quick drive over to the office, and on the way back I can stop at the grocery and get some decent food. Ranma could come with me," she proposed.

"Looking to get some private time with him?" Nabiki smirked.

"Yes, that would be the idea," Kasumi said, smiling.

***************

Ranma was riding shotgun in Kasumi's sedan. She was driving the car with remarkable speed and control down the twisting avenues. Ranma was surprised as to how much forested land there was this close to a major city, though he had heard that the Canadians liked their trees. He also found the conversation pleasant if a bit impersonal with Kasumi. She seemed a very nice, but distant girl. In the back of his mind, he was still mulling over what she did when they first met.

Ranma looked in confusion as the silver sedan slowed to a stop He looked over to see a grey van pulled off to the side of the road. The vehicle's four-way blinkers were lazily flashing. He could make out a twenty-something man standing under the raised hood, staring at the engine. A slightly younger girl was sitting in the driver's seat, her legs sticking out the open door.

Ranma could see that the girl had extended her pinky and thumb, raising the hand to her ear in the universal phone gesture. He turned to see Kasumi nod, unbuckle her belt, and start to open the door.

Ranma turned his head back to the van to see the man pull a blocky assault rifle from somewhere out of sight behind the hood, the girl pull a similar weapon from the interior of the van, followed by another man stepping out of the van carrying a handgun. Ranma looked back to Kasumi to see an empty driver's seat and an open door.

Kasumi had slipped out of the car, drawing her sidearm while turning to face the target. Out of the corner of her eye she could see that Aram, Gabriel, and Sophie were in position.

Ranma gauged the situation. Kasumi was forward and to his left, the man from the hood was in front of him, the girl was a bit closer and more to the right, and the other man was between them near the van. Each had their weapons properly seated with fingers at the ready. Ranma slumped down. Like this, there was nothing he could do. At this range, he could be hit sixty times before getting the passenger door open. He was fast, but not that fast.

Ranma looked to see the man with the handgun pull out a surprisingly complex electronic device out of his coat. Pointing it in the same direction as his sidearm, he looked at its small but detailed viewscreen

Kasumi saw Gabriel's slight shrug. So in this form, the target had only residual energy. Nothing too unique or special, but entirely disturbing in its implications. Keeping her weapon aimed, she gave her order.

Ranma looked down to see a plastic water bottle between the front two seats. He looked up to see Kasumi's neutral face. The girl repeated her order in an inappropriately sweet and pleasant voice.

Kasumi saw the transformation for the second time. There was that redheaded anomaly. Although her weapon did not wavier she found this target easier to lock onto. The leather-clad girl was not human.

Gabriel managed to keep his composure as he watched black-haired guy turn into a voluptuous redhead in a leather mini-dress. The readings on his scanner jumped from nearly background levels to an intense pattern that left little doubt as to the nature of the target. There was an anomalous variance, but it seemed to be immaterial. "Pattern D, Class 7," he spoke in a grave voice.

"She's a class seven?" Aram gravely, making sure to keep his gun on target.

"Lucky," Sophie continued.

"She arrived at my house today," Kasumi said simply.

"Could the opposition know about us?"

"They could," Gabriel said, watching the readings as much as he could while keeping lock on the target. He had never intended to see a live D7 this close before.

"The roadblocks holding up?" Aram asked about teams that were ensuring their privacy and would provide backup if necessary.

"The longer we wait…."

"Let's do this," Kasumi said flatly.

"Yes. Why the fuck not?" a new voice interjected.

Ranma's moods had gone from confused, to started, to despondent, finally stopping at indifferent rage. It did not matter what she said from this point on, if they got tired of her ranting, they could try to shut her up.

"First Pluto cons me using this 'save the world' scam, then she makes my curse infinitely worse. I end up getting trapped like this, and it isn't until this Murdock guy comes along that I can change back. I then try to move on with my life only to find that my moronic father tried to engage me to a pack of loons, and now I'm going to be gunned down on some deserted road in the middle of Canada. So just kill me now. I don't fucking care."

Kasumi narrowed her eyes. "How do you know those names?"

"They're the ones responsible for this," Ranma said pointing to her dress, her eyes starting to glow.

"We have a spike!" Gabriel shouted, reading his scanner.

"Go?" Sophie asked.

"Wait," Kasumi ordered, thinking over what the redhead said.

Sophie was puzzled, this was a confirmed D7; immediate termination of the target was the only sane course of action.

Kasumi watched as the glowing eyes shifted in color. "What've you got, Gabe?"

"Not sure. It looks like we have a divergence here," Gabriel said, looking at the conflicting readings.

"If you're gonna do something, do it now," Kasumi said to the redhead

Ranma hit the activation sequence. Her body became wrapped in bands of red, amethyst, and black energy.

Gabriel watched as the divergence grew. He still had a definite pattern D, but it was overlaid with something else. He refused to accept what it looked like until the scanner made a positive ID. "Pattern Silver and Pattern D, Class 10," he finally said.

The rest of the team looked at the redhead. It was obvious that she was a combination of both patterns. How this could be possible was unknown.

"Confirmation?" Kasumi asked. Gabriel gave a definite nod. "Weapons safe," she then said, lowering her sidearm, shortly follow by the rest of the team.

"Now what?" Aram asked, still keeping his eye on the target.

"We were given orders in the event of meeting a Silver."

"But a pattern D?"

"Irrelevant," Kasumi said, holstering her weapon.

"What about her?" Gabriel asked.

"I'll do the debriefing," she said, walking to back to her car. "You guys go back to base."

The three Company employees shrugged, and after closing up their van, gave the roadblock and backup teams the mission scrub command.

"Please change back. I don't want you to wreck my seats," Kasumi said, climbing onto the driver's seat.

Ranma looked over to see the black van pull off the side of the road in front of Kasumi's car. "So you're not gonna try to kill me?" Ranma said, reverting to just her leather-clad girl form.

"If we don't want to be up against the opposition as well as Pattern Silvers," Kasumi said putting her car in drive.

"Pattern Silver?"

"The energy signature your team uses."

"Team?"

"The group of girls Murdock told us about," Kasumi said keeping her eyes on the road.

"I'm not with them. I was tricked."

"That's a shame, that was the only thing that kept us from trying to kill you," Kasumi said rather happily.

"But you're not now," Ranma asked relived but puzzled.

"We're good, but not Silver-D-10 good."

"So now what?" Ranma asked adjusting her skirt. One would think something so small could not possibly ride up at all.

"You tell me how you became what you are, and we'll take if from there."

Ranma was perplexed. Kasumi was calmly, pleasantly talking to her, where five minutes ago she had a gun pointed at her head.

"You'd think Murdock would tell us that you were coming to my house first. He'd have to know how I'd react to seeing a pattern D."

"Have you actually met Murdock?" Ranma inquired.

"Nope."

"Trust me. This is exactly the kind of thing he'd pull," Ranma said, leaning back.

"I take it you don't like the man?"

"Unlike other people, he's never lied to me, but I do find his methods tiring."

"So how did you get caught up in all this?"

"Well, what my dad said was true, inasmuch as I did pick up a curse in China. That just turned me into a girl. There was no leather, no patterns Silver or D; all I did was turn onto a girl. Eventually we went to Seattle to train, learning from some schools to the South of the city. While we were there, I was given a proposition by a certain woman."

"You accepted," Kasumi remarked.

"Going in, I knew there would be strings attached, but I thought I would be saving the world, not stuck in skintight leather." Ranma sighed. "You ever have a situation like that? You know you have to do it and that it's gonna be bad, but you didn't know just how bad?"

Kasumi gave an amused bitter laugh.

"This has to do with your job?'

Kasumi simply grinned.

The redhead looked over at the girl and shrugged. What did she have to lose? Sighing, she began her story. Ranma still remembered walking into the vast warehouse. The marital artist was surprised to find the center of the floor covered in an intricate collection of symbols and shapes, and in the center of it all was a woman carefully examining the last few designs.

***************

Setsuna Meiou watched the progress of the transference. The subject was in place at the center of the focusing glyphs. The now unbound line of reincarnation was summoned. All she had to do was make sure that it met up with the teen standing in the center.

She smiled as she felt the energy of a thousand generations converging on the center of the massive mural. It was almost there when Setsuna heard the sound of tearing metal. She looked up to see a large, ceiling-mounted pipe break.

"Ah, nuts," the soaked redhead muttered. "Can we stop? I don't think it'll work too well with me like this."

The time mage ignored the girl's surprisingly accurate assessment as she attempted to do just that. It was too late. The line of transfer was already upon what was now a girl. Setsuna gave an angered yell as she watched the confused energy begin its work. She then gave a self-deprecating laugh. Why would she have even dared to assume that this would work out well?

The mere fact that she had to resort to this procedure was evidence that someone was actively trying to mess with things, and that she was forced to use this particular person was the kicker. There was also the fact that, instead of being able to talk to her future self (as annoying as she was, at least Setsuna could trust herself), she was assigned some other mage.

The energy was what remained of the Earth Kingdom's royal family. The Silver Millennium energy was most dismayed when its current avatar died. Fortunately, it was an accidental death and the energy was able to be freed. That the last avatar died without leaving an heir was a considerable snag.

The energy was considerably relieved when it was summoned to enter a new host. As it coalesced into the girl, the energy paused. Girl? But all the previous avatars had been male. Except for one. Ah, yes… Her. She was another recruited to fill in for a terminated family tree. The energy looked at its new host. Yes — there was quite the resemblance, except that this girl was human, or close enough. So that's why she was chosen, the energy concluded as it made the necessary changes.

Ranma felt a strange power enveloping her. She tried to get away, but found herself immobilized as the power did its work. She felt her height increase a few inches, the power stretching her body while making other changes to her proportions. She could not tell that she was going from cute to devastatingly beautiful, except that the fact was being blasted into her mind. Her skin went from being fair to a perfect alabaster that went beyond pale. Her hair lengthened until it reached the middle of her back, becoming feathered, turning a deeper shade of red, and gaining dark purple highlights as it went.

She then felt a different set of physical changes. She felt her canines grow, becoming sharp and pointed. A pair of surprisingly cute little black horns grew on her forehead. There was a rustling sound as a spade-ended tail snaked its way out of her pants. It was three feet long, with a red body and had amethyst colored fins at its end. Her shirt then ripped as a pair of large, dragon-like wings grew out of her back. The inside membranes were blood-red while the outside was dark purple.

The energy had done a good job of calming its new avatar, for the only reaction Ranma had to the changes was irritation as to having to replace her shirt. This thought stopped as her clothing dissolved, to be replaced with something else.

The reincarnated girl Ranma was becoming was no more a Senshi than the male users of the power had been. Five hundred years before the fall of the Silver Millennium, she fought alongside the Senshi, ensuring peace and helping the Earth Kingdom through a difficult time when its lineage had all but disappeared. Granted, her teammates had reservations about working with a demon, even one that had converted to the forces of good, but they eventually learned to trust and rely on her.

This explained the modifications a young demon girl made to her uniform when she took up the defense of the Earth Kingdom.

Ranma felt her heels lift up as her legs and feet became encased in black leather knee-high boots with five-inch heels. A dark purple thong replaced her underwear and was surrounded by a tiny little leather skirt. It was black with red trim, and styled off of a traditional Senshi uniform.

Her black top could have been called a bikini except for the dark red and purple ribbons on the abbreviated, bosom-hugging, cleavage-accentuating garment. Its minimal straps avoided her wings while keeping the top snugly in place.

A simple black choker formed around her neck. A golden tiara with a single jet-black stone formed just under her horns. Dangling earrings with similar stones came into place. Her finger nails became blood-red and lengthened into feminine talons. Her makeup then formed. The red lipstick made an amazing contrast to her pale skin, and the eyeliner-shaped eyebrows and lashes complimented her eyes perfectly.

The energy, satisfied with the reproduction, did the last step. Her eyes changed from their normal blue to a glowing, deep amethyst. The transfer of power done, the energy dissipated back to the realm where it originated.

Setsuna looked up to see the demon girl exit her trance. Her glowing eyes looked around in shock as she took in what had happened to her. "My gods. It's like I'm naked," she said, one hand tugging at her skirt, another at one of the ribbons on her top. "I feel so free," she then said in a much silkier, higher voice. Her hands traveling around her body. Her fanged smile grew as she went, taking special notice of her "additions".

"Gods… What's happening…?" she then said in a lower, rougher voice, her hands freezing. She then noticed Setsuna. "You!" she snarled, her eyes glowing even brighter. "You said I would be free of the curse! That I could help save the world! Instead, you turn me into THIS!"

She started walking over to the time mage, but noticed that in her raised footwear, she had to walk in a very feminine gait, and that as her hips swung, her tail followed, swishing back and forth, but with a slight delay so that her tail swung in the opposite direction as her hips. She then noticed how her breasts swung too, along with her earrings. Even her hair bounced as she walked.

"Oh, yes. I'm going to have to thank you for this," she said in a seductive, powerful voice. She then smiled, showing her fangs, and licked her lips. The demon then flapped her wings and took off at the other girl.

"Damn! I'd forgotten what she's like," Setsuna thought as she teleported just in the nick of time, leaving a confused demon girl alone in the warehouse. She would have a "talk" with Murdock once she got back. At least Setsuna had figured out why he had selected her as the replacement.

After watching Pluto disappear, Sailor DarkStar, the only formerly-evil honorary Senshi, took stock of her life. She now remembered her alter ego, Ranma. Hmm, looked like things would be very amusing this time around.

***************

"Murdock filled you in?" Kasumi asked pulling off the road.

"Yup. I guess Pluto had a little talk with him after the incident."

"He wasn't there?"

"Nope," Ranma said once again being both entirely correct and still quite wrong.

Kasumi maintained her silence as she maneuvered her car off the road.

"What the…." Ranma said as she looked at her surroundings.

"I said we were going to go to the store," Kasumi said, after parking the car.

Ranma considered her statement. "You also said you had to go to the office."

"Yes, I did," Kasumi said getting out of the car.

After Ranma stepped out, she looked across the roof in confusion. After an attempted assassination, the leader of the hit squad usually does not go grocery shopping with the intended target. Ranma watched as Kasumi pulled out her palmtop and started reading some text on the screen.

***************

Ranma was carrying the last load of groceries into the house when he heard Kasumi make her proposal. Standing at the entranceway he became the center of attention.

"I'm glad to see that you've finally grown some backbone, boy. I was afraid that the decision would have to be made for you," Genma said approvingly. Granted, Kasumi was not a martial artist, but she did know how to cook, clean, and already possessed an independent source of income. Ranma would be able to spend more time on the Art. Combined with Soun's assurances that certain events will not be repeated, it made her a rather good prospect. Genma certainly knew enough about letting the past stay in the past.

"Why?" Akane asked. They hardly knew anything about this boy. Aside from some curse that turned him into a leather-clad hussy, and the rumors spread by Ranma's rather questionable father, the boy was a complete stranger. Yet somehow after their little drive, Kasumi decided to take up the engagement. What could someone possibly learn in a couple hours that would change her mind like that?

"Someone should at least try to make this work, and after our little talk, I've found that Ranma may have a few things to offer," Kasumi said, giving a strange little smile that seemed to only unnerve Ranma.

"Better you than me," Nabiki allowed. It was odd that Kasumi would take on extra responsibility like this. She was just as attached to her job as she was her family. That could be the connection — Kasumi was doing this out of obligation to family.

"As you say," Kasumi said, then turning to Ranma, "Come on. I'll show you where to put these."

"Right," Ranma said. As he crossed the front room to get to the kitchen, his father stood up, meeting him in the middle of the den. 

Walking next to his son, Genma asked in a low voice, "Tell me, boy, why'd you choose her?"

Ranma looked at his father's grinning face, then into the kitchen to see Kasumi happily unloading the foodstuffs. With a second glance, Ranma realized that in she was not simply shelving the items, but was placing them in some sort of precise, exacting pattern. There seemed to be some subdivision based on container type, but that was all Ranma could readily discern.

"Already watching her," Genma nearly whispered, quite amused, "So she's the one that persuaded you. A few errands, indeed."

Ranma considered the kind of conversation you have with a person when guns are pointed at your head. Then he recalled what happed in the supermarket. Under the painfully bright florescent lights, where the only sounds were the dry rattling of improperly oiled shopping cart bearings, air being blown through a surprisingly noisy ventilation system, and groggy motions of the night crew restocking the shelves, they made their agreement. It was all very businesslike, practical and logical. Given what Kasumi's job was and what terms were discussed, made the tone it was done in all the more creepy.

***************

"I don't see why you're so freaked. It's not like he died in the plane crash," the girl said, trying to comfort the tweaked blonde sitting to her left.

"Wow, Mina! That really helps!" another girl to the right of the blonde remarked sarcastically.

"What, Rei? It's technically true. He didn't die until he boarded the fishing trawler that came to rescue them," remarked the girl one row behind them in the aisle seat.

"Ami, that doesn't help things," Rei replied, shaking her head.

"Don't knock the spaz around. For Gods' sakes, she lost her boyfriend. He's dead and he's not coming back," the fifth girl remarked, this one sitting in the window seat behind Rei.

"You guys wonder what's up with Pluto?" the unusually quiet blonde asked.

"You mean aside from shipping us off to Canada?" Makoto asked looking out the window. According to the Captain, they were about to make landfall any minute now, and the sky under them was fairly cloudless, so she had a good chance of seeing the British Columbian coast, unless they were far enough north to cross Alaska.

"Yes, when she talked to us, she seemed uneasy and nervous."

"Almost human?" Minako suggested.

"That's it. She seems unsure. Even during the worst days of the war, she managed to keep her calm."

"That's because she's got access. It's easy to be confident and cryptic when you know what's coming around the corner," Makoto said, watching with interest as the ocean began to lighten.

"And that's changing," Usagi said simply. "Remember how she told the outers to stay in Japan?"

"You don't think this is another 'I can't tell myself what's happening in the future because it will corrupt the timeline?' " Rei asked.

"That boat has already sailed," Makoto said as she watched the plane make landfall over the Pacific Rim archipelago.

"He was an integral part of Crystal Tokyo," Ami stated.

"Pluto's stuck with damage control."

***************

Setsuna glared at the average-looking man sitting on her couch. Spread out in front of him on the coffee table was a dozen or so textbooks, and a wild array of papers. Most of them were scribbled with what appeared to be archaic runes. It was only after a second glance that she noticed that they were simply graphs containing hundreds of little arrows, sets of lines and curves, or stranger, more convoluted geometric shapes.

"Oh. Hey, Pluto-chan. Sorry about the mess. I was at that university a few blocks east, and after my workshop was over, I decided to wander around the lecture halls for a while. After sampling a few, well, rather dull ones, I found a winner."

"What does this have to do with you breaking into my apartment?"

"I didn't break in. You gave me a key."

"No, I did not."

"Well, that's what I told the building Super and Security," he said, shrugging before going back to his pile of scribbles.

"Why the hell would they believe you?" Meiou grumbled. "I gave them your description solely to prevent you from getting in."

"You told them to look for a short, fair-skinned, clean-shaven, short brown-haired, white male of medium build. Now how would they think that person was me?" he smiled as he continued his calculations.

She ignored the conversational trap he laid and simply sat down on the couch across from him. "Why are you here?"

"One moment," Murdock said as he, jotted down a few lines. Finishing with graph that resembled a sideways pitchfork, he looked up. "Ah, yes. Why am I here? I guessing that you're a bit angry with my actions as of late."

Her left eye twitched as she made a fist. Setsuna thought she was over this interloper's interference. She thought that she had accepted that there was nothing she could do about it, but no, Murdock had to play "Captain Obvious".

"Judging by that vein in your forehead, I'd have to say yes," Murdock said, sorting his work. "I would like to apologize for my actions and say that I regretted my part in this ghastly business. Especially the bit about the plane, and then the incident with the boiler room."

"You crashed a Boeing 747 into the Bearing Straight," the green haired woman stated in an almost completely even voice.

"All I did was ensured that he boarded a specific flight," Murdock pointed out. "Hell! The boy didn't even die in the crash. The pilot did a beautiful water landing. Thank goodness the seas were calm for once, and that there was a ship nearby."

"You were the one that put him on that fishing trawler. You might as well have killed him yourself."

"Ahhhh! Ethics in applied causality. If anyone has authority on that subject, I'm sure you do."

"What I do is for a greater purpose."

"Spare me that glorious future crap. You're just like me — an officer carrying out orders."

"I hardly think you're acting under official sanctioning. No, you're just a rogue agent." They both knew that her last statement was a complete lie. If Murdock truly was acing on his own, he would already be dead. It was only by the grace of whoever he was working for that he managed to stay alive. Setsuna had given up on trying to eliminate him. Somehow, someway, things never worked out and only tended to complicate matters.

"You're quite right," Murdock said finally dropping the humor in his voice. It was not an overly pleasant tone. Rather like the one a bombardier for Strategic Air Command would have after receiving that final go code. "While the Rune Order disagrees with Crystal Tokyo in principle — we've had enough with exile and purification — we are sufficiently distant that we need not interfere."

"You jeopardized thousands of years of work."

"By ensuring the death of one person," Murdock replied gravely.

"So you admit that the Order has not sanctioned your hobby."

"You think that this Machiavellian scheming is my hobby?" Murdock said sickeningly. "This is my hobby," he said pointing at the hideous pile of paper. "You should know what my job is."

""Supposedly, you're some type of ambassador."

"Right, I'm a go-between for the Order and various other organizations. Although sometimes I'm sent out on loan."

"So who are you working for?"

"Now, you know better than to ask that. But the answer is right in front of you."

Setsuna replayed the details of their conversation.

"You're not going to figure it out that way," Murdock said, sorting his mess into disheveled stacks. "At least this particular job is simple enough that I can concentrate on my personal work."

"And that is?" she asked, hoping that Murdock would actually have useful information.

"Amazing things these mundanes can do, isn't it? Already their technology is making impressive scratches on the pillars of reality. Like this," he said, pointing to the math equations and charts.

"So it's differential equations and multivariable calculus."

"Ahh, but of a special order; chaos complexity, bifurcations, resonance, null clines, Jacobian transformations, and other such fun stuff."

She cataloged the equations yet remained silent.

Murdock shook his head. "You don't see it, do you? You of all people, too blind to its implications. Points where a minute shift can cause drastic changes later on, cycles that can repeat endlessly, varying each time, yet having the same bounds and limits, methods to map out even the most complex geometries as simple planes. Consider it."

Setsuna looked over past Murdock, through the sliding doors of her apartment balcony.

"I see you're unwilling to accept that more variables could emerge," he said, putting most of the papers and books into a briefcase. Closing the case, he stood up. "I should be going. Even now, there is much that needs to be done." At the door, he turned back to the other mage. "That's why you hate me, isn't it? I have no personal interest in all this. No elaborate, festering vengeance, no emotional scarring of past betrayal. To me, it's just a job," Murdock said, leaving the apartment.

Setsuna gritted her teeth after he left. That was not quite it all of it; she hated him because he was more level-headed, more cryptic, and more in control than she ever was. Although she hated herself even more for having such petty feelings. Fully aware of how she felt, Murdock naturally never mentioned it. Once again, it was he who subtly proved who was in control.

She looked down at her table to see a small stack of papers, held together with four binder clips running down the left side. The first page was covered with his narrow precise handwriting. Ignoring the manuscript, she walked across the room and out onto the balcony.

She sighed as she looked out at the lazily moving water, buffeted by the constant wind. Murdock was right; there was still much to do. The girls' plane would be landing in a couple hours, and she had to be ready for them. As she walked back into the apartment, Setsuna could hear the distant drone of helicopters.

  
  


End Chapter 1

Special Thanks to my prereaders: The Jak, Joe Fenton, Jerry Starfire, and Jakub.  They make this fic much better than it should be


	2. Chapter 2 Reassignments and Revisions

Chapter 2  Reassignments and Revisions 

Kasumi was on her bed in front of her laptop. Sitting with her legs crossed, she typed quickly and efficiently, watching the characters appear on the screen. Command agreed that the actions she took were appropriate for the situation. While writing the formal report, she reminded them that it was Gabriel who noticed the pattern anomaly, and thus prevented her strike team from making a rather bad mistake.

The fact that this entire incident seemed to be a "test" orchestrated by Murdock was also mentioned. She then made the inquiry as to exactly what Murdock's role was in the Company organization. Granted, his reports seemed to be accurate and useful, but the man's agenda was a mystery. After revising the report, she encrypted it and sent it out to Command.

Opening another session, she started examining the reports from Forensic Pathology Section. Sighing, she scrolled through the gruesome images and the meticulously detailed reports. Midway through the second report, she heard knocking at the door.

"Who is it?" she asked, reflexively drawing her right hand to her left side.

"Ranma," the slightly bored voice from the hallway said.

"Enter," she said moving her hand back to the keyboard.

Ranma opened the door to see the young woman seated on her bed, laptop in front of her. She was wearing a light tank top and a pair of shorts. He could see two pairs of boots lined up next to the bed.

"Come in and close the door," she said, not taking her eyes off the screen. "What do you want?" she asked after the door clicked shut.

"I was looking for some sheets for the guest bed and your father told me to ask you."

"Even though just I arrived today," she observed, sighing.

"I thought it was some attempt to get us together," Ranma agreed.

"Undoubtedly."

"So why did you take the engagement?" Ranma asked, walking to the foot of the bed.

Kasumi looked up from the machine. "I told you, it was the easiest way to get it out of the way."

"Really? Neither of your sisters has a job like you do," Ranma replied to the woman, who appeared to still be wearing a sidearm.

"True, but since neither of us has any intention of taking this engagement further, we can handle it like professionals."

"I guess it's a relief that you're not interested in me."

"Yes, considering what I was planning to do to you in the car earlier."

"About that; if you and you friends managed to kill me, how in the hell would you explain the body to the cops? I mean, what the hell? Just because your pager tells you to doesn't mean you should kill someone."

"You think we were the only operatives present?" Kasumi sighed. "Granted, the operation was rushed, but by no means was it handled poorly. If you managed to get past us, which according to Gabriel you easily could have, there were three armored strike teams with full aerial support. If you got past that, Command had authorized the use of more drastic weapons."

Ranma looked at the young woman, unsure of how to proceed. He was not prepared for situations like this. A calm explanation of an attempted assassination was not something one expected in a fiancée.

"And how long did it take to plan this?"

"Time from my first call to the ambush was thirty-two minutes," Kasumi said, still working at her machine.

"This doesn't make sense. Even if you killed me, how would you explain my corpse and the bullet-ridden car? What about your family? Hell — what about the police?"

Kasumi slowly turned her gaze to her fiancé. She allowed a small smile to grow on her face. "Minutes away from the ambush site were medical and forensic crews ready to come in once the situation was controlled. Our wounded would be evacuated. Whatever was left of your body would be bagged and put into containment. My car and any other damaged vehicles would be taken away on flatbed trucks. Forensics would stay at the site until everything was cataloged and cleaned up. We also had a road crew on call in case the roadbed got damaged."

Ranma looked at the girl strangely. How large was this organization that she was working for?

"Now, as for explaining your disappearance, that would be done rather simply. On our way home, a drunk driver ran through a red light slamming into the passenger side of my car. Actually, an exact duplicate of it taken from the Company's motor-pool would be used in the 'accident'. It wouldn't do to use a bullet-riddled car. You died instantly and had to be identified by your wallet and whatever dental records could be found. I would be hospitalized, and after a week in intensive care, I would be sent to a rehabilitation clinic in Vancouver which specializes in injuries like mine. Your father would be put under observation. Any suspicious activities would lead to his immediate detention."

"And if you happened to die in the attempt to take me down, well, the accident could be set up so that we both died," Ranma said, trying to digest the information. For Kasumi and her associates to pull off an operation of this size and complexity, they had to have immense organization and power.

"Exactly," Kasumi said, again typing while thinking, Good, it looks like he has some intelligence. Then aloud, "Now, when it became apparent that you were a Pattern Silver, the entire mission was called off. If Murdock had given us a full brief, we could have avoided all this unpleasantness."

"So Murdock knew how you would react to seeing me?"

"Yeah. It was most likely a test of his."

"Test?"

"To see if the Company can figure out the truth without getting into an unnecessary firefight. To test out the mentality of the Silvers' new recruit"

"So you think I'm one of them," he noted sourly.

"Oh yes. The possession is quite strong. How Pattern D and Silver can commingle like that is unknown, but perhaps with time," Kasumi said, terminating her connection.

"Why are you telling me all this? What the hell does this 'Company' have to do with anything? Why did you take the engagement?"

Kasumi closed her laptop and then swiveled her body to face him. It really is a shame, she thought looking at him, He's just a kid. He didn't ask to be a part of this. The only reason he's in this mess it because he was tricked into more than he bargained for. Kasumi's empathy was mitigated by the realities of the situation. This was war; sacrifices were going to be made. Besides, WIC always recruited young. When she was Ranma's age, she was already on field assignment. "Command ordered me to answer all of your inquiries," she said simply.

"The same people that told you to kill me."

"When a Class 7 demon appears in the house of a Company operative, hostile intent is assumed. I was quite surprised when you didn't try to rip out my throat."

"It's all Pluto's fault," Ranma said rather defensively.

Kasumi nodded slightly.

"Okay, you thought I was a demon, so tried to get me away from your family before I could hurt them."

Kasumi nodded, thinking, Good, he's walking through this rationally. This will make tomorrow's business all the easier.

"And after you found out that I associated with those magical twits, you called command, scrubbing the mission."

Kasumi noted his choice of words.

"And then you took me grocery shopping. It was the produce aisle where you suggested that the engagement should be held between us. That's what doesn't make any damn sense! Instead of a simply apology, something like 'Hey, sorry about how me and my friends jabbed guns in your face. I know how that can be a real drag. Oh, and by the way, thanks for not justly defending yourself by ripping us apart.'

"No, I get something nice and crazy like 'Well, it turns out we're not supposed to kill you, and you'd kick our ass if we tried. Wanna get engaged? I'm a better choice than Akane!'" Ranma finished.

"With all due respect, Akane is rather violent, has anger management issues, and is ever so slightly unstable."

Ranma looked on as the young woman, still wearing her sidearm, gave a flat assessment of her sister's mental health. Ranma considered saying something like "Pot to kettle?", but the sick part was that Kasumi wasn't angry, just violent. Throughout the entire ambush, she and her team had maintained their cool, levelly staring down certain doom. Instead Ranma found himself saying, "Let me guess: your Company told you to take the engagement?"

"I'm sorry, that information is classified," Kasumi stated flatly.

Ranma sighed.

"Sorry, just joking," Kasumi said in the same voice. "I did it because you'll attract a lot of attention to whoever you got engaged to. It's not just DarkStar; your file speaks for itself. Neither of my sisters should be put at risk by the engagement. I'm the one with the training. I should take up the responsibility."

"You don't actually plan to go through with this?"

"You think that because I was prepared to kill you that I'd be willing to marry you?" Kasumi laughed. "As I've stated before, I did this to just get the engagement out of the way."

"So you can do your job unencumbered."

"That is a part of the story," Kasumi admitted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ranma asked indignantly.

Kasumi looked at Ranma and sighed. He deserved more information, but orders were orders, and the wait would only be several more hours. "The linen closet is across the hall, two doors to the left," she said, reopening her laptop.

"So that's it," Ranma said, shaking his head as he turned the door knob.

"For now," Kasumi muttered once he had left the room and the door had clicked shut.

***************

Setsuna gave a sigh of relief as she keyed into apartment 1029. She could sense that her apartment was completely empty. That meant no Murdock. She assumed that Murdock could defeat any security system, magical or technological, but he never bothered to hide his presence. She believed that this was another way Murdock subtly expressed his control of the situation.

She turned around, her neutral face scanning the five girls. Their presence also reaffirmed Murdock's control. No, she thought. The Senshi would have been needed here even without Murdock's interference. Her reconnaissance had shown that much. All Murdock did was bring the situation to her attention early on, before it became critical.

It was another frustration the Time Senshi had with that rogue Rune-Mage. All of Murdock's actions to date seemed to be centered on the recall of Sailor DarkStar. That he had even known of the original DarkStar, a one-time fluke in over a thousand years of Silver Millennium history, was quite worrisome. As to what his future plans were, Setsuna had no idea, something that irritated her to no end.

"So why are we here?" Usagi asked, following the older woman into the apartment.

"There's probably some other group that wants to enslave mankind, but this time they moved their operations to Canada," Rei replied.

"That's part of it," Setsuna said, turning on the apartment's overhead lights. She turned and waited for the five girls to enter so she could close the door. Unsurprisingly, they all had some degree of sluggishness and disorientation. Crossing fourteen time-zones and the International Date Line will have that effect on the human body. Although the time-mage's knowledge of this was purely academic.

After she had stored the girl's luggage in her spare bedroom and gotten them settled down in her living room with some food, Meiou went into her hall closet to get her equipment. The girls were undoubtedly tired, but they had to be briefed now.

Makoto sipped her soda, still relieved to be on the ground and proud to have handled herself as well as she did during the flight. Having lost both her parents in a plane crash, she could sympathize with Usagi. It was only now that the reality of the situation had hit. They were far away from home, in a foreign land, getting ready to once again fight indescribable horrors. Hopefully this time no one would get killed or possessed.

She hoped that her English was good enough. She had done fairly well in class. Well, at least they had Ami, Minako, and Rei in addition to Setsuna. Minako had lived in England during that whole Sailor-V thing. Rei was taught by Jesuits at T*A Private Girls' School. It still amused her, despite the frequency and normality of it, that a Shinto shrine maiden went to a Catholic school. Then there was Ami who was not only fluent in English, but also German, and was recently trying to pick up Welsh for some reason.

"What's with the projector?" Minako asked, looking at the slide projector the green-haired woman had brought into the room.

"It's to get you up to speed," Setsuna said as she placed the projector on an end table. She then walked over to the living room's floor-to-ceiling windows. In the center was a sliding door that connected to her balcony. After giving a brief glance at the inky blackness of the smallest of Great Lakes, she pulled the blinds shut. She turned around, looked the girls over, stopping at the twin-ponytailed blonde.

"I should start at the beginning," she said, plugging in the projector and loading the slide carousel. Holding the projector's corded remote, she began. "It started with JAL flight 5827," she said as she pressed the forward button on the control.

The first slide was that of a Boeing 747-400 in mid-flight. It had the white body, grey wing and fuselage strips, and red tail crane of Japan Airlines. The only visible change it had from earlier models of the four-engine, two-level plane were the vertical winglets on the tips of the wings.

Usagi looked at the image projected on the apartment wall. She knew that was the plane he had been on. She remembered waking up an hour before the alarm went off and just knowing what had happened.

Setsuna continued with her presentation. She mentioned that while JAL, Boeing, and the NTSB had yet to figure out the exact reason for the crash, they believed it to be some sort of electrical and computer sabotage. It is of note that shortly after takeoff, two mechanics and one technician working for JAL at Tokyo International went missing.

"According to the fight data recorders and the cockpit voice recorders, the flight crew lost all control of the plane. The plane simply nosed down nine degrees below the horizontal and increased its velocity ever so slightly above cruising speed. Unfortunately, with that velocity and angle of descent, the plane was falling two hundred and fifty feet every second," Setsuna stated with clinical detachment, switching to a slide that illustrated the plane's velocity and rate of descent as if it were a basic physics problem.

Pointing to the portion of the graph where the plane finally leveled off, the emerald-haired woman went on. "The only reason the plane didn't slam into the North Pacific at over six hundred miles per hour was the flight crew's disabling of the rogue systems. It took them two frantic minutes switching to different backup and subsystems to regain control of the plane. In that time the plane had descended from its cruising altitude of thirty-five thousand feet to a mere five thousand feet."

She then described what happened next. Yes, the pilot had had control of the flight surfaces, but then they had lost power to the engines. They were then flying a four-hundred-forty ton glider. There was no choice; it had to be a water landing. There was no chance of reaching land, not flying barely five thousand feet above the water with no propulsion.

"However, it was at this point when things started looking up for JAL flight 5827. For once, the North Pacific seas were calm, the air temperature was hovering at sixty degrees Fahrenheit, and there was a ship nearby to pick up any survivors," Setsuna said as she clicked the control forward.

The third slide contained a large red and grey fishing trawler. The name written on its bow was "Arctic Keinsmith". The hundred or so crab pots stacked on the stern deck of the ruggedly reinforced ship seemed ominous somehow.

"It was a textbook water landing. The plane slowed gently, making contact with the water without rolling or flipping over. The crew was well organized on getting all the passengers out before the plane could sink. It was only after boarding the Keinsmith that he was killed. His body was found in a bathroom near the center hold. It looked like he slipped on some wet tiles just as the ship lurched forward. The autopsy revealed that the gouge in his left temple exactly matched the corner of the sink."

"That's how he died?" Usagi asked incredulously. First of all, her boyfriend was not supposed to die, what with how the future was going to unfold, but if he was, it should have been in battle, or saving lives, or at the very least in some horrible disaster he had no control over. But to die in a simple one-in-a-million home accident was somehow even worse.

"Well, yes. You knew he survived the crash only to die in what appears to be a freakish accident."

"And he can't be brought back?"

"No. I didn't get to him in time, and even if I did, I'm not sure it would have worked. There are other factors at work here, ones that should not be taken lightly."

"You're saying Mamoru's death was a deliberate act. Why?" Makoto asked. She kept the rest to herself. Why not try to kill someone more powerful or important? Why him?

"It doesn't make sense. Why go through all the trouble and expense of sabotaging a plane, if you're just going to kill the person in a bathroom?" Ami asked.

"Maybe what happened on that ship was a backup plan. You know, in case they somehow managed to land the plane safely," Rei proposed.

Meanwhile, Meiou had stepped of to the side with a glass of water, watching where this little brainstorm went.

"That makes even less sense. Plan A is a spectacular plane crash at more than six hundred miles per hour, and Plan B is a bathroom slip-up job," Makoto responded.

"How could they have even done this plan B? Unless they had someone on the plane, willing to die if A went off," Rei said, adding her two cents.

"They could have had someone on that ship," Ami said pointing to the projection.

"But why go through such a convoluted plan? There were so many ways it could have failed. I mean, the plane didn't even crash. They had to resort to that insane backup plan."

"Unless there was no backup plan," Ami mused.

"What, the plan was to have them regain control of the plane only to have to ditch it into the ocean? That's even more convoluted," Rei replied.

"It doesn't make any sense. Why kill him in such a manner?"

"To allow his power to pass on to his heir," Usagi replied.

"That's exactly right," Setsuna said. "The power he wields was designed to be passed down to the designated male heir when its original owner died."

"But he didn't have anyone to pass the power to."

"Yes. This has happened before, and there is a procedure to let someone else take up his powers."

"You mean replace him?"

"Yes."

"So when are you planning on doing this? Do you have a list of candidates?"

"Oh, I did the transfer a couple of months ago."

"What?" Usagi demanded. "Why did you do that?" the blonde asked narrowing her eyes.

"It had to be done," Setsuna replied flatly.

"You should have told me about this before you went ahead and changed someone. How long would it have taken to give a simple call? Damn it, Meiou, you've got powers over time. Why didn't you tell me about this until now?"

"The selection and transfer process had to go off a certain way, or else things could go very wrong — much worse than they currently are."

"This has happened before?" Rei asked

"Oh yes. Let's see, twice the process had to be used due to assassination. In one case, several explosive devices were smuggled into an Earth Palace during a state dinner. The other series of assassinations was a particularly nasty variable time delay bio-agent. Over twenty-six hundred died before a stable quarantine was established. The other three cases were more of a lack of heirs due to a few generations of inbreeding," Setsuna said in the manner of a contained yet contented historian.

"The process itself is fairly intricate, needing the proper series of glyphs," Setsuna said, clicking the projector forward twice. Projected onto the wall was the inside of a cavernous, rundown warehouse. Drawn on the floor was an immense mural of runes, geometric shapes, and other assorted symbols. Despite the chaotic, frantic look of the immense scrawling, there seemed to be an overall pattern and geometric coherence to the design.

In the center of the figure was a largish null area devoid of the monochromatic lines and dots. It bore some resemblance to the union of two parallel but opposite ellipses with three scalene triangles running across the ovals.

"I had the candidate in position and at the right time." Setsuna said clicking the projector back one. This one was of a black-haired teen standing on a pier, his back to grey water. He was average height, well-built, and had a small braided pigtail. His blue eyes were precise yet slightly muted.

"Handsome," Minako observed.

"His name is Ranma Saotome. He's an exceedingly skilled martial artist. He's also a quite honorable and just person, one that would take well to that power. I asked him if he would be willing to volunteer for the procedure. He agreed."

"So this is the man that we'll be working with?" Rei asked. It was a shame that Usagi would end up with him, what with that whole Earth-Moon thing.

"Not exactly," Pluto said slowly.

"What, did he get killed too?" Makoto asked sarcastically.

"Well, during the transfer, there was some unpleasantness," Setsuna said clicking the projector forward twice. Her eyes narrowed at the image of a cute little redhead. The young woman looked annoyed and amused at the same time. "While training in China, Ranma picked up a water-based curse that turns him into a girl. This curse activated when an overhead pipe broke during the procedure."

"So we now have a redhead on the team?" Minako asked.

"I hope you can swing that way," Rei teased Usagi.

"I hope he doesn't mind the fuku," Makoto observed.

"Oh, come on. I don't think this procedure would be so harebrained that some curse activating could turn some guy into a magical girl," Ami stated. "Right, Pluto?"

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" Meiou observed. "The problem is that only men are supposed to have the power that Endymion had. During the entire Silver Millennium, there was only one instance of a woman wielding that power, and she — well, was not exactly human, and the transfer used her as a template to use on Ranma."

"What happened?" Usagi demanded, her voice cold and even.

"This," Setsuna said, clicking to the next slide. On it was a rather voluptuous redheaded woman. She was wearing something that almost looked like a Senshi uniform. Her black leather knee-high boots were not terribly unusual, given the group's esoteric mix of high heels, knee-highs, sandals, Mary-Janes, and what could have almost passed for ballet slippers. While having a rather high heel on them — almost five inches — these were not simple shoes, but actual, to use an expression, shit-kickers.

The red-trimmed black leather skirt was about right, although it was even shorter than usual. The top was something else entirely. Resembling a bikini, it used purple and red ribbons to keep it in place. She also had the standard jewelry, although the stones in her earrings and tiara were pure obsidian orbs. Her hair, reaching to mid-back, was a dark, almost blood color with intermittent purple highlights. Her makeup was slightly more elaborate than the normal for a Senshi, and meshed very well with her violet eyes.

However, the girls present did not focus on these details, for the woman on the screen had other, more unusual, features. The pale skin and particularly long and pointy canines could be overlooked. The little black horns, purple-barbed red tail and large dark purple and red wings could not be discounted quite so easily.

Usagi was the first to speak. "Pluto, one question: during your selection process for a replacement for Mamoru, something which you're only telling me of now, did it not occur to you to choose a person who might not end up being turned into a powerful demon just because they got a little bit wet at the wrong moment?"

"There are few who match the exacting requirements needed for the procedure, and fewer still willing to put themselves through it. This happened…" Meiou said, pointing to the demon-girl. "…because during the Silver Millennium, a demon by the name of DarkStar defected to the Kingdom of Earth. She was debriefed by the nephew of the current king, Walter the Red, and eventually was released to his care. A decade later, Terran separatists released that bio-agent I mentioned earlier. Walter was the last member of the royal family to succumb to the virus.

"It was his wish that DarkStar inherit the power Walter himself had so recently received. When the virus was first released, everyone in the royal court was tested for their immunity to the plague and their compatibility with the procedure. Surprisingly, DarkStar was a match. It was surmised that her demonic biology would spare her the disease, but that she could carry out the procedure was another issue.

"Over the years, Walter had grown to rely on DarkStar. It was not easy for the young demon, forced to fight in a war she didn't understand. Her species of demon thought of humans akin to dairy cows: pleasant if not dumb animals that could be milked easily enough without the need for permanent harm. She could never understand why humans wanted to exterminate them all.

"She was loathed by humans and thought of as a traitor by her own kind. You can see what happened when the Senshi found out about the transfer. The Queen's reaction was particularly colorful," Pluto said remembering the event. No one ever thought a demon would be allowed in the Lunar Palace, much less as the ranking emissary from Earth. Oh yes, those were interesting times. A gutted leadership on Earth with a demon on the throne. DarkStar quickly abdicated, leaving the chancellor in charge of Earth. The powers she absorbed could not have been passed so easily.

"The resemblance between DarkStar and Ranma's cursed form caused this problem to happen, and now Sailor DarkStar is back."

"Sailor? I thought she used the power of Earth," Ami asked.

"Well, technically she isn't a Senshi, but she has the fuku and the powers, so close enough," Pluto said.

"Poor Ranma, he must have been so confused after the procedure. To turn into a girl is one thing, but to be turned into that…" Usagi said looking at the projection.

"Yeah. Where is she, or he?" Rei asked.

"There was some more unpleasantness after he got turned into DarkStar. I had told him that not only would he help save the world and fight evil, but that he would cured of his curse if he took up this power."

"And instead, you turned him into a demon that practically oozes sex," Makoto observed.

"That, and he was stuck as a female for the first month afterwards," Setsuna stated, clicking to yet another slide. This one centered on a fairly tall redhead wearing a black leather dress that looked as if she had to be poured into it. Her hair was long mass of crimson locks. Her alabaster skin contrasted interestingly with her eyes, blue with violet flecks.

"I'm surprised this Ranma's not out to kill you," Minako observed.

"Who's to say that she isn't?" Setsuna noted sourly.

"Pluto, if it wasn't for your years of faithful service, the fact that you somehow managed to save my daughter even though her father's dead, and that I honestly believe you used your best judgment during this whole Ranma incident, I would have severe questions as to your competence," Usagi stated levelly.

"Yes, your highness," Pluto replied. "Although I would like to point out that it was not random chance that Ranma's curse activated during the procedure. The event was engineered to happen, much like the assassination of your boyfriend."

"Do you know who's behind this?" Usagi asked, her eyes narrowing.

Setsuna simply clinked the projector to the next slide, which projected an image of a man holding a can of wild mushroom soup. He looked surprisingly amused with his possession. Slightly under average in height for a Caucasian, his exact ethnicity was rather hard to pin down. Despite the amused watery-grey eyes and the reserved grin, his was a face that seemed to slip from one's memory. He somehow looked — well, harmless. He gave the feel of a slightly weird uncle you could always count on to help you clean your gutters. The only unsettling thing with the image was how his gaze appeared to switch between the can and the camera.

"He goes by the name Murdock. He used to be a kind of ambassador for the Runic Order. Currently, he seems to be more of a free agent. I do not know who he is working for or what his plan is, but I am sure that he is behind this."

"How do you know this?" Usagi asked.

"For one thing, he has met me on several occasions," Setsuna said, glaring at the projected image.

"Really?"

"Yes. He keeps asking me to cooperate with him. He says that things will go easier this way," Setsuna stated.

"So he killed Mamoru because you failed to work with him?" Usagi asked.

"No, Mamoru was killed so DarkStar could take his place. Although whether this is part of Murdock's core plan or just him amusing himself, I do not know."

"Wait, this person would sabotage an airliner, nearly kill hundreds, ruins someone else's life, all just for fun?" Ami asked.

"It would seem that way. Murdock is rather unbalanced."

"Why hasn't anything been done about him?"

"I tried dealing with him personally when he started with his fiddling. He somehow managed to survive. After the plane crash, I had the outers go after him when he showed up next," Pluto said.

"And he's still alive?"

"Yes. He is very good at deflecting, avoiding, or simply absorbing our attacks. Extreme care must be taken if you see him. His offensive capabilities are unknown, but he is an expert at manipulating events."

"So he's like you," Rei remarked.

"And how dangerous can I be?" Setsuna inquired.

"I see."

"Wait, the only thing Murdock's done so far is conspire to get this DarkStar back. What else has he done? Why are we here?" Ami asked.

"It is true that Murdock wanted us in Toronto, but there are other reasons for us to be here," Setsuna said, clicking three slides forward, stopping at a particularly gruesome image. "The remains, about sixty percent of a human corpse, were found in the woods outside Bradford, a town thirty-two miles north of here. The coroner estimates that only half of the lacerations, broken bones, and torn limbs were administered after death."

Clicking to the next slide, this one centered on a pleasant Victorian-style house facing a sparkling tree-lined lake, Setsuna continued, "This house in Orchard Beach was found ransacked, with the residents, a family of six, stuffed under the floorboards. Time of death cannot be accurately be established, due to irregularities in the bodies' decomposition."

Setsuna pushed the button forward. "As can be seen by close-up of the youngest daughter's chest, there are several discolored puncture wounds. Examinations of organic material found within still remain inconclusive."

Setsuna went to the next one, "I apologize for the angle, but you all should still be able to see the markings on that wall. That is a summoning and binding rite that dates to before the Silver Millennium, and was a favorite of Beryl's. The things behind this series of murders want us to know it."

"So why did Murdock tell us to come here if we would have anyway?"

"I don't know. I don't even know if Murdock is working for whoever's been killing these people. He might just be playing both sides against the middle."

"So we have monsters that have been killing people in Canada, Murdock who's doing God knows what, although none of it seems to be good, and us in Toronto," Rei surmised.

"With the outers and my daughter back in Tokyo, in case anything happens there," Usagi appended.

"There is one other group involved," Setsuna said clicking the remote back to one of the slides she skipped. It centered on a group of what looked to be an armed squad of counter-terrorism troopers standing in front of a large greenish-black helicopter. Their heights and genders were apparent — if nothing else, for they were dressed in patterned black and dark grey body armor, combat boots, what looked to be very close fitting gloves, balaclavas, helmets, and tinted red goggles. There were four men and two women in the group. One of the women stood slightly apart from the others, apparently the group's leader.

"The Canadian government contracted Willard International Consulting to find and eliminate what's behind these murders."

"They're mercenaries?"

"More of a paramilitary organization covered as a corporation than anything else."

"Magical?" Ami asked. It might have just been the projection, but there was something hostile, something wrong about these people.

"No, they are quite mundane, but they compensate by using the best equipment, training, and intelligence. They have several devices, most of them munitions, that can weaken or destroy various magical fields. They have the experience, teamwork, and weapons to take out creatures much more powerful than they are. They are not to be underestimated," Setsuna said.

"But they're good guys, right? I mean, they fight evil and all that?" Usagi inquired.

"Oh, their intentions are good. It's just their application can be quite ruthless. Like us, they are soldiers," Setsuna said simply.

"So they won't attack us," Rei asked.

"I doubt it. I believe Murdock has been giving WIC information, but I know that they have been covertly gathering data on us for at least a year. So they should have some idea as to what we're about."

"They've been spying on us?"

"They've managed to record only a handful of our battles, but yes. They have a base in Hokkaido, and keep a routine watch on events in Tokyo."

"So why haven't they helped us there?"

"Because the Japanese government asked them to not interfere."

"Why would they do that?"

"Because I told them to not let WIC in."

"You know, there were some times that we really could have used some help," Usagi stated, recalling the times her friends had died.

Pluto nodded. "I'm sorry, but the future said that—"

"Don't give me that 'future' bullshit!" Usagi shouted. "Everything that's happened recently has gone right in the face of destiny and what 'should be'," Usagi said in a calmer voice. "I don't think even you can tell what's going to happen."

Setsuna looked down. "No. We are in a period of great destabilization. Events of a magnitude well below my normal scope are having dramatic effects on the timeline — if one could use such a word for the time stream's current state. It's like a vast trainyard that's run by a madman randomly switching tracks and reversing trains. This is why I'm being so forthright with you. I've lost all reliable contact with anyone from the future."

"So what do we do now?" Usagi asked.

"You guys eat what you want, then get to bed. I've got some pills that will let you sleep and should cut down on your jet lag. Then in the morning, I'll get you settled in with where you'll all live. After that, I'll take you to the school and get that all squared away."

"The old exchange program, eh?" Rei said.

"Talking like a native, I see," Makoto commented, receiving a glare for her efforts.

"Well, the school you'll be attending is a private school that caters to international students, so getting you in was quite easy."

"Tell me you're not posing as a guidance counselor again," Rei remarked.

"What about DarkStar — er, Ranma?"

"We should have time to meet him tomorrow."

***************

Ranma woke up to someone calling him to breakfast. It took him a moment to realize who it was. Before he could fully wake up, the door opened and she walked in.

"A little privacy?" Ranma asked.

"What? You act like we're not going to get married," Kasumi commented, grinning slightly.

The martial artist looked up to see that his fiancée wearing an apron over her blouse and slacks. He noted that she was still wearing boots, and while he could not see her gun, he knew she was carrying one somewhere. "Okay. Gimme a couple minutes to get dressed."

"I'll try to save you some waffles, then," she smiled before leaving.

Ranma blinked at this. This was the same woman that had a gun trained on him last night. How can someone's attitude change from merciless executioner to, if not affection, then professional courtesy, overnight?

Ranma followed his thoughts as he got out of bed and made his way to his bag to get his toiletries. The Company Kasumi worked for was in the business of killing certain life-forms. They also had recent dealings with Murdock and knowledge of the Senshi.

He was brushing his teeth when his line of thinking turned to himself. What did the Company want with him? They seemed very reluctant to kill him, now that it was known he was a Pattern Silver. But what of the other Pattern Silvers? That bitch Pluto made it seem that her cohorts wanted him on board — as that chick DarkStar, though. Ranma was back in his bedroom, changing into a new set of clothes. He had yet to figure anything out. He had a definite sense of being someone else's pawn. The question that needled his mind was why and for whom? Setsuna? Murdock? This Company?

"You sure picked a winner," Genma said to his son in between bites of his breakfast. Ranma scanned the kitchen, noting the amount of food prepared. There were two kinds of bacon, hash-browns, eggs — both scrambled and sunny-side up — grapefruit, and a pile of waffles. Ranma recognized most of the food from the shopping trip last night. He also noted how the room had already been cleared of the pans used to cook it all in.

"Sit here," Kasumi said, pulling out a chair. "I asked your father what you liked, but it was the devil's work to try and keep him from eating it, though," she said, amused with herself.

"Um… thanks," Ranma said, sitting down. He looked to his left to see Kasumi taking the seat next to him. On his other side sat Akane, who appeared to be slightly annoyed. Across the table was the middle daughter, Nabiki, his father, and her father.

Ranma noted that both Akane and Nabiki were wearing school uniforms. That they were of a fuku style unnerved him. Fortunately, these looked to be normal uniforms, not the embellished and abbreviated one that he was forced into. Ranma was glad that Kasumi was perfectly willing to keep his secret, provided he returned the favor.

"So, your fiancée going to drive you to school?" Nabiki asked, taking a sip of her coffee after adding two spoonfuls of sugar.

"Actually, I have a meeting in twenty minutes," Kasumi said, sipping from a black mug with the Company logo. Mostly grey, it consisted of a globe with gothic typeset letters W, I, and C spaced equidistant from each other around the circumference. The W was in the upper left space, with the I to the right and the C in the lower center. Also on the circumference, in between the W and the C was a slightly twisted five-point star. In the center of the star was a cross between an eye and a pillar of flame. In between the C and the I was a strange grouping of crossed lines contained within a circle. In between the W and the I in the very top of the image was a branch-like collection of lines fanning off a central spar.

"So I'm going to have to drive him today?" Nabiki asked.

"Yes, and I'd prefer you didn't bill him for it," Kasumi said.

Nabiki paused, then agreed.

Kasumi smiled, took a large drink from her cup, and checked her watch. "I've gotta go," she said to her family, then at Ranma, as she took off her apron, "Try not to get in trouble today. I'll be seeing you after school."

"I have school today?" Ranma asked, watching Kasumi leave the room and hearing the front door open and close. At least the food was good.

"You think you don't need school?" Akane asked.

"Well, no — but I just got here yesterday," Ranma said, still eating.

"Your education is very important, that's why I was able to arrange for you to go to the same school Soun sends his daughters," Genma boasted.

"And getting an insider's deal due to a personal relationship with administration had nothing to do with it either," Nabiki noted, savoring her coffee. Kasumi's brew was little strong on the caffeine, but it was still some of the best she had had.

"Well, yes, there's that too," Soun said while reading the newspaper.

***************

Ranma leaned back onto his headrest. Nabiki's car was a ten-year-old little green Ford. It was very clean and was in excellent running condition. Bored, Ranma watched the route the car took. Nabiki took her car down to Markham Road and then west on Highway 407. Entering the suburb of North York, Nabiki took the offramp to Bathurst Street. This she took North until she reached the intersection with Rutherford Road, which she turned onto. Shortly after that, she pulled into the parking lot of a largish private school.

Ranma got out of the car and followed the Tendo girls out of the parking lot. He looked up at the name of the school. "Furinkan High School? What the—" Ranma muttered to himself.

"It was established twenty years ago as a Japanese-style private school. They said it was supposed to cater to the increasing number of Asian families moving into the greater Toronto area, although that wasn't exactly what happened," Akane said, slightly more annoyed than she had been at breakfast.

"Well what to you expect? It's not like this place was founded to make money, help the community, or anything sane like that. No, it was set up as a toy for the founder."

"What?" Ranma was confused.

"You'll see," Nabiki said as they passed through the gate and onto official school grounds.

"And who is this that associates so freely with the Tendo sisters?" a slighter older teenager asked them, leaning on a nearby tree. His eyes, while calculating, were slightly deranged.

"Ranma, meet Tatewaki Kuno," Nabiki said, curious as to how this would unfold.

"I'm Ranma Saotome," he said simply.

"I see, and which of the Tendo sisters did you chose to be your bride?" Kuno asked, walking towards them.

"Um, Kasumi," Ranma said.

"Ah, excellent! Then there will be no problem. You see, I am engaged to Akane. Soon, our three houses will be bound together," Kuno proclaimed.

"We're not engaged!" Akane seethed.

"But you also denied an engagement between the Tendo house and the Saotome, but there is one," Kuno said confidently.

"How'd you know?" Ranma asked.

"My father is a long-time associate of your and your fiancée's fathers."

"I see," Ranma nodded. "So, where's the principal's office?" he asked to no one in particular as he looked over the school. To Ranma, the building looked rather handsome, if a little blocky, in dark brick and wide windows. It was in the shape of an "H", with three stories in each of the sides and five in the central spar.

"Why do you wish to speak to that madman?" Kuno asked.

"Mr. Tendo told me to go straight to his office to get registered."

"I see," Kuno said narrowing his eyes. "His office is on the fifth floor at that right end," he said pointing to one upper corner of the building's center wing. "Just take the elevator up to the top. I'm sure you won't miss it," Kuno said, his voice becoming cold.

"Okay, then. Thanks," Ranma replied.

"I've got class," Akane said as she walked off, angling towards the rear of the building. She was followed by Kuno, who was still trying to convince her that they were engaged.

"What was that about?" Ranma asked as he followed Nabiki towards the front entrance.

"His father is the principal," she said, opening the doors. Once inside she turned around. "Let me give you some free advice. Watch yourself around him. He's more dangerous than he looks."

"Right," Ranma stated as he made his way to the elevator.

***************

The Kuno son was right. The office was quite easy to find. At one end of the fifth floor corridor was a blank wall. On the other was a glass-walled enclosure. Entering, it he found a secretarial anteroom. After Ranma gave his name, the receptionist directed him to a door with a pair of crossed hockey sticks mounted on it.

Opening the door, the first thing he noticed was the large Canadian flag that dominated the wall behind the desk. To the left side of desk was a tabletop hockey game. The little plastic players mounted to move in their tracks unsettled Ranma in some way. The orange and grey goalie was especially creepy. On the right wall was a collection of photographs. Some focused on the construction of this school and other buildings, some of them residential, others commercial. The rest centered on the man's friends and family. During his quick glance, Ranma was able to recognize younger versions of his father and Mr. Tendo in several of the pictures.

It was only then that Ranma noticed the man behind the desk. He was a large man wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey jersey. His hair was unkempt and seemed longer in the back that it was on the sides and the top. He seemed to have a faraway amused look on his face, as if he was privy to the secrets of the universe and that they turned out to involve trout and trousers. The nameplate on his desk said, "Drake Kuno, Principal".

"Hello, Ranma. I've been expecting you," the Drake said as he stood up. He pointed to one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Come sit," he indicated with a meaty hand.

Ranma sat down and continued to examine the office. It felt more like a basement recreation room than an administrator's office.

The Drake pulled out several immense files and started flipping through them. He looked across the desk at Ranma. "As you can see, your record is quite extensive. When your father told me he was planning on sending you here, I asked him what other schools you had attended. It wasn't until I started got the first half-dozen packages that I began to believe him.

"You seem to be a bright boy. Despite your horrid attendance, amazing number of transfers, and inability to remain conscious in class, you've still managed to pass almost every single class you've taken, especially your English classes. A language which you are quite fluent in." The Drake then closed the files. "Your disciplinary records, on the other hand, are another matter entirely."

"Hey, most of those fights weren't my fault. It's just that… Well, I seem to—"

The Drake cut him off. "I know. You seem to attract challenges and rivals. It's not your fault, exactly. There just seems to be something about your face, or is it your personality, that makes some people want to beat you and leave you for dead in a drainage ditch," he said pleasantly.

"So you're saying I'm a troublemaker."

"Yup. There's also this curse that your father's told me about," the Drake said pulling a plastic bottle out from under his desk. It was only one third full and the remaining water sloshed merrily.

"You want to see it?" Ranma asked, sighing.

"If you don't mind."

Ranma took the bottle and upended it over himself, transforming into a gorgeous redhead in a leather dress. She then put the bottle back onto the desk.

"Yes, I think this could work," the Drake muttered.

"What are you suggesting?" Ranma asked, eyeing the nearly empty bottle.

"That Ranma Saotome not attend my school. Instead, we will have his sister register in his place."

"No fucking way," Ranma replied, narrowing her eyes, which, the Drake noticed, were subtly different than before.

"This problem of yours is not something you want to become common knowledge, is it? It would be easier to hide your curse as a girl. Cold water is much more common than hot."

"I don't have to take this," Ranma stated simply.

"Call your father if you want," the Drake said as he slid his phone across the desk. "He was quite insistent that you not cause too much disruption. I asked him if you attending as a girl might ameliorate the situation, and if that would be an acceptable solution. He agreed."

Ranma glared at the man behind the desk. She picked up the phone, and after being told to press 9 to get an outside line, dialed the number for the Tendo residence. Soun answered the phone and was quick to hand it over to Genma.

"Did you tell the principal that I should attend school as a girl?" Ranma asked, in a calm collected voice.

Genma had had only one small drink in celebration of the engagement. It was still early in the morning. He also had the comfort of distance and impersonality that a phone brought. If he had been able to see Ranma's cool, determined eyes, especially those that the boy possessed when he was a girl, the ones that seemed to almost glow with fury, Genma would have buckled instantly and insisted that Ranma attend school as a male.

Instead, he confirmed his harebrained plan. "Now, son, we both know that you've had your share of problems. You're engaged now. We can't have you leading around all those girls that would get crushes on you. You know it's going to happen. Maybe if Kasumi still went to school, her presence could stop that. If you told them that you were engaged, but never seen with a fiancée, no one would believe you."

"So you suggest going from girls chasing after me to guys?" Ranma stated in that same cold voice of hers.

"Are you saying you can't handle having a few guys lusting after you? That you might find yourself enjoying it? I'm sorry, son, but I have confidence in your character and abilities. I think this is what's best for you," Genma said, while thinking, Excellent. If he attends school as a girl, the only romantic outlet he could ever have is Kasumi. They'll be married in no time.

"You will pay for this," Ranma said with eerie calm.

"We shall see," Genma said before hanging up.

The Drake watched Ranma cradle the phone without breaking or even slamming it. He admired her control. "I trust that went well," he said, watching Ranma's reaction.

"What is your plan?" Ranma stated. Her voice still had that cold edge, but it was tempered with resignation.

"Some of your records will be altered to reflect your new identity. The cover story is quite simple. Genma helped me cook it up a week ago," the Drake said as he handed a slim folder over to Ranma.

"You must be joking," Ranma said after reading the first three words.

"At first I thought this was one of Genma's jokes," the Drake said as he ran his hand over the bottle. "So I treated it as such. I did have to choose a name. Unfortunately, by the time he convinced me it was true, it was too late to change much of anything."

"That's just great," Ranma muttered as she continued reading the document

"Now that that's over with, we need to get you into a proper uniform and off to class," the Drake said, getting up.

'That might not be possible. My curse seems to choose my clothing for me," Ranma said, putting the folder back down on the desk. The Drake was right. It was a fairly simple and easy-to-remember cover story.

"Yes, you weren't wearing that when you came, in were you?" the Drake noted, amused. "Well, I'm sure we can work something out."

***************

A young woman stood in front of the classroom. While she appeared calm, a seething pool of annoyance, exasperation, and anger brewed behind her violet-flecked blue eyes. She was dressed in a uniform similar to that of the other girls. It was of a fuku style, with a pleated purple skirt darker and shorter than normal, and a tight black blouse as opposed to the customary white. Her feminine ribbon tie was crimson instead of blue. Her jacket was a much darker blue than normal. She also wore calf-high leather boots and fishnet stockings.

Her crimson hair, except for two pairs of long strands that hung in front, was pulled back and twisted into a tight bun that served as the source of a fan-like pony-tail that cascaded from the back of her head. She also wore a black, purple-trimmed military-style beret in place of the more artistic blue beret that served as the girls' mandatory head-covering. She had a silver necklace with a hanging black stone that sat over her tie, and black stud earrings. A blackish-violet, red-trimmed backpack was slung over one shoulder.

"We have a new student today," the teacher said as she walked to the redhead, while thinking, I wish I looked like that when I was her age. She is a bit pale, though.

I can't believe I'm going to have to do this. At least Akane isn't in this class, the redhead thought with resignation. She breathed inward.

"Hi. My name is Sunshine Saotome," the redhead said, trying not to grit her teeth while simultaneously hoping that she did not sound too cutesy. "I'm a martial artist. I just transferred here. I would prefer it if I could be left alone."

"Don't worry, Sunshine," the teacher said, earning a glare from the redhead. "I'm sure once you get used to Furinkan, you'll make lots of friends. Now go sit down in that open seat in the third row."

Sunshine walked to her seat, her boots resonating on the tile. After putting her bag on the desk, she sat down and crossed her legs, a reflex picked up from wearing her leather dress.

"I like your uniform. You make the alterations yourself?" a brunette behind her asked.

"Yeah, I guess I did," Sunshine said, pulling out a purple notebook and a red pen.

"That's a very cute name," a blonde to her left remarked.

"I hate it," Sunshine replied.

"I love your hair," a fellow redhead cooed. "How'd you get it to fall like that?"

"I kinda just pull it back, twist it, and feed it through," Sunshine explained.

"You have a boyfriend?" a male on a forward diagonal asked.

"Stop it, Ken!" the blonde hissed. "Don't mind him, he'll date anything that moves. I'm Samantha," that blonde introduced herself, extending her arm.

"And you know my name," Sunshine said shaking the offered hand.

"So why do you hate it so much?"

"Because I'm not a cheerful, silly, cute girl. My name's a cruel joke," she commented, being thoroughly honest.

"No, you strike me as more of the darkly beautiful brooding type," Samantha laughed.

"You have no idea."

"Now, Sunshine, as happy as I am that you seem to be making friends, class has to begin," the teacher reminded her newest student.

***************

Kasumi had arrived at auxiliary parking garage of the Canada Trust Tower. Originally serving as a storage bay for snow plows and salt trucks, it had been converted to a Company motor-pool. After passing through three security checkpoints, she was able to walk into the District Support class facility, WIC Toronto-A.

When the Canada Trust Tower was built in 1990, its foundation was of an unusual depth and size. The plan had been to use the vast expanse of sublevels to store the new service node for Toronto's phone system. Unfortunately, AT&T Canada had a management restructuring at the time. The new crop of executives decided to pass on the offer to move operations to the sublevels.

The sublevels were converted into storage rooms, maintenance rooms, furnace rooms, and the communications switching for the entire building (a far cry from the entire city and region). As part of their contract with the Canadian government, Willard International Consulting was given these sublevels to do with as they pleased.

Kasumi was pleased with the progress that Construction Section had made. In only a matter of weeks, they had converted what was essentially an old basement into a secure Company facility capable of running several operations simultaneously. It was nowhere near the size of the First Operations Centre, the sprawling Company facility outside Topeka, Kansas, or even the Fourteenth Training and Development Grounds, fifty miles west of Richmond, Virginia. She made her way to the main conference room. Last night's operation was to be evaluated and plans were to be made as for this DarkStar situation.

***************

Ranma sighed as she looked up at the clock. Third period was just about to end. She looked down at her notebook. She had spent all of first period and half of second planning on ways to hurt her idiotic father and that lunatic of a principal, a man who insisted being called by his first name preceded by the definite article. It was their fault that she had to go to school as a girl and that everyone called her Sunshine.

She could only spend so much time on her fantasies of revenge. Eventually, she grew bored of it and tried to occupy her mind in other ways. So she transcribed her notes using the red and purple pens that she picked up at the school store, along with other supplies along similar chromatic themes. Just like my uniform, she thought.

In one of the dressing rooms in the back of the school store, she slipped out of her leather dress and tried to put on the normal girl's uniform. She fully expected it to morph into another copy of that damnable dress, just like anything else she tried to wear when she was a girl. The uniform did change, but only in it's coloration, and how is showed off her body. It made Sunshine look quite sexy.

It annoyed her to no end that a school-girl uniform could be the lesser of two evils. That thing she wore as DarkStar was not even worth mentioning. She watched the teacher get up as the bell rung. He had short hair cut into a flattop and wore a simple suit with a thin black tie.

"Now remember, I want you to do all the primes in section 7-5. Sunshine, you can do those problems for extra credit if you want, but I insist you do the review problems on that sheet I gave you first," he said as he exited the room.

Ranma nodded, before slumping her head on the desk. She had a few minutes of quiet before the next teacher came in. For her grade, the morning classes were primarily lectures, with the teachers rotating between the rooms while the students stayed in the same place. After lunch, classes such as gym, labs, home economics, music, wood and metal shop, computing, and anything else that required special rooms were held.

She sighed again, pulled her head off her desk, and stood up. She closed her math notebook, put it in her backpack, and then took out a small red purse. Normally she would have left it there, but she had the suspicion that some of her classmates would search through her bag to try to find out more about Sunshine. Slinging it over her shoulder, she made her way to the door.

"Where're you going?" asked Naoko, the brunette that sat behind her.

"The bathroom," Ranma said, looking back at her.

"Good idea," Naoko said, getting up.

"I'll come too," Samantha said as she followed them.

Some guy near one of the windows made a snide comment about them always going in groups. As Ranma left the room, she kinda wanted to hurt him. She did have several options open to her, but no — zapping or beating someone just because they were trying to be funny was an entirely wrong thing to do.

"Your father a businessman too?" Samantha asked.

"What?" Ranma asked as she followed them down the hall. "At least these boots had less heel than my other ones," she thought neutrally.

"You've still got a bit of an accent," Naoko said, "My father works for Nippon Electric. He got transferred to their Toronto office fifteen months ago."

"I see. No, my father's a martial artist. He came here to meet an old friend and to get my brother engaged to his friend's oldest daughter," Ranma explained.

"You got a photo of him?" Samantha asked.

"Nope," Ranma replied, then looking at the blonde's expression, changed her mind. "I might. Let me look," she said as she went through her purse. She passed over some US currency, some Canadian, an HSBC bank card she picked up about a year ago, a new school identification card for a Sunshine Saotome, and below it all were two pictures. One was of her father, the other was of her male-form. She was not the type of person to carry photographs, but they were in the Sunshine file and the Drake insisted she keep them. She handed the photo over to Samantha, while Naoko grabbed her school ID.

"I'm so jealous. You even take a good ID picture," Naoko said.

"That's nothing, look at her brother," Samantha said as she angled the picture so her friend could see it.

"Are you sure he's engaged?" Naoko said to Sunshine.

"Yeah, Ranma's fiancée is the eldest Tendo sister," the redhead admitted, taking the ID and picture and putting them back into her purse.

"It's not Kasumi Tendo, is it?" Samantha asked, concern on her face.

"Well, yes," Sunshine stated.

"I'd tell your brother to look out for her. She might need some special help," Samantha said.

"Why?" Sunshine inquired, wondering what information she could gain about Kasumi.

"Well, my older brother was in her grade. After school one day, there was this explosion. I think something like four people died. Kasumi left school after that. According to her sisters, some company decided to take her in."

"Yeah, Ranma told me the same thing," Sunshine allowed. She had wondered how the Company managed to recruit Kasumi. Sunshine turned her head to see that they had arrived at the girls' bathroom. She followed the other girls without hesitation.

Sunshine walked into the bathroom and selected a stall. As she readjusted her skirt and underwear, an amused thought hit her. Pattern D Class 7s need to use the bathroom. She idly wondered it the Company had information on the urination habits of demons. The idea was significantly absurd, yet hideously plausible. She started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Samantha asked from the next stall over.

"Nothing, just something Ranma told me about Kasumi," Sunshine stated.

"What?" Naoko inquired.

Sunshine paused. What to say? Kasumi always wore a sidearm. Kasumi had this funny habit of killing supernatural beings. Kasumi always wore boots. No, none of those would work. "Never mind, it's really stupid."

"Oh, okay," Samantha said.

Sunshine finished and flushed. She was glad to be done with that. Despite having the curse in one form or another for a significant fraction of a year, female plumbing still unnerved her. It did not help that she was now a different species as well as female.

Exiting the stall, Sunshine looked to see Naoko dry her hands and begin touching-up her makeup. Sunshine simply washed her hands while looking at her reflection. As usual, she looked like a darkly beautiful "Bad Girl".

"Still going strong, I see," Naoko said, reapplying her lipstick.

"Yeah," Sunshine agreed. Her makeup had yet to smudge or run, not that she ever put any on. It just showed up on its own. It probably had to do with her being a demon or a Pattern Silver or something.

"So everyone in your family's a martial artist?" Samantha asked as she washed her hands.

"Yup," Sunshine said, looking out the window. "Myself, Ranma, our dad."

"What about your mother?"

Sunshine turned back to face them. "I don't really know. Dad never really talked much about her."

"Wow, you were raised without any girls around?" Naoko said, opening the door.

"Yeah," Ranma allowed, following the two other girls out of the bathroom.

"That explains a lot," Samantha said as they walked back to their classroom.

"What?" Ranma asked.

"Well, you act all dark in rebellion to your name. You're then raised with two guys so you talk like one, but you also want to affirm to the world you're a woman, so you dress like you do."

Ranma forced herself to smile, "Exactly."

***************

Akane had left to go to the bathroom. Unfortunately, the one nearest her classroom was being renovated by maintenance. Instead of going down or up a floor, she simply walked down the corridor to the bathroom at the other end. Before she could get there, she saw a fairly tall redhead talking with a blonde and a brunette. The blonde she knew in passing, Samantha, with a last name that began with a "K". The brunette she had only seen in the halls before. The redhead, however, she had only just met. Her hair was different and she was wearing a girl's uniform, albeit of a slightly different coloration, but the face was the same.

"What are you doing here?" Akane demanded of the redhead.

Ranma looked at the youngest Tendo, then at her classmates. "Can you excuse me? This is Kasumi's sister Akane."

"We've met," Samantha said before she and Naoko continued on to their classroom.

"Answer me! Why are you at school like this? It's not something perverse, is it?"

Ranma sighed and considered saying something sarcastic, like, Yes, Akane, I'm going to school as a girl just to get inside the girls' locker room. Never mind that I have access to a girl's body whenever I feel like it. Never mind that my classmates would be thoroughly unsettled by a girl staring at them. But she decided that that would only make things worse.

She decided to tell the truth. "It was my father's idea. He thinks I'll stay out of trouble if I go like this. You think I wanted this?"

"That's idiotic!" Akane exclaimed.

"You've met my father," Ranma said, looking at her black-and-red watch.

"Yeah, but to his own son?"

"No, I'm Sunshine Saotome, Ranma's sister," the redhead said, giving a sour smile.

"How did you end up with that name?" Akane asked coldly.

"The principal enjoys his jokes," Sunshine said as she started walking back to her room.

"I'm still not convinced. You could be up to something," Akane shouted, but it was ignored by the redhead.

***************

"Our conclusion is that neither Kasumi nor any member of the strike team was deficit in their actions. Indeed, they operated excellently, adhering to the mission guidelines. When it became apparent that the target was a Pattern Silver, they handled the transition quite well," Jacob stated. Kasumi was surprised that her old recruiter was assigned to be the executive officer of WIC Toronto.

He continued, "Indeed, the problem is not Operations Section's. The mission was carried out properly. No, the problem was Command's. When Kasumi called in a suspected Pattern D, the situation was analyzed and a mission was designed.

"I must say that the analysis was grossly incomplete. Granted, we were working in a limited timeframe, but that is no excuse for the errors that were made," Jacob said, his voice growing stern. "A Company agent has been running a search for a Ranma and Genma Saotome for several years. That this search was assumed to be a mundane missing persons case is irrelevant. The limited information on that file may have been useful to the operation. Knowing that Ranma had been in contact with N, Q, C, and H-Type locations could have been taken as evidence of a contamination, or it might have been taken as something to fool our sensors. Need I remind you that they are not perfect.

"The blame falls upon Murdock, but more importantly, upon those of us that take his 'advice' as holy writ. Murdock is not a member of our organization. Yes, he does have critical information, but his motives are unknown. It is obvious that Murdock was instrumental in creating this DarkStar, yet he did not inform us about it in the slightest. I believe Operations Agent Tendo said it best. 'Murdock was testing us'."

Jacob looked around the table. The Company agents, including Kasumi's strike team, stared back at him. "I know that you do not deserve this. None of you have actually had contact with Murdock. The likelihood of you meeting him in the future, however, is quite high." Jacob sighed as he stood up.

"That operation is over. We have to deal with what we've learned from it," he said, turning on a display on the far wall. On it were three images, one of male Ranma, one of female Ranma, and one of DarkStar. "This is Ranma Saotome. What we have here is a pattern Silver that is not part of the Senshi organization.

"Indeed, he has had quite the falling out with them. This is due to him becoming DarkStar as opposed to what he expected. That there is a high probability of interference on Murdock's part should be noted. How can we exploit this situation?"

"Our original plan was to contact the Silvers, by either finding their civilian identities or meeting them during an operation," Aram said, recalling the plan. "Integrating them into our command structure seemed to be too far-fetched of a goal. Instead, we hoped on being able to provide tactical, if not strategic, assistance to them."

"And how does this development change things?" Jacob asked.

"Potentially, it has no effect," Kasumi stated.

"Explain," Jacob ordered.

"I could simply tell Ranma that DarkStar is Senshi business, and tell him to wait for them to show up. We would then proceed as planned."

"Obviously, that is not our best option," Sophie stated.

"Yes, we should use this opportunity," Jacob said. "Kasumi, how did Ranma react to your explanation of the operation?"

"He still has strong reservations against us, but he seems to understand why we did what we did."

"Good. Don't want him to take last night's events too personally."

"Sir, a question?" Kasumi asked.

"Go on."

"Ranma has started attending school today. How are our assets inside Furinkan?"

"We have patched into their security systems, and are setting up supplementary observation means. A strike team is on standby in the North York sector. Human assets are about to be placed within the school."

"As students or faculty?" Kasumi asked. The Company had operatives in both age brackets.

"Both," Jacob said.

"That's a lot for just one Silver," Gabriel noted.

"Yes, it is. We are expecting more Silvers shortly. The school's principal is a long time affiliate of the Company who has been particularly useful in the past. He has given us records of planned transfers to his school," Jacob said switching the display to a collection of pictures. "As you can see, most of the transfers are female and from Japan. The chances of most of them being Silver is quite high."

Kasumi looked over the nine pictures. Only two of them were male. Neither was Ranma. She then noticed a certain redhead in the upper left. "Sunshine Saotome," she said, reading the information next to the picture. "I see that the Drake still has his sense of humor."

"Quite so," Jacob nodded. "Your opinion on the effect this will have on him?"

"How has Sunshine's day gone so far?"

Jacob typed for a few seconds, changing the display to a collection of images captured from observational means. He then summarized how her day had gone so far.

"I see. This will no doubt irritate him greatly. It will add on to the list of crap that has been put on him. If he has been experiencing identity issues, this will make the situation worse."

"We can be the ones to respect his identity. We can be the ones to offer him a cure. If we could be the ones that help him instead of trying to use him, things might just work out," Jacob said, smiling.

"Genma said that the original curse was picked up in Jusenkyou, somewhere in the Qinghai province of China."

"Specifically, near Mt. Quanjing, in the Bayankala mountain range. The Company surveyed the area in 1975, roughly a year after Nixon 'opened' China," Jacob said, amused.

"Is there a cure?"

"Yes, we have several samples in the Company archives. One could easily be shipped to him."

"It most likely won't work," Gabriel said flipping through his notes. "I did some research today on the data the Company had on these curses. Granted, it's three decades old. But…"

"Yes?" Jacob said.

"Well, given the scans I've taken of all three of his forms, and the transfer process he described, it's not likely work. The possession, for lack of a better word, is very strong."

"So if we tell him we have a cure and it does nothing, he will doubt the sincerity of our motives."

"He could think that it was just tap water," Kasumi said.

"And even if we tested it on someone else before using it on him, that won't prove anything. The survey mentions several products that can simulate curses and cures," Gabriel said.

"If he has any doubt as to the sincerity of the gesture, he will suspect us just like he does the others," Sophie said.

"But if it fails, he will always doubt it."

"What if we take him right to the source? Then he will know that it was the correct water to cure him. If it doesn't work then, he will know that it is Pluto's fault and not ours," Gabriel proposed.

"There is the matter of flying him out to such a remote location," Jacob stated, then nodded. "I shall take this up with Command. This might just be the plan that we need."

"What happens if this really does cure him?" Sophie asked.

"Then we don't have DarkStar. Instead we'll have a young man who may or may not be a pattern Silver. I doubt very much that Murdock and Pluto would be so sloppy, but more importantly, I don't think the poor kid is going to be that lucky. No, we will try our best to cure him, but I don't think any of it'll actually work."

***************

Ranma ate alone. She had had no less than a dozen offers to eat with one group or another. The only one that she considered was Samantha's and Naoko's, but the prospect of spending an entire lunch enduring girlish small talk while playing Sunshine was too much for her. She told them that she wanted some time to collect her thoughts.

She sighed, eating her food. Ranma feared that such excuses would last for only so long. At least the lunches in the cafeteria were fairly good, she thought as she ate her spaghetti. The Italian sausage was especially good.

"Good morning, Sunshine!" a nauseatingly happy voice said.

"It's twelve o' five," Ranma said before looking up. When she did, she saw the smirking face of Nabiki.

"I told you not to piss off the principal," she said as she sat down.

"I didn't. This was planned in advance."

"Really? For such a pig of a man, you father sure doesn't mind your curse."

"He's punishing me with it," Ranma said simply.

"Now, now, Sunshine. You'll never get a guy with an attitude like that," Nabiki said, laughing.

"Why are you here?"

"To give you some fashion advice," Nabiki laughed. "This dark look won't do. Sure, you make nice eye candy for all the guys. But you should try to get a wholesome relationship with a nice guy. No, I say you should use cheery pastels, and curl your hair. Maybe put some yellow ribbons in it."

"Leave. Now," Ranma said before she resumed eating.

"What?"

"I won't let you have fun at my expense, too."

Nabiki's eyes narrowed. "You're making a big mistake. Now I'm really going to have some fun."

"Whatever," Ranma said, ignoring her.

Nabiki frowned slightly before resuming her little smile. "If that's the way you want it," she said as she got up. As she walked away, she started singing. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are gray. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away."

Ranma simply shook her head. With people like Murdock, Pluto, and the Company after him, what did this one girl hope to accomplish?

***************

Jacob was walking down a corridor of WIC Toronto-A when he was about to pass Kasumi. "Agent Tendo," he said, causing the woman to stop.

"Sir," she said in reply.

"Command has approved of the operation. Have two members of your team bring Ranma in after school."

"Hard or soft?"

"Very soft. If he doesn't want to come, let him leave, but have your men tell him what we're offering if it will bring him in."

"He will be suspicious."

"Yes, but as always, we have a limited timetable," Jacob said.

***************

Ranma sighed as home economics neared the halfway point. The Drake had enrolled her in this class as an elective. By saying that such a class was nothing more than institutionalized bridal training, her teacher, Ms. Polanski, decided that her new student needed to get in touch with her feminine side and would deserve special attention.

The door flew open, startling the entirely female class. Ranma turned her head to see Kuno standing in the doorway. She raised an eyebrow in puzzlement.

"Oh my glorious Sunshine, I accept your yearning feelings for me," he said triumphantly. "Do not despair. I shall love you like the beautiful light of your namesake."

Ranma began to growl and gave serious consideration on canceling her plan to not blast anyone today.

"Sunshine, you're excused to go outside and talk things out with your friend," Ms. Polanski said delicately.

Ranma looked at her teacher, then at the overly-enthused man at the doorway. "Fine," she said, standing up. She left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Come, let us celebrate our engagement!" Kuno said, reaching out to the girl he knew of as Sunshine.

Ranma stepped back. "Who gave you the idea that we are engaged?"

"You need not hide your feelings," Kuno said happily.

"Who Told You?" Sunshine asked, her voice gaining a considerable edge.

"I know what can bring you out of your gloomy shell! Your favorite song," Kuno said, then began to sing.

It was then that Sunshine was able to figure out who told him this. Kuno was on the line "Please don't take my Sunshine away", when she reached out and forced his mouth shut. "Listen up. I do not like you. I do not yearn for you. The person who told you this is lying to you. She is making you look foolish. She might even be trying to distract you from your true love," Sunshine suggested coldly, releasing her hand.

Kuno looked down. "It is true that Nabiki Tendo is a known liar, but when she showed me the pictures and told me who you are, I could not resist."

"Pictures? Show me." Sunshine said, holding out her hand.

"You are quite photogenic," Kuno said, handing over three Polaroids of her that were taken when Sunshine was walking in the hallway.

"Idiot," Sunshine muttered as she put the photographs in her purse.

"I see now that I have been manipulated. It is obvious to me that my lovelife is being sabotaged. It is clear to me, that someone is planning to take from me the glory of uniting the three houses."

"Um, right," Sunshine said, hoping that the fool was talking about Nabiki.

"The jealousy of your brother is contemptuous. Is it not enough that his impending marriage helps unite our families? No, he must also make sure that no one else does. No doubt he is plotting as to how he can woo my sister as well."

"Hey, you're the one trying to get multiple engagements here. Not… um… Ranma," Sunshine said.

"I expect you to defend your kin. No problem. I am sure that I can make your bother see the error of his ways," Kuno said confidently. "He seemed to be of honorable enough stock. After all, he is your brother. Do not worry, my Ray of Sunshine. I shall find your bother and convince him to allow us to be engaged. You have my word on it," Kuno said confidently. He then turned around and began walking down the corridor.

Sunshine shook her head. "Was this supposed to punish me in some way?" she asked herself as she opened the door to her classroom.

***************

"I never thought we'd be doing this," Gabriel said from the passenger seat of a Company sedan.

"What, trying to recruit a magical girl that's really a guy?" Sophie asked as she turned the car into a parking lot.

"No, going back to high school."

"You get recruited the same way as Lieutenant Tendo of Operations Section?" Sophie asked, stopping the car in front of the parking lot entrance.

"You know I was recruited after saving my sister from a Pattern V."

"Axe to the back of the head, followed by a 12-gauge slug to the heart. Nicely done," Sophie surmised.

"Yeah. Good think I watched all those horror movies when I was a kid. Sometimes I think the Company consults Hollywood on how to kill these things."

"Yeah, I can see them doing that," Sophie laughed.

"I know we did that in the twenties with Howard Phil—"

Sophie cut him off, "There she is. Two o'clock."

Gabriel turned his head, "I see her. Damn, she's got legs. Not to forget the rest of her."

"Get out and talk to her," Sophie said.

***************

Ranma had gotten through the day. Aside from the Sunshine business, things were going well. Although anything would be good if you ignored everything about it that made it bad. She was still unsure about how to handle Nabiki. It was slightly rude to tell Nabiki to buzz off, but it was also slightly annoying to have to deal with Kuno. She feared that Kuno would become more obsessive and annoying with time. Ranma shrugged and decided to deal with Nabiki as it happened.

She was still being hit on by guys. Sadly, it was something she was used to. At least this uniform showed off less than her leather dress. Fortunately, most guys took the hint when she gave them the brush off. Only three needed to have special encouragement to leave her alone.

Walking out onto the school's parking lot, she noticed a familiar vehicle. The silver sedan was an exact match for Kasumi's. It might have even been the same car, provided that the license plates were changed. Kasumi's had two nines in it, this one had none.

Ranma was able to recognize the man leaning on the hood. In his early twenties, short black hair, thin yet in very good shape, he was one of Kasumi's flunkies, and sitting in the driver's seat was the female one.

"What do you want?" she asked. She was fairly sure that they would not attack. She could tell that he was armed, but that meant nothing with these people. They seemed to always be carrying.

"Ms. Saotome, Kasumi would like you to come with us," Gabriel said as he removed his sunglasses.

"Why should I?"

Gabriel motioned for her to come closer. When Ranma was a foot away he spoke. "She has a way to give you a cure."

"What? How?"

"We are willing to take you to the source of your troubles," Gabriel allowed, giving a slight smile. Damn, did he love this spy shit!

"Really," Ranma said. This had to be some kind of trick.

"Well, if it isn't my sister's dorky coworker." Nabiki said, walking up from behind Ranma. "Hi, Sunshine. Akane's going to be a few minutes. It seems that Kuno managed to find her."

Ranma glared at Nabiki and then looked at Gabriel. Gone were the cold, hard eyes of last night. Instead, he looked geeky and awkward.

"Yeah, well, Kas sent us up here to pick up Ms. Saotome."

"I see," Nabiki said trying to hide her distaste for the office drone. He was like Kasumi; efficient, competent, and he had no life outside of the Company — or if he did, it consisted of memorizing Klingon, watching old episodes of Dr. Who and pointing out every continuity error. She then turned to the redhead, who in heels was the same height as her. "I guess you've got your ride, Sunshine."

Ranma looked at Nabiki, then at Gabriel. There were only two of them. She could always turn into DarkStar if things went sour. However, it did not seem terribly likely that they would try to kill her again. "Looks like I do," she said.

"Okay," Gabriel said, opening the back door for her.

"Bye!" Nabiki said as Sunshine tossed her backpack in and stepped into the car.

Ranma buckled her seatbelt and watched Gabriel get in. "Sorry about last night," Gabriel said as Sophie pulled the car out of the parking lot.

"Yeah, that was a big cluster fuck last night. Sorry," Sophie said.

"It seems that a Pattern D is bad news?" Ranma stated flatly. Nothing like knowing that you are a monster.

"Very bad."

"So, what's this about a cure?"

"How would you like to be flown to Jusenkyou?

End Chapter 2

Usual thanks to prereaders Gerald Jordan, Joseph Fenton, Wray.

And of course Larry F for hosting my fics.

Thanks to Black Dragon for "the simple apology" and  the "something nice and crazy" lines.


	3. Chapter 3  Responsibility and Resolve

Chapter 3 Responsibility and Resolve

   
Ranma leaned back as the Company sedan drove into the city. Twice during the drive Gabriel had used a medium black and grey cell phone. Ranma presumed that he was phoning the people he and his partner worked for.

"Traffic's fairly light," Sophie muttered as she drove the car.

"That's because rush hour is headed out of the city now," Gabriel said.

"At least we have a straight route. We'll only have to change roads at the very end," Sophie commented.

"Where are you taking me?" Ranma asked, still in her school uniform. She had considered changing out of it, but the sad truth was that the fuku was better than her leather dress.

"WIC Toronto-A," Gabriel stated. Ranma nodded. Kasumi had told her the name of the Company. Willard International Consulting. It was a nice meaningless name. There was one part that she did not understand. "A?" she asked.

Gabriel snickered. It did sound like the redhead had just gone "Eh?"

"Be careful." Sophie warned. "If Agent Tendo were to find out you'd been making Canada jokes—"

"She would blink and order me to the range for more practice. Well, she might just quiz me on Pattern recondition," Gabriel said.

"Right. You see, Ms. Saotome--"

"Call me Ranma."

"Okay," Sophie said, somewhat amused. "The facility we're taking you to is only the primary one we have in the area. There are a handful of others, mostly for training, testing, helicopter maintenance and storage, and general redundancy."

Ranma nodded slowly. Again she was confronted with the apparent size of this organization. Although as of yet, she had only seen five personnel, one van, and two sedans.

"Now don't get us lost," Gabriel said as they drove into the heart of the city.

Sophie simply glared. Gabriel was a good agent. Like herself, he was a veteran of the Company's Operations Section. In his work he had to be determined, skilled, and professional. Sometimes, however, his joking became tiring. At least it was better than their superior, who often did not seem entirely human.

Turning off the road, she made her way to the underground parking lot that served as the Company motor-pool. She was relieved to see that the barricades were sealed. It was only after showing her and Gabriel's identification and waiting for a scan that the tire spikes and the fence retracted. She then drove the car into a large alcove with a large metal door in the back of it. This door then rolled open.

She then drove the car into the large airlock. The outer barricade, a thick slab of steel specially reinforced with exotic polymers, locked back into place. A deeper Pattern scan then commenced. With a hollow click the inner barricade unlocked and slid away.

Gabriel sighed as the sedan drove out of the airlock and down a small concrete and steel tunnel. He held his breath as the sedan drove up to the next set of barricades. While the gates were necessary, as the attack on WIC Singapore ten years ago illustrated, he did not have to like them.

The car passed the final lock and entered a large, brightly-lit underground room. A few dozen vehicles sat in neat rows. Ranma could see several sedans of the type she was in, large vans in mostly dark colors, and a variety of heavy and light military trucks. The machine shop, hydraulic lifts, large tool sets, and another pair of large, reinforced doors illustrated that this room did more than just hold vehicles. She noted the people dressed in black and grey jumpsuits working on the vehicles and machines.

Sophie parked the car and turned it off. As Ranma got out she realized that one of her questions had been answered. The Company was more than just a half a dozen people. That gate system alone must have cost a fortune to build and install. Gabriel pointed her to a human-sized door mounted in one of the far walls.

Grabbing her backpack, she started walking, barely noticing the odd, almost musical, resonance her heels made within the concrete garage. Her attention was more on the other people in the room. Sophie and Gabriel were flanking her on either side. Their eyes scanned the room while the other Company personnel watched the procession with some interest.

When they reached the door, Gabriel placed his palm on a black tablet next to the doorframe. "Authorization granted," a pleasant female voice said as the heavy doors opened.

"Who do they think it is?" Gabriel asked, shaking his head as he stepped into the elevator.

"We are escorting a Pattern D," Sophie said, then turning to Ranma, "Not that we'd do anything to you… um, now."

"Yeah, usually we have our interrogations off base. Much easier cleanup."

Ranma's face paled ever so slightly as she followed them into the small chamber.

Sophie gave Gabriel a very hard look but remained silent as the elevator began its descent.

The door opened into a room that reminded Ranma of a lobby. It was vaguely semi-circular with elevator bays at the arc and a series of heavy doors on the inside wall. The two Company agents and one demon stepped into the sparse room. The elevator behind them closed with a heavy click.

"This is the Company," Gabriel said as one of the reinforced doors opposite them slid open. Sophie shook her head and sighed.

***************

Ranma looked around the office. Like the rest of the subterranean facility, it was minimally decorated, using large quantities of brushed steel and high strength plastic polymers. She leaned back in her chair. It was surprisingly comfortable, especially given the grey room. She then looked over at the man behind the desk.

Somewhere in the late part of middle age, the man was wearing a grey Company uniform. Thin with graying dark brown hair and dull green eyes, he looked reserved, contemplative, and, like nearly everyone else here, oddly calm and cool.

He seemed the exact opposite of the Drake, whose office she was in earlier today. During that meeting, it was decided that she would attend school as a girl under the nauseating alias of Sunshine. The redhead wondered what would happen to her after this meeting. The nameplate on this man's desk read "Colonel Jacob Edwards: Special Agent, Operations Section."

Jacob glanced over at his monitor. On it were the status bars for the Company facilities under his and his immediate superior's control. Toronto-B had just checked in with condition green. Toronto-C was still being constructed and was listed as grey. According to Command, each Operations Centre was secure as well as all subsequent bases and facilities.

There were a total of twenty-six hot operations being executed at this moment. Only seven were classified beyond his compartment and rank. Sighing, he turned from the display to the young woman. Jacob assessed the girl. He had been a front-line agent before the advent of man-portable pattern recognition devices. He remembered having to radio back to a technical team looking at oscilloscopes and television screens in the back of a van.

Now Company agents expected to get definitive pattern classification in seconds -- it was a troubling crutch. Jacob relented as he looked over the girl. If he were a young agent in charge of the strike team, he would have shot the redheaded demon, and likely died for his efforts. Jacob further calmed himself by remembering that the Company had been hunting these creatures well before electronics or modern weapons. It was only now that technology was becoming comparable to the natural advantages the opposition enjoyed.

"Colonel Edwards?" Ranma asked. The man behind the desk seemed to be looking past her, his hands folded on his metal framed and wood paneled desk.

"Sorry, I was reminiscing," Jacob said as he tugged on his cuffs. "And please call me Jacob."

"Why?"

"It's part of a long, old story. I'm sure you want to change back," he said, taking a water-filled pot off a hot plate and handing it to her.

Ranma looked down at her school uniform. She thought that it would likely revert back to what she was wearing when she was a guy. Putting a finger in the pot she was surprised to find that it was hot enough to cause the change without being boiling. Ranma then dumped a small portion on herself. Ranma stretched, relieved to be male and back in normal clothes.

"We could help cure you of this," Jacob proposed.

"Yeah, by flying me to Jusenkyou," Ranma said with suspicion.

"You don't trust us. Understandable. It is of note, however, that you were willing to have this meeting here as opposed to some place more public."

"I didn't think you guys would go through the trouble of bringing me here, when you could have just killed me last night."

Jacob leaned back. "And I'm sure you thought you could get out. You are a highly trained Pattern D and Pattern Silver of Class 10. On the other hand, this is an extensive complex filled with Company Agents, and even if you did get to the surface you would have to deal with whatever higher weapons Command saw fit to level against you. If combat were to have broken out last night, it would have been interesting. Here it would be a disaster."

"Er, right. So about this cure. Why take me there? Isn't that inconvenient for you?"

"Yes, it is," Jacob admitted. "The Company could just ship you a few gallons of Nannichuan which is supposed to cure Nyanniichuan, what you fell into. However, it's not that simple, is it?"

"DarkStar," Ranma stated.

"Pluto's meddling has complicated things. Not just the Pattern Silver, but the Pattern D as well. Patterns D, I, L, V, and Z have varying levels of resistance to Jusenkyou. One question, is your female form now the same as before Pluto turned you?"

"No, it isn't. It's close, but I'm taller, my hair is a darker red, my skin is paler, and my proportions are… well, better," Ranma said with some annoyance.

"I suspected as much," Jacob sighed. "No, if this would work, we've got to take you to the source where it's strongest, and even then it might not work."

"Because Pluto used my curse to try to convert me into a Senshi," Ranma said, narrowing his eyes.

"It looks that way," Jacob allowed. "Although even if Nannichuan right from the source does not work, the caretaker of Jusenkyou might be able to tell you of another cure. If anyone knows, it would be him."

"What'll I owe you for doing this for me?" Ranma asked, quite wary of such deals.

"Nothing. This is us repaying you for that incident last night. The Company made a mistake. We thought you were working for the enemy. Helping you find a cure is the least we can do."

"I'll think about it," Ranma said after a slight pause.

"That's all I ask," Jacob said, standing. "If you want to contact me, just ask Agent Tendo," he said, opening the door to his office.

Ranma looked out the open door and was unsurprised to see one of Kasumi's men snap to attention. This one was male with brown hair cut down to a quarter inch in height.

"Agent Kowalski, show Ranma the commissary. Kasumi will be ready to drive you back home in a few minutes," Jacob said, returning to his desk. Before his door closed fully, he watched as Aram lead Ranma down the corridor. Shortly after that, there was a knock on his door.

"Well, what do you think?" Jacob asked the woman that entered his office.

"From the tape he seemed more receptive than anticipated. Although suspicious of our motives, he is willing to entertain the possibility that we want to make amends," Kasumi reported.

"It would seem that the assassination attempt will be less damaging than suspected," Jacob observed. "It is a strong point in favor of his character that he has yet to snap -- given what has happened to him."

"As you say," Kasumi said, maintaining an even expression at the comment. "One point of advice, if I may?"

"Yes?"

"Placing all the blame on Pluto may be unwise. The creation of DarkStar would seem to be Murdock's doing. Alienating him from Pluto and thus the other Silvers serves our short-term interests by potentially bringing him closer to us. But our goal is to eventually work with all the Silvers."

"I noticed his reaction, too. I agree. We cannot afford internal fighting among the Silvers."

"There might be a way we can isolate Pluto from the other Silvers. Recent events seem to be raising questions as to her competence, given that she is supposed to maintain 'temporal integrity'. If we can get the other members of their team to distance themselves from Pluto, then Ranma might be able to work with the Silvers, if not her," Kasumi stated as she replayed the conversation in her mind.

"Perhaps. Although, we do not know enough about how they interact with each other, nor do we know the civilian identities of the other Silvers."

"Given the odds on who those new students might be should help us," Kasumi said, referring to the nine students newly enrolled in Furinkan. It was likely that at least some of them were Pattern Silvers.

"I'm going to brief our Chief of Forensic Pathology on the information we have on DarkStar," Jacob said as he sat back down behind his desk.

"Including the data you've just gathered now," Kasumi noted. She was certain that Jacob had some scanners either hidden in this room, or placed in the adjacent ones.

"Yes. You've worked with him. Is he as good as Command says?"

"Yes, in the Oak Ridge Operations. He is quite competent," Kasumi allowed. "He handles research and field work equally well. His knowledge of opposition anatomy is impressive. He is also a competent rifleman." She looked at her commanding officer evenly. Doubtless, he was aware of the relationship they attempted after that Operation. Their personalities clashed too much. Like any other Company agent, he was in control on duty, but during intimate moments he would break down and become too emotional, something that Kasumi found repulsive.

***************

Aram watched as Ranma ate from the tray that he had filled. The teen could put away an impressive amount of food. The Company agent wondered if this was due to the teen's natural metabolism or if this was something brought upon due to the influence of DarkStar.

From his seat across from Aram, Ranma looked around the commissary. The room was fairly large. It could comfortably seat about fifty people. Unlike other rooms in the complex, this one actually had some decorations on the walls. It was an eclectic mix of framed photographs. Some were aerial view of majestic landscapes. Others were of old military uniforms, weapons, machines, and vehicles, ranging from the American Civil War to World War Two. More images were of buildings, most of which were simple, sturdy buildings, made of stone, brick and in the newer ones concrete.

"Agent Kowalski?" a familiar voice said from behind Aram.

"Yeah, Doc?" Aram asked.

"How did last night's operation go?" the man asked. Asian, he was fairly tall, average framed, had short dark brown hair, and slim brass-framed glasses.

"Can't tell you, Doc," Aram said, shaking his head.

"Really? They compartmentalized that one?" The man raised an eyebrow. Hot operations usually produced bodies, or at the very least some sort of organic material that needed to be analyzed. For the section he headed to have not been required made the outcome of last night's operation rather interesting. "Must have been an important one."

"What? Angry that you don't have any corpses to dice up?" Aram joked. That much he was allowed to say.

"You know I don't enjoy my job… Although it does have its moments."

Ranma looked up. A doctor who cut up the dead. That meant he was a coroner. If last night had gone differently it was likely that this man would be the one dissecting a red-headed corpse.

"Well, I'm sure Command will brief you."

"If they decide to," the doctor allowed as he looked at the young man across from Aram. He was unfamiliar to him, but he assumed it was just another cadet. Although the presence of a cadet at this facility was a bit odd. He noticed that the teen had resumed his accelerated eating, doubtless he had just returned from some particularly draining training. The doctor smiled slightly remembering his own training. After a particularly interesting autopsy in medical school, he had decided to change careers a bit.

"That's above my pay-grade," Aram remarked as he peeled an orange.

"But not quite above Kasumi's," the doctor responded.

"Command does seem to be grooming her for something," Aram allowed.

"She is pretty good," the doctor added. In the Company, "pretty good" meant that she was one of their best.

"Not that she'd want to get to far from the action."

"True, combat does seem to be her one passion," the doctor said with bitter humor. He had been with her before, but for him it was how he imagined a quiet prostitute would be like -- very little emotion, just business. He was sure she enjoyed it. She had told him so. Besides, what other reason was there for her to be with him? Unless the Company ordered her to do it. The doctor shook his head. That was too much, even for the Company.

Ranma thought about what the doctor had said. Was Kasumi like that last night? Upon reflection Ranma decided that she did seem a bit more animated last night. She was not quite as distant. There was something dreadfully wrong with a person who acts the most normal when they are about to kill, Ranma thought.

***************

It was a nondescript housing complex in a suburb of San Francisco. A meeting had just concluded in an apartment on the sixth floor. The resident of the apartment and his second remained to discuss the event.

"We've been activated," the subordinate one observed.

"I had wondered how long it would take," the resident responded.

"Especially given our queen's defeat."

The resident glared at his assistant. Capable and loyal, his cool-headedness was part of the reason their sleeper cell had lasted so long. Longer than the queen they had sworn to serve. "You heard the Regent. We have a chance to get our vengeance."

The younger of the two looked at his superior. "Please do not doubt my willingness for the cause. I merely suggest caution. Every one of us, each and every one, that has gone up against them and stood their ground has died. We have only survived by running, teleporting, and hiding. Yes, I wish to avenge our fallen comrades, but getting ourselves killed pointlessly serves nothing. Especially given how few of us are left."

The resident nodded. His team was selected for their discretion. They were able to slip in unnoticed and quietly gather energy. It was a point of pride to the resident that not a single one of his plans had ever been discovered. The queen had decided to create a series of sleeper cells and seed them in cities around the world. The resident was never told what the ultimate plan of his troops was to be. He assumed that he would be briefed when the time was right.

It took some time for the resident to realize that the dispatches from home, always infrequent, had stopped. He was not to learn of the fall of their kingdom until the Regent gave what until today had been his final message. Now, after nearly two years of waiting, they had a mission.

"It's a good thing that we've still been collecting all this time. We should have enough energy to pull this thing off," the subordinate stated, interrupting the thoughts of other entity in the room.

"But will we make it?"

"If you can trust the planning of the Regent's assistant," he said bitterly.

"You distrust that lackey." It was not a question.

"Dave, the stench of ambition is on him," he said, using the name the resident has assumed upon his arrival in this place.

"Well, Frank, it's not like there's anywhere for him to be promoted to," the resident stated, using his visitor's alias.

"Not if the mission fails," he warned.

"It won't," the resident assured.

***************

Kasumi stopped her car in the driveway. "We're home," she said, opening her door.

"Right," Ranma said as he got out after opening his own door.

"Given any thought about the cure?" Kasumi asked as she locked the car.

"I'm still very skeptical about your motives," Ranma stated as he walked around the front of the car.

"A prudent choice," Kasumi smiled. Her face then darkened. "Especially, given the circumstances. No one should have to go through this."

Ranma looked at the young woman. Her face seemed to soften. She then made eye contact. For the first time Ranma did not see the cold, distant, uncaring killer. Instead he saw a girl, hardly older than he was, scarred by experience, hardened by loss, and disciplined by courage. Last night she had told him what she did, what the Company fought, but Ranma was unable to make the connection at a more than an intellectual level.

That night he was the enemy. They thought he was a dangerous animal that had to be killed. Ranma questioned their competence, but at least they had some sort of reason for being overzealous shock troops. He still did not like them, trust them, or even care about them.

Today he was -- what? Ranma looked at Kasumi. He was not being treated like a civilian. If he was not an enemy or a neutral, then he must be an ally, but he refused to work with the Senshi. Then it hit him.

Ranma looked back at Kasumi, who by now had slight concern on her face. He had stopped walking and began to stare off into space. She was looking at him like he was family -- or a fellow agent.

"I can't believe you guys!" he exclaimed. "You try to kill me one day. Then you find out what powers I have, and the very next day you start trying to recruit me!"

Kasumi blinked. She decided to go with the truth. "Yes. We would like the Pattern Silvers, including you, to be working with us--"

Ranma's eyes narrowed.

"--but that does not change the offer made to you today. We will take you to Jusenkyou, regardless."

"In reparations for last night," Ranma observed with skepticism.

Kasumi nodded. Jacob had an inkling that he might figure out their motives.

"But if I get cured, there won't be any DarkStar to recruit, will there?"

Kasumi tilted her head at this. He should know better.

"Wait… no," Ranma recalled looking at the stone walkway. "The guy I replaced was a guy. I would have been like him, but someone activated the curse at the wrong moment."

"Unlike other parties, we do not require you to wear a fuku," Kasumi stated, regaining most of her composure.

"Still trying," Ranma said with bitter humor.

"I do what I must," Kasumi said, smiling slightly.

***************

Kasumi filled her mug and returned the pot to the coffee machine. Sipping the hot liquid, she made her way through the house to the breezeway that connected the house to the dojo. Her father still took on the occasional student, and her sister Akane still used the building, but right now it was serving a slightly different purpose.

Holding the mug emblazoned with the Company logo, she started to walk away from the dojo. Her eyes occasionally returning to the treeline at the end of the back yard. She listened in on the sounds within the dojo. The discussion, for lack of a better word, was over.

She had only seen a part of it. The marital artist had turned around to find her watching from the open doorway, and the dark look Ranma gave her was quite unsettling. Kasumi had decided to give Ranma some privacy, for about the time it took for her coffee to brew.

Of greater note was Genma's expression. Ranma's father did not seem quite right. Kasumi remembered how he described their curses. How he kept shifting his eyes. It was as if he was afraid of his child. Kasumi herself did get a red flag when she first met Ranma too.

She sipped her drink. She grinned ever so slightly, savoring the bitter taste. That was something the Company missed. They needed more information about the father. The contents of that Company search were a good start, but they needed more information about the time surrounding the activation of DarkStar. What was he doing then? How did he react to Ranma's new cursed form?

Genma seemed to be pretending to ignore it. Again, there was that fear. Last night, Ranma had inferred that he had seen Pluto again and the results were not terribly pretty. Had another incident happened with his father? It was something to look into.

What of the mother? Where was she? Dead? Back in Japan? Who had already had a Company search running? That was a file she had to get. She terminated her thoughts, changing her focus to the sounds emanating from the dojo.

Ranma's control was impressive. She had yet to hear a bone break or any other sort of serious damage. She had heard several contact events, though. Kasumi estimated that while Genma would not need an ambulance tonight, he would be quite "roughed up".

To Kasumi it did not sound like a simple beating. Ranma was moving around too much, as was Genma. The older man simply seemed unable to effectively defend himself. Perhaps it had started as sparring and then progressed into something else. Perhaps Ranma simply commenced beating his father. Kasumi did not know. The mix of control and rage did intrigue her, both professionally and personally.

Kasumi continued to listen, cataloging their conversation and the other noises. She then heard the back door slide open followed by a familiar voice. "I was wondering where you went," Nabiki said, closing the door behind her.

"It's a clear night," Kasumi said, looking at the sky. She knew a fair number of the stars. Stellar navigation was part of her training.

"Noise not distracting you?" Nabiki asked as she looked over to the dojo. Ranma seemed to have landed a particularly meaty blow, causing Genma to gasp. She winced at what Ranma was doing, but the old buffoon did piss him off.

"Not particularly," Kasumi shrugged, wondering if Nabiki realized the trouble she was in. This was just a prelude to Genma's punishment. The Company agent thought Ranma was near his breaking point. She also knew that retribution was an excellent release valve.

Nabiki nodded. When she wanted to, her sister was capable of entering her own little world. She was much better now. Nabiki wanted to talk to her, but she found herself hesitating. She looked at the older girl's face. After their mother died, Kasumi took up much of the slack. At first she was happy and sweet, almost a caricature of the helpful housewife. Then came Kasumi's incident, and her recruitment to intern for that company.

When Kasumi returned, she was still like a mother, but in a different way. Sometimes when Nabiki looked into her sister's eyes, she saw the cold eyes of a mother wolf protecting her pups.

"What do you think about Ranma?" Nabiki finally asked.

"He is very interesting," Kasumi stated.

"Holding your cards tight, I see," Nabiki laughed.

Kasumi gave a little salute with her mug.

Nabiki eyed the little gray logo. It always seemed to make her eyes hurt. She shrugged as she made her next statement. "I don't think Ranma likes me."

Kasumi almost blinked at this. That was obvious after the stunt she had pulled today, but more importantly why would her sister care? Kasumi knew all about Nabiki's ice-queen businesswoman persona. It seemed to be mostly an act. Something for Nabiki to keep herself entertained. Was Nabiki afraid for her safety? That might actually be a legitimate concern for the girl.

"It might not have been terribly wise to make fun of his curse," Kasumi said, after taking a small sip.

Nabiki looked at the shorter-haired girl. "He seemed fairly okay with it last night. Besides, that Sunshine thing was too delicious to pass up. It's the Drake that he should be mad at."

Kasumi looked up at the stars again. The sounds from the dojo seemed to be dying off. "I'm sure he will be. Why are you so concerned about what he thinks? Is my little sister showing some emotion? Regret perhaps?" Kasumi joked. Both knew who was better at concealing their emotions.

Nabiki smiled. "No, Ranma just seems -- how do I say it? He's different when he's a she."

"Really now?" Kasumi remarked with a slight trace of sarcasm. "You have only just met him."

"He seems to be more uptight and cold when he's that girl."

"Can you blame him?"

"Well, no."

Kasumi looked at the younger girl. "Try to go easy on him? He doesn't need this kind of crap."

"Fine."

"How's Akane handling this? She always had problems with the unusual. Remember the fish?"

Nabiki laughed, remembering that ill-fated fishing trip their father had taken them on. Back when Kasumi was in middle school, the Drake invited the Tendo family up to the Kuno's summer house near Orchard Beach. Soun and the Drake were gutting the day's catch on the patio when Akane came in. Seeing a pile of gasping, decapitated fish heads, Akane ran off and hid under the couch, refusing to come out. That the Drake's son had decided to start tossing them at her had not helped. "Well, it was pretty freaky."

"And a guy turning into a redhead isn't?" Kasumi said. She was thankful that the knowledge of the curse was, at the very least, restricted to her immediate family. It was rather convenient of Genma to make such a proposal. Yet another reason to investigate the man.

"I know," Nabiki admitted. "Sis doesn't know what to do about Ranma. He's not obsessing over her, he isn't making fun of her, but he isn't being nice to her either. She doesn't like this Sunshine business, but then neither does Ranma."

"And indecision does not suit her," Kasumi said, looking at Nabiki. She looked like she had one last thing to ask. Kasumi hoped that it did not pertain to her job. She did not enjoy lying to her family.

"Yeah," Nabiki said. She paused, then turned around heading back into the house.

Kasumi smiled. She was able to turn her full attention to the matter at hand.

***************

Ami rolled over and turned her alarm clock off. She blinked a few times, her brain regaining full consciousness. She looked out the second-story window to see a bright morning sky. Getting out of bed, she stretched, relieved that her jet lag was essentially gone. She still felt a bit out of sync, but it was nowhere near as bad as yesterday; the night before that was not worth mentioning.

"School today," the blue-haired girl muttered as she put on her robe. She exited her room, then made her way to the bathroom. The apartment Setsuna had set them up with was large enough. The main entrance lead to a good sized kitchen that flowed to the living room. On either side of this central space was a small hallway. Each had a door that went to a bathroom and two that went to the bedrooms. Due to a bend in the building, one of the bedrooms was nearly twice the size of the other three.

Setsuna remained at her downtown, tenth-floor apartment. The five girls got the four rooms. They used matchsticks to find out which two would have to share the big bedroom. Makoto and Minako pulled the two burnt ones.

After using the bathroom she shared with Usagi, Ami walked into the main room. She blinked to see Rei dressed in their new school uniform, watching the news. "You're already up?" she asked, yawning.

Rei turned to see the girl standing behind the couch. "Woke up, couldn't get back to sleep."

"Ah," Ami stated. "What're you watching?"

"Canadian news. It's odd there isn't anything about those deaths Setsuna told us about."

"Maybe the government is covering it up," Ami proposed as she rummaged in the cabinets. After showing them the apartment, Setsuna had driven them around to familiarize them with the area. One of the places they had stopped was a supermarket.

"They did hire that company," Rei said as she changed to a different news channel.

"It would be nice to have some help," Ami said. She had moved on to the refrigerator.

"Not nice people," Rei stated, summarizing what Setsuna had said about WIC.

"Setsuna didn't seem sure if they would be on the same side as us." Ami stated simply. That Setsuna did not know something was a considerable shock. They were used to her saying that she knew, but for the sake of the timeline she had to remain silent. Often, Ami suspected that the Senshi of Time was pretending to know more than she did. Nonetheless, she was effective at covering up her lack of knowledge, if she even had any.

But now, there was this Murdock. Setsuna was sure of his role in the creation of DarkStar. Aside from that, Setsuna was frustratingly in the dark.

Rei turned off the television. "I guess we should wake up the others. More school," she noted sourly.

"We're Magical Girls. We spend all night fighting monsters and all day at school," Ami stated.

"Makoto thinks she saw Ranma yesterday."

"Really? Why didn't she say anything earlier?"

"She didn't recognize him until she thought about it. She told me last night in the bathroom when we were getting ready for bed. Remember how yesterday, after Setsuna registered us for classes, we wandered around the school for a bit?" She continued after Ami nodded. "Mako-chan was on the second floor near the end of a hall. She looked out the window to see a redheaded woman in the parking lot, talking to another student and a slightly older guy in casual business wear, near a gray car. She remembered it because the girl's uniform was not the normal one."

"What happened?"

"The redhead got in the car. They then drove off, leaving the other student to walk to her own car. Makoto didn't think much of it at first because Ranma's a guy. Why would he go to school as a girl?"

"I wish she'd tell us more about Ranma," Ami said, referring to Setsuna.

"Yeah, she told us all about DarkStar, but nearly nothing about Ranma."

"It's like she's afraid to research about him. It's almost as if she's afraid of him."

"That may be it," Rei observed. "Ranma is a guy, but now he's one of us."

"Technically she's not a Senshi."

"Ami, Ranma's got the powers, the reincarnation from the Silver Millennium, and the miniskirt. It's damn close enough."

"And he thought he would be cured, not made into a Magical Girl. Yeah, he's pissed."

"I'm surprised DarkStar didn't attack her," Ami said.

"Maybe she did."

"We should try to talk to Ranma at school today."

"Why do you think he's attending as a girl?" Rei asked.

"I have no idea."

"When will the cats be out of quarantine?" Rei muttered. When live animals are transported internationally, they are usually required to spend around a dozen days under government observation. This is done to make sure that disease is not spread to livestock and other animals.

Ami blinked, the change in topic was rather strange. "Um, I think Usagi said they have three more days."

"I wonder what they have to say about this situation."

"Even if they were alive when DarkStar was around, I doubt they would remember much."

"I was referring to Setsuna's actions."

"Oh."

***************

Ranma dried himself off from his morning shower. He was reluctant to leave the stream of hot liquid, but he had to get ready for school. He used a towel to dry himself. He looked at his reflection. He thrust his arm under the running faucet. Wearing no clothes as a male, his cursed form was also naked. Ranma sighed as she looked at her reflection. There were two outfits her curse would let her wear, not counting DarkStar's getup. Shaking her head she shifted into the marginally better of the two.

It was a fuku. While it was not the overly skimpy parody that the Senshi preferred, it was still very form-fitting and revealing. It was similar to the Furinkan girl's uniform of purple pleated skirt, white blouse, blue woman's tie, blue jacket and beret, but with a few key differences. Her version was tighter on her frame than normal, was darker in the skirt and jacket, and had a black blouse, black military beret, and red tie. She also wore calf-high leather boots and fishnet stockings.

She had an obsidian pendant hanging on a fine silver chain that sat over her tie, and black stud earrings. Annoyed, Ranma pulled back the two long strands of hair that framed her face. The rest of her hair was pulled back and twisted into a tight bun that served as the source of a fan-like pony-tail that cascaded from the back of her head. She looked at the makeup on her face with resentment.

She sighed again as she left the room. There was not much she could do. She would have to go to school as Sunshine. A part of her mind told her to refuse, to rebel. She could transform all the way, spread her wings, and fly away from this mess. Another part told her to change back to a man, tell her father to fuck off and walk out. Yet another part of her mind was seriously considering the Company's offer. Those clowns certainly had the resources to take her to China, and that was the best chance she had of finding a cure. Finally, she decided to simply go to school.

She hoped that she would make it through the day without causing any serious problems.

***************

Deep in the sub-basements of the Canada Trust Tower, in the heart of WIC Toronto-A, a meeting was taking place.

"Wow, Marv. I can't believe you're actually going to shave that thing," Jacob said as he poured himself a glass of water.

Commander Marvin Stillwater, head of WIC operations in Toronto and vicinity, turned from his shaving to glare at his executive officer. He was in the middle of reducing his beard. On the left side it was trimmed down to match with the corner of his mouth, and on the right it still connected up to the hair on his head.

He his upper lip was already shaved. He had never been able to grow an even mustache, so for the last twenty years he had opted to simply have a mustache-less beard. Now he was trimming the beard down to a goatee.

"Come on now Jacob, I was not that attached to it."

"Yes sir, you were," Jacob replied, smiling as he said "sir". In the decades that they had known each other, the two men had alternated between being each other's superior as they both climbed the Company ladder. "I remember you started growing it after you were promoted beyond regular field work."

Stillwater grunted at that as he shaved the hair on the right side of his face. He and Jacob had met as fresh agents just out of training. They had both moved up the chain of command, Stillwater moving further up the Operations Section into Command itself. Jacob had been transferred to Recruitment and Training Section.

"Don't tell me that the great Stillwater is showing some vanity?" Jacob said, slightly amused.

"Despite the training and our years of experience, we are still human."

"It is because of our training and experience that we are still human," Jacob countered.

"It would seem that way," Stillwater said as he finished reshaping his beard.

"I'm pleased to report that the DarkStar situation may be salvageable. We have also gotten the background checks to the other new Furinkan students. Some of them are rather -- interesting. They are in the file on your desk."

"It would be quite the coincidence to have all the Silvers in one place," Stillwater said as he washed his face.

"It would seem that this operation is replete with coincidences."

"Murdock," Stillwater stated.

"Yes. He was most useful in telling us about the Silvers. He did neglect to inform us as to their civilian identities. Something that our own limited surveillance of the Silvers has failed to yield."

"You know that the Japanese government has restricted our activities in Tokyo," Stillwater said with frustration. They let the Company built an Operations Centre in Hokkaido and gave WIC a free hand to operate throughout their nation, except for a circle fifty miles in radius centered on their capital. The Japanese government created the exclusion zone "to prevent conflicts of interest between governmental police agencies, both civilian and military, and various consulting firms." Command was puzzled by this action, but there was little they could do.

"I wonder if the Silvers were the reason for that. How much do they know about us?" Jacob shook his head before returning to the original subject. "Murdock also said nothing of DarkStar."

"He would probably smile and tell us that she's not technically a Senshi."

"Semantics. She is a Pattern Silver. That is what counts," Stillwater bitterly said.

"Indeed."

"Agent Tendo has performed admirably, although one wonders if she is the right person to interact with Ranma."

"Once again, circumstances have given us this situation. You read her transcript from last night's events."

"Yes. His mental state is quite precarious."

"That's why I say we give him a very soft touch, no manipulations, no bullshit, no head-games, no obligations."

"And what if he turns his back on us and walks away?" Stillwater asked, sitting down at his desk.

"Do you think we could control a being such as DarkStar? With proper preparation we could kill her," Jacob allowed as he sat in one of the chairs in front of Stillwater.

"Why do you think Ranma will work with us, then?"

"I think he would help us because to ignore the threat we fight would be unacceptable to him."

"You would challenge his morality," Stillwater said as he leaned back, smiling.

Jacob nodded.

***************

Ranma looked up from her desk to see two new students. One was a good looking brunette with a long, curved ponytail. The girl was tall, about even with Ranma's current height. The redhead felt a tinge of familiarity when she looked at the girl. She seemed happy yet reserved. She seemed to be waiting for something to happen, something decidedly unpleasant.

The other was a tallish guy, who was most likely fairly thin. His shirt seemed to hang off his frame and was poorly tucked into his pants. Oddly, his tie was knotted expertly, but in a style unfamiliar to Ranma. He was fairly pale, though in a sickly way, as opposed to Ranma's -- now Sunshine's -- more alabaster skin tone. The twerp set off warning bells deep within Sunshine's mind. He looked nervous. His squinting eyes were downcast when they were not darting around the room.

But there was something more. It was only noticeable if you managed to make eye contact during his seemingly pointless scans of the room. Sunshine had looked directly into the teen's eyes and saw a controlled and confident mind. His actions, whatever they might be, would be ones with purpose. These were not the eyes of some shy, bullied geek.

Sunshine watched the two, memorizing their faces and voices. There was something to these two people. She supposed that her classmates would find this influx of new students odd, but they gave no indication of it. She planned to keep tabs on her fellow new students, unaware that there were more newcomers in other classrooms.

In one, three people were being introduced. Ami and Minako stood in front of a similar room. Next to them, also being introduced, was a girl with short, dark auburn hair. Her name was Janet Fraiser. She was newly moved in from the States. Her uniform was immaculate, with perfectly ironed creases. She stood with her feet shoulder length apart and her hands clasped behind her back. The other two girls felt that this smiling girl was hiding something.

In a third room, Rei and Usagi looked questioningly at the teen who stood between them. He called himself Rod Ferris. Tall, with broad shoulders and dusky complexion, he appeared to have both Scottish and Native American blood in him. His tie was loosened, looking like a noose cut before the trapdoor could open. His smile was predatory, in a vague, amused way.

***************

"If you hate your name so much, why don't you have everyone use a nickname instead?" Samantha asked the redhead that sat across from her.

Ranma blinked. Today she was unable to avoid eating with anyone. Fortunately, it was just Naoko and Samantha, two girls whose company she could stand.

"Wouldn't work," Naoko said before Ranma had a chance to respond.

"What? She just picks a name and tells everyone to use that instead of the one her hippy parents gave her."

"Don't you know anything about how nicknames work? You never get to choose your own. It's always given to you. The best you can hope for is something completely random or something from a memorable event in your past. Both are out. Sunshine's new here, and I doubt a name like 'Tire Iron' or 'Rutabaga' would fit her. No, that leaves something based on her physical characteristics or a bastardization of her name."

"Ouch," Samantha said as she tried to think of a nickname that was worse than Sunshine. She could not come up with one, but she did not doubt that several existed.

"Best not to even try," Naoko warned.

"Yeah. Sunshine's bad enough as it is," Ranma said as she glanced at another table halfway across the room. The other new girl, Kino Makoto, was sitting there with four other girls. They seemed to be in a hushed conversation, and they would occasionally look over at Ranma's table. At another table in the corner of the room, sat the other new kid. Named Gosunkugi Hikaru, he had some sort of thick, old-looking hardcover book out next to his lunch. He appeared to be softly talking into a tape recorder as he looked over the yellowed pages.

"Apparently there's been a rash of transfers these last two days," Samantha said, following Ranma's gaze.

"Yeah, see all those girls that Makoto's talking to, Sunshine?"

"They're all new too?"

"Yup."

"Interesting," Ranma remarked, taking a sip of her soda. Five girls from Japan arrive three days after she had arrived in Toronto. One of them is oddly familiar. Oh, not in how she looked. Having a familiar smell was the closest human sense to which she could equate it. The redhead imagined that if she got close to the other four girls she would pick up the same "scent".

Ranma resumed eating. After a couple of minutes, she looked up to see the quintet approach. As they got closer Ranma felt the slight twinge that they all gave off. She assumed that some demonic sense organ of hers was picking up on something that the girls gave off.

The girl at the head of the group was a bubbly blonde with a nauseatingly cutesy hairstyle. Ranma shook her head. Why in God's name would someone place their ponytails there? And why let them get that long? The girl could trip on them if she was the slightest bit klutzy.

Usagi looked at the sinfully beautiful girl in front of her. She thought Ranma was a boy. Sure, he had that curse, but to go to school as a girl, especially with the name Sunshine, was very odd. Her own name was not much better, but at least she was born a girl. The blonde was starting to suspect that the transformation had eaten his brain… although it might be for the best. Usagi could not imagine what kind of hell being a Senshi would be for a guy.

"Hi, Sunshine. I'm in your class," Makoto said, trying to break the ice.

"Yeah? So?" the girl known as Sunshine responded.

"There's something we want to talk about," one of the girls with black hair said as she looked at Naoko and Samantha.

Ranma glanced at her two companions. "Let me guess. This is something that you only want me to hear? Never mind that this is a high school cafeteria that's monitored by cameras." She had noticed the cameras yesterday, but only today was she paranoid enough to think that they were being used to monitor her movements.

The blonde with her hair unbound swiveled her head around taking note of the black security camera hemispheres in the ceiling. "Well. Would you two still mind leaving us for a bit?"

Ranma looked at Naoko and Samantha. "Would you two mind?"

Samantha shrugged as she got up and left. She was followed by Naoko.

Ranma watched the five girls sit down across from her. "You made me shoo away two people that I can actually stand. Make this good," Ranma said coldly.

Usagi cleared her throat. "Um, we have a mutual acquaintance. A Meiou Setsuna."

"Ah, the Time Bitch. So, you're the cheerleaders. Now I've got shadow organizations and magical girls after me. What next? The Free Masons? Elvis? Maybe the Canadian Dental Association?" Ranma laughed.

"This is serious."

"I'm sure it is. You guys do get a point for not trying to kill me. However, the fuku is a big mark against you," the demon-girl smirked.

"You know why we're here?" Ami asked.

"Oh, yeah. Ancient evil is loose or something. I do have one question. Assuming that the Time Bitch told you about my curse, would you guys be willing to help me cure it?"

"You're setting terms to work for us?" Rei said skeptically. "Didn't you make a deal with Pluto?"

"Yes. And she lied. She knew I would never agree to be a magical girl, so she told me it would cure me instead. And now the Company's using the same carrot. But what are those goons going to do to me? Try to make me into one of their tin soldiers? I don't think they're dumb enough to try to kill and dissect me." She paused. "Again."

As Usagi watched the redhead quietly rant she lost interest in what the girl was saying and instead concentrated on how her body was moving. Her eyes glazed over slightly and she smashed her head into the table. She moaned and impacted it a second time.

"Meatball-head? You okay?" Rei asked.

"Make the bad thoughts go away," Usagi whimpered silently. "No. I'm fine," she said as she raised her head. For a brief moment her eyes locked with Ranma's then turned away.

"Ditz," Rei muttered.

Man, she can't handle one lesbian daydream, Ranma thought to herself, correctly guessing the nature of the blonde's trouble.

"So you feel betrayed," Usagi said.

"Exactly. Now, would you guys be willing to help me find a cure to this?" Ranma asked.

"I could use the Ginzuishou on you," Usagi suggested.

"I'm guessing that's some kind of magic trinket. What's it do?"

"It heals and purifies."

"Oh," Ranma said. She did not like that word "purify". It could mean something as harmless as removing her curse and the demon DarkStar. It could also mean a purification of personality. A little magical head-cleaning that would make her into an obedient little Sailor Senshi. "I'm not so sure about that."

"What, you don't trust us?" Rei demanded.

"Hell, no! I don't know you, and considering the actions of your teammates…"

"Pluto acted without authorization," Usagi coldly said as she narrowed her eyes.

"Well, Princess, I suggest you keep better tabs on your troops, because she royally fucked up," Ranma said, meeting her gaze while causing several unintentional puns.

"She is being dealt with."

"If you say so," Ranma dismissively said. "She was the one to send you here, and I'm guessing she was the one to tell you about me."

"Yes, there's been a rash of missing persons and a series of bizarre murders," Usagi said as she remembered the condition of the corpses.

"And she did tell us about you," Makoto added.

"Although she only told us about Ranma. Sunshine never came up," Rei said, emphasizing that name.

Ranma's violet flecked, blue irises contracted. "First of all, my status at school is caused by my idiot father who happens to be friends with the principal. That name was chosen as a cruel joke, and like many other things in my life, I seem to be stuck with it."

The redhead sighed, took a drink, and continued. "As for the Time Bitch, I guess it was good of her to tell you about me. She could have just sat on that information and let you nimrods attack me because I'm a demon."

Usagi paused at that. Setsuna did have a habit of withholding critical information.

"I don't see why you blame Pluto for all this. After all, it was Murdock who killed your predecessor and sabotaged the transfer. Pluto wanted you to be cured. Having you be DarkStar messes up the future," Ami stated.

Ranma smirked as she put down her soda. "And she told you all of this?"

"Yes."

"And have you met Murdock?"

"No."

"I have. He's a fairly competent mage specializing in transformations. Apparently, he knows a fair bit about you guys. He knew enough to help me after Pluto's little trick. Look, he is weird. His sense of humor is incomprehensibly dry, but he doesn't care about your precious future. He's too apathetic to do that much scheming."

"Setsuna told us that WIC has been using him as a source of information."

"So? I already told you he knows about you guys. It's not like your activities are very secretive what with the skimpy uniforms, bright magical lights, and explosions. The Company found him and pumped him for information."

"You can't take him for a bystander. He is an unbalanced saboteur who will stop at nothing to fulfill his plans… whatever they are."

"I won't deny that he's strange and has caused problems. He did neglect to tell the Company about my situation, but he's not the boogeyman the Time Bitch makes him out to be."

"You don't know what he's capable of."

"Neither do you. He's a scapegoat to cover the Time Bitch's incompetent scheming," Ranma said, her eyes looking past the girls at the entrance at the far side of the room. She groaned as she recognized the person entering the room.

"My glorious Sunshine, how I have missed you," Kuno declared as he strode over to Ranma's table.

Ranma closed her eyes as tightly controlled rage welled within her. "Leave now, or I will kill you," she said in a disturbingly casual voice.

Kuno's resolve paused for a second. He was confused. It was obvious that he was meant to be with this beautiful woman, but a part of him told him to run like a frightened field mouse and hide somewhere for a few hours. Steeling himself, Kuno held his ground. "Your hair is like the setting sun, crimson locks burning brightly."

Ranma put her hand to her forehead. "If you don't leave right now. I will tear open your stomach, hog tie you with your own intestines, and let you bleed to death."

Usagi's face twisted with revulsion and another emotion. She could clearly see Sunshine doing this, but for some reason her mind pictured the redhead naked as she eviscerated the unfortunate boy.

Rei blinked. The only emotion the redhead possessed was exasperation. She seemed fully capable of carrying out her ultimatum, regardless of the consequences.

Kuno opened his mouth. He then slowly closed it. Repeating these two actions several times, he started to resemble the fish heads he had terrorized the youngest Tendo with years ago.

"Go on, get," Ranma said in a voice eerily similar to a heavily armed hermit talking to a trespasser.

Closing his mouth with such speed that his teeth clacked together, Kuno turned around and wandered out of the room. A couple of times he drifted into a lunch table causing some of the room to take notice of his passing… although a woman getting fed up enough to threaten to kill Tatewaki was a relatively common occurrence.

Ranma felt her rage drain as Kuno left the room. She was quite relieved that he had actually left. Very few people are stupid enough to die for something that insignificant. Fortunately, Kuno was not one of them.

"Maybe we should get going," Usagi said as she stood up. She felt the need to get some distance from this redhead. She had trouble blocking the bloody and naked mental images.

"Okay, then," Ranma said as she resumed eating her lunch. The Senshi seemed to be about what she expected them to be: a group of girls being lead around by the Time Bitch. She did wonder what they were like in combat.

Usagi shook her head as she returned to her original table. Her four friends followed her. "So what do you think of our newest member?" she asked.

"Scary," Minako said.

"Look at it from his perspective. Ranma is a guy who turns into a demonic magical girl," Makoto stated.

"She was about to lose it back there," Rei observed.

"But he didn't." Makoto stated.

"Only because that buffoon backed down."

***************

In Etobicoke, a suburb of Toronto to the northwest of the city, there is a series of motels that stand on highway 427, opposite the Lester B. Person International Airport. In one of these motels, a large contingent of rooms has been reserved for a handful of days.

The occupant of this particular room stood over the table. On it was a series of blueprints and maps. His second-in-command stood off to the side. He gave one final glance to the pen-marked building schematics before addressing his guests.

"You have just heard the reconnaissance accounts of our operatives. The facility is easy to observe and its structural information is a matter of public record. Pretending to be package deliverymen, we have been able to get our people inside the building. This has given us a more personal description of what the building is like. You have been briefed as to our plan. Any questions? I will not take any legitimate question as insubordination. This plan has to be perfect," he assured his subordinates.

"Are we sure of the enemy's presence in the building?" asked the head of Cell 3. She appeared to be a very attractive young woman, a trait that was very helpful in past energy collection missions.

"Within a fair degree of accuracy," the resident nodded. "The men that we had inside detected some trace energy signatures. These match what little information our superiors had collected on the enemy, before the fall of home base," he added sourly.

"So we know that something magical has been there, and that it is likely to be the enemy?"

"Yes. In the event that the enemy does not show, we will have plenty of hostages ready to convince them to come, and the Regent has assured us that a significant number of the enemy are in this city," the second stated.

"And our hostages will be quite useful," the head of procurement and supply, Cell 5, stated. "Conversion will not be an issue. We have ample energy stores for even a very fast change."

"Good. Our patience and continued collection has paid off," the resident said.

"The cameras do concern me," the second stated. "The operation is at its weakest in the early stages. If the enemy comes before we are fully set up, we will not have enough weapons or forces to defeat them."

"That is why our first stage is to remove the surveillance system entirely. Not only will it prevent prying eyes from observing us, it will also give the first group access to the heart of their security system," the resident smiled. "After all, it is the security company who is called in when the cameras break."

The resident's second then interjected, "Remember, during this operation we will be using our human names." He turned to his superior. "Isn't that right, Dave?"

"Indeed, Frank. We have all lived under these names for several years, so we will respond to them. As you know, our true names have a theme that may enable those girls to realize our true nature prematurely."

"It is only by eliminating unnecessary risks that we will succeed," the entity known as Frank said.

"Once the first team is inside and in control, they will activate the gate and bring the rest of our personnel and material in. Heavy weapons will be placed at these points and hostages will be contained to these rooms," Dave said as he pointed to several spots on the blueprints. "Brief your teams again. Make sure they understand how the mission will go off. This is our last, best chance. We will succeed where all of our comrades have failed. They underestimated the enemy. They had the raw power to find them and kill them, but they insisted on treating the enemy as little girls. Tomorrow we will kill as many of them as possible and escape to strike again."

***************

Ranma was right. The cameras in the school were being used to keep tabs on her. Given the special relationship the Company had with the principal, obtaining access to the school's security system was a simple matter. No one was presently monitoring the cameras. It was 3:15 AM, and the school was empty.

WIC Toronto-A was not. The Company facility was in full operation. Its staff was currently observing a group of search parties looking for a missing scout troop last seen in the Hilton Falls Conservation Area, twenty-five miles southwest of the city.

A Company technician was alerted to a signal drop. Checking the source, the young agent was puzzled to find that the observation signals from Furinkan High School had been dropped. Following orders, he lifted his phone and called the base commander.

Jacob rose from the bunk in his office. Almost instantly regaining full consciousness, he answered the phone. "I'll be in momentarily," he said after the situation was explained to him. He stood up and walked out of his office down the short hallway to "C3", the Command and Control Center. "Why did we lose our signal?" Jacob asked as he entered the large, monitor filled room.

"The system was installed and is monitored by Keystone Security. We have been monitoring Keystone as well. They have also lost their linkup to Furinkan. Their computer has logged it as a Type 12 Maintenance Fault of unknown origin. A repair team has been slotted to arrive at six hundred hours," a communications agent responded as he organized the data in front of him.

"Damn Drake and his bargain hunting," Jacob stated as he shook his head. "Do we have any evidence of infiltration before this system failed?"

"No, but we have a team analyzing the data from just before the signal was lost."

Jacob considered the situation. Keystone and the Company got their signal from two different places in the security system. Keystone had a landline directly into the control system so that an emergency, fire, medical, police, or other services could be quickly reported to the authorities. Unlike the connection the Company used, it was not a broadcast of everything all the cameras saw. To have both fail meant that the mechanical fault was deep within the core of the system, or that it was a planned sabotage of the system. "Send the strike team on North York rotation in," Jacob ordered. "Have them observe the grounds for intrusion."

Jacob sighed as he sat down at his chair in the C3 room. It could be a simple breakdown in a cheaply installed security system with a history of failing. The cameras had malfunctioned in one level or another over thirty times in three years of service, Jacob found out as he read Keystone's database on the Furinkan system. It could also be a way for the opposition to set up a trap without being observed.

By a quarter of four, the situation had become more complete, but still rather unclear. Digital analysts confirmed that the cameras in the school did not detect anything unusual. The team sent in to observe the school was unable to detect any Pattern classifiable energies. After getting approval from Jacob, the team entered the grounds of the school. They were unable to find any obvious signs of break in.

Entering the building, the team found the electrical system in disarray. Half of the building's circuit breakers had been tripped, some of them going as far as to be broken by the apparent surge. The ones supplying power to the security system and to the lighting on the forth floor had failed to block the surge causing damage to the electronics they serviced. This surge was why the security system cut out.

Further investigation lead to a nearby electrical substation. The North York team found a repair team from Ontario Power Generation already at the scene. It would seem that the station had fluctuated in its power supply, damaging the buildings it serviced, including Furinkan.

Jacob continued the alert. It seemed like a simple equipment fault, but that was exactly the cover that a well-designed operation would use. The previous day's surveillance had shown Ranma talking with five girls newly arrived from Japan. They matched the limited physical descriptions that the Company had gathered on the Pattern Silvers. It was not definite, but the probability did point to them. This was something that the opposition could also have figured out.

***************

"I can't believe they get away with those fuku," Sophie said as she sipped her coffee. She was in the Company commissary with Aram and Gabriel. Their team was about to go on duty at 06:30 hours and they were getting a few minutes of relaxation in before they had to get to start work

"The Pattern Silver ones or the Furinkan ones?" Aram asked as he drank his orange juice.

"Well, as amazed as I am that high school students would be willing to wear those things -- God, some of those girls are eighteen!" Sophie exclaimed. She was that age two years ago.

"It's a private school. The owner can choose what uniform he wants for the students," Aram stated.

"Anyway. I was really talking about the Silver uniforms. How can they stand to fight in those things?"

"They're magical girls. It's standard procedure."

"Aram this isn't some anime," Sophie explained.

"Said the secret agent of an elite paramilitary organization that fights eldritch horrors," Gabriel said. Sophie glared at him. "What? That's what we do."

"It's not like they chose to dress like that. Look at DarkStar," Aram said.

"What do you guys think? Another day of watching Ranma?"

"Maybe we'll follow those five girls Sunshine had lunch with."

"Agent Tendo told us that those girls have a rather interesting record," Gabriel said.

"Really? She tell you the particulars?" Sophie asked.

"Nope. Where is the lieutenant anyway?"

"Still at her house. She's there in case Ranma wants to talk to her."

***************

Samuel Chase entered his new place of employment. He was called upon to be the new substitute teacher. He had met with the principal yesterday to finalize his job placement. The Drake was an odd fellow, but Chase had worked for stranger in the past.

As Chase opened the front door he gave a nod to the maintenance man cleaning the windows to the left of the entrance. The man gave a slight nod and continued his work. Until he reached the faculty lounge, Chase saw no one else. It was still an hour and a half before homeroom would start.

Opening the door, Chase found about half a dozen teachers, most of them drinking coffee and killing time until they had to get to their rooms. "Hey, Sam! Who're you covering today?" Peter Gibbons, a history teacher, asked. About the same age as Chase, Gibbons had befriended the new substitute. The other teachers were polite to Chase, but they had no real concern for a new teacher who did not even warrant his own class. Chase cared little for what others thought. His was a job that while dull and often unpleasant, was necessary, and that was it.

"I'm still covering for Sasha Ulster," Chase said as he pulled his mug out of his briefcase.

"The Sophomore English teacher?"

Chase nodded and filled his mug from the coffee machine. Sitting down across from Gibbons, he proceeded to talk sports. Interestingly the man was a fan of rugby, a sport that Chase had played back in high school.

After a few minutes, Chase had finished his second cup. He turned to see the "out of order" sign still on the sink. "Dang," he said holding, the stained mug.

"The Drake will hire a team to fix the security cameras the second they break, but will he hire a plumber? That girls' bathroom on the other side of the wall is still broken. Bureaucratic nut-job," Gibbons said, cynically.

"Guess I'll have to use the bathroom again," Chase muttered sourly.

"You don't have to wash it after every usage."

"It's important to me."

"Why? It's just a plain black mug. There's nothing on it."

"Let's put it this way. It was one of the few things I was allowed to keep after the separation."

Gibbons gave a bitter little smile. "So your ex kept everything else?"

"It happens," Chase said, giving the impression that he answered his coworker's question. Chase then left the room. After walking down the hall a bit, he entered a boy's bathroom. He washed his mug in one of the sinks, dried it with some paper towels, and returned it to his briefcase. The man paused. After shutting the faucet off he had heard a couple of people running heavily in the hallway. Now, the sound of a door being slammed open drifted into the room. It was followed by a series of harsh words and a shout that quickly ceased.

Chase calmly pulled his cell phone out of his jacket pocket. He turned it on and pressed a series of buttons. After listening to make sure that it connected properly, he returned it to his pocket. Chase then picked up his briefcase with his left hand, put his right hand inside his jacket until it touched a familiar device, and went into the hallway.

Outside of the bathroom, Chase found the door to the teacher's lounge open. He walked slowly, silently, until he got a full view of the room. Part of him had hoped that this was just a pair of irate teachers kicking open a door and ranting about their crappy jobs, but another part told him how he should do this, how things must be done.

Slowly looking into the room, Chase was thankful of his precautions. The seven teachers were huddled in one corner of the room, their faces a mixture of confusion and shock. Corralling them were two men in beige jumpsuits that announced them as employees of Keystone Security. Each was holding an Avtomat Kalashnikov. Chase could not tell the exact model, but that hardly mattered at this point. He had been briefed as to the situation with the surveillance system and Keystone's appointment.

He did not know who these men were, or even if they were human, but he had a fair idea of why they were here. He frowned slightly as one of them turned to the door and caught a glimpse of him. His right hand gripped his sidearm and drew the weapon. In one smooth motion he brought the handgun around, thumbed back the hammer and extended his arm so that it was sighted over the closer of the two targets. His only thought was the relief that the current trajectories would be clear of bystanders.

The youma's face betrayed his surprise as he dumbly raised his weapon. How could anyone know they were here? Their leader has assured them of their secrecy. These thoughts ended as a pair of silver-jacketed forty-five caliber hollow-points blew apart the back half of his skull.

Immediately after his first two shots, Chase swiveled his arm and dispatched the remaining target in an identical manner. He walked up to the corpses which had started to slowly dissolve. He fired a single shot into the heart of each. Still holding his gun at the ready he pulled out his phone. Talking in a clear crisp voice, he assessed the situation, "I have just dispatched two targets in the second floor lounge. Despite being armed with automatic weapons, they are NH, I repeat NH. Accelerated decomposition of the bodies is indicative of this."

"Sam, what's going on?" Gibbons asked, apparently not noticing the splatters of blood.

"We have a situation," Chase said to him and headquarters. He then turned back to the doorway and received his orders, each sentence accompanied by an abrupt pause. "Yes sir, very high likelihood of more targets. Recommend immediate quarantine. Agreed. We do not want more bystanders in here. Reconnaissance? It may be possible. It depends on if others heard the gunfire. What about the others? Yes sir, I understand. I will keep the channel open."

Chase put his phone back. His piercing eyes met the others in the room. "Who here knows how to use these?" he asked pointing to the rifles being held by the corpses.

"I like to hunt," a physical education teacher said, stepping forward.

"My brother's a gun collector," Gibbons said, wiping some of the blood off his forehead. "Why here, Sam? What would terrorists want with us?"

"This is a school," Chase said simply. "Frank, Earl, I want you two to pick up those guns, ready them, and watch the door," he said, looking at the two men.

Gibbons blinked, and then pulled the Kalashnikov out from under a partially dissolved arm. He checked the magazine, replaced it and chambered a round in the Russian-made firearm. The gym teacher had done the same with the other weapon. "What're you going to do?"

"My job," Chase said as he prepared to leave the room. He would not go far. Reinforcements were on their way.

***************

"The pair Cell 2 has sent to the teacher's lounge has failed to report in," Frank reported to his superior.

The youma leader sighed. They were in the control room for the security system. Gaining entrance was incredibly easy. A team from Keystone was expected, and intercepting the truck and disposing of the real team was a simple task. Then came the assembly and activation of the gate. Fortunately, there was a storage room next to the control room that was of suitable size for the men and material that they needed to teleport.

Once the rest of his men were in place, they could secure the rest of the building and set up their equipment. They did repair the security system. Once the Senshi arrived, it should come in handy.

"I told them to subdue them and prep the hostages for conversion. We do not have time to play with the humans," Dave stated assuming that the delay was simply his troops indulging themselves a bit.

"I'll send another team up there to reprimand them," Frank suggested.

"Only slightly," the resident ordered. "Then bring them to me."

Frank nodded and left the room.

Dave shook his head. They were too close to have it fail due to petty incompetence. He was unaware of the true magnitude of that pair's failure.

***************

"I want everything we have on Furinkan pulled up and ready when needed. There's a reason we got all that crap," Jacob ordered as he entered an elevator in the Company facility. "Do we have the information from the North York team?" he asked a Major in the elevator.

"The full scans are waiting for you in the command truck," the agent said as he handed Jacob a few papers. "Sir, they detected slight inter-dim signals," the operations section officer stated as the doors closed.

"So we need jammers." Jacob read the report as the elevator rose. "We'll have the Black, Red, and Gold detachments brought in on this. Alert the local police. They should be adequate crowd control. Agents will be placed with them to make sure no one gets in. We cannot have students getting into the building. I want the local transmitter cells disabled before we leave."

The elevator stopped, and before the doors could fully open Jacob stepped out briskly, walking to some of the vehicles in the motor-pool. He was stopped by Stillwater, who had just arrived.

"Commander," Jacob said.

Stillwater looked over at the Company agents in their armor and helmets assembling and checking their weapons. He then turned to Jacob, who was also wearing combat gear and a pair of Colt 1911's low slung on his hips. "I've been briefed. Your proposal is risky, but it may be our best shot. Have her ask him if he wants to help," Stillwater said to his old friend. "Happy hunting."

Jacob saluted. Stillwater returned it. The two men went on their ways, Jacob to the vehicles to command from just outside the building, and Stillwater to the C3 to watch from a distance.

***************

Ranma was woken up by a gentle shaking. He opened his eyes to see Kasumi standing over him. She waited for his eyes to open fully. "We have a problem."

Ranma looked at the girl. He could tell that it was early, but not how much. "What's going on?"

Talking in a low clear voice Kasumi briefed her fiancé. "The high school has been taken over by an unknown number of entities, most likely Pattern Y."

"The Senshi?"

"It's likely they were the intended target. You might be one too," Kasumi said.

"It's early," Ranma observed rising out of his bed. Having Kasumi standing above him made the martial artist uncomfortable.

"We were alerted before they could finish setting up. As it is, they only got twenty people. They could have had the whole school."

"Hostages," Ranma said bitterly as he walked over to his dresser.

"No, batteries. Maybe cannonfodder too," Kasumi said with distaste.

Ranma closed his eyes. Murdock had warned him. He told Ranma of the things that these things were capable of. "I know why you woke me up," he stated flatly.

"Good," Kasumi replied.

"You want me to go with you and kill some monsters," Ranma said as a statement.

"Are you coming?" Kasumi asked, looking Ranma in the eye.

"What happens if I say 'Fuck Off, Bitch?'" Ranma asked, looking at his bed.

"I leave. You go back to sleep." Kasumi shrugged.

"And this will have no effect on you taking me to China. This nice approach is really starting to annoy me. What kind of secret organization doesn't threaten, bully, or blackmail the people it wants to recruit?"

"One that wants loyal, competent people?" Kasumi said as she turned to leave the room. "I have to leave now," she said, exiting the room.

Ranma blinked, then blinked again. He looked at his bed then at his dresser. He weighed his options. He could go back to sleep, or he could go with Kasumi and fight whatever had taken the school. The choice was his. He was under no obligation to go. But then he would be turning his back on innocent people just because he had a bone to pick with WIC. It did not matter how good his reasons to dislike the Company were; he had the power, as distasteful as it was, to make a difference. Ranma knew that his character dictated the choice he had to make. A martial artist is supposed to protect the weak.

"Fucking bastards," Ranma muttered as he quickly got dressed. He left his room, went down the stairs, and opened the front door. The house was quiet. It seemed that he and Kasumi were the only ones awake. He found his fiancée sitting in her car. The engine was on and it was halfway down the driveway.

He opened the front passenger door and got in. "If this is a lie, you realize the consequences," he said after he buckled his seatbelt.

Kasumi nodded slowly and drove her car out of the driveway and onto the street.

***************

It is amazing the difference a few well-placed phone calls will make. At this time of day, Furinkan would normally be swarming with activity: cars and busses in the parking lots, and students and faculty walking in and around the buildings.

Now the well-maintained grounds were empty and still. This quiet area consisted of the building itself, the grounds it sat on, the parts of Bathurst Street and Rutherford Road that the school was near, and some of the buildings and lots on the opposite side of those roads. Outside of this zone was a shifting group of people -- confused students, the morbidly curious, and surprisingly few representatives of the media who had a different type of curiosity.

In between these two zones were two perimeters. On the outside it was made up of Toronto's police department. There were a number of cruisers and officers maintaining the barricades and security. Among the policemen were a few dark green Humvees, their occupants watching the people milling about.

The inner perimeter was much closer to the school, and was composed of even more Humvees and several larger vehicles, including a few strangely sleek medium armored trucks, a couple larger flatbed trucks that were equally reinforced, and a large tractor-trailer. Some of the Humvees had formed a perimeter around the building. The fifty caliber machineguns mounted on their roofs were manned and trained on the building.

In a parking lot across the street, but still inside the perimeter, were half of the remaining vehicles. The other half was positioned in at the edge of a small forest at the northern edge of the property. The athletics fields had been torn up by the heavy treads of the vehicles.

After passing through the outer perimeter, Kasumi's car met up with the cluster in the parking lot. Her sedan was dwarfed by the large vehicles around her. "We're here," she said as she killed the engine. She then stepped out of the car, opened her trunk, removed a large duffel bag from within, and quickly ran to the large semi.

Ranma opened his door and ran after her. It was a strange experience. Only sixteen hours ago, as Sunshine, he was able to walk freely on these grounds. Now they were being watched by hard-eyed men and women wearing military body armor and holding weapons on the school.

Ranma quickly climbed up the steps, the trailer's armored door closing behind him. It was a small airlock chamber. After passing through another heavy door, he entered a large room that was slightly wider than it was long. It was a miniature laboratory of some kind, and it had several incomprehensible pieces of equipment on the walls. Ranma followed Kasumi through another thick metal door. This one lead to more rooms that made up the inside of the trailer.

Near him were several storage closets and secured containers. After that was a collection of manned computer terminals followed by a small briefing room. In the very front, Ranma could see some bunks opposite a door marked "Bathroom/Shower" and a small kitchenette, and between them at the very front was a heavy door that presumably lead to the cab of the truck.

Sitting at the head of the table and facing Ranma was Jacob. "So good of you to come," he said, looking up from the display at the center of the table. Projected above the surface in an impressive if slightly phantasmal hologram of the high school in schematic format.

"You think you need my help?" Ranma asked, walking forward. He passed Kasumi, who was removing her clothing in the storage section.

"Probably not," Jacob admitted as he looked at some of the symbols floating within the wire-frame building model. "Our scans indicate their probable numbers and their likely power levels. Our jamming equipment has made teleportation exceedingly difficult. We have faced worse with less."

"I noticed the qualifiers in your statement," Ranma said flatly. He was now standing near Kasumi, who was down to her bra and underwear.

"We don't know exactly what's in there," Jacob said.

Ranma nodded and looked over at Kasumi. She was putting on a set of grey and dark green fatigues. As he looked at her right forearm Ranma noticed several thin lines of scars. They appeared at least several years old. On her torso he caught a glimpse of what looked to be a larger puncture wound of some kind. Before Ranma could get a better look at it, the scar was covered by Kasumi's clothing. He also noticed that she wore a necklace. It was a simple gold cross that was quickly tucked under her fatigues. Ranma turned back to Jacob who appeared to have not noticed the pause.

"What do you want me to do?" Ranma asked.

"That's up to you. We can have someone drive you back home. You can stay here and observe. Or you can fight," Jacob said simply. "Oh, if you have your own plan, you can try that too."

"Being very accommodating," Ranma said skeptically.

Jacob shrugged. "It's not like we can control you. All the Company can do is show you what's happening and let you decide."

Ranma turned back to look at Kasumi. The girl had finished dressing. Over her fatigues were several sections of camouflaged body armor. There was a back-and-chest piece, pieces that went over her legs, overlapping a pair of tightly laced combat boots, and pieces from her upper arms hinged at her forearms and had a little section that went over the back of her hand. She was wearing a pair of very tightly fitting gloves. The black and grey material fitted like skin, especially on the pads of her fingers.

Her hair, chin, neck, and forehead were concealed by a balaclava that was tucked into her armor. She had a headset clipped behind her ear with a microphone that went to her mouth. She had a webgear harness on over her armor. Secured to it were several pouches and items that Ranma could not easily discern. He assumed that they contained ammunition, medical supplies, tools, radios, and other such equipment. After securing her helmet, Kasumi moved to her weapons to load up.

Ranma considered his options. He could do whatever he wanted. It was good that these nimrods knew they could not control him. Hell, they did not seem terribly certain that they could even kill him. The decision was his. He could help or he could do nothing. It was refreshing to have someone ask Ranma what he wanted, but it was also infuriating. It was his choice, his decision, his responsibility.

He had to fight. To turn his back when he could have made a difference would be unacceptable. The Company's desires were irrelevant. They would fight with or without him. Ranma knew his character. He knew that he would be putting his life on the line, but if he turned his back, if he left, if he hid, he would not be able to live with himself.

Ranma shook his head and walked over to the table. He sat down opposite Jacob. "So, what've you got planned?" Ranma asked. He had to fight, but he did not have to fight with the Company. However, it would be shear stupidity to rush into battle without knowing their plan.

Jacob paused the slightest bit before responding. His face was carefully neutral.

End Chapter 3

Author's Notes:

Attention all those who want to flame me for insinuating that Kasumi is like a whore, I did no such thing. I only had a character insinuate that she was a whore in bed. ^_^ 

Prereaders for this chapter are Joe Fenton, Gerald Starfire, Wray, The Jak, and Jakub. They read my typos and mistakes so you don't have to.


	4. Chapter 4 Reactions and Results

Chapter 4 Reactions and Results

            The ranking youma looked at the monitors. He appeared to be an average, if rather tanned, twenty-something male human. Dressed in a plain beige jumpsuit, he was sitting at the observation chair for Furinkan High School's security system. Also in the basement room were several similarly dressed entities. All were carrying weapons of one sort or another. 

            The situation was bad. The authorities had been alerted and sealed off the building. This left them with only a couple dozen humans to work with. It was much less than the several hundred they were expecting. The number was considerably fewer people than youma. It was all that stupid teacher's fault. Dave shook his head. Some of the blame could be placed on those two dead idiots who let their guard down.

            The situation was not hopeless. They still had plenty of energy. He had many troops and powerful weapons for them to use. He also had some humans. These would buy him some time with the police. Already, the news reporters had arrived on the scene. No doubt, the Senshi would find out about this and rush in "to save the day."

            Their ideal plan required plenty of humans, but they could make do without them. Dave smiled. Even if things went horribly wrong they still had an active gate. Thanks to the gate retreat was still an option.

            The situation with those armed teachers was resolved as well. They had to kill the one with the handgun that was wandering the halls. Somehow the fool had managed to kill two more of his men before finally being put down. For the rest of the teachers, all they had to do was gas the room, incapacitating them all. Dave would have preferred to kill all of them for their insolence, but with a limited supply of humans that was not an option.

            Dave looked at his watch. His second in command, who used the alias Frank, should be arriving from his inspection of the troops in the upper floors. Once here Frank could take over here. Dave really wished that he could have taken that substitute teacher alive. It would have been nice to _talk _with the man responsible for this mess.

***************

            "So that's your plan," Ranma stated. He then stood up and looked around the room. They were in the briefing section of a Company mobile command center. A large tractor trailer converted to this purpose, it was parked in a lot across the street from the target building.

            From his seat, Jacob nodded. The boy seemed to be capable enough. Ranma seemed more interested in learning what the Company was doing than telling Jacob what he planned to do. The agent was pleased that the boy was showing that much caution. He almost expected Ranma to blindly run into the building the second he arrived. Instead he asked about what the Company was doing and where the insertion points were.

            The situation was amusing in a twisted way. Jacob had just explained an entire operation to known Pattern D. "Good luck," the old agent finally said to the young man.

            Ranma gave a curt nod and stretched a bit. He hated what he had to do, but there was no choice. His character told him that he had to fight, and it would be complete idiocy to not use a very powerful advantage. Ranma's form wavered and shifted into his female form. Bands of crimson, violet, and black energy then wrapped around her body. Pattern scanners in the room recorded the transformation. 

            The lights quickly died down and revealed the changes. The woman was an exceedingly beautiful, alabaster-skinned, demoness complete with fangs, little black horns, large wings that were dark purple on the outside and blood red on the inside, and a long red tail with purple spade shaped fins at the end. She was dressed in a parody of a Senshi uniform, itself a parody of a school girl's uniform.

            She wore black leather knee-high boots with a five inch-heel and a black leather, red trimmed pleated skirt. Her top was composed of purple and red ribbons with bikini-like panels over her generous chest. Like her dangling earrings, her gold tiara was set with a single stone of pure obsidian darkness. 

            Her hair now reached mid-back and was the deep red color of arterial blood. It was feathered and had purple highlights. Her fingernails had lengthened until they resembled crimson talons. Her makeup was slightly more elaborate than the normal for a Senshi, and meshed very well with her eyes, which were now a very deep, almost luminescent amethyst.

            Sailor DarkStar folded her wings tight against her back. She then shook her head. Her hair swished back and forth. Jacob's face was carefully neutral as watched the display. He had seen the footage from the assassination attempt, but to see the transformation in person was something else entirely.

            Jacob then turned to one of the computer operators. "Agent Iverson, show the communications equipment to- what name do you want to use for this?" Jacob asked the demonic magical girl.

            "DarkStar's fine, I guess," the redhead said, her violet eyes starting to glow slightly. 

            Maya Iverson stood up. Dressed in combat gear similar to the other agents, she had dark brown hair that was cut to just above her neck. She had picked up a small object. She walked over to DarkStar. She stood before a girl that even without her heels was a couple inches taller than her. Iverson handed the device to the pseudo-Senshi. 

            "This is a Mark 302 communications system," the brunette said in a surprisingly cheerful voice that was oddly familiar to DarkStar. "It clips onto your ear like so. Just make sure that it clasps properly or it will cause some discomfort," the young woman said as she demonstrated the mechanism on her own headset.

            DarkStar looked at the device in her hands. There was no real reason not to wear the damn thing. It was easy enough to take off. She had pulled back some of her crimson tresses and was prepared to clip the headset into place. She looked at Jacob's carefully neutral face and paused. This was too much. This was exactly what _they_ wanted. She was being far too accommodating to these fools. "I can't take this," she stated as she handed the headset back to the young woman.

            "That's fine," Jacob said dismissively.

            DarkStar went to the back door of the room. The armored door opened and she walked through.

***************

            Stillwater sat in the central chair of WIC Toronto-A's Command and Control Center. His elbows were placed on the table in front of him. Save for his index fingers, the Commander's digits were linked past each other. Those two other fingers were extended and rested on the bridge of his nose.

            "Are all the pieces in place?" he asked.

            "Yes sir, everyone is ready. The cryptographic team has recovered from their delay," one of the C3 officers responded. "They are ready-" he paused for a few seconds then spoke again as a few symbols changed on his display. "-now." 

            "Excellent," Stillwater said, putting his hands down. It had taken some doing for the software experts in Communications and Cryptography Section to get in. Having access to Keystone Security's files did help speed things. He then picked up a black phone that sat on the table. "All teams are Go. I repeat Go," he said in a clear cold voice.

***************

            The power lines that serviced Furinkan were disconnected by Company personnel that had accessed a telephone pole outside of the quarantine zone. Most of the phone lines were disabled as well. Those that the cryptography team required were left intact. At the same time cellular phone service for the area was disabled by a few timely commands to local transmitter towers. 

            The youma monitoring the school's security system watched the power fail. He waited for the backup system to kick in. The emergency lights had kicked on, but the security monitors remained blank. The monster quizzically looked at the black screens, unaware that the computers controlling the system had been compromised.

            Inside several of the larger Company vehicles were some large, complicated machines. They were being activated by the agents that operated them. A few gritted their teeth as machines powered up. The fields they generated were supposedly imperceptible. However, some of the more experienced operators could feel a strange resonance that was reminiscent of how air feels right before a lightning strike.

            Dave rubbed his forehead. He should have known that the police would try to cut the building's phone and power. He reminded himself to punish the head of Cell 4. That idiot had assured him that the security system had been repaired and would still function in the event of blackout. 

            The youma leader was in the storage room that their gate was stored in. He was watching as two members of Cell 1 carried a large crate across the threshold of the portal. Dave watched as the swirling, almost invisible curtain that marked the gateway between the two locations intensified in brightness before extinguishing completely. 

            The gateway failed. The crate fell to the ground. The youma carrying it from behind was unable to hold it up as he was missing everything from the left side of his neck to his left foot, except for part of his left arm that had fallen off the crate.

            Dave watched as the body slowly dissolved. All their time living as humans had given their bodies a bit more substance. This made their corpses much messier. "I want the gate back up and running," he told the youma in charge of the gateway in a very quiet dangerous voice.

            The youma quickly agreed and stated that the gate failure was probably due to interference from the energy cells or something.

            Dave then turned to his second. "Alert everyone," he ordered Frank. "Ask our rooftop observers if those police have done anything."

            Frank had sent three members of Cell 2 up onto the roof. One was in the center on the fifth floor roof, and the other two were on the third floor roof and opposite ends of the H-shaped building.

***************

            The observers had been using a spell that gave them a fair degree of invisibility and another for protection. Unfortunately for them they were not thermally or magically stealthed. Dressed in their own specialized Ghillie Suits, the Company sharpshooters found Frank's observers rather easily.  Unlike the two Pattern Ys dispatched by Agent Samuel Chase these creatures had their protective fields up. It would prove to be insufficient protection.

            The sharpshooters were using Model S03 ammunition, more commonly known among Company personnel as Lead Flowers. These projectiles consist of two sections. Under a thin coating designed to prevent jamming were six metal segments. When the rotating slug hit a barrier these pieces of metal bent out revealing a high-density sabot-style dart at the core of the slug. The six high strength metal petals then drilled into the obstruction allowing the core to pass through.

            The sharpshooters fired. The bullets hit the youma shields. For only instant, a section of the youma shields the size of a small nail failed, but it was enough. 

            The sabot core of the bullet separated from the outer sections and closed the remaining handful of inches. There the sabots hit the youma and blasted a surprisingly large cone of organic fragments out of the side opposite the sharpshooter. The other two youma met identical fates. The kills were confirmed, and the operation's next sequence activated.

***************

            From the shadows in a grove of trees near the athletic fields DarkStar watched as the armored vehicles and helicopters moved in. She had listened to Jacob because she wanted to know what the Company's plans were. Where they would be putting men, where the hostages were, and where they would be setting the explosives.

            She now knew all that and made her own plan. Jacob seemed oddly cooperative. DarkStar cleared those thoughts from her mind and spread her wings. She had WIC's information and what she had observed in the few minutes she had waited for the Company to make its move.

            She had let her demonic senses fold out causing a strange doubling with her more mundane senses. She could still see the visible light reflecting off of the building, but she could also see the energy signatures of the creatures within. It was like watching candles stacked on the other side of a sheet. She could tell their location and their _brightness_ but not much else. The demon knew that if she were close she would be able to sense the energy signatures of the enemy. It would come in complex, almost aromatic, bundles of information.

            Sailor DarkStar felt the waves of electromagnetic radiation cascading over her. The distortions caused by magnetic and electric fields from surrounding electronics caused considerable white noise, with more intense bursts coming from powerful devices. Of particular note was a large pulse coming from the basement of the school. Although it stopped the second the Company powered up some strangely-intense machines.

            As Company agents stormed the building, DarkStar took to the air. She flew low and fast, right into a third story window. Her wings folded in and she tumbled through the large window. She smoothly landed behind a desk, her knees bent and her tail extended behind her for balance. 

            She then saw four knotted signatures walking down the hallway, towards the classroom she was in. Soon, she could smell them. They were youma, fairly weak, some shielding, and there was something else, something concentrated that they were carrying. She edged to one side of the room and waited for them to get through the doorway.

            A youma entered the room, his Kalashnikov raised to his shoulder.        The creature was nervous; there had been a crash in the ground floor followed by gunfire. There was also something going on with that helicopter that had passed overhead. He noticed the broken window first, his eyes scanning the room. Confusion drew on his face as he saw the girl. She was wearing the uniform of the enemy but she was obviously something else.

            DarkStar saw the man raise his weapon, finger on the trigger, and charged her own attack to counter. A violet orb wreathed in white flames appeared in her hand before being propelled at the youma. After passing though his shield with the all ease of a match through tissue paper, the orb then slammed into the youma hard, covering him in a goop that stuck to his body and ignited instantly. The youma died quickly as the flames consumed his body, and DarkStar slowly walked over the charred smear on the floor, towards the door. 

            "What the hell happened to Earl?" a frightened voice asked from outside in the hall.

            "Cover me, I'm going in," another voice, this one much closer to the door, stated. He slipped into the room keeping his back to the wall.

            He almost ran into the tall redhead, who quickly eviscerated him. Partially-translucent red claws had appeared on her fingers. They extended several inches beyond the tips of her fingers and sliced through the youma's body with little resistance.

            DarkStar ran into the doorway and quickly shot two spheres of magical napalm. One hit a youma right in the head, instantly killing him. The other struck the last member of the squad in the left hip, only splashing part of his body in the adhesive incendiary. Before DarkStar could grab the youma and get him with her claws, he managed to squeeze off three low shots that embedded themselves into the floor. They were the only shots fired by this group.

            DarkStar dropped the youma. A wave off coldness had covered her. She looked at the corpses. One was nothing more than a smear on the tile floor. Two were cut into rapidly decaying chunks of flesh. The last one was slumped against some lockers, the remains of his head and shoulders still burning like some horrific candle.

            She withdrew her power and the flames snuffed out. At least they stopped looking human once they died. DarkStar knew those shots would attract some attention. She sensed another group coming in from somewhere else in the building.

***************

            Kasumi crouched on the fifth floor roof her team had just rappelled onto. Their boots had just softly touched the tarred gravel that made up its surface. The access hatch to the roof was open and a concerned voice was calling up from below. "Irving, what's going on? 

            She turned to Gabriel. Her left hand made a series of gestures before returning to her weapon. Behind his red goggles Gabriel's eyes narrowed. He unclipped a grenade and readied it. Sophie and Aram slowly moved towards the hatch. Their footsteps were surprisingly silent considering their boots and the gravel surface.

            "That helicopter sounded awfully close," the youma said, oblivious to the situation.

            Gabriel released the grenade's spoon, held it for a second and a half, and neatly lobbed it through the hatch. 

            "Look, I'm coming up there," the youma said as he gripped the ladder that was bolted to the wall. He saw the green canister neatly fall towards him. It detonated roughly even with his head. The youma's body above the hips disappeared in the blast. 

            Aram waited a second before he jumped through the hatch. Sophie followed a few seconds later. They found themselves in the remains of a janitor's closet, and Aram found himself up to his ankles in the rotting remains of the youma. The soldier grunted at this, glad that his boots were thick and high enough for the job. 

            The concussion and shrapnel from the blast had destroyed the room. Several containers of cleaning supplies had ruptured. The chemical smell mixed unpleasantly with the stench of burnt meat and hair that emanated from the remains splattered all over the walls of the small room.

            Sophie made her way to the door. A series of characters and a small image was being projected onto a corner of her goggles. She motioned for Aram to take position next to the door near the knob.

            Sophie listened, waited, and fired. She depressed the trigger to her weapon, releasing two three round bursts at spots indicated by her pattern scanner. The sound was suppressed quite effectively. The gun only gave off a slight, metallic brushing sound.

            Aram then tore the door open ready to fire his gun. Aram had a 20mm grenade round chambered in his weapon. Both agents were carrying the same model gun.

            The weapons Kasumi's team carried were rather unique. While having only one trigger guard and trigger, the weapons had two barrels, actions, magazine receivers, and magazines. The gun looked like a futuristic merging of a shotgun and an assault rifle. These weapons are quite similar to the Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW) being developed by the US military. The most notable changes are the use of specialized 7.62mm ammunition in the Company version as opposed to the 5.56mm of the US military version for the lower and forward assembly of barrel, action, and magazine, and an increased length of the barrels on this version. Company scientists found a larger bore diameter more conducive to specialized cartridges.  Despite the use of lightweight, and high-strength. composites in the stock and other applicable locations, excessive weight is still an issue with this weapon. 

            Aram found the hallway empty save for two more decomposing Pattern Ys. Aram was relived to find that the Model 703, a Company enhanced version of the US Army M993 armor piercing 7.62mm cartridge, was sufficient. He motioned for Sophie to exit the room and sent the signal for Gabriel and Kasumi to come in from the roof. They had to clear the floor before proceeding downward.

***************

            The leader of Cell 6 groaned slightly. He had just told Frank the situation. All personnel on the fifth and third floors had failed to report in. An explosion had been heard from above and some gunshots had been heard below. Frank's response was particularly abrasive. His troops had been hit by these human as well, and they were being held back.

            Frank told the subordinate youma that the forces at his disposal were more than adequate to eliminate the intruders. Cell 6's leader was expected to kill those interfering fools and then move to the ground floor. With that statement, Frank disconnected up. The entire transmission had an annoying distortion to it, a stretchy reverb with maddening static.

            The youma split his forces and gave his orders.

***************

            DarkStar heard and sensed the larger contingent of youma moving down the stairs towards her floor. She detected eight youma with the empowered ammunition that meant rifles, three with tubes that swirled with dark energy, two that were carrying something large and bulky - most likely a machinegun of some sort- and one that had something strapped to his back that connected to an object in his hands.

            She waited for their point to reach the landing.

            A particularly tall youma lead his squad down the stairs. He was in front with two other riflemen on either side with a bazooka-man in the back. He cautiously moved forward. He thought he saw something moving in the shadows of the hallway in front of him. Cursing the blackout, he put a bit more pressure on his trigger and stepped forward.

            Suddenly a red, black, and violet blur propelled itself towards him.

            DarkStar surged at the forward knot of youma. As she slit the throat of the youma on the left, his finger spasmed on the trigger. The demon was quick to turn the gun towards the one in the center. She smiled as the bullets tore unusually large holes in the monster's body. Blasts of napalm turned the remaining two members of the squad into screaming hunks of burning meat.

            She jumped up to the landing that sat in between the floors, and inside the middle group of youma. A series of filaments shot out of the spade-shaped fins on the tip of her long tail. _Now comes the fun stuff_, DarkStar thought as she tore into the surprised entities.

            "Open fire!" the ranking youma in the rear group ordered as he watched the massacre. There were five men in that squad, three with Kalashnikovs, one with a bazooka, and one with a machinegun, but they might as well have had nothing. The girl spun around in an intricate movement, breaking legs and arms with her heavy boots and indiscriminately slicing through limbs, necks, and weapons with her claws. Her tail was like a hybrid of a chainsaw and a mace, whatever it touched with those squirming razor-sharp filaments was reduced to a ground, shredded slurry.    

            The last group was too late. DarkStar had finished with the middle group and was moving forward. Some of them actually managed to fire. It was panicky, uncontrolled, and hardly aimed. The red-headed demon found the limited fire easy to evade. Those that did shoot earned a drenching in her enhanced napalm for their troubles. DarkStar made quick work of the remains of the team.

            The demonic magical girl paused to catch her breath. She had killed fourteen youma in roughly forty seconds.

***************

            As Gabriel and Kasumi finished clearing the fifth floor rooms, Aram had heard the enemy coming up the South stairs. Aram had waited for them to round the corner at the half floor landing before firing a 20mm fragmentary cartridge. The three of Pattern Ys quickly disintegrated in the blast. The four behind them were disoriented, wounded, and easily dispatched with another blast.

            Sophie was at the North stairwell where oddly there was not a secondary attack. The youma paused just around the corner of the South stairs, hiding behind the concrete wall that separated the two ends of the stairway. Kasumi came up to support Aram, while Gabriel went to, the North stairwell, and joined Sophie as they waited for a flanking attack that never came.

            Kasumi motioned for Aram to quiet down. The woman listened then smiled. These creatures were pathetically noisy and disorganized. She pulled out a grenade and removed the pin. She gauged the distance and then tossed the explosive. It hit on the wall above the landing and bounced down the stairs. It exploded in the midst of the youma. 

            The sounds of screams, explosions, falling bodies, and sporadic gunfire echoed up from the stairs that Sophie and Gabriel were positioned at. Sophie's pattern scanner did not have the power of Gabriel's larger and heavier model and thus only he was able to pick up what had happened. Bellow them, around a dozen weak signals of Pattern Y of high probability were eliminated by a strong signal of Pattern D and Silver of moderate probability.

            "We may have found DarkStar. North stairwell third or forth floor." Gabriel said into his headset. It was the first words that any of them had uttered since landing on the roof. "Understood," he and Sophie said as they received their orders. The two agents then made their way down the stairs.

***************

            The demon looked up from her position just at the forth floor landing. Two humans slowly walked down the stairs. They paused just above the middle bend in the stairwell.

            "DarkStar!" one of them stated in a clear, yet quiet, voice.

            "Yeah?" she replied, walking forward a bit.

            "Confirmed," said the other one. Then they both rounded the corner. The maneuver was quick, professional, and allowed both of them to maintain clear lines of fire during the entirety of it.

            DarkStar once again found herself facing down Company agents with guns. They still had the blocky assault rifles. Although now they appeared to have another much larger barrel assembly attached on the top of their guns. They were in the same dark grey and green camouflaged body armor, that she had watched Kasumi put on. Their goggles were now pulled down over their eyes. Their helmets extended down to cover their ears and the back of their heads, and the strangely luminescent goggles sat snugly in place. The only exposed skin they had was a bit of mouth that ran from above the chin to below the nose, not including the headset microphone. DarkStar could also see gas masks clipped onto their harnesses that would complete the skin coverage.

            The demon watched as they approached. Their guns were no longer aimed at her, instead they were low and to the side. They walked up to her and then passed her. The one that was female motioned for DarkStar to follow. The demon could tell her gender by both her scent and how the armor fit her body.

            Gabriel managed to keep his face neutral. He was quite relieved that the demon was on their side, or at least not their enemy. She might be in a miniskirt and heels, wearing makeup and jewelry, and showing a lot of cleavage, but she was also a demon. The horns, fangs, wings, and tail made that rather clear. Gabriel imagined that the girl would be drenched in blood if not for the accelerated decomposition of the enemy.

            The solider pushed those thoughts aside. He covered Sophie as she peered into the forth floor hallway. At the other end Sophie could see the group of Pattern Ys that Aram and Kasumi were engaging. She clicked her headset two times. After receiving the one click reply, she and Gabriel moved into the hallway and each fired twice. The explosions of the four grenade rounds in the South stairwell was quickly followed by two more coming from Kasumi and Aram. 

            Sophie moved her selector switch to 7.62mm three round burst, and watched for movement. After seeing none she and Gabriel moved in. They found the jumbled mushy remains of over a dozen youma pilled in and around the stairwell. Twisted bits of metal that were once weapons were scattered over the goop like nuts over pudding. 

            The 20mm grenade rounds had also caused some structural damage to the concrete walls and steps. There would have been more if not for having most of the kinetic energy absorbed by the youma's shields and then their bodies.

            Kasumi and Aram made their way down the cracked, stained, and organic covered steps. Aram shook his head as his boots got covered in gore once again. Kasumi simply walked through the obstacle as if it were a bank of snow or some thick mud. 

            DarkStar watched as the four Company agents checked the all the rooms in the floor. Her own senses could not detect anything else on the floor, and she imagined that their pattern recognition devices were similarly blank. Despite this they still swept the entire floor. "Floors five, four clean. Have met with DarkStar. Proceeding with next stage," Kasumi spoke into her headset after they had finished.

***************

            Dave looked at his second, Frank. He then gave his order. The situation was grim. They had just lost contact with the personnel guarding the hostages in the cafeteria. It happened shortly after all the teams in the third, forth, and fifth floors had fallen silent. They were the last group outside of the basement to fall.

            Now it was just them. Dave would not have been so worried if they could get the gate working again, but nothing seemed to work. None of them had the power to teleport without one. They were trapped.

            Currently they were able to defend their position, but their lines of defense were rapidly failing. Ten minutes ago the humans were just charging at the basement stairs. Five minutes ago they broke through the youma line at a hallway juncture. Now they were at the last line of defense.

            What should have been impenetrable barriers, bristling with deadly weapons, and clear killing zones were only minor obstacles to these mysterious foes. Shields that had been carefully designed to protect against magical attacks and normal police weapons were frustratingly inadequate against whatever _these_ humans were using.

            Dave could hear the sounds of battle grow closer. That last line was being pounded by what sounded like a constant buzz of small arms fire, punctuated by several small and large explosions. Dave could hear the muted sounds of his troops being killed and cringed. Not in sympathy for those he was responsible for, but out of fear of his life and fear of failure.

            Dave made sure that the door to the gate room was locked and shielded with their remaining energy. He knew that the humans would eventually get in, and that this would only delay the inevitable.

            Frank nodded in agreement. There was nothing else they could do. Might as well take out as many of those humans as possible. It was the most they could do. The hated Senshi had not even bothered to show up.

***************

            Usagi looked at the school from behind the police tape. She and her friends had walked to the school and had found the building quarantined. The blonde had also noticed the military vehicles and people dressed in combat gear. While there were no logos or identifying marks on them, it was obvious who these people were. They were agents of Willard International Consulting, the organization that Setsuna had warned them about.

            Rei could sense the dark energy inside the building. Ami's computer could also pick up the disturbance and could narrow down what kind of enemy was in the school -youma. No one in the group needed to be told what they were doing in the school. It was obviously a trap.

            "They had to have been watching the school to have known they were here," Minako observed.

            "They might be watching us too." Makoto said as she looked at the WIC soldiers that manned the Humvees that were intermingled with the police cruisers. The eyes of the personnel constantly scanned the crowd but kept returning to those five girls. Makoto did not think she was being overly paranoid.

            "What I want to know is, why youma? We killed them all." Usagi said as she looked at the building. Occasionally one of the windows would light up in a brief flash or extended collection of flashes.

            "Maybe they were trapped somewhere or waiting for some reason," Rei shrugged. 

"Should we go-"

            "No," Usagi said.

            "What?"

            "It's almost over.  By the time we got in they'd be done.  Besides something's not right here, and I don't mean the youma. There's something more going on here."

            "DarkStar?" Makoto asked.

            "Murdock?" Ami inquired.

            "Yes," Usagi replied to both questions.

            "They're both here?" Ami asked as she looked around. Her eyes found Janet Fraiser, the other new girl in her and Minako's class. The auburn-haired girl looked at the school shrugged and turned away, pausing only to give a small wave to Ami.

            Janet then walked away from the school. She disliked crowds. The girl found being lost in a sea of humanity to be quite claustrophobic. She stopped herself from bumping into Rod Ferris, another new transfer student. What was a rather handsome face was soured by an expression that, while subtle, was rather disturbing.

            Ami watched Janet nearly bump into that other new kid Ferris. There was something about him that upset Ami. And Janet too it seemed. The girl glared at Rod before walking away.

            "Oh God, it's that creep Ferris," Rei said as the turned to what Ami was watching.

            "For such a handsome guy he's got something _wrong_ with him," Minako said relived, that they had something other than the school to look at.

            "That's the problem. He knows he's good looking. And he uses that as a weapon," Usagi said in an eerily cold voice.

            By now, Rod had noticed the girls staring at him. His eyes twinkled, and he gave a knowing smile. The teen then gave a strange little gesture that was part the forked fingers of the evil eye and part military salute. Ferris then chuckled and disappeared back into the crowd.

***************

            Setsuna watched Rod walk away. She was looking out the window of an empty forth story office in a commercial building to the South of Furinkan. Her red eyes were looking into a powerful set of binoculars. The green-haired woman's face darkened as she watched the dusky teen and the auburn-haired girl.

            Questions came at the Time Guardian. Why now? Why youma? Was this all a plot to get DarkStar to work with WIC? She had only vague notions of what Murdock was doing, let alone what he was planning.

            _He's playing with them. _She thought as she replayed the meeting of Janet and Rod. Setsuna had seen something, something familiar. Then it hit her. _Would he do something like that?_ _Yes. If it suited his plans he would._ She thought carefully.After all, the Senshi now know what Murdock looks like and what he had done. A new face would make him more palatable.

***************

            Hikaru Gosunkugi watched the school with a worried expression on his face. He sighed and turned away, ready to return home. He would watch the news and try to decipher what was active media bias, passive media ignorance, and organized disinformation. 

            He left the crowd behind and started walking down the street. Before he could get very far, he nearly ran into one of his fellow students. It was that other new guy, Rod Ferris. The teen had an amused and somewhat smug expression on his face. Hikaru supposed that Rod found his little trick quite entertaining. He mumbled some vague pleasantry and tried to walk away.

            "You bring that book?" Rod asked, ignoring what Hikaru said.

            "What book?"

            "Oh you know, that ancient tome you've been translating."

            "Ahh," Gosunkugi said. He had made no attempt at hiding the book. He had to get the job done a certain way. Disobedience was not something he was willing to entertain the thought of. It carried far too high a price.

            "It's funny. There are very few who can even read, let alone translate such a text. One wonders what someone with your linguistic skills is doing here." Rod's smile grew. Several of his gleaming, white teeth were now exposed.

            "Where are you getting at?" Hikaru asked. His face was carefully neutral.

            "Let's just say there are certain associates of mine that wish to talk with the _people_ that you work for," Rod stated, his tone rolling on the word people.

            "Oh? Is that all? I'd be more than happy to relay that to that particular group," Hikaru said with some amusement. He thought he saw surprise on Rod's face, but it was only there for an instant.

            "Excellent," Ferris said as he left.

***************

            Kasumi loaded a fresh 20mm.magazine. She was currently firing high explosive incendiary (HEI). The rest of her team were using armor piercing incendiary. Traveling with DarkStar, they made their way to the ground floor to reinforce the assault on the basement stronghold.

            The M60 gunners were watching the head of the basement stairs from an oblique position. The air was heavy with burnt powder and the smell of something chemical and metallic. The alert had gone out and all Company agents donned their gas masks.

            Grenades were then lobbed down the stairs. Only some of them were fragmentary or concussive. Most of them were tear gas and smoke. Company agents then charged at the head of the stairs. Their sensor systems allowed them to see through the gas and they fired several volleys of 20mm HEI at the Youma defensive barrier before pulling back.

            By now the two M60's had been moved. It was a straight shot to the youma position at the base of the stairs. The youma's shield generators had been overloaded by the initial round of 20mm shells. This enabled the next waves of HEI to hit their targets unobstructed.

            It was into this confused, wounded, and dying mass that the two machine gunners immediately opened fire on. They had Model 723 7.62mm ammunition in their guns. It was halfway between the immense Lead Flower used by sharpshooters and the almost mundane Model 703 armor piercing. 

            The two gunners moved their sights over the enemy, looking for targets that were still viable. Finding none they stopped firing. Eight Company agents then went down the stairs to secure the area. The two M60's were then moved to this new position. Kasumi's squad and another then went out to find the next youma formation.

***************

            As usual, Tatewaki Kuno had gone to school with his father. This allowed him to get in before his beloved Sunshine Saotome and Akane Tendo. Things had been proceeding normally, until they came.

            Kuno was rounded up and placed in the cafeteria with the others. He noticed that the vile beasts had not frisked him, nor were they even watching him closely. It was then that Kuno came knew what he had to do.

            The hostage operation was proceeding within acceptable limits. The cafeteria had been sealed off, and the agents were just about to strike when it happened. One of the hostages, a young man, he appeared to be the only student, shouted something and attacked one of the youma.

            He had pulled a large boot knife out from a leg sheath and had jumped one of the Pattern Ys. The shield resisted the blade, but the teen eventually forced it through and stabbed between the ribs, piercing the youma's heart. Unfortunately the delay gave the youma enough time to shoot the boy. 

            The Company agent-in-charge used this opportunity and gave the go code. They remaining guards were killed in a firefight that while brief, was not as clean as hoped. One of the agents that charged through the west door took a round in the chest and a grazing one in the arm. He also felt the _wind_ from several rounds pass by him.

            With the youma killed and the room secure, the call for medics went out. Two Company medics came into the room. One went to the agent and was relieved that his armor had protected him. Even with the advanced materials in their protective armor, stopping a rifle bullet was tricky business, especially at this range. The agent had considerable bruising, several broken ribs, a sprained knee, and a fracture in his arm, but he would live. The same could not be said for the teen. He had been gut-shot. If it was a normal bullet they might have had a chance. After all, they did have the helicopters to Medivac him out.

            But the youma were not using normal rounds. They had been enhanced with certain energies. The medic's eyes could see the boy slipping away, and his pattern scanner could detect the bullet. The medic then talked into her headset. The doctor might be able to help.

            Section Chief, Doctor Tofu Ono was surprised by the call in his headset. As he led his team into the building, he chastised himself for being caught off guard. It was rather likely that he would be called in before the shooting was over. There was always a chance of getting wounded.

***************

            The demonic Senshi allowed a small smile to form on her face. She had originally planned on watching the Company eliminate this defensive position just like the other two, but she had changed her mind. She had softened the target a bit using her own ranged attack.

            In high numbers and in a closed space, the splash damage was quite impressive. The orbs were flung high and low, and were large and small. Soon the youma were trapped by a crawling barrier of white and violet flames.

            Returning fire was not an option for the youma in the front. Their weapons had melted onto their arms and hands. Their ammunition started to ignite, turning their weapons into crude grenades that did further damage.

            The shrieking monsters were then pushed back. Their combusting bodies fell on the line behind them. Once again the youma lines had broken. The cowering monsters found themselves being covered in the flaming liquid.

            DarkStar's eyes flared as she felt the last of the defenders die. Her flames, having nothing interesting left to consume, stopped. The magical girl looked down the corridor. Two burning orbs were being held in her hands. The hallway ended with a metal door. Its edges glowed slightly. She made the two balls of napalm vanish. As she walked forward, her eyes scanned the burned bodies piled in the end surprisingly wide hallway. 

            Kasumi walked up behind her. DarkStar could hear that someone was talking to her through the girl's headset. "Understood," Lieutenant Tendo stated into her microphone. "DarkStar."

            The redhead turned to face the Company agent.

            "Nice going there." Kasumi said with genuine admiration. The girl had the power and the self control to use it well. "Inside is the last of them. You want 'em?"

            DarkStar shrugged. Then she nodded.

            "Okay, we'll open the door for you," Kasumi said as she waved some agents over to her. One was Steven Deschain, a demolitions specialist. Deschain inspected the door and took some readings. Like most doors, this one opened into the room. From behind his matte-black gasmask, Deschain smiled. The door could be bypassed easily enough. "Breaching rounds," he said pointing to the door's hinges and deadbolt lock. 

            Gabriel pulled a single 20mm cartridge out of a pocket, that until now still had it's original four, and loaded it in his weapon. The round had a relatively thin copper jacket that upon impact would peel back revealing a heavy zinc core. He then moved off to the side while pointing the upper muzzle of his gun at the lower hinge. Three other agents put in identical loads and took similar positions.

            Deschain then secured a small black device on the middle of the door. Stenciled on the flat side that was stuck to the door were the words "Front Toward Enemy". Similar in concept to the jammers used by the Company, this object was a Model E53 Burst Disruptor. The device charged a very powerful capacitor that released a specifically patterned burst of energy designed to weaken and destroy energy shields.

            Deschain then wired a detonator to the device and backed away and to the side. He gave a nod to Kasumi. "Go?"

            DarkStar looked at the door. She could see the shield and had a fair idea as to what Deschain's device would do to it. The Agents would blow out the hinges and locks and that machine would disable the shield. DarkStar supposed that if she hit the door in the right place.... Yes that would work. There was only one thing missing. "Take out the lights," the redhead said as she pointed to the battery-powered emergency lights, some of which were still functioning.

            Kasumi nodded and positioned agents to take out the remaining lights. "What about the lights inside the room?" Kasumi asked.

            "I'll handle it," DarkStar said as she walked down the hall. She turned and looked at the door. The wires on the device were tucked out of the way. The guns were in position and not a problem.

            DarkStar inhaled and sprinted towards the door. As she leapt up, Deschain detonated the device and the Company agents fired their weapons. The redhead's high-heeled boots slammed into the metal door. Without anything to keep it in the jamb and the majority of the redhead's force above its center of gravity, the door tipped over and skidded back.

            Sailor DarkStar found herself standing on the door in the middle of a storage room. The youma in the room found themselves plunged into darkness. The emergency lights in the hallway were shot out, and DarkStar had released a number of small spheres destroying the room's emergency light and a few monitors and stationary lamps that had been hooked up to a generator.

            "Fire!" Frank shouted and shot his gun at where he thought the intruder was. After firing a burst, he reached for the remote control in his pocket. Now was the time. It looked like he would be able to kill one Senshi at the very least.

            DarkStar had turned to the youma that had given the order. She saw him pull out something and reacted instantly. Two orbs of napalm amputated, rather messily, his arms at the elbows. The demon then closed in and turned around, grazing the youma's chest with her tail. The filaments sliced several of Frank's organs into irregularly shaped chunks. Mortally wounded, the creature slumped to the floor.

            The demon was working on her next targets. The youma were firing blindly and were easily destroyed. Quickly it was down to two left. One was disemboweled just above the hips to the spine with DarkStar's claws while simultaneously the other found her head diced by the redhead's tail.

            DarkStar stopped and looked around the room. Everyone was dead. Several Company agents then entered the room. The night vision systems being projected on their goggles allowed them to see the interior of the room. Sophie found the control in the remains of Frank's hands and showed it to Deschain.

            Kasumi finished the inspection and called the C3. "All targets have been dispatched. I repeat. All targets have been dispatched. Securing the area. Request Forensic Pathology section. Really? He's already here. Understood," Kasumi said into her headset while talking with Stillwater.

            "Interesting," Deschain said looking at the inactive gateway leaning on one wall. "We'll need some people from S and T here too," the demolitions expert said referring to Science and Technology section.

            DarkStar shook her head as she looked around the room. Scattered on the floor were half a dozen piles of rapidly decaying organic matter. She took a few breaths. The redhead could sense that the building had been cleared of nonhuman entities, excluding herself.

            Despite the exertion of the last fifteen minutes, Sailor DarkStar felt fine. Actually, better than fine, she felt wonderful. Feeding will do that to a demon. Youma might be weak soulless constructs, but they had a bit of energy in them, especially if one managed to get a fair number of them.

            Recalling her performance, the demonic magical girl came up with thirty two. There were four when she entered the building, fourteen in the stairs, eight in the hallway, and six in the storage room. It was quite the rush. DarkStar then looked at Kasumi and shuddered. The agent seemed pleased with herself. It would seem that DarkStar was not the only one invigorated by combat.

             She did that not because the girl disturbed her, but because of how similar that would make the Company agent to her. DarkStar put her hand to her forehead and massaged her horns. It felt quite good and helped her clear her mind.

            Gabriel raised an eyebrow as he watched the demon. Her tail had retracted its filaments and was swishing back and forth in a way that was reminiscent of when his sister rubbed her cat's belly after dinner. The then young man turned to Kasumi. "Orders?"

***************

            DarkStar walked down the hallway. She was looking for an exit. She then passed the cafeteria. A pair of Company agents flanked the open doors. From behind their red-tinted goggles, they watched the demon. Most of the hostages had been moved to the gymnasium for processing. The Company agents wanted to be sure that they were clean. 

            The redhead looked inside the room. In the center of the room was a cluster of people. Jacob was standing near the Drake talking softly. Below them a team of medics was working on two people. One was a Company agent sitting on the floor and leaning on an overturned table. The armor over his chest and arms had been taken off and a medic was tending his wounds. The man seemed in reasonable sprits and was calmly chatting with the female medic.

            The other casualty seemed to be in worse shape. DarkStar could make out the medical team franticly working on a person. She could also sense an infection within him. Curious, she entered the room. Kasumi, who was following DarkStar, motioned for the agents at the door to stand down.

            DarkStar was able to identify the wounded person rather quickly. "Kuno?" she asked, looking at the gravely wounded teen.

            "Brave, stupid boy," the Drake said as he looked at his son. Jacob put his hand on the Drake's shoulder. When one works for the Company, one sees death in all its gruesome glory.

            "What happened?" the magical girl asked.

            Jacob gave a brief summary of the incident.

            DarkStar shook her head. Kuno was a damn fool. "Can't anything be done?"

            "No," Dr. Tofu stated evenly as he worked on the doomed teen. "The bastards tainted their bullets. We're lucky he's the only one. At least, I don't think he'll have to be disposed of." The doctor was quite familiar with death. Although, most of those he worked on were not human and were already quite dead. His voice was detached and clinical, save for his last two words. It was then that DarkStar noticed the one of the nearby Company agents had his weapon pointed at the boy's head.

            It was then that Tatewaki's eyes cleared slightly and focused on the scantily-dressed girl. "Sunshine," he croaked out.

            DarkStar blinked at this. Murdock had told her that this form had some kind of identity cloaking. He had seemed partially amused at how it was able to provide some protection for the Senshi's identities. 

            "He's in shock and on a lot of painkillers. He might be hallucinating." Tofu said as he checked the teen's pulse.

            DarkStar looked at Kuno and shuddered. While she had no healing powers per se, she did have an ability that might spare his life. She did not know much about it. Murdock had seemed oddly reluctant to explain that attribute of her demonic form.

            "I think I can save him," DarkStar said as she watched Jacob sigh and turn to the Drake.

            "But at a considerable cost," Jacob said as he looked at the Drake. He had a fair idea as to what DarkStar was suggesting.

            "If it'll save my boy," the Drake said.

            "Ask him then" Jacob stated to DarkStar.

            "Colonel, he's in no condition to make such a decision," Tofu protested.

            "If he regrets it later on, I'll shoot him myself," Jacob said coldly.

            DarkStar shook her head in revulsion. "Kuno it's me."

            "Sunshine?"

            "Um, yeah. Look I can help you, but you won't be the same," DarkStar said as she knelt down near the teen.

            Kuno nodded slowly and then mumbled. "My life for you."

            Jacob ordered the medical team to pull back. He then looked at DarkStar and sighed. Tofu checked to make sure his equipment was still recording. This would be the closest he had ever been to an event of this nature.

            DarkStar leaned down towards the dying teen. She opened her mouth, her four elongated canines almost seemed to hum in anticipation. Her wings unfolded and covered the teen's body as her teeth made contact with Kuno's neck. While the demon's teeth injected fluid into the teen's bloodstream, the redhead put her hands on his chest and poured specifically patterned energy into his body.

            She could feel her blood and her magic working in him. The flesh they came into contact with shifted and changed. The body was being  shaped in accordance with some design that DarkStar was only unconsciously aware of. She watched as his wound was healed and the destructive magics were removed, but that was only a side effect of the greater changes going through him.

            Jacob turned away and used his headset to order a helicopter to land outside the school. He then had a brief, whispered conversation with the Drake, who despite his long association with the Company could not quite believe the day's events.

            DarkStar folded her wings and stood up. A little bit of blood dribbled down her chin. She looked at Kuno and stared while breathing in short irregular bursts. "Oh god. What have I done?" she asked with mute horror.

            Tofu went to the teen and took some readings. "Might live now," he muttered before turning to Jacob. "I recommend immediate transport back to base." The doctor then ordered the medics to unfold two stretchers

            "The helicopter is landing now." Jacob replied as the two casualties were moved onto litters. "You coming?" he asked DarkStar.

            "Damn straight, I'm not going to let you kill him and dissect him," the demon said as she looked at what she had created.

            "Interesting choice of pronouns," Jacob said, looking at the teen on the floor.

***************

            "Toronto Trust Tower pad number three is cleared for landing," a communications officer in the C3 said to a Company helicopter. The aircraft was a heavily modified UH-60A Black Hawk that was part of a group purchased from the United States on "military surplus" several years before. It was quite a different machine from the one that had rolled out of the Sikorsky Aircraft plant in Stratford, Connecticut.

            Stillwater looked at the large screen in the front of the room and smiled. The operation had been a success. The Pattern Ys had been dispatched, and the next phase was already underway. Teams from Forensic Pathology section were already on scene analyzing the battle and collecting evidence. The nature of a Pattern Ys body made analyzing their corpses nearly impossible, including this batch which seemed more _solid_ than expected.

            They had even bagged another interdimensional gate to examine, and this one seemed to be undamaged. Stillwater knew he had DarkStar to thank for that. They had a fair idea of why the Pattern Ys had attacked the school. It had also confirmed their suspicions that the Pattern Silvers were attending Furinkan. The Company also had a fair idea of how these creatures intended to kill the Senshi. Pattern Ys were known for their ability to possess and control people.

            There were still several unanswered questions. Where were these creatures hiding, and why did they choose now to attack? Someone had sent them here with orders to create an ambush for the Pattern Silvers, but who?

            Stillwater reminded himself to write a letter for Chase's family. If not for him, they would not have known about the situation at the school. It was a shame that his relatives would never know the exact details of his death or what his job really was, but dying protecting the innocent from terrorists was close enough to the truth.

            The commander made a mental note to look into the cover story that Public Relations section was cooking up. They were going to go with the old terrorist standby. It was simple, believable, and essentially true. That these terrorists were not human would be left out, as would the organization that had eliminated them. A special group within the Canadian military would take the credit for the operation.

            Aside from Agent Samuel Chase, they had only taken one other casualty, but he was expected to recover fully. His armor would be sent to the Company lab that designed it and examined by the scientists that worked there.

            There was one other wounded. Stillwater had watched most of what had happened in real-time through the headset cameras and had just reviewed the recordings. It was a troubling situation. They had just let a Pattern D turn a human into a servitor life-form. There was some consolation in that the boy's father was already associated with the Company and would be easy to keep quiet.

            Stillwater shook his head. Whenever nonhumans worked with the Company, problems always arose. He had secretly hoped that the Pattern Silvers would be close enough to human, but that was before he learned about Sailor DarkStar.

***************

            WIC Toronto-A was a District Support class facility. Included in the underground complex was series of medical rooms. Designed primarily for laboratory work, they could be used for patients as well. One of the rooms was currently in use.

            "Moron," the demonic magical girl said. The agent in the room were unsure if she was talking to herself or if she was talking to the person in the bed.

            "I really don't need this anymore," she said looking at her miniskirt. Sailor DarkStar closed her eyes and powered down. "Damn it," the girl known as Sunshine Saotome said. She was wearing her Furinkan uniform. "Stupid fucking fuku," she muttered as she walked to the room's attached bathroom. That the fuku she was wearing now was _much_ less revealing and embellished than the previous one she was in was small consolation.

            The demoness looked at her reflection and blinked. The pale girl with her crimson hair looked somehow different. It was her eyes. The violet flecks in her blue eyes seemed to be more numerous than they were yesterday. As she stared at her face, her corneas seemed to flare. She shook her head and splashed herself with water from the faucet.

            Ranma looked at his reflection and sighed in relief. He was back to normal. It was good to be human and male. On that note Ranma turned back to the entity on the bed.

            "Oh shit. What have I done? How did I do this? Why?" Ranma muttered as he walked over to the bed, and for the first time noticed the changes. 

            The Company agent in the room was a medic from Operations section. He was dressed in a grey jumpsuit and had a sidearm, but his job was simply to watch the patient, who was just starting to move. "Doctor, she's getting up," he said into his headset. 

            The person in the bed was not human, and not male.      What had been Tatewaki was now a girl with a lithe, attractive form. Her hair was the same length, only now it was black with violet highlights. She also sported two small red horns on her forehead. Her eyes suddenly flipped open. Ranma saw that they were now a deep blood-colored red.

            "Mistress?" the person in the bed said, in a clearly feminine voice, as she looked at Ranma. Confusion was on her face.

            _I turned him into a demon-chick. Not good._ Ranma thought as he backed away

            The demoness sniffed the air and the confusion on her face increased somewhat. "You _are_ her. At least you smell like her. Tell me, are you Sunshine in male form?"

            "My name is _not_ Sunshine!  You call me that again, and I'll finish the job those pathetic monsters started!" Ranma shouted. He stared at the shocked girl. "Well yeah," he then admitted.

            The girl nodded. "Mistress!" she cried as she leapt out of the bed and clung to Ranma. She also had a pair of wings now. Black with violet tips, they spread out and wrapped around Ranma's shoulders. 

            Ranma froze and was about to enjoy the position, before he mentally chastised himself. _This is not a hot chick! This is Kuno you fool! _"Get off of me!" he ordered the demon girl.

            "Why? You saved me," the girl asked, her face only a few inches from Ranma's.

            "You were dying you idiot!" Ranma said. He then noticed that her tail was wrapping itself around his leg, and that the demon was not wearing any clothes.

            "What the hell is going on here?" Dr. Tofu asked as he ran into the room.

            "She- _he- _won't get off !" Ranma shouted.

            "Maybe if you tell her again?" the medic stated with a small smile. Being in the Company was a lot of work, but at least it was never boring. Although in other circumstances, being this close a demoness would have not been fun.

            "Get off now," Ranma said while staring down the nude demon. "And what happened to your clothes?" he demanded.

            The girl whimpered as she untangled herself from Ranma. "The hospital gown they gave me was very itch. I'm sorry Mistress," she said as she looked down at the floor.

            "Don't call me that. I'm a guy." Ranma then turned to Tofu. "Okay, being a demon I get but, why's he a girl? And put something on!" he shouted to the demon.

            "There could be several reasons. Your species of demon might be one that has only females. Your curse may have done something to make him a girl. You might have done it subconsciously as a way to punish him for hitting on you." Tofu said as he walked over to one of the scanners in the room.

            "Well that's just great! Now I've got a demonic girl after me." Ranma said as he looked at Kuno.

            "You don't like me?" the demon asked as her, black-finned violet tail swished back and forth. 

            "Well, not really," Ranma admitted. The girl had conjured a black bikini. It was not much, but it was better than being nude.

            "But I love you," she said as she chewed on her lower lip.

            "Why did I have to do this?" Ranma said very unsettled. He can act like a guy when he's a girl. Why can't Kuno? Was Kuno that deranged?

            "Because you didn't want to let him die," Tofu said after looking at a pattern scanner. "Pattern D Class 2," the forensic pathologist announced. "Not bad for a newly born minion, not bad at all. That's she's not trying to kill us is a big plus too."

            "Well now what?" Ranma asked.

            "What do you mean?" Tofu asked.

            "Aren't you going to try and blackmail me? I did turn a human into a demon."

            Tofu smirked. "If we had a problem with you doing that, we would have tried to stop you. You saved his life."

            "Oh, you guys suck as a scary secret organization."

            "We try," Tofu said. He then placed a call to the Drake. "Tatewaki's awake. Looks healthy as far as I can tell. Okay." He then turned to Kuno. "Well, your father is coming to see you."

            "My father?" the girl blinked.

            "You do remember being human right?"

            "Of course," the girl replied. "It's just kinda embarrassing."

            "Okay, I'm leaving." Ranma said.

            "But Master, you can't!"

            "Why not?"

            "Um, I love you."

            "You told me that before.  It's still creepy," Ranma stated before walking out of the room.  He had to get away from Kuno.  There was something wrong about her.  Something that made Ranma want to pour lye in his eyes to burn away the bad thoughts.

***************

            Jacob was in Stillwater's office. They were sitting on opposite sides of a brushed steel-framed, glass-top table. Several files on the day's operations were spread out on the table. Displayed on a nearby wall were several graphs and video images.

            "That went well," Jacob said. 

            "You think so?" Stillwater remarked.

            "We only lost one agent. It's a shame about Chase, but if not for his help, things would have been much messier. We also got DarkStar to fight with us. Granted, Ranma still dislikes us. But as long as he'll fight as DarkStar, things should work within acceptable parameters."

            "And this incident with the Kuno boy?"

            "He was dying. Remember those morals that Ranma's got? DarkStar had to do something. That Kuno changed sex too is strange. Section Chief Tofu has some ideas about that, but until he gets more information he can't really say."

            "At least the secrecy from the Drake can be counted on," Stillwater admitted.

            "It has been tough for him, both his son and his school."

            "It could have been much worse."

            "Yes but we stopped them," Jacob carefully looked at his old friend. "Something's bothering you. Is it the demons?"

            "Only a bit.  We've had NH's working with us before. And it's always caused some problems, but there's something else that worries me."

            "Not many," Jacob commented referring to the nonhumans.

            "Our practice is to deter recruiting in that field," Stillwater knew that Jacob was a recruiter a few years ago.

            "You're afraid that we're being used as pawns," Jacob said with some amusement. 

            "Not us. You know me. I'm past caring about such things. The Company is another matter. Our organization will not be used."

            "Yet, you expect us to use the Pattern Silvers," Jacob stated. While he had no problem with their plans, he would not let Stillwater indulge in hypocrisy. 

            "Point. Although, consider their ultimate plans."

            "We do not have full verification of their intention to resurrect their empire," Jacob stated. The Company had done extensive research and funded several expeditions in their quest to learn more about early-human and pre-human civilizations. One of them matched what they knew about the Pattern Silvers.

            "Exactly. For the moment we are on the same side."

            "If you say so."

***************

            The Senshi had returned to their apartment. Usagi had called Setsuna, but the time guardian was not answering her phone. They were calm about that. As a group, the girls were used to attacks on them and having an unreachable time guardian.

            The television was turned to the news. Understandably, the story was being covered by the major networks. However given that the situation was resolved quickly and without any hostages dying, it did not warrant excessive coverage.

            There was a single loud knock on the door. Makoto got up to answer it.

            "Mako-chan-" Rei started, but was interrupted by another knock at the door.

            By now, the brunette was at the apartment's entrance. As she put her eye to the peephole, Rei got a vision. She saw someone holding the barrel of a handgun over the fisheye in the middle of the door. She then imagined Makoto putting her eye to the peephole. The brunette's confusion at her inability to see the hallway was then cut short by the gun being fired.

            "It's two guys. They're a few years older than us," Makoto said as she looked into the corridor, breaking Rei's fantasy. Makoto could see two men standing in front of the door. Both were dressed in boots, slacks, button-down shirts, and black windbreakers. One was thin with short black hair and the other was average in frame with even shorter brown hair.

            "We're from the Company," the one with brown hair said as he pulled a wallet out of his jacket. He flipped it open, and held the plastic sleeve his identification card was in up. The slim card was bordered in black and had "Willard International Consulting" lettered dark-blue on the top with the "Investigative Division" under it. Aside from the letters W, I, and C on the logo, those were the only words on that side of the card. The rest of the ID was filled with several long strings of numbers placed in groups of five. The man's picture was off to the left side of the card and a strange grey logo that was a composite of a globe and several other strange symbols.

            The other agent had pulled his ID and was holding it up. "We'd like to talk to you about what happened today," he stated as he removed his sunglasses.

            "Really now?" Makoto said loud enough that the agents could hear her.

            "Let them in," Usagi said.

            "What?" Makoto asked. "Um, okay," she said as she opened the door.

            "Thanks," the black haired one said as he entered the apartment. "I'm Gabriel and this is Aram," he said, pointing to his companion while Aram closed the door behind himself.

            "So you girls are the Sailor Senshi?" Aram asked in a calm voice.

            "Oh yeah, that's them," Gabriel said after seeing the girl's reaction to the question. These were the same five girls that had come from Japan, and their hair colors and styles matched the limited profiles of the Senshi that had been developed from their Tokyo observation team. Before today it was only a high probability that these girls were Pattern Silvers.  Now it was almost certain.

            "As you know there was an incident at the school today," Aram said after he looked around the apartment living room. 

            "We believe that you five, and possibly Ranma Saotome, also known as Sunshine Saotome and Sailor DarkStar, were the targets of a group of Pattern Y, youma. They took over the school early this morning. We had an undercover agent who managed to alert us early on."

            "You had people already in the school. Why?" Ami asked, interrupting him.

            "To spy on the Pattern Silvers. That would be you girls," Aram said in a matter of fact tone.

            "That's creepy. Why are you spying on us?"

            Gabriel looked at Aram and shrugged. "_We're_ not really sure. The Commander and the Colonel seem to think that the Company really needs the Pattern Silvers for these Toronto Operations."

            "Oh, so you guys are just henchmen," Rei said.

            "Well, we're in Operations Section so that puts us relatively high up, but, yeah. We're basically grunts. Just this morning, Aram was up to his knee in youma guts, twice," Gabriel said, smiling and exaggerating slightly.

            Aram shrugged. He had time to shower, and Pattern Ys dissolved quick enough.

            "Wait a minute. When you came in here, you asked us if we were the Senshi. But if you didn't know who we are, how did you know to spy on the school?"

            "Simple. Ranma was already going to that school."

            "Technically as Sunshine," Gabriel interrupted.

            "That's irrelevant," Aram said with exasperation. "Curious, we then looked into the transfer records and saw you five. There was a very good chance that you were the Pattern Silvers. It looks like we were not the only ones to make such a connection," Aram continued.

            "Why are you telling us all this?"

            "The Commander thought you deserved to know what really happened.. You were targeted by them after all."

            "Okay. How many of them were there?" Ami asked.

            "Roughly a hundred Pattern Ys. Most of them Level 3 or lower. Getting an exact number is hard because they tend to dissolve rather quickly."

            "These ones were surprisingly juicy, though. They had blood and organs. Our pathologists believed that these guys had spent a while living as humans," Gabriel said.

            "Where'd they all come from? We defeated them a while ago," Minako said, turning to look at the two men.

            "We don't know. They did have a pretty clever plan to get in," Aram stated. He then gave a brief summary of how the youma had disabled the security system, gained entrance to the building, activated a gateway, and started shipping their weapons and men over. "Right now we're tracking their weapons. They look like old Soviet surplus. It seems likely that they were going to make their move once school started. They would have turned the students and faculty against you," Aram added.

            "Although the fools would have been better off if they had done some combat training too. I guess they didn't consider that people might be shooting back at them." Gabriel observed.

            "A hundred youma using empowered weapons, and a couple hundred humans that had been turned into zombies, possibly armed too. That might have been some trouble," Ami said.

            "It gets better," Gabriel said, smiling slightly. "They had an impressively powerful bomb in their gate room. It looks like they planned to detonate it if things ever went south."

            Makoto nodded. Youma were never ones to value their lives.

            "It looks like you guys managed to prevent that bomb from going off," Minako said. There had been nothing in the news about an explosion.  That would certainly have upped the coverage.

            "Well, we had a lot of help from DarkStar. She got a third of the kills," Aram said.

            "Wait, Ranma's working with you? She said you tried to kill her," Ami said, using female pronouns because she had only met Ranma in female form.

            "I guess Pluto really pissed him off?" Rei said.

            "Tricking a guy into a fuku would do that," Minako sated.

            "But that's Murdock's fault," Ami said.

            "Ranma thinks that it's Pluto's." Usagi countered.

            "I guess we should go," Gabriel said as he put his sunglasses back on.

            "You're just leaving?" Usagi said.

            "Unless you have any other questions?" Aram stated as he walked to the door.

            "I don't suppose you know what's going on here?"

            "Probably less than you do," Aram allowed.

            "So the enemy, whoever it is, could know where we live?"

            "We were able to figure it out," Gabriel said, simply.

            "That's not good."

            "You want us to have some people watch this place?" Aram asked as he put his hand on the knob.

            "You're not already watching us?" Rei skeptically asked.

            "We have a strike team in the area that's monitoring the police transmissions, but we can place them closer if you want," Aram stated as he opened the door.

            "No thanks," Usagi said.

            "Well, here's our card," Gabriel said as he handed one over. In top left corner was that strange logo. The star with the flame wreathed eye in the center was especially creepy, and oddly familiar to Ami.   "Willard International Consulting - providing definite solutions for clients with special situations," was written next to the Company logo. Below that was a phone number.

            "Um, thanks," Usagi said.

            "Right," Gabriel said as he walked into the hallway. Aram followed and closed the door behind him.

            "That was strange," Rei observed.

            "We need to find Ranma," Usagi stated. "There's more going on here than what they told us."

***************

            The research scientist looked out the window. The view was of pleasant rolling hills. Dairy farms could be seen off into the distance.  The cows looked like white and black mites crawling on lumpy green linoleum.  The woman sighed. It was a shame her office was underground. At least the designers of the complex decided to make at least one of their cafeterias above ground.

            The woman picked at her lunch. The report was late. In the eight years she had been getting it, the report had never been late. Often it had little or no information, things like a police report or a bank account being accessed. Other times there was more substantial information, and once in a great while a photograph. The most recent was a photograph of her son in a Kobe newspaper that was taken two years ago.

            Like many in this organization, there was something that drove her, something intensely personal. Like many it had to do with losing her family. Although in her case her family was still alive. The woman felt confident that the Company was the best people to find them. Despite what her husband seemed to want. They were also the only private organization with the resources to conduct global searches.

            Finding people that had gone missing under strange circumstances was what the Company's mission was back in the beginning. Back when the WIC stood for Willard Investigative Company. It was still an important part of the organization. Despite this, people are often never found.

            "Afternoon Doctor," said a younger man wearing a lab coat similar to the woman's. He had hair parted on the left, slim glasses, and a few freckles.

            "Don't call me that Aida. You know I'm not medical," she told the junior researcher.

            "Sorry," Aida replied. He was still working on his doctorate. It was a shame it would be automatically classified secret by the Japanese government, but there was no way around it.

            "Still going with the nine millimeter," she observed while looking at the Beretta on his hip.

            "I find a heavier weapon a pain to wear."

            _Kids these days._ She thought. "Tell me, when do you go on field rotation?"

            "In five weeks."

            "Trust me. When you're out there with those Operations grunts, you'll want as much firepower as you can carry."

            Aida nodded. He knew this, but he was working in the lab now. The only reason he carried here was because of the eccentric regulations from Command. If fighting broke out in the heart of the Third Operations Centre, then the caliber of his gun would be least of his concerns.

            "I thought you were going over that batch of AN-6 body armor we got from Germany?" the woman asked. Her doctorate was in Materials Science.  Her specialty was in high strength composites. She had been an instrumental part of the Company's next generation of armor. She had just gotten a report of one of her vests stopping a point-blank Kalashnikov round. She could not wait to take apart that one and see how it worked. All the range tests indicated that that particular bullet going at that particular speed would tear through the armor.

            "The fire damaged ones from Operations Centre Two? I had just finished the second one when Commander Akagi told me to find you."

            "Okay. What does she want?" the woman asked. She was on good terms with the of Science and Technology head.

            "She told me to tell you that they have found him. He's alive. Expect a meeting." Aida recalled.

"My god. That's why the report was late," the woman said in awe. After all these years, the Company found him.  She idly wondered how her husband had screwed up and what they were doing to make sure he would not escape, or if they even knew where he was.

            "Good for you," Aida said. He knew about the woman's loss and it was nice to see things go well for her.

End Chapter 4

Author's Notes:

Thanks to Joe Fenton, Jerry Starfire, and Black Dragon for prereading.

And also thanks goes to the Military Analysis Network for their excellent weapons information. () 


	5. Chapter 5 Revelations and Rendezvous

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Josh Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my website.

Chapter 5 Revelations and Rendezvous

            Ranma was in the commissary. The large room was empty save for three Company agents softly talking in one corner, and a man behind the counter that connected to a kitchen. The martial artist was silently eating his early lunch. He was focused on the consumption of food. He was trying to block his memory of the morning's events.

            The agent working behind the counter took his order without question. Ranma did not see a cash register or any sort of payment slot and supposed that the Company did not charge its employees to eat in their cafeteria.

            The Company might be a disturbing organization of dubious ethics and methods, but they did have good food. Ranma was working on his third bowl of beef stew when he saw his fiancee enter the room. "What do you want?" he asked, an edge on his voice.

            Kasumi smiled slightly at this. "Oh, nothing. You did very well out there today," she said as she sat down. She had changed out of her combat clothes, showered, and had dressed in her casual wear of boots, slacks, blouse, and forty-five caliber handgun.

            "So that's it? Nice job and a pat on the back," Ranma said critically. "You guys suck! Unlike you, I don't like being turned into a soulless killing machine."

            Kasumi sighed. "So you regret what you did. If you had to do it over again, would you have stayed in bed and done nothing?"

            "No. I still would have gone in and fought them." Ranma said, looking into the girl's hard brown eyes. _I'm not so sure about Kuno though_, he admitted to himself. _Sure he's alive, but as a demon- chick. Pluto would find that _real_ amusing._ "But you guys knew that. You knew that I would go in there. You didn't know how much I'd cooperate with you, but you knew that I would go in. You took advantage of that." 

            "It looks that way," Kasumi flatly stated.

            "Yeah, you don't care much about that do you?"

            "Nope," Kasumi honestly replied. "Look Ranma, we're in a war. A war that you agreed to participate in."

            "Pluto lied to me!"

            "Maybe about the curse," Kasumi allowed. "But she did mention the fighting evil part. The fukus are stupid, but those girls have an impressive record." _And an amazing amount of dumb luck from the look of things,_ she thought.

            "So we're all on the same side, eh? One big happy family."

            "Why not? Compared to those things that we fight," Kasumi said as her face darkened. "You know what these creatures were planning to do today. They were going to corrupt and brainwash school children and use them as cannonfodder. These are the type of _monsters_ that we fight. _Things_ that will _murder children_ without a second thought! You can't negotiate with them. You can't rehabilitate them. They _must_ be exterminated, one-by-one if need be, and damn the cost!" Kasumi said as her control slipped the slightest bit.

            Ranma looked at the woman with a glimmer of understanding and a bit of fear.

            "Like it or not, you're in this war, and the only thing making you fight is your own sense of right and wrong," Kasumi continued.

            "So why are you here?"

            "Jacob would like to speak with you," Kasumi said simply.

            "And what does he want?"

            "Ever wonder what happened to your mother?" the operations agent asked.

***************

            Usagi sat on the stoop of the apartment building. About fifteen minutes after those two men from the Company left, Setsuna managed to return Usagi's calls. Following the brief conversation, Usagi was told to wait outside. Meiou said she was driving over.

            A large dark green two-door car stopped in front of the apartment. The idling engine sounded powerful. Usagi could almost see air being pulled into the large, low-slung, intake scoop in the center of the hood. The blonde was not a car person. She had no idea that it was a custom-job 1968 Dodge Charger as opposed to the 1974 Dodge Charger that Setsuna said she was driving over. She walked over to the car.

            The heavily tinted driver's side window slid down revealing a familiar face. It was not a tanned woman with red eyes and long green hair, but a somewhat pale man of indeterminate age with watery grey eyes and short brown hair. It was Murdock. Usagi's eyes flared in anger. Here was the man who had killed her boyfriend. Here was the man who had ruined Ranma's chances at getting a cure. The monster was in front of her. Hell, he might have killed Setsuna and stolen her car.

            Usagi had flipped out her transformation compact, and had started her transformation phrase.

            "Please don't," Murdock said in a calm, almost depressed, voice.

            Usagi paused. That was an unexpected tone.

            "You can transform and attack me if you want," Murdock admitted. "But I just got this car and I'd prefer it not to be wrecked," he said as he patted the dash.

            Usagi hit the panic button on her communicator.

            "Sure, call your friends. You'd tell them anyway," Murdock sighed.

            "What do you want?" Usagi asked sternly.

            "It's not what I want. It's what I have to do," Murdock laughed. It was the rough, unpleasant sound of a man who was desperately trying to stay sane. "Pluto thinks that I'm the mastermind of all this. I guess she can't accept that I'm just another pawn in this tiresome game."

            Usagi blinked. Setsuna did admit that Murdock had to be working for someone else, something very powerful. "You still killed him," she said, looking into those strange grey eyes. His corneas almost seemed to be filled with squirming motes.

            "It's not like it was the first time he died," the man joked. "I see that Setsuna is still overestimating my impact, and still keeping you in the dark." Murdock stated. He allowed a small smile to form on his face. 

            "She knows you're up to something," Usagi said defiantly.

            "But she doesn't know what it _is,_" Murdock smiled. "That's pretty funny. After all she knows the Gate. Hell, she _is_ the Gate. She is the key and guardian of the Gate. Past, present, and future, are all one in her, or at least they used to be."

            Usagi blinked. That made sense. Setsuna was deeply connected to the Time Gates and her staff was a giant key.

            Murdock continued. "She knows where the Old Ones broke through of old, and where they'll break through again. And yet- she is also of Yuggoth. That is most curious. The Mi-Go were never too fond of old Yogi."

            "Yuggoth?" Usagi asked.

            "It's another name for the ninth planet," Murdock said dismissively. "I have to ask you something."

            "What?" Usagi said, still clutching her transformation device.

            "Why is your daughter still alive?"

            "If you harm her-"

            "That's not a threat." Murdock said. His voice was hard. The man seemed genuinely insulted by that. "Quite the opposite," he then said, this time smiling.

            "What are you talking about?"

            "Paradoxes. Remember the last time that happened? Neherenia's little curse hit your boy-toy. He was doomed to die, and she started to fade out. But now she's fine and he's dead."

            "Pluto saved her."

            "If that's what she told you," Murdock said, his grin growing. "Still believe that love and hope will save your daughter... and the future?"

            Usagi glared at the man in the driver's seat. "What are you insinuating?"

            "Certain people have had an interest in her before. Although, I can't say that those alterations made her any better. I mean, turning a spoiled brat into an insufferable bitch."

            Usagi looked at him questioningly. Murdock knew of the Black Moon Family. Was he connected to them in any way? They had been defeated, but so had the Dark Kingdom. "You're not from the future are you?" the blonde asked. 

            "Close," Murdock smiled slightly. "You think of time solely in linear terms, forward or backward. I guess sideways never occurred to you. Think of a mystery train that travels through lands riddled with fallout and demons, past that damn tower where even death dies, and right into the twisting churning nuclear chaos at the heart of everything. Is it all mystery, a riddle, or a joke?" Murdock stated as his grin twitched.

            "What _are_ you talking about?"

            "It's rather simple," the man said before he recognized the car that was approaching the parking lot. It was the same make and model of his car, just six years newer. "Oh shit! Gotta go," he said in a panicky apology just before he put his car into reverse, turned it almost completely around, and pulled out of the side entrance to the lot.

            Usagi watched the other green Dodge drive up to her. This time when the window slid down she was rewarded with Setsuna's image. "Did he hurt you?" the woman asked as she watched the other Dodge race away.

            "No," Usagi said as she looked back at the apartment building. Where were the other girls? She had hit the emergency button. "At least you heard my distress call," the blonde said to the time guardian.

            "No I didn't," Setsuna admitted. "He must have blocked the signal," the emerald-haired woman stated as she slide over and opened the passenger side door. "Get in," she nearly ordered.

            Usagi complied. As she buckled her belt, she noticed that Setsuna was not wearing her safety belt.

            "What did he say?" Setsuna demanded as she drove her car back onto the road.

            Usagi paused before responding. It felt natural, right to do what Setsuna told her to do. After all, she was older, much older, and had a lot more experience, but recent events had caused the woman's motives to come into question. Setsuna had never been forthright and seemed only to work with them when it suited her goals.

            "What did he tell you?" Setsuna repeated. "You can't trust anything he says!" Setsuna stated, paranoia creeping into her voice.

            "He didn't tell me anything. He just asked a question," Usagi said simply. She was still digesting the tone of Setsuna's voice. The woman very rarely let her emotions show, let alone reach into her voice.

            "And the question was?" Setsuna asked as she stopped at a red light.

            "Why is my daughter alive?" Usagi asked.

            Setsuna looked into her review mirror. "You know, we never figured out who released Neherenia. You defeated her. You imprisoned her. Then someone woke her up. And that same someone helped her spread those mirror shards."

            "Are you suggesting that Murdock woke her up? That's insane! He killed Mamoru. If he was behind Neherenia's return, why didn't Murdock kill him back then?"

            "Why did he crash a 747 into the Baring Strait when he was just going to kill Mamoru in a bathroom? Madness is Murdock's misdirection" Pluto countered.

            "You still haven't answered that question," Usagi countered. "All I know is you found some way to keep her from drifting away."

            "Yes, I did." Setsuna stated as she changed lanes. "When Neherenia came back and almost caused that paradox, I knew that something was very wrong. There are supposed to be safeguards to prevent such things. That's part of what the Time Gate does."

            "What did you do?"

            "I set it up so that your daughter will no longer be affected by having Mamoru be dead."

            "What did you _do_?"

            "I asked him to give me several samples," Setsuna finally admitted. "It was quite awkward, but now they're all stored in several very safe places."

            "My god," Usagi said. "You had him- I mean - in the cup?"

            Setsuna nodded.

            "I see." It made sense. How else could a dead man father a child?

            "I did what I had to do," Setsuna said, not lying, yet not really answering her question.

            Usagi nodded. Her concern as to why Murdock had told her to ask that question was minimal. Murdock continuously did things that made little or no sense.

            The red-eyed woman was relieved. Usagi was not pushing the issue. Her own mind was trying to understand why Murdock did that. Was he simply sowing discord, or did he have a greater purpose. Kill the father, save the daughter? Setsuna did not like knowing what was going to happen, let alone what had already happened.

***************

            Ranma charged into Jacob's office. There was no attempt to stop him. "What's going on here?" he demanded. "First you jerk this cure around on me, then you guilt me into fighting, and finally you use my _mother_ against me. Explain.  Now," Ranma stated in a dangerously calm voice.

            Jacob looked up from his report. "Major Saotome, Nodoka, Science and Technology Section. Registration number 34528-88325-42821-90982," Jacob read from the header of his file.

            "Right, like she's been working for you clowns," Ranma said with considerable skepticism.

            "For over eight years. She heads one of our advanced materials labs," Jacob stated.

            "That's way too much of a coincidence. I can't see my dad marrying someone like that."

            "According to this, she met your father during her undergraduate days. She then went on to get her doctorate in materials science and engineering from Tokyo University."

            "Sure she did. Look, Pops never talked about her. Hell, he told me that I didn't even have a mother. I sure as hell don't remember ever having one."

            "Yes, that's why she came to us, all those years ago. The police couldn't find you or him. So, she hired us."

            "And she just happened to be a scientist willing to make weapons for you guys. You nimrods are pathetic."

            "Well, she mostly designs vehicle and personnel armor, and it was rather convenient," Jacob admitted. "Setsuna, or perhaps Murdock, did specifically select you."

            "Prove it. I want to see her."

            "Okay," Jacob said simply. "She's at our base in Hokkaido now."

            "And this is where you say sorry but-"

            "We can have you on a flight in two hours," Jacob stated.

            "Really," Ranma said skeptically.

            "Simple. You take a Company plane from here to the First Operations Centre in Kansas and get on one of the regular flights that goes to the Third Operations Centre."

            "Right, sure."

            "The Company also has those old samples of Jusenkyou water that you can try before you go on to Japan, and if that doesn't work we can then take you to China."

            "And how will I explain that to my father?"

            "You want to bring him along so he can get cured?"

            "No. I haven't even started to punish him."

            "Ahh, the Sunshine thing," Jacob observed. "In that case you're just spending a few days with Kasumi on a Company recruiting workshop."

            Ranma blinked. "You guys just love telling lies with the truth, don't you?"

            Jacob smiled. "So will you do it?"

            "If it will get rid of Sunshine and DarkStar."

            "Fine."

***************

            Major Saotome sat in her apartment's kitchen. She lived in one of the residential buildings located within Operations Centre 3. Her rank allowed her to have private, but small, housing. She lived alone and did not need that much space. It was also cheaper, which allowed her to save more of her income.

            She sipped from a glass of water. She would have preferred something stronger, but she was about to go back to work soon. The woman was trying to digest what had been told to her. She had been ordered to Commander Akagi's office.

            Nodoka shook her head. Her son was alive and well. He was currently staying with an operations agent. That was all that was written on the message the Commander had handed her. She found the lack of information troubling. She did not even know how they actually found Ranma or what had happened to Genma.

            It was unusual for them to split up. According to the reports, Genma kept a fairly close eye on his son. Could something have happened to Genma? Was that why the Company was able to find Ranma? The simple fact that there was not more information meant that someone saw it fit to restrict that information. Something was going on with her son. 

***************

            "My god," Nabiki said as she turned off the television.

            "Good thing that the police got there in time," Akane observed coldly. This was not something that was supposed to happen here. Canada had no enemies. Canada was obscure. There was no logical reason for them to come after us she tried to rationalize.

            "I can't believe it," Nabiki remarked darkly.

            "In our school," Akane said as she stared off into space.

            Nabiki nodded. Reality had a troubling way of interfering with life.

            "We're back," Kasumi said as she opened the front door. Ranma followed her into the house.

            "You see the news?" Akane asked rather innocently.

            "Yes," Kasumi stated.

            "Where's Pops?" Ranma said as he narrowed his eyes.

            "Out back with father," Nabiki said as she looked at her older sister. The young woman was her usual controlled self. Nabiki almost expected her to be somewhat unnerved by the day's events. After all, the last time someone had gotten killed at Furinkan, it was at Kasumi's hands.

***************

            "Poor Drake," Genma remarked as he looked into the woods from the back porch. 

            "At least he managed to avoid any student casualties," Soun said from the seat next to him.

            "But why his school?"

            "Who knows what those dishonorable monsters were after," Soun stated as he took a sip from his drink.

            Genma then turned when he heard the back door open. "You have a good day with Kasumi?" he asked his son.

            "Amazing," Ranma flatly stated.

            "Excellent," Genma said in a pathetic imitation of an evil mastermind. 

            "Yeah sure. I'm just telling you that I'll be going away for a few days or so."

            "Really where?" Genma asked as he put down his cup.

            "I'll be taking him on a Company workshop," Kasumi said as she walked onto the porch.

            "Good for you," Soun said.

            "Yes, a brilliant plan," Genma added.

            Ranma shook his head and went back into the house.

            Kasumi smiled as she followed her fiance. That was easy.

***************

            Kasumi drove her Company sedan to the Lester B. Pearson International Airport, located to the northwest of the city. After passing through security, she drove her car to the airport's freight terminal. Parked on the tarmac was a mid-sized commercial jet. It was light grey with a thick black line on the tail. Within that line was the Company logo. The letters, symbols, and globe seemed to float in obsidian fluid. There were also several Company vehicles and agents in the area. She stopped the car, walked out, and handed the keys to another agent.

            "So you chartered a plane for me," Ranma said as he exited the car.

            "Nope," Kasumi said. "Command sent for a team from S and T to come up and look at that gate in the basement. We'll be taking their plane back."

            "I see," Ranma said as he picked up his backpack and walked towards the plane. _Wonderful. Going to fly halfway around the world. That's if the water these nitwits have in storage doesn't work. Which it probably won't. At least they'll take me to Jusenkyou, and after this morning they should think twice about trying to mess with me._ Ranma thought with a smile. It quickly disappeared when he recognized one of the people standing near the plane. 

            It was a pale girl with red eyes and black, violet highlighted, hair. A pair of black shorts and a black tank top clung to her well-formed and human-looking body. The girl noticed Ranma and ran over to her. "Mistress!" she cried as she tried to hug the martial artist.

            "Stop it you freak!"

            The girl pulled back and cringed as if slapped. "But, but, you saved me," she muttered.

            "Why is this thing here?"

            "You shouldn't be so mean to your minions," Kasumi remarked with a slight smile.

            "She's –_he's_- not my minion."

            Kasumi looked at the sniffling girl and chuckled. "Kuno's father wants his son to be human. The curse is a chance to help her."

            "But, Jacob said that Jusenkyou is ineffective against demons."

            "Kuno did change sex during the conversion. That might be due to your curse. So she might be susceptible to the water. It's a slim chance."

            "Just like how I'm human right now, and might be able to get cured."

            "Exactly."

            "Okay, I can understand wanting to get cured," Ranma said before turning back to the Kuno girl. "You can come, but you will _not_ touch me or do anything creepy. Understand?"

            The girl simply nodded enthusiastically. "One question if I may?" she asked.

            "What?"

            "Why are you in this weak form now? This bag of meat you inhabit is pathetic compared to your true power."

            Ranma rubbed his forehead. "What did I do to deserve this?"

            "Come on," Kasumi said to the two teenagers. "The plane's leaving soon."

            Ranma grumbled as he walked to the plane. He was followed by a demonic minion happily humming to herself. The plane had rows of two seats on either side of a central aisle. The rows alternated between facing forward and backward. Kasumi walked toward the back of the plane and sat down in a forward facing aisle seat. The woman then took out her laptop and started typing into it.

            Gabriel looked up from his book. It was a thick volume documenting instances of nonhuman activity from the twenties. The text made for an interesting if dry read. The agent found the afternoon's actives unusual. Normally, after an operation, there would be an extensive debriefing. But now they were going to provide escort duty for a Pattern D - two Pattern Ds - Gabriel corrected himself as he looked at the girl who was trying to sit next to Ranma. 

            To the casual observer, the girl looked human, but Gabriel could tell that there was something _off_ about her. Reading the Doctor's report helped things too. Gabriel shook his head and went back to the documentation on how several Company agents discovered a group of Pattern L's in Chicago.

            Jacob entered plane. He was carrying a grey metal briefcase. The man looked at Ranma with an almost puzzled expression before taking the seat facing Kasumi. The door to the plane then closed and locked into place. The aircraft then taxied into position and waited for takeoff clearance.

***************

            Ranma looked out the sixth story window. The sun had just finished setting and the gently rolling farmland was cast in a dim orange and grey light. The farmland ended over five miles from the building complex he was in. The Company Operations Centre stood on an almost rectangular parcel of land that was about eight by twelve miles and totaling over sixty thousand acres in area. 

            There was a series of fences that marked the edge of the gigantic compound. One pair was at the edge with another pair over half a mile inside it. Periodically there were steel observation towers and small concrete pillbox-like buildings. A couple pairs of Humvees with fifty caliber machine guns and missile launchers patrolled the perimeter.

            Ranma could also see a pair of helicopters flying off in the distance. One was landing at the private Company airport to the South of the central building complex and the other was doing intricate maneuvers to the west. He then turned his attention to the buildings directly below them. 

            Made of concrete, steel, and glass, the buildings were squat with clean lines. Of differing heights, shapes, and sizes, these buildings made up a central complex. It resembled the bland campus of a technical school. Ranma had only been in part of the underground levels, but he knew that there had to be miles of corridors under the central complex. Like the Toronto facility, it was brightly lit, mostly grey, and vaguely unsettling. Ranma was morbidly curious as to what sort of business was conducted here. The facility seemed far too large for the task of monitoring and controlling what the Company called Pattern Registering Entities. Unless the situation with paranormal creatures was far larger than Ranma had originally thought.

            "I'm sorry," Jacob said as he walked into the conference room Ranma was in.

            "You said it most likely wouldn't work," Ranma observed as he continued looking out the window.

            "That water was sitting in a storage room for thirty years. Hell, that stuff was collected before I started working here," Jacob noted.

            "Yes, I read the tags on the metal crate," Ranma stated as he turned to face Jacob.

            "With our archives, proper labeling is a necessity," the Company Colonel stated. Buried to the east were the warehouse-sized general archives. A smaller and more secure depository housed the more interesting items.

            "So what now? You guys try to send me to China?"

            "If you want to go. A flight bound for Operations Centre Three departs in an hour," Jacob said as he exited the room again. 

            Ranma nodded as he returned his gaze out the window. Another cure had failed. That is if he could trust the water. Neither himself nor Kuno had been affected by the water. Ranma supposed that they could have filled the containers with tap water and then faked the documentation and the readings the scanners gave off.

            His eye twitched at the thought of this all being some Company trick. If these morons were _that_ stupid, he would show them. He would show them all. It was a shame he'd have to turn into DarkStar to get his revenge. Jacob seemed to be a tricky bastard, and Ranma wanted to be in a form that was bulletproof if he had to take the older man out.

***************

            Rei walked down the darkened forest path. It was late and the only light came from distant ground light reflected off of the overcast sky. This created an orange tinted grey-scaled coloration. She could hear Makoto walking behind her. The girl then stopped just short of a small knoll. The brunette walked up to Rei and crouched down next to her.

            "Don't you hate walking outside in heels?" Makoto quietly asked as she looked at the just visible dwelling that sat in a clearing on the other side of the knoll.

            "I don't know why Pluto insisted that we activate as soon as we got into the woods," Rei said as she rolled her eyes. "We're in position," she then said into her communicator.

            "So are we," Mina's voice responded from the wrist-mounted device.

            Makoto gave a thumbs up to Rei and readied herself. Rei simply looked at the building with mute horror. She could sense evil and corruption drifting out of the building in lazy wisps. In spite of the nighttime cloud cover the cabin seemed to be wrapped in more gloom and darkness than the rest of the forest.

            "Pluto was right. _He's_ here," Rei incorrectly assumed as she watched the building.

            "Quiet," Makoto whispered. From their position they could just make out the cabin's front porch. The door on it was now being opened. The girls could make out a dark shape with softly glowing eyes exiting the building. They could see the shape put a lighter to a cigarette. Smoke began to lazily curl from the smoldering tube.

            The shape on the porch shut the door and leaned on it, appearing to enjoy its cigarette. The still air was then punctuated by the sound of someone hitting the ground somewhere in the forest. The entity at the porch dropped his cigarette and pulled a large gun out from within his coat. 

            Makoto watched the creature raise its shotgun and made her decision. There was a good chance that was Usagi. She readied herself and began the attack. The girl then spun in a circle, summoning hundreds of leaves. With a shout of "Jupiter Oak Evolution," she charged the leaves and fired them at the shape on the porch.

            The entity was hit by the magical attack and was blown apart. "Cover me," Sailor Jupiter said as she moved towards the cabin. Rei watched as the front door began to open. She waited until the targets were verified. It was a pair of shadows with glowing eyes. She aimed and fired a single fire arrow at the creature to the left and quickly launched another at its companion. They were destroyed before Jupiter could add to the attack.

            As Rei kept her Mars Flame Sniper ready, she moved forward. Jupiter was halfway to the porch. Rei looked over to see the others running in from their position at the other side of the clearing.

            Shots came from inside the cabin. Ami shouted a number and pointed with her finger. The blondes then fired into the building. Minako went first. The Crescent Beam lit up the inside of the cabin, produced a flash that illuminated the entire clearing for a second, and killed the one creature unlucky enough to be hit. Usagi then launched a Moon Gorgeous Meditation into the cabin. 

            Sailor Jupiter was the first inside the building. She found a small living room littered with the sand-like remains of their enemy. The only sounds in the room were strange, somewhat distorted, shrieks and explosions.

            A television was on in one corner of the room. Playing on it was a space battle between two groups of ships, one was green and somehow squid-like and the other looked like a cross between a spider and Makoto's worst nightmare.

            "Anyone in here?" Sailor Venus asked, surprising the brunette.

            "None in this room," Makoto said as she walked to the next room. It was the kitchen. The smell of brine permeated the room. But when Makoto paused, she could smell something under that salty scent. It was a familiar and horrifying stench. It was a mix of blood, bile, urine, and worse. Makoto could see a large, neatly folded tarp sitting next to the wall. It was heavily stained.

            "What's going on in here?" Usagi asked.

            "Whoever's left went out the back door," Minako stated, the smell of blood and salt filling her nose.

            Makoto looked at the open door that lead outside and then at the other two in the room. One was open and went to a small bathroom and the other was secured with a heavy padlock.

            "Okay let's go," Usagi said, leading them out of the cabin and back into the house.

            Makoto lingered for a second. She had a fair idea as to what was being done in this cabin. She then followed the other Senshi outside.

            Several miles to the south, a monitoring device in the Hilton Falls Conservation Area had detected their attacks. The data was transmitted to WIC Toronto-A where it was decided to send out a strike team to investigate the mid-range Pattern Silver discharges.

            One of the facility's helicopters was sent to where the signal was detected. The modified UH-60A Black Hawk was followed by an armored strike team that would provide backup.

            The helicopter arrived on the scene and began orbiting the area. Its onboard scanners detected several Pattern Silver signatures and some signatures that were too weak to type. The pilot took his craft a bit closer.

            His gunner then saw, standing in a clearing, a group of girls in color coded miniskirts saturating the forest with magical attacks. The video feed from his headset was then transmitted to the C3. The pilot then received his orders.

            Sailor Mercury scanned the trees. The remaining creatures were somewhere in the forest, but she was no longer picking them up on her scanner. 

            "Incoming!" Ami shouted as a warning signal appeared on her visor. It was little forewarning. While it was quieter than a normal helicopter of that size, the Company modified machine was still rather loud.

            The girls turned to see the hovering machine drop four lines. From the ropes rappelled a quartet of Company agents. They softly landed on the ground and quickly brought their weapons at the ready. Once they were on the ground the helicopter pulled up to a higher altitude.

            Usagi looked over the troops. Their camouflaged body armor, boots, and helmets, made them appear to almost _melt_ into the background. A muted reddish-orange, their goggles were the only noticeable part. Even their double barreled weapons were in that mottled pattern. "Why are you here?" she then asked. Back in Tokyo, the authorities _never_ arrived this fast. On the rare cases that they bothered to come, they were always too late.

            One of them looked at the girls strangely before speaking "Two days ago a scout troop went missing in the park to the south of here. All we found were some splatters of blood that were tainted with strange chemicals. Our search was interrupted by today's attack," Lieutenant William Paterson quickly explained to the blonde. He looked over to see that his squad had taken covering positions at the edge of the clearing.

            "And you just happened to see us," Rei said.

            "Our attacks _are_ very flashy," Ami stated.

            Makoto simply froze as her mind connected the missing people to the smell from that cabin.

            "Are there still enemy targets out here?" Patterson asked.

            "Yes," Ami said before telling the agent the last known position of the targets.

            "Any friendlies nearby?"

            "No, why are you asking this?" Usagi asked.

            Patterson simply smiled and called in the air strike. The two 7.62mm Gatling guns on the helicopter opened fire. The tracers from the mini-guns blurred into lances of flame.

            Usagi almost shrieked at the intense chainsaw-like noise. Why did their weapons have to be so loud? She then watched as the Company agents fired several grenades from the larger of their gun's barrels. Rei simply watched the attack. It made sense - hit the enemy hard to ensure that it got killed.

            Patterson then gave the order for the helicopter to stop firing. He then had his men to approach the target.

            Makoto watched as one of the armed agents moved past her. She shrugged and went after him. The rest of the Senshi went with the agents further into the forest. Usagi could see the scarred land where the aerial assault had taken place. The same gritty sand-like substance was scattered all over the area.

            "Forward left, incoming!" one of the agents shouted as she started to fire into a humanoid bundle of shadows.

            "They're cloaked," Ami shouted as she began to fire at the same spot.

            Usagi could see that the attacks had hit something, killed it, and turned it to more of that strange sand. She then noticed a movement ahead of her. She turned and attacked it.

            Patterson blinked. He did not just see that. Magically powered teenage girls in bows and miniskirts were one thing, but that blonde did not just use a kaleidoscope as if it were some type of particle beam weapon.

            There turned out to be only one other target remaining. It tried to move and was blown apart by three magical attacks and two bursts of automatic weapons fire. "Check the area," Patterson ordered his troops.

            The Senshi looked at each other, looked around, and went back to the cabin. Once again Makoto found herself in the kitchen. She looked at the padlocked door. "I'm going in," she said as she ripped off the lock.

            "You think someone's still in there?" Usagi asked.

            Minako was a waiting outside the back door with Ami and Rei. "They're back," Ami stated as she watched the agents walk back out of the forest.

            "Oh god," Patterson said as he walked into the already crowded kitchen. The smell was unmistakable. "Orbital One, tell HQ to send a forensic team." He paused as he listened to the reply. "Really? Well tell them to have another on standby. We'll probably need more," he said into his headset. "Open it," he then ordered one of his men, who then went to the door and scanned it for anything unusual.

            "What are you doing?" Usagi asked. 

            "We may have found those missing kids," Patterson sighed from behind his goggles and balaclava. "You should clear out of the cabin, it might be booby trapped."

            "No," Usagi said, reading an attack. Now she understood why Pluto had sent them here. She still did not know how the Time Guardian learned of this place, but at least she knew why she was here.

            "Okay," Patterson shrugged. He had very specific orders for how to handle the Pattern Silvers. "Do it."

            The agent at the door then  swung open the door. It opened to a darkened stairway.

            Makoto smirked slightly. Here were two groups of soldiers, one pretty and sailor-suited, and the other in camouflage and body armor. Both were intently watching the stairway. It proved to be rather anticlimactic. The basement was empty of enemies. The dirt-floored cellar was being used as a store room.

            Mounted on the rough walls were several shelves that held well over a dozen large jars. The room was lit by only a few bare bulbs, but that was more than enough to make out their contents. The Company agents looked at them with familiar revulsion.

            "Dear god," Makoto said looking at the dozens of neatly labeled jars of brine-cured meat, bottles of blood and other fluids, opaque buckets of unknown contents, and a large crate full of stained bones.

            "We're too late. Always too damn late," Patterson said as he and the agent with him conducted a preliminary examination of the room.

            "Strange echo gradients coming from the containers," the other agent noted as he scanned the jars and bottles.

            "There's a tilting autopsy table in right here," Patterson said in a cold emotionless voice. "The drain appears to have clogged. Watch out for the spill," he said with considerable distaste.

            Usagi looked at the room and shuddered. She then started regulating her breathing. Previous enemies had been just as vicious and contemptible for human life, but the bastards were not nearly this messy. She felt surrounded by this careful, deliberate barbarism. It was oppressive and claustrophobic, like being smothered by a burning couch.

            "I can't get a body count from this. There's at least an eight, most likely more."

            "Forensic Pathology can figure out what they did. Let's go back topside," Patterson ordered.

***************

            Back at the porch, the girls were trying to make small talk with the agents who were with them. "So what got you working for –um- the Company?" Minako asked the taller of the two agents.

            The man turned to the girl and smiled. That much the blonde could tell. The man's mouth was just about the only visible part of his body. "It was either this or join the Marines, and frankly, the Company has better pay." 

            "Don't mind Morrison," the other agent stated. "His whole family, grandfather, father, uncle, brother and sister, are in the Corps, and he takes a bit of flack for not being a 'real' solider."

            "Shame I can't tell them what I do," Morrison noted as he checked his scanner again. The backup team should be arriving in five minutes.

            "We're not in it for the fame." Morrison's partner stated.

            "Yeah, we know all about that," Minako remarked.

            "It is amazing you've managed to keep your identities secret for so long. Sorry about earlier today," Morrison stated.

            "So everyone at the Company knows who we are," Minako observed.

            "Only select members of our Toronto personnel." Morrison assured the girls. He neglected to inform her that the command staff including section chiefs and their alternates, most of Communications Cryptography, and almost all of Operations made up the select members. He also neglected to tell them that it was not a terribly hard thing to figure out.

            Minako was about to ask another question but was interrupted by Usagi bursting out of the cabin. "What took you so long?" one blonde asked to another.

            "The basement's crammed with human parts," Makoto stated simply.

            "Oh," Rei replied. "I guess it's good that you forgot to give a speech this time."

            Morrison simply looked at his companion and sighed. They had expected this; it was too large a group which had been missing for too long.

            Minako considered saying what the speech would be. Something like, "Organs and blood are for transplants and transfusions, not for eating. In the name of the moon, I will punish you!" She then decided to not say it. Those two girls had just seen the results of a mass murder.

            Suddenly, a trio of Humvees and a pair of medium trucks with boxy cargo compartments drove into the clearing. Their approach was masked by the sound of the circling helicopter. The three Humvees quickly took positions around the cabin. Their machine guns were manned and pointed out into the woods. The trucks stopped near the cabin. From the backs of the trucks came two Forensic Pathology teams. As the cabin was still an _active_ site, they were dressed in the same armor as the Operations personnel. In addition to the mandatory weapons, they were also carrying several containers for their scanning devices, cameras, specimen containers, and other equipment.

            The Senshi watched as they silently walked past and entered the cabin. A couple remained in the kitchen to analyze what was in there. The rest went down the stairs and into the basement.

            Usagi turned to see Lieutenant Patterson talking to his headset. "Forensics has arrived. Yes, sir. The Pattern Silvers are still here. I'll ask sir." The connection was then terminated. Patterson paused to reflect on the absurdity of it all. "The Commander would like to see you," he said to the magical girls.

            Several miles away Rod Ferris listened as the orbiting helicopter landed for a bit and flew off. He shrugged. Losses were to be expected. He was still alive, and more importantly, the plan was still proceeding on track.

***************

            Once again Ranma found himself waking up to the sound of jet engines. He did not bother to pull up the window cover. It would just show water and nothing else. He stretched slightly; at least the chairs were comfortable. 

            Ranma looked over to see that once again, the demon girl had moved to sit next to him. The martial artist sighed as he quietly disconnected his safety belt. He would rather let the creature sleep than wake it up just to yell at her. Ranma then stood up and walked down the aisle.

            "ETA eight hours," Jacob said when Ranma passed him. The man had a laptop out and had a headset plugged into it. "No sir, I was just talking to Ranma. So what is the count according to forensics?"

            Ranma nodded before going down the remaining rows and into an open bathroom. After closing the door he looked at his reflection and sighed. Eight more hours of travel and then he'd be back in Japan. 

            He paused considering this. His mother was supposedly there. Ranma assumed that Jacob was telling the truth. It made no sense to lie about something like that. It would only alienate Ranma further from the Company. It was also easily verifiable. His father was still alive after all.

            Ranma supposed that the person he was about to see might be some sort of replicate of his mother constructed to win him over, but that seemed too unlikely. Not that likelihood meant anything to Ranma. Given that massive secret organizations, demons, and magical girls existed, a deranged plan involving replicates might be perfectly logical, but did the Company have time to do something like this? They had first met him a couple days ago.

            Ranma shook his head as he walked back to his seat. He groaned as he looked at the sleeping demon girl. That seemed like the right idea at the time. He did not want to let the idiot die, but now he was stuck with the same obsessive nutcase, just with a different gender and species.            

            Jacob had offered to kill the girl, but that was not a particularly useful option. Maybe Ranma could convince her to get a job with the Company, far, far away from him. The martial artist smiled as he sat down in a new seat, this one in a new row and on the opposite side of the aisle. That would get Kuno out of the way.

            Bored and unable to return to sleep, Ranma found himself asking one of the agents for something to read. One of them shrugged and, after getting approval from Jacob, pulled out a small laptop. He then activated a program and handed it to Ranma. 

            The martial artist looked at the screen and found an outline with titles such as _Interpreting Pattern Recognition Systems, Communications Signals, Properties Index for Pattern Registering Entities, _and the ominous _Methods of Intelligence Extraction_. There was also a feature that allowed the language to switch between English, German, and Japanese.

            Ranma tried the signals section first. It was better than nothing and much better than starting a conversation with anyone. He scrolled past pages of radio codes and procedures, until he found something interesting. It was a series of drawings that demonstrated various hand and arm signals and what they meant.

            He recognized several of them from the gestures that the Company goons had been making in the school. Ranma shrugged and read that section, and when he finished browsed for another section to read.

***************

            Sailor Moon looked around the grey office. It was surprisingly spacious given that it was located in an underground fortress. There was an area that contained two couches facing each-other and another that had a desk and several chairs. There were also two doors on either side of the room, one of them undoubtedly serving for a bathroom.

            "Hello, I'm Commander Stillwater," the man behind the desk said as he got up.

            "Sailor Moon," the blonde responded.

            Stillwater smiled despite himself. He would rather Jacob do this, but he was with the other Pattern Silver. It was one thing to work with another organization, but these skimpily dressed girls were vigilantes. However, Stillwater reminded himself that they were not complete amateurs. They had taken on several threats that, while often absurd looking, were dangerous. The senior agent also reminded himself that they were integral to the plan and that they had plans of their own.

            Sailor Mars looked at the man standing behind the desk. His eyes were a dark, almost brown, green and both his hair and goatee were neatly trimmed. As she watched him move, Rei got the impression that he prided himself on control.

            "Please sit," Stillwater said as he pointed to the two couches in the room. "I'd like to start by thanking you for finding that cabin. You must have had pretty good scanners to find them. We had been looking for them...." Stillwater trailed off.

            "Actually, Pluto told us about the cabin," Sailor Moon admitted as she sat on the couch to the left.

            "I see," Stillwater said. From Murdock's reports, Pluto seemed to be a dedicated but aloof and paranoid person.

            "Aren't you going to ask how she knew about it?" Sailor Mars asked.

            "I'm sure it had something to do with Murdock," Stillwater stated.

            "How did you know?" Sailor Moon asked.

            "It's always Murdock isn't it?" Stillwater said flatly.

            "What do you know of him?" Sailor Moon asked.

            "That he has an interest in all the Pattern Silvers, including Ranma. We also have some evidence of Murdock meeting with various entities and cults associated with Pattern registering entities."

            "Was he at the school today?" Sailor Moon asked. At the time, she had a strong feeling that he was there.

            "It is possible. You weren't the only ones watching," Stillwater said simply.

            "He could have been watching from one of those office buildings that overlooks the school," Sailor Mercury proposed.

            "Or maybe he was closer," Sailor Moon said as a sliver of memory hit her. In the crowd outside the security perimeter, one of the other transfer students ran into another one. It was a little thing - a gesture, a wave, a small expression, and then it was gone. At the time it meant nothing, but that was before she had met Murdock.

            "What's wrong?" Sailor Mars asked, concerned that the blonde had spaced out.

            "Nothing," Sailor Moon said, shaking her head. Rei's interruption had caused Usagi to lose her train of thought. 

            "Anything else you'd like to ask?" Stillwater offered.

            "What's going on with Ranma?" Sailor Jupiter asked.

            "Ranma's a young man that turns into a demonic Senshi." Stillwater would have preferred to say Pattern Silver and D Class 10, but the girls would likely not know the terminology. "Due to an incident during his activation, he feels betrayed. Ranma is cautious but willing to combat evil," Stillwater stated, his voice precise and clear.

            "We already knew that," Sailor Moon countered.

            Stillwater nodded before speaking. "Then we're on the same page. We have to try and earn Ranma's trust."

            "Why do you want him to work with you?" Sailor Mercury asked, meeting the man's disturbingly focused gaze.

            "Same reason you want him with you. We're all here for the same reason," the Commander stated. "Unfortunately, Ranma is suspicious of ulterior motives from everyone."

            "He blames Pluto when Murdock's the one who did it." 

            "That is what Ranma thinks." Stillwater's precise tone changed slightly. It sounded almost as if he was disappointed.

            "What about our identities?" Sailor Venus asked, speaking for the first time.

            Stillwater responded after a slight pause. He had sent two agents to specifically address that issue. "Until today, we only had suspicions as to who you were." He did not say just how certain those suspicions were. "Remember that, someone else had figured out who you were before us. We still do not know who those Youma were working for, and now there's this group that you just eliminated."

            "You're saying we should be on our guard," Sailor Moon observed.

            "Our offer for protection still stands," Stillwater stated.

            "No thanks."

            The agent nodded as he pressed a button on his phone. The door opened and an agent stepped into the office. Still in his body armor, the man had taken off his helmet, goggles, and balaclava. "If there's nothing else," Stillwater said to the girls. "Lieutenant Patterson will make arrangements to get you back home."

            Stillwater watched them leave the room. He feared that the girls would ask to see footage of DarkStar's combat. Seeing a demon viscously rip apart and burn tens of human-looking creatures might have caused problems. The agent shook his head. There were several calls to be made and a fair bit of video footage to go over.

***************

            Operations Centre 3 was located on the island of Hokkaido roughly between the cities of Sapporo and Tonakomai. Situated a few miles outside the small city of Eniwa, the compound was built on a several thousand aces of pastureland. Slightly smaller than the Kansas facility, the complex centered on a cluster of concrete and steel buildings that resembled a particularly ugly school campus.            

            Ranma sighed as the elevator doors closed and the device began a controlled descent. Large enough to fit a good sized truck, the freight elevator was empty save for himself, his fiancee, and Jacob.

            He was relieved that the demon girl was staying with Kasumi's flunkies. Ranma knew where they were - it was a ground floor lounge in an oval shaped building. However, he had no idea where he was. He had followed Jacob and Kasumi through a maze of corridors and checkpoints.

            Ranma looked up at display over the door. It was on SL14. Their destination was sub-level twenty-seven. Ranma turned to his companions. Both were silently looking at the doors. 

            The elevator then stopped and Ranma expected a harsh buzzer or a computerized female voiced to precede the opening of the doors, instead there was a happy pinging noise that came before the two pairs of metal doors slid open.

            Ranma stepped out of the elevator to find himself in an intersection of two hallways. The one to the front of him was large enough to drive a truck through and had to be at least a couple hundred yards in length. The one to his right side was a little under a third that length, but it ended into a sturdy, armored door. Ranma could see a group of agents talking near the end of that corridor.

            The subterranean level followed the same design methodology that would be found elsewhere in the Company. Concrete, steel, and, various polymers were the primary materials. It was clear that functionality and security were their primary concerns. 

            "Come on," Jacob said as he walked past Ranma. He and Kasumi were already walking down the longer corridor. Ranma followed them to a pair of oversized double doors. Labeled next to the door was a sign with the words, "SL27-15 Materials Lab A." Jacob opened the door on the left and motioned for Ranma and Kasumi to wait in the hall.

***************

            Major Saotome was at her computer. It was located in a corner of the lab that served as her office. She was sitting with a peripheral view of the door. Two of her subordinates were inspecting armor that had been damaged in the field. Aida was still going over the fire damaged armor from WIC Germany while Ayami was working on a set that had just come in from a newly opened Company facility. 

            She had a particular interest in that armor. A key scientist in its design, she was interested in how that model survived. Unfortunately, Commander Akagi had told her to expect a meeting from Command today. Not wanting to delay the inspection of the body armor, the major reluctantly decided to allow her subordinate to go over it.

            The woman was vaguely nervous. Unexpected visits from Command were rarely pleasant. The major knew that she had nothing to worry about. Her record was clean, but there was some slight anxiety.

            There was another factor. The fragmented information about her son was another concern. She feared that the two events were related. That the agent from Command would tell her that they were unable to get to her child in time, that Ranma had been contaminated, and had to be put down. The woman sighed as she continued reading the report on rotor blade fatigue. Such thoughts were counterproductive, at least during work hours.

            She then heard the door being unlocked. Nodoka automatically moved her hand nearer to her sidearm. She would have been pleased to know that her two assistants had had similar ingrained reactions. The door opened and an older gentleman walked in. The four-lobed silver leaf on his collar gave him a rank of Colonel and the black trim of his uniform marked him as Operations Section.

            "Hello Colonel," Nodoka said as she saluted. Jacob returned the salute before speaking. "Major Nodoka Saotome, what you're about to be told is classified level six,"

            Nodoka nodded. She then turned to her assistants. "Aida, Ayami, go out and pick up some lunch."

            Jacob waited for the two younger agents leave. "Major, this is your son Ranma" the senior agent said.

            The woman paused as she looked at the two people entering the room. One was a reserved and competent looking woman with the black trim of Operations Section and the silver bars of a lieutenant. More importantly was the other teen to enter the room. She recognized him immediately.

            Ranma looked at the woman. Her relatively short auburn hair was held back behind her head. The woman's face resonated within his memory. Her eyes were strangely evaluative in the second before she stood up, walked over to Ranma, and embraced him.

            "My son! At long last, it's been too long," Nodoka mumbled as she continued to hug her son.

            Ranma accepted the hug, but it was somewhat uncomfortable. Unsurprisingly, under the lab coat Major Saotome wore over the standard Company uniform was a rather large handgun. As it was currently positioned, it dug slightly into Ranma.

            Nodoka broke of the hug and looked at her son. "So how did they find you? Where were you?"

            "Pops took us to Canada. Then she saw me," Ranma said as he pointed to Kasumi, who was silently standing near Jacob. "After that, she tried to kill me."

            "Really?" Nodoka responded. Why would the Company do something crazy like that?

            "Technically that's not correct, ma'am. The operation was called off due to new information becoming apparent," Kasumi said slightly insulted. She was not the kind of person to merely _try_ something. She did it.

            "Who are you?" Nodoka politely asked the younger woman.

            "Lieutenant Tendo, Kasumi, ma'am. It was my operation."

            "Is your father's name Soun?" Nodoka asked. After getting an affirmative response she continued. "So the bastard did go to him, but Soun was one of the first people the Company interviewed. He said that Genma hardly ever talked to him. He even let the agents make copies of the few postcards that had been sent. I'm guessing you maintained surveillance on him and picked up Ranma when he arrived there." 

            "Our surveillance was in the form of a mutual acquaintance of yours. Someone who already knew the involved parties," Jacob stated. He found it interesting how certain events kept coming back to that man.

            "The Drake," Nodoka stated with a bitter laugh. "You know, he was the one to suggest that I use the Company to find you," the woman said to her son.

            "I know him. He's the principal of the school I'm at," Ranma said with distaste.

            "Oh, so he finally got that plan off," Nodoka noted.

            "Actually, the Drake had yet to inform us to Ranma's impending arrival. We are looking into certain inconsistencies involving his recent actions."

            "Oh, then what did happen?" Nodoka asked.

            Kasumi looked at Jacob who nodded. She then began to explain. Kasumi watched the older woman's face as she talked. The major was admirably in control. The only times the researcher gave off even the slightest reaction was during the rambling explanation of Jusenkyou her estranged husband gave.

            "So, your father took you to an H-Type location and got you an aquatransexual curse. Then a Pattern Silver asked you join their team to replace someone recently assassinated, most likely by this Murdock person. The transfer then ended up turning you into a demonic magical girl," Nodoka stated, looking at her son. Her voice was even, but her eyes were intensely focused. The situation had just gone from joyous to surreal.

            "Yeah," Ranma admitted, a little disturbed by his mother. What did the Company do to its employees?

            "May I see it?" Nodoka asked.

            "I guess," Ranma stated. He was not too concerned that she might shoot him. The woman was his mother after all.

            Jacob reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone. He then linked with the Command and Control Center for Operations Centre 3 (WIC Japan). "This is Colonel Edwards. Please be ready for those two spikes. Yes. We're in SL27, Room 15, Building Epsilon. Good."

            Ranma walked past several examination tables filled with equipment that was neatly organized to find a sink near several shelves filled with books and other information storage devices. The far end of the room possessed what looked to be a fair sized storeroom and a small machine shop. He placed his hand under the faucet and opened the valve.

            As Nodoka watched the transformation, her hand immediately went to her sidearm. There was something _unnatural_ about the pale-skinned redhead in the tight leather dress. The voluptuous young woman her son had turned into was indeed a Pattern D.

            Ranma sighed as she looked at the agents' reactions. They had all reached for their guns. Kasumi and Jacob were better at hiding it. Ranma could only see the slightest twitches in their hands, but it was there. She shook her head, causing her mass of unbound crimson tresses to cascade around her.

            "My god," Nodoka said as she walked over to the young demon. "Why would a Pattern Silver turn you into this?"

            Ranma smiled sourly showing off slightly elongated canines. "This isn't what she wanted me for." The redhead decided that she might as well show her the final form.

            Nodoka frowned at the girl's expression. She then noticed that her child's eyes had changed. There were now noticeable violet flecks mixed in with the blue of Ranma's eyes. "I suppose that you have another more powerful form. One that no doubt involves ribbons and a miniskirt," Nodoka said with bitter humor.

            "You know about the Sailor Senshi?" the redhead asked with some surprise. Ranma thought it was all a secret.

            "When the Pattern Silvers became more numerous and active in Tokyo, the Company decided to conduct some surveillance on them. The observers also recovered some items leftover from their fights. It was mostly piles of a gritty somewhat complex compound that varied from sample to sample and but had a roughly constant Pattern residue. However, sometimes the Forensic Pathology teams recovered a shard of crystal," Nodoka explained in a professional and interested voice 

            "I was the one to examine those objects. Most of them had a fairly quick half-life and disintegrated into their base components before a full analysis could be conducted. Footage of Pattern Silvers was part of my briefing."

            "Wait. If you guys knew about the Senshi that long ago, why are you only now trying to talk to those girls?" Ranma asked Jacob.

            "The Japanese government forbid us from conducting operations within fifty miles of Tokyo, but they normally ignored us as long as we only observed and did not create an obvious presence" Jacob stated.

            "Like having dozens of military vehicles in the streets and armed helicopters flying overhead?" Ranma inquired.

            "That would be it. Because we were not allowed to make contact with them, we did not learn of their importance. That is until certain events happened. Such as Murdock coming forward to tell us what he knew," Jacob explained.

            "And what did Murdock tell you?" Ranma asked as she stared intently at the agent.

            "According to him, the same things he told you after you left Seattle," Jacob replied as he maintained eye contact with the tall redhead.

            "Sir?" Nodoka interjected. "About my son's other form."

            "Fine," Ranma said as she glared at Jacob. Part of her suspected that the man was telling the truth, and that the Company was as much in the dark as everyone else was, but another part of her feared that WIC knew much more than it let on. One thing she knew for certain there was no way she could get the information out of Jacob. Not here at least. If she laid one finger on him, the Company would likely send everything they had to try and stop her. Ranma did not want to consider what kind cataclysmic paranoia induced response would happen in that event.

            Ranma paused to glare at Jacob and activated the transformation. Bands of violet, crimson, and black energy encased the girl. When they died down she was wearing an incredibly short black leather miniskirt, a violet bikini top with dark purple and red bows and ribbons, and knee-high, five-inch heeled, black leather boots. 

            Her hair was longer, had even more body, and had dark purple highlights. Her choker was black as was the stone in her golden tiara and the stones in her earrings. She also had even longer canines, a pair of little black horns, a three foot long spade shaped tail and a pair of large dragon-like wings. Her eyes had also turned completely amethyst

            "Well, that's a change in design," Nodoka commented. She took a deep breath and maintained her calm. It took most of her training to do this. The demonic influence of the girl was beyond obvious, yet the young woman was still her son. Thoughts of contamination were pushed aside. NH's working for the Company was rare, but not unheard of, and if she was being escorted by agents from Operations Section, she had to be clean.

***************

            In Toronto, a street car drove down Dundas Street. It was a fair sized avenue that was roughly between the Canada National Tower and the University of Toronto and ran parallel to the lake. The tracked mass transit car stopped at the where the road intersected with Saint Patrick Street. A man in a dark brown trench coat and a wide brimmed fedora used this opportunity to disembark.

            Quickly crossing the street, he made his way to the sidewalk. Once there, he tightened the ties on his coat and flipped up his collar. The rain was coming down quite heavily and he did not want to get completely soaked. The man looked out from under the brim of his hat to see his destination. It was a small pub a couple hundred feet from his current location.

            The arched letters painted on the front window proclaimed it to be the Red Turtle. Drawn below the bar's name was a drawing of that crimson reptile. The creature's knowing expression brought a smile to the man's face as he looked into the establishment.

            The Red Turtle was paneled in polished hardwood and trimmed with simple but skillfully crafted moldings. The bar gave off warm, sturdy sense of comfort and stability, which was only magnified by the downpour. Powerful gusts of wind had made the precipitation even more unpleasant.

            The pub appeared to be a place that had stood for decades and would continue to stand for decades more, each night providing the same service to the same group of regulars. The man was now using his left hand to hold down his hat, preventing it from blowing away.

            The bar itself was a heavy construct of oak and brass and looked to be older than the city itself. Sitting at the end furthest from the window was a tanned woman with vibrant green hair. Her head was down to where it nearly touched the aged wood. The man smiled when he saw that she was there and he quickly made his way inside.

            As he took of his coat and hat and gingerly placed them on a coat rack near the door, he started to hum. Few would recognize the tune. It was the theme song to a short-lived cartoon that chronicled the fictionalized adventures of a Rhode Island horror writer. The man walked past the scattered patrons of the pub and over to the woman at the far side of the bar.

            She looked up when he was eight feet away. Recognition darkened her face as the woman watched him approach. The man was wearing an expensive suit that would have looked quite good on the man, except for one thing. It was rather rumpled. Even his tie's knot was not done quite right, "Hello Murdock. Come here to gloat? Or maybe you just want to babble incoherent riddles to me?" she asked coldly. Even his tie clasp, a silver bar with strange symbols that were either occult or mathematical etched on it, was crooked.

            Murdock looked at the woman and sighed. "You know, I was going to just congratulate you on your girls' performance yesterday, but now I'm just disappointed," the man stated as he sat down. The runic mage then proceeded to order an especially dark German beer.

            As if she had just heard something particularly incomprehensible, Setsuna shook her head. Murdock noted this as he took a sip of his drink. The Time Guardian then went back to nursing her Manhattan.

            "If it was up to me, I'd leave right now, but I have my orders," Murdock admitted.

            "Like when you tormented Usagi?"

            "All I did was direct her attention to an important issue. I presume you were forced to tell her the truth."

            Setsuna looked at the man, her face neutral.

            "They're not going to like you lying to them. They can handle the truth."

            "This coming from _you_?" Setsuna asked, horribly annoyed.

            "You don't think you're better than me?" Murdock asked as he straightened his tie clip. "It's really bad when people find a secretive organization with questionable motives is more forthcoming than other members of their own team."

            The woman took another sip.

            Murdock sighed as he took another drink. "I'm surprise at how much you botched up Sailor DarkStar. You just ran away. What, were you afraid of being sexually assaulted by a demonic redhead?"

            "It surprised me."

            "Now, you're just lying. You knew of Ranma's curse. You knew what the original DarkStar looked like. You should have seen it coming."

            "Well, you've taken steps against that, haven't you?"

            "Because events aren't neatly flowing from one point to another, you're blaming me? You act as if I could simply raise the Reynolds number of the time stream and turn that nice predicable laminar flow into something turbulent."

            "Are you done?" Setsuna asked as she ordered another drink.

            "I guess," Murdock stated. He then drank his beer in silence. The red-eyed woman then received her drink. They spent the next two hours without talking as they sipped their beverages.

            In the end it was Murdock who paid his tab and left first.

***************

            "Sunshine Saotome?" Nodoka asked in a very confused voice.

            "Damn, fucking Drake," Ranma swore as he followed his mother. When they left Nodoka's lab, Jacob wandered off taking Kasumi with him.

            According to the signs on the walls, they were in SL-14, corridor 3B, but that was meaningless to Ranma. All he knew was that they were going back to that lounge. From there they would go to the hanger.

            "Yes, the Drake does love his jokes. Although now, I'm afraid he's gotten over his head," Nodoka chuckled.

            "Yeah, I'm going to shave that bastard's mullet right off."

            "That is if the Company doesn't get to him first," the older woman said coldly.

            "I thought he worked with them?"

            "Yes, and he knew we were looking for you. He told you that Genma contacted him a week before you two arrived in Toronto. And yet he does not tell us who you are? The Company takes missing persons cases rather seriously."

            "Didn't he tell Jacob?"

            "No. Colonel Edwards found out about the search I had running after that incident with your fiancee. He ran your name and that came up."

            "Why am I not surprised," Ranma muttered as they rounded a corner and entered yet another corridor. "So what'll happen to him?"

            "They'll interrogate him, and if they find out that he betrayed the Company, well that's it," Nodoka said simply.

            Ranma remained silent for a few seconds. "What about Pops?" he then asked.

            "What he did was criminal. The exact punishment has yet to be determined," Nodoka stated as her pupils contracted and her hand moved to rest on her sidearm.

            The martial artist's eyes widened in comprehension. He now knew why his mother was so accepting of what he did as DarkStar. His mother, like almost all Company agents, seemed disturbingly familiar with death.

            "Your father is at fault for what happened to you, but some of the blame can go to me. I might have been able to stop him, but I let him take you. It was only when he failed to return that I began to worry. I had no idea what he was doing with you and only sketchy reports that you were even still alive," the major confessed. 

            "But no matter how much we regret our past decisions, we can't go back. There's only the present. That's why I work for the Company. I do what I can to pay for my mistakes. My developments have saved the lives of at least two hundred agents," Nodoka stated in a melancholy yet prideful tone.

            "At least Lieutenant Tendo seems like a nice Company girl," Nodoka stated in an attempt to redirect the subject at hand. She then smiled. "I wonder if Genma has the slightest clue." 

            "She pointed a gun at me. There's nothing going on between us," Ranma said flatly.

            "You two are somewhat young, but at least you're engaged to a professional," Nodoka stated as they entered and elevator. It was a quick ride up a couple of floors. The corridor that the lift arrived at was rather familiar to Ranma.

            "Oh, we're back," Ranma said with some dread. He had wanted to avoid this, but he had no choice.

            One metal door in the corridor was open. It lead to a smallish room with a couple couches, a kitchenette, a table, a pair of televisions, and a computer station. From within the room came a black and white blur. A rather pale girl with black, violet highlighted, hair in and dressed in skimpy black clothes had tried to tackle and embrace Ranma.

            "Stop doing that! You damn stupid freak!" Ranma shouted after he dodged the demoness.

            "But mistress, I really missed you," the demon said in a voice that might have been seductive, if Ranma did not know who the creature had been before.

            Ranma shook his head. "Why couldn't that damn water have worked on you?"

            Nodoka looked at the young girl. Her eyes, a strange color of red, and other factors, notably calling her son mistress, lead the agent to her conclusion. "You spawned?" There was another option, but her son would never do that, not if he wanted to live.

            "Actually, DarkStar converted her," Jacob said as he entered the hallway from the lounge. "It was a life or death situation and I Okayed the decision."

            "Of course sir," Nodoka said as she looked at the little NH in understanding. Her son had saved a girl mortally wounded when those Pattern Ys took over that school. "Now Ranma, you shouldn't be so mean to her. The girl's just trying to show her appreciation. You should know what it's like to be in her place."

            "You have no idea," Ranma grumbled, eyeing the Kuno girl.

            "I'd hate to interrupt but your flight is ready," Jacob stated.

            "Okay," Ranma said before turning to his mother.

            "Don't worry, I'll see you on you're way back, and I'll look into getting some leave," the woman said with a strange glint in her eye.  Jacob noticed this and reminded himself that he would have to warn the major that vengeance had to be taken through proper channels.

            "Um, all right," Ranma stated.

***************

            Over the Sea of Japan, Jacob dialed a number into his phone.  After his encryption system synchronize with that of his caller, he spoke.  "We're on our way to the final base."

            Over six and a half thousand miles away, Commander Stillwater responded.    
"Good, how did the meeting go?"

            "Adequately. A petition for transfer may be a result from that meeting." Jacob stated somewhat quietly.  Ranma was reading near the front of the plane and the senior agent was at the opposite end in the back.

            "I see.  I'll go over her file.  When can I expect her request?"

            "Shortly," Jacob responded.

            "Okay. What about the three stooges?"

            "That is a troubling issue," Jacob admitted.   "They are all closely tied to our organization.  At least one of them seems to be without blame. A thorough investigation will be needed."

            "Agreed, and once that is done penalties can be decided."

            "At least with one of them a family _solution_ can be arranged," Jacob stated.

            "Perhaps with the others as well."

            "Perhaps.  Any information on those Pattern Ys from the school and the Vs from the cabin."

            "Nothing on the Vs, but we have found the motel rooms where the Ys were staying.  Forensic teams are going over them now."

            "Good. Do we have clearance to our final destination?"

            "Yes.  Command was quite annoyed with that request," Stillwater smirked.  "You know what we had to do to get our helicopters into China? 

            "I'm sure our negotiators explained the recent rise in NH activity in their nation," Jacob stated as he smiled slightly. 

            "Not to mention the sensitivity of the base you plan to use as a staging area."

            "Ranma has already been inside WIC Japan and WIC America."

            "And he was never in one of the more sensitive areas," Stillwater cautioned.

            "Not nearly as risky as what our plans for the Pattern Silvers are," Jacob replied.

            "Just remember to keep him away from the dig site."

            "If we could use a different base to stage the mission from I would, but that site is the closest one we have to Jusenkyou.  The next nearest one is five hundred miles further out."

            "Still, discretion is recommended.  If the Pattern Silvers knew what we had found in the Gobi, it might cause problems," Stillwater cautioned.

            "It's not what we found. It's what we're planning to do with it," Jacob replied with distaste.  

            "That issue has already been decided," Stillwater stated, ending the discussion.

***************

            Based on the  position of Polaris, Ranma knew that he was facing southwest, but the predawn view was the same no matter what direction he was facing.  All around the Company Field Command Post was the barren land of southern Mongolia.  The nearest city, Dalandzadgad, was just below the northern horizon.

            Ranma had no clear idea why the Company had a base here.  Jacob had said something about a salvage operation being conducted at the request of the Mongolian government.  The nearest WIC facility to Jusenkyou, the base was a small cluster of mobile buildings positioned on a tarmac next to an abandoned airstrip. The actual salvage site was a few miles to the east.

            "The helicopters should be ready in under half an hour," Kasumi said once she had walked over to her fiance. 

            "Good.  Hopefully, I'll be rid of this damn demon," Ranma stated.  He knew that Jusenkyou was his best hope at getting cured.

[End chapter 5]

Author's notes:  Prereaders for this chapter at Starfire, Fenton, Wray, and Black Dragon.


	6. Chapter 6 Requirements and Reactivations

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Josh Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my website.

[go to the site listed as my webpage on my FF.net main page from there you can go to the site.

Chapter 6 Requirements and Reactivations

            A green-eyed young man with a shaggy mop of black hair sighed as he looked out the window of his hotel room. Coincidently, the window faced the jagged concrete and glass building of the Canada Trust Tower. It had been a long journey but he had arrived.

            The enemy was here. His thoughts of vengeance were carefully muted. There were other dangers. Caution had to be taken, the foe had become stronger and more vile than he had thought possible

            Fortunately, he had the experience and the abilities to prevail. He looked at his watch. His partner should be returning shortly, that is if her ride was not delayed.

***************

            The UH-60L version of the Black Hawk has an External Stores Support System. It consists of a pair of removable "four-station pylons." These can carry weapons pods or external fuel tanks. These tanks can extend the range of the Black Hawk to 1,150 nautical miles.   Given a start at the Company site to the south of Dalandzadgad, Mongolia, this placed nearly all of the Qinghai province within an acceptable distance.

            A pair of low-flying helicopters crossed the Mongolian border and entered the People's Republic of China. Still before sunrise, the passage of the twin aircraft was only seen as a pair of faded radar blips. The Chinese soldiers in that section had been given specific orders. They were not questioned. The two echoes were allowed to enter their country.

            Inside one of the helicopters, Jacob worried about what the Company had done to get such access, but if they were going to try to cure Ranma, they had to go to Jusenkyou. All he knew was that the helicopters were required to have the Company logo affixed to their aft sides. Having obvious identification on Operations vehicles was not a preferred tactic, but apparently the Chinese Government insisted. Jacob was suspicious of this, but he had his orders.

            Anything else would eat away at the teen, causing his suspicion and paranoia to grow. There were other ways to get him to Jusenkyou, but this was by far the fastest, and time was very critical.

            Jacob sighed and leaned back, listening to the drone of the engines and the rotor blades. Dressed in the standard operations armor, Jacob's goggles were pulled up onto his helmet and the bottom of his balaclava was pulled below his chin. Most of the other agents in the transport were dressed similarly. The pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer, and the two gunners had their goggles pulled down and set to lowlight enhancement.

            Ranma was looking out the darkened window. In three hours he would be there. The Company was making good on its promise. He worried whether or not the pools would actually cure him. He would find out soon enough.

***************

            "Arrival in seven," the pilot of the lead helicopter said into his headset.

            Ranma, who still refused to wear a communications device, was told when Kasumi tapped his arm. She then showed him her left hand. Her ring finger was tucked under her thumb and her other fingers were extended. She then pointed to the door on the side of the helicopter.

            Ranma nodded in understanding. For the last few minutes the rolling countryside has started to look rather familiar. He was almost there.

            By now the pilot could see the landing zone. It was a roughly flat clearing. More interestingly was the smallish valley to the east of the LZ. In the early morning light, it looked picturesque, hundreds of small pools partially shrouded in wisps of fog.

            The agent also knew what this place really was. It was an H-Type location. Those tiny ponds of water possessed some sort of Pattern altering ability. The pilots were under strict orders to not fly too close to them.

            Their scanners showed that the area was clear, although Jusenkyou itself was generating some interference. The lead helicopter then nosed down to the LZ while the other Black Hawk provided cover. Inside, the agents pulled down their goggles and checked their weapons.      

            The gunners watched the field as the helicopter neared the earth. When it was a couple of feet above the ground, the Black Hawk stopped and hovered. Kasumi was the first one off. She jumped over, ran forward several feet, and then took a prone position. Five other agents, Kasumi's three plus two who were proficient in Mandarin and Cantonese, exited and set up a perimeter.

            Ranma then jumped out followed by the Kuno girl. After walking a few feet, the powerful down draft intensified before slowly reducing. Ranma turned to see the helicopter lift off. 

            "Don't. It's bad luck," the demon said as she looked at Ranma.

            "Let's go!" Kasumi ordered.

*************** 

            As Jacob watched as the squad made its way to the rally point, he thanked the engineers behind the Talent Keyhole programs. They were the ones that developed Corona, the world's first overhead satellite imagery system.

            Things had advanced much since the early sixties. Back then, the satellites had Kodak cameras that deorbited and returned to earth when they ran out of film. Now essentially imagery was available to private businesses, although the Company itself never bothered with such issues. As a think tank with several contracts with the defense and intelligence sector, Willard International Consulting enjoyed certain fringe benefits.

            However, Jacob did not rely solely on such reconnaissance. Procedure was to check the area with scanners and visual reconnaissance before deploying ground troops. The original Company survey of the area indicated that here were several unstable and potentially violent factions at work in the immediate area.

***************

            Lieutenant Tendo stopped at the ridgeline that overlooked the valley. She scanned the target area. Finding it clear the agent gave her orders. Gabriel, Aram, Sophie, and Shigeru, one of the translators from WIC Japan, stayed behind to secure the ridgeline while Kasumi, Ranma, Kuno, and Hyuga, the other translator, walked down the slope into the valley itself.

            Ranma smirked. He had been cursed for nearly half a year, and now he would get rid of it. The water in the Company had in storage did not work, but it was almost thirty years old. Here it was fresh and still potent. Ranma looked at his companions and sighed.

            "You're not coming all the way with me?"

            "Personally, I'd rather not," Kasumi stated as she looked at the pools.

            "Then why are you here?"

            "Escort and in case a translator is needed."

            "I told you the guide speaks Japanese."

            "Doesn't hurt to be prepared," Kasumi responded.

***************

            The warrior watched as the two soldiers escorted a pair of teenagers into the cursed valley. The uniforms were unfamiliar to her. She gave a quizzical glance to her partner who shook her head in negation. Neither recognized any in the group.

            Ever since they heard the approaching aircraft, they had been wary. The two other members of their patrol had run back to alert the village. Overflights were a rare enough occurrence that they warranted observation. 

            They saw the dark helicopter land and deposit a squad of soldiers. The grey symbols on the side of the machine were quickly memorized. She watched the machine lift back up into the air. The young woman then motioned to her partner that it was time to go back to Jusenkyou. 

            What she saw was quite familiar. One of the teenagers was talking to the valley's caretaker while the girl and the two soldiers watched. After a brief conversation the guide pointed to a specific pool. As the man lead the two teens towards it, he kept warily glancing back at the two following soldiers.

            The warrior noted that they were maintaining their distance from the springs. She then curiously watched as the two teens entered the Nannichuan. The boy did it with great enthusiasm while the girl did it with some reluctance.

            The reaction was particularly strange, especially for the spring-of-drowned-man. The girl remained a girl, and the boy turned into a girl. She then watched as the two teenaged girls exited the pool. The raven-haired girl simply shrugged. The redhead's reaction was quite different.

            The warrior observed the crimson-tressed girl's rage rise. She also noticed that the girl's clothing had changed. She was now wearing a very tight black leather dress. As the Amazon watched the redhead angrily converse with the guide, she knew something else was amiss. To start with, the girl looked oddly dry for someone who had just been immersed in water.

            When she got a look at the furious redhead's eyes it became somewhat clearer. They were burning with a bluish-violet light. She and her partner watched as the guide had the two girls immerse themselves again.

            There was no effect. Something else became clearer to the warrior. They were not trying to pick up a curse but instead trying to cure one, and it was not working. The warrior knew that some creatures were immune to the effects of the waters. She also knew that many of those creatures were not particularly kind to humans.

            The situation here was most strange. The girl hoped that the rest of her team would return with reinforcements, and more importantly, orders about what exactly she should do.

            By the time they arrived, the pair of strange teenage girls, the soldiers, and their helicopters had left. Naturally, the Guide was interviewed, but his story, while informative, did not answer any real questions.

*************** 

            On an abandoned airstrip to the South of Dalandzadgad, Mongolia was a WIC Field Command Base. A collection of rather ugly mobile buildings, the facility provided housing and workspace for a couple dozen agents. The command building was made from three interconnected boxes that had some resemblance to shipping containers.

            Inside the building was a room that doubled as both mess hall and briefing room. Sulking at one of the tables was Ranma Saotome. The martial artist was staring down at the table in front of him.

            Across from him sat another teenage girl. "I'm sorry Mistress," she apologized in a quiet voice.

            "Dear lord, now what did you do?" Ranma groaned.

            Confusion clouded the girl's face, "Nothing, you just seem unhappy that you're still a demon."

            "What? You couldn't understand why I preferred to be human," Ranma stated.

            "I don't, but I know that you do want to be fully human," the young demoness admitted. "And I'm sorry that you didn't get your wish."

            "Oh, thanks," Ranma replied looking up. Kuno was actually doing something nice, and more importantly, normal. He decided to try some apologizing of his own. "I know how hard it is. I've had to deal with being turned into a female demon too. It's not permanent for me but - "

            "If you want, I can help cheer you up," the girl offered as she licked her lips and leaned across the table.

            " No! You sick freak! Damn it!" Ranma cried as he pulled back in revulsion. "I try to do one nice thing, and look what happens! Gahh!" He then got up and left the room, nearly running into the Company agent that was posted on the outside of the door.

            The girl looked down at the table and sighed.

***************

            Ami carried the mostly empty laundry bag down the basement hallway. According to the fire escape map, the apartment building's laundry room should be just a little further down and to the left. The room was in the expected location. She opened the door to find the lights on in the room and one of the washers in operation.

            Sitting at the table in the center of the drab basement room was one of her classmates. Ami immediately recognized the Seifuku-clad girl who appeared to be doing homework. She had dark auburn hair and greenish-grey eyes. "Hi, Janet," Ami cautiously greeted as she entered the room. Ever since Usagi's brush with Murdock, they had been slightly on edge. 

            "Oh hi, Ami," Janet Fraiser said cheerily as she looked up from her work. "You live here too? _And_ you've already run out of clothes?" she then asked with some surprised.

            "Yeah, I do," Ami said, she then looked at her diminutive cloth bag and sighed. "I mean live here. Not that I'm out of clothes. One of my roommates spilled something on a blouse she was borrowing, and I have to wash it before the stain sets in." She said with some irritation. The other inner Senshi were her friends,

 but she wondered if they could stand living with each other. Ami then went to one of the unused washing machines and started to pretreat the stained blouse.

            "Ahh," Janet stated in understanding.

            "Why are you down here? I mean you transferred the same day as I did," Ami asked as she loaded the blouse and the rest of her dirty laundry into the machine. She was going to have to do the wash anyway, might as well get some other clothes clean as well.

            "Simple," Janet replied as she wrote another line of equations in her notebook. "The freight movers that my mother contracted lost our stuff," the girl said as she shook her head. "We're stuck with what was in our carry on and stuff we bought here. Hell, that's why I'm in this thing," Janet said, pointing to the school girl uniform she was wearing.

            "Oh, that's a shame."

            Janet simply shrugged and drew a sketch to accompany the equations she had previously written.

            "What are you doing? School's still closed," the sapphire-haired girl inquired as she walked over to get a better look at what the other girl was doing. To the Janet's left was a stack of three large textbooks. From her position Ami read their spines. They were all from the Jane's series of technical and military texts. The top one was a soft-cover and the thinnest. The middle and bottom were hard cover and were twice and three times the thickness of the uppermost.

            The top was titled "Jane's Military Training Systems 1990." The middle was "Jane's All the World's Aircraft." And the bottom, a volume thicker than a phonebook, was simply called "International Defense Directory." Each had numerous Post-It notes bookmarking various pages.

            To Janet's right was a pair of large black three ring binders. Neatly labeled dividers separated the reams of paper. The one on the top was open. The current page was that of a Drag Coefficient Table.

            Ami looked at the books and then at Janet. From the couple of days of classes that they had shared, Ami knew that the other girl was very strong in her math, science, and surprisingly history, but somewhat weak in English. It was not that she was incapable of doing the work. It was just that she did not seem to care about the finer points of literature.

            "It's just a personal project," Janet said flipping to a previous page. She then turned her notebook around so Ami could see it. The page was covered with several neat and precise mechanical sketches. They appeared to be the components to a helicopter of some kind. A miniature remote controlled one if the scale on the drawings were right.

            "Interesting," Ami said, looking over the diagrams.

            "Yeah, shame I can't build it for a while," Janet wistfully said. "I had to leave most of my workshop back home in Cheyenne, and what I did bring is lost with the rest of our stuff."

            "That is a shame," Ami agreed as she turned to another page.

            "What are you going to do?" Janet shrugged as she got up and checked her washing machine. As she turned away and bent down to pick up her clothes and transfer it to a dryer, Janet's jacket rode up slightly, exposing a weapon's tip.

             However, this was missed by Ami. Her eyes were on the readout of her recently activated Mercury computer. After confirming that Janet was human, the blue-haired girl reflected on her paranoia. Was she going to scan everyone that she met? Well, it was quite the coincidence that they lived in the same apartment building, but Janet seemed just as surprised as she was.

            "When do you think school's going to resume?" Janet asked after she had activated the dryer.

            "I guess in a couple of days. It's not like those terrorists blew anything up," Ami answered, carefully looking at the other girl. She remembered that Janet was with them that day, as well as that Rod Ferris.

***************

            After Ranma asked how much time was left before their flight landed in Toronto, he thought about that second meeting he had with his mother. She seemed disappointed that the water did not work, but not that surprised at it. There was also something rather strange about the way she said goodbye to him.

            Through the window, Ranma looked questioningly at the noonday sky. Apparently it was almost noon Eastern Standard time. He had left on this trip at three PM two days ago. By his estimation he had spent over twenty-eight hours in planes of one kind or another, excluding the seven hours he had spent in that helicopter. The rest of the time, some eleven hours, was spent waiting for his flights in various Company facilities, and visiting his mother.

            Looking at his traveling companions, Ranma noticed that the Company agents were not showing any signs of jet lag. He supposed that that was all a part of the training they went under. It made sense given that the Company seemed to train its agents to be prepared for just about any situation, and to reduce as many of their human weaknesses as possible.

            Remarkably, Ranma felt fine as well. He supposed that it was due to his own sleep deprivation training. He did not know enough about jet lag to be sure of this.

            In under an hour, the Company Learjet made contact with the Northern runway of Toronto's Lester B. Pearson International Airport. It taxied and its passengers disembarked. Ranma went with Kasumi to the lot where her sedan had been parked. As he left he saw the Kuno girl walking with two of Kasumi's flunkies. Ranma assumed that they were taking her home too.

            "Sorry you didn't get cured," Kasumi said as she unlocked her car. She then popped open the trunk and they both deposited their bags inside it.

            "Like you really care," Ranma responded after opening the passenger door.

            "You would be much happier without it," the Company agent simply stated while she turned the car's ignition.

            "Let me guess, bad morale causes poor performance?" Ranma inquired.

            Kasumi nodded. She then put the car into gear and drove it out of the airport lot. The drive home was done in silence. They arrived to find an empty house. Furinkan was still closed, so neither Akane nor Nabiki could be at school. Kasumi noted that both Nabiki's and her father's cars were missing. It was likely that they were simply out doing errands or such.

            After dropping off his bags in the guest room he was using, Ranma went out to the back yard to practice. Martial arts was difficult at best to do in a passenger plane. 

***************

            The Drake looked around the plain grey room he was in. Earlier today, he had been at his school overseeing the repairs. The day before, the Company agents from Forensic Pathology section had finished with their analysis and had pulled out. They were replaced by agents from Construction and Maintenance section and Communications and Cryptography section.

            They were repairing the damaged walls and floors, upgrading the security systems, and cleaning up the mess. The Drake was glad that his insurance policy was comprehensive enough to cover "acts of mass violence". One advantage of being associated with the Company was a heightened sense of paranoia.

            However, now more paranoia was not a benefit. He had been escorted from his office to this room within WIC Toronto-A by a pair of silent Company agents. The school administrator felt an almost prophetic sense of foreboding. He knew what WIC was capable of and for the first time in his life, he was afraid of them. The Drake looked up to see the heavy metal door open. 

            "Hello, Drake," Jacob sighed as he entered the small room. He sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the table from the other man.

            "What's going on? Did something happen to my boy?" the Drake asked.

            "Your son's still a female Pattern D if that's what you mean," Jacob replied. "I'm sorry, but this meeting is about something else."

            The Drake sighed with resignation.

            "Why?" Jacob asked. "You knew Genma was here and you knew we were looking for him. Why didn't you tell us?"

            The principal looked at the brushed steel of the table. He had to tell the truth. As much as it shamed him, he owed the Company that much.

            Jacob patiently waited as the Drake composed his thoughts. The agent concealed his disappointment and worry. Removing and replacing the Drake was a simple enough task, but it still weighed on his conscience. The elder Kuno had been a useful associate to the Company. He had helped recruit over a dozen agents. It was a shame for a man to be brought down like this.

            _But the Company does not take betrayal lightly._ Jacob reminded himself. He would also allow the Drake to explain his actions. He deserved that much.

***************

            Ranma looked at the grandfather clock in the den again. It was now almost a quarter of eight. He eased back into the recliner he was sitting in. There was still time.

            "You should be happy that school's closed 'til Monday." Nabiki stated as she came into the room. 

            "I guess," Ranma replied. After the events of two days ago, going back to Furinkan as a student seemed most strange.

            "You should be happy, it's less time as Sunshine," Nabiki stated.

            Ranma wanted to make a comment about how much he hated that monumentally moronic name, or about the sickness inherent in being happy at getting a vacation just because your school had been held hostage. Instead he shook his head and looked at the clock again. He did not want to be late.

            "Okay, at least you got to spend some time with your fiancee," Nabiki tried. She found Kasumi's interest in Ranma puzzling. It was strange. The elder Tendo sister did not seem to have a romantic or a professional interest in Ranma, but some slight hybrid of the two.

            "Yeah, I should go talk to her," Ranma said before getting up. It was still early, but maybe he could get some help from Kasumi.

            "Okay," Nabiki said as she watched Ranma leave the room. She then heard him go up the stairs. She was slightly hurt and jealous. Kasumi seemed quite reluctant to talk about her work, let alone help Nabiki get an interview, and now this guy that she's just met is being whisked away to special corporate workshops.

            She had the distinct feeling of being in the dark. It was a vertigo-like foreboding sensation. Something was going on, and she was going to find out what it was.

***************

            "So where do you want me to drive you?" Kasumi asked in an even voice. She was sitting on her bed working on her laptop.

            "Just a mile or so away from here. Someplace secluded ideally," Ranma said.

            "Why?" Her eyes were still on the computer screen.

            "I have some personal business to attend to."

            "And you don't want to have the people here wonder where you went?"

            "Yeah."

            "Okay. When do you want to go?"

            "That's it? You're not curious as who I'm meeting with?" Ranma was somewhat surprised. He expected her to cooperate. She was under orders to help him, but he thought that the agent would be more inquisitive.

            "If you wanted to tell me, you would have," Kasumi stated as she continued to type. She would not pry into Ranma's personal affairs, but she would alert the Company about what Ranma was doing.

            "Okay then. You mind taking me now?" 

            "No problem," Kasumi said simply.

            On their way out, Kasumi told her father that Ranma had left some of his stuff at the office and that she was driving him back to pick it up. She then drove him to a tract housing construction site in the outskirts of Carrville, a town eight miles west of the Tendo residence in Markham.

            "Where and when should I pick you up?"

            Ranma got out of the car and turned back to Kasumi. "I'll just go to your little base downtown when it's over," Ranma stated as he closed his eyes and activated his transformation. His form wavered to that of his female form before the violet, black, and red lightshow turned her into Sailor DarkStar.

            As the demon stretched her wings and took to the air and flew off, Agent Tendo pulled out her cell phone.

***************

            DarkStar's flight path was on a southerly course. She went for about ten miles until she reached Sunnybrook Park and made her landing. It was rather dark and her approach was seen by only one man.

            The redhead then shifted out of her pseudo-senshi form and into her human looking form. "At least it's not a fuku," the teenaged demon said as she looked at her little black leather dress.

            "Hello, Ranma," the man who had watched her landing greeted.

            The redhead simply glared at the man. While he did not call her Sunshine, he did arrange for their meeting at _Sunny_brook Park. "What's so urgent?" she asked. The letter that had been placed inside her upper drawer had simply listed the time, location, and name.

            "Pluto's getting more and more desperate," the man stated as put his hands in his coat.

            "What's she up to now?" Ranma asked, her eyes narrowing.

            "If your lack of cooperation continues, she might have to take more drastic measures," Murdock warned.

            "What?"

            "That blonde's magic rock is quite powerful. It would be more than enough to make you 'get with the program.' " His voice was dangerously even.

            "Fuck," Ranma swore. "What about the Company?"

            "As long as you kill those monsters, WIC's happy. Just be careful. If they consider you a threat, they will try and eliminate you, but I doubt you'll start indiscriminately killing people," Murdock said as he began to lead Ranma down one of the park's paths. Two people standing in the same spot while they talked was a bit too suspicious.

            "Good. Those clowns are at least accommodating. I still think they're up to something," Ranma said as she scanned the smallish glen they had entered. Her night vision, while not as good as when she's DarkStar, was still quite good.

            "Undoubtedly," Murdock admitted. "However, they did try very hard to cure you."

            "Yeah, they did that, but I still can't trust them," Ranma said. "Hell, how do I know you haven't been working for them all along?"

            "I met you a few days after Pluto turned you into this. If I had been working for the Company, I would have told them all about you."

            "No, instead you omitted that fact, knowing full well that I'd meet an agent," Ranma indignantly responded.

            "You _asked_ me to keep your secret! And now you're angry that I didn't break that promise to some creepy organization," Murdock countered, his voice finally sounding not amused. "Your father had run off, and the woman that had stolen your humanity had disappeared into thin air. Who helped you after Pluto tricked you? Who was the one that showed you how to stay sane? Who helped you through that month when you were locked? You were alone. I helped you, and I risked my life to keep your secret. 

            "How was I to know that your father was going to take you here? Are you taking Pluto's side in all this? You know me. Do you really think that I've been orchestrating all this? For god's sake! I'm not some all powerful chess master! I'm just a runic mage."

            "I'd like to believe that," Ranma said while looking at her feet. It was hard not to believe him. The only people who thought he was a monster had never met the man and had only learned about him second hand from Pluto. The Company simply considered his motives questionable, but they said that about everyone.

            "Look, I'm not asking you to trust me. I'm just here to warn you about Pluto." Murdock shook his head

            "What about the other Senshi?"

            "They're good girls. A bit naive and overly trusting though."

            "That's what I thought. Can you tell me where Pluto lives?"

            Murdock blinked. "You're not thinking of going after her? That's exactly the kind of thing that'll convince Moon to try and purify you."

            "I'd like to know where she lives," Ranma repeated, making eye direct eye contact with Murdock. Violet flecked blue eyes locked onto watery grey ones.

            "Fine," Murdock stated, looking off to the side. "You know those oval-shaped buildings down by the Skydome? She lives in building three. It's on forty-two Wellington Street, apartment number ten twenty-nine. It's the same number as her birthday," Murdock added smiling slightly.

            "Thanks," the redheaded demon stated after she repeated the numbers to herself a couple of times.

            "Least I could do," Murdock stated. "Is there anything else I could do for you?"

            "Nothing now. I just wish there was a way out of this," Ranma sighed.

            "You could always leave. Pack up and go on the road," Murdock suggested as he adjusted his silver tie clasp.

            "I can't do that. I can't just run away," Ranma said, mostly to herself.

            "The problem of ethics eh?" Murdock said. He then laughed. His voice then turned grave. "Your morals are what keep you from being a monster. Not your body. Just remember one thing though: don't allow yourself to be manipulated by them, by anyone."

            Ranma nodded. She had strong suspicions as to why Murdock was telling her this. "But what do they want?"

            The man smiled. "Victory."

            "Thanks Murdock, that really cleared things up," Ranma sighed. It was the kind of answer she'd grown to expect from him.

***************

            He was ready. The years of preparation, the innumerable sacrifices, the grueling training, it was all going to pay off. Tonight he will slay the demon Saotome. He gave his equipment and weapons one last check. 

            The young man closed his eyes and cleared his mind. He then felt the gentle pull to his right. Thanks to the Assembly's help, his curse was no longer a liability, indeed it had become a most useful tool. Before he refined it, his sensitivity to certain energies would cause a form of disorientation and confusion. Now, he would never lose focus, never drift off course.

            He smiled slightly as he followed the trail. Soon his target was in visual range. The monster matched the description he had been given earlier today. He noticed that there was a bystander in close proximity to the target.

            "Someone's coming," Murdock said as he turned to face the person approaching from the southwest.

            Ranma looked over to see the dark shape of a large, tall man running towards them. "Damn," she muttered knowing no good could come from this.

            "Filthy monster! Your havoc ends now!" the man declared in a bellow.

            "Fuck, not again," Murdock sighed, under his breath. "You should get out of the way," he advised Ranma.

            Confusion crossed the man's face. "I'm not after you. You're not in need of destruction, human," he said to Murdock, who smiled faintly at this. "I'm after her."

            "Damn," Ranma said as she looked at the man. He looked to be a year of so older than she was, and while his face was somewhat familiar his eyes were completely alien. Ranma would remember someone with eyes in that bright shade of green.

            "Damnation is correct, demon. I _will_ be the one to send you back to hell." His eyes narrowed and for a second Ranma could swear that they had flashed brighter.

            The mage appraised the intruder before speaking. "I think you can handle this," Murdock laughed to Ranma. He then turned to the teenaged boy "So this is the caliber of the Assembly's latest crop of acolytes? Let's see if you'll handle this better than the Company." He then tipped his fedora to Ranma before walking off.

            "The Company! Hah! Those faithless fools! They're nothing more than mercenaries with fancy toys," the teen responded to Murdock's back.

            Ranma smiled slightly at this.

            "I wouldn't underestimate them," Murdock said as he continued to depart.

            "Now that the bystander has gone, we can get to business," he sneered as he pulled a weapon out of his cloak.

            Ranma's eyes widened as she noticed the man's teeth, more specifically the canines that were longer than the ones she had now but shorter than DarkStar's, and the weapon he was wielding. "Ryoga? What the hell's going on? What's with your eyes?" the girl asked. The last time she had seen him was years ago, but she remembered that his eyes were dark brown.

            "What's the matter Ranma? Surprised that you're not the only one to have changed? Although unlike you, I have not betrayed humanity," Ryoga taunted as he gripped the handle of his weapon. "My long hunt ends now, tonight this ends!" He then dove towards his opponent swinging the long blunt object at the redhead.

            Ranma dodged to the side and grabbed the ludicrous weapon. As she tried to twist the oddly heavy black umbrella out of his left hand, Ryoga made a move with his right. It was a small silver spray bottle, whose contents were propelled into the demon's face.

            The girl sometimes known as Sunshine Saotome had a fraction of a second to chastise herself for falling for such obvious misdirection. After that the skin on her face started to burn off. She fell to the ground as the substance ate through her flesh.

            "Do you really think I'd fight a demon without preparing myself," Ryoga taunted, as he sprayed the dissolving flesh again. "Sadly holy water alone is not enough to vanquish your vile kind, but the other ingredients can be found with enough effort," he lamented as ribbons of muscle peeled off her skull and burned away. Among the ingredients were holy items such as the blood of an innocent and chemical ones such as a several powerful acids.

            With her last bit of energy Ranma gathered her will. Ryoga saw the mutilated girl's eyes flare a brilliant violet and instinctively stepped back. Bands of black, crimson, and purple energy began to wrap around her. Ryoga responded by trying to crush her skull. 

            His weapon was blasted away by a violet beam that came from where the girl's eyes would have been. Another hit him in the chest, knocking him back several feet. Ryoga quickly got back to his feet and ran to retrieve his weapon. As he grabbed the hardwood handle of his umbrella, he turned to his foe.

            The redhead was standing again, her face no longer being eaten away by blessed fluid. She was now wearing a violet bowed bikini top, a miniskirt that barely covered her bottom, and black leather knee-high boots with five-inch heels. These were not what he noticed first, not to say that he did not notice them. It did require most of his training to keep his concentration in spite of the nearly naked female in front of him. Knowing her true nature was a dramatic help. Most of his attention _was_ on her fangs, wings, spade-ended tail, and glowing violet eyes.

            "I've had to deal with magical girls, secretive corporations, overly affectionate minions, and monsters with bad Californian accents. I will _not_ accept jilted and revenge bent demon hunters!" Sailor DarkStar shouted as she summoned a violet orb in each hand. They glowed slightly and were wreathed in white flames. The demonic magical girl then lobbed one of them at her attacker.

            Ryoga pushed a button on the handle of his weapon and placed it to block. The material of the umbrella was reinforced to act as a shield against most melee weapons. Magical napalm was not something it had been designed to take. When he saw the orb burst on the surface of the umbrella and ignite, Ryoga pressed the other button on the handle.

            As he side stepped the other orb, he flicked his wrist. The burning umbrella slid off a long metal spar that was concealed within the unusually large central spar. The acolyte had just unsheathed a thin and relatively long, oddly hilted, sword. He then trusted forward with the slivery blade.

            DarkStar smiled as she saw it approach. Partially-translucent red claws appeared on her fingers, extending several inches beyond her nails. Shock hit her face when her claws met his sword. Instead of neatly cutting through it, the blade's edge began to glow in a sickly green light. Her ethereal claws met resistance.

            This did not slow her down, she twisted the blade with one hand while blasting at her enemy with the other. Her tail then snaked around her body and rammed its way into his stomach above the belly button. The minimal armor under his shirt provided next to no resistance. Dozens of razor-sharp filaments from within her tail sprung out and reduced several of his organs to an undifferentiated mush.

            His eyes unfocused and his grip lessened. His body fell to the ground, and the demon's tail pulled itself out of him with a sound reminiscent of removing a ladle out of a partially thick stew. This caused blobs of tissue and somewhat firmer pieces of organs to splash out of the gapping wound. Ryoga's blood and chunks of his body slowly dripped off the fins of her tail.       

            "Stupid fucker," the redhead breathed. "You just had to try to come after me," she then said looking expectantly at the corpse. Something was wrong. She was not getting anything from the body. Unlike those pathetic youma this was a nice juicy human. "What a rip off!" the demon grumbled. It was a guilt-free kill and nothing to show for it.

            "The hell?" she mumbled as she noticed something strange going on with the cadaver. Her demonic senses could detect an external energy entering the body and she could visually see the gaping hole in his chest reseal, and the burnt chunk of meat that was his left shoulder regenerate.

            The body's eyes flipped open, revealing a pair of glowing orbs. DarkStar growled and lobbed a sphere of napalm at him. With exceptional speed, especially considering that Ryoga's condition, he grabbed his sword and intercepted the round. This caused it to burst with predicable results.

            "Let's see you regenerate when you're just a pile of ash?" DarkStar taunted the blazing body. She then noticed that the flames were changing color they went from violet and white to a greenish color before sputtering out. 

            Ryoga then flipped to an upright position. His grey cloak was in tatters and much of his clothing had burned off revealing armor that resembled a modern version of plate-mail. The burns on his skin, some of them quite severe, were in the process of healing. "Filthy demon, you think I would go down that easily?" Ryoga then asked as he readied his sword. It's blade was shimmering in a green light. 

            "It would have been nice," DarkStar admitted.

            "This is one soul you're not getting," Ryoga said as his body became surrounded in a green light. It took a lot of concentration to do this, but his opponent had proven herself to be quite dangerous.

            "Hey!" the redhead cried indignantly. Her eyes then flared and she fired a volley of napalm filled spheres at her enemy. Ryoga did not even move. They hit him, burst, ignited, and burned on his body before turning green and going dead. 

            Ryoga smiled as he charged at the demon. He then came in from the upper left and slashed down. As DarkStar dodged she noted that the demon hunter was noticeably faster.

            Using her claws, she blocked and met his blade. This continued until he overextended his blade in an attempt to pierce her heart. The demon then pushed the blade aside with one hand while her tail made for his crotch.

            Ryoga's other hand reached out and grabbed the tail. He did it behind the spade-shaped end and out of its filament's reach. Sailor DarkStar responded by pulling her tail back. The acolyte dared not lessen his grip. He could easily regenerate his hand but it would cost him precious seconds.

            As she drew him closer, Ryoga twisted his weapons out of her grip. As he then tried to stab it into her side, DarkStar used her other hand to grab the soft flesh of his neck. Her crimson claws sunk into the green energy that rested above Ryoga's skin.

            He watched as a sadistic smirk grew on her blood-colored lips. The acolyte felt the power protecting him wane. He knew what he had to do. Stabbing at her tail with his sword he forced her to move that lethal appendage. When that happened, he released his grip on it. He then used his now free hand to grab a small object he had clipped to the back of his belt. As he pulled the pin and released the spoon, he hopped that the fire had not damaged the mechanism.

            Ryoga then positioned the grenade so that it was between him and the demon. The explosion served its purpose. Ryoga and DarkStar were torn apart from each other. The acolyte looked down to see that several pieces of shrapnel had gone through him causing what would be lethal levels of damage in a normal human. The shrapnel had no supplemental effect on him. It simply tore through his body causing extensive but repairable trauma. He was broken and bleeding, but he would recover. A demonic entity, however, would find the specially engraved and treated metal most unpleasant.

            As he picked up his sword he felt his neck. There were several deep and oozing scratches on it. Their healing rate was alarmingly slow. Before he left he gave a brief glance at the demon thrashing on the ground. She was extremely injured too, but seemed much more lively than him.

            Even with her right leg bent in several unnatural places, he knew that she could still kill him if he tried to finish her off. Without his full protection, he was quite vulnerable to her attacks. He had to make his decision quickly. She seemed to heal even faster than he did, and in his weakened state he would be quite vulnerable to her fire attacks.

            With a sigh he closed his eyes and recalled the rendezvous point. He was loath to do this, but he had no choice. He needed time to heal and rearm. The acolyte also acknowledged that he could not kill the demon alone. He would need help.

***************

            The young brunette nervously scanned the area around her car. Her darkened car was parked on a road that bordered the park where the target was. The woman kept her indignation controlled.

            Her partner refused to let her accompany him on this mission. She shook her head as the man's poor judgment. It was foolhardy to go alone against a demon of that power, especially for a lone male to go against one of that type.

            She also worried that her partner was keeping things hidden from her. During the pre-mission planning he was unusually quiet and focused. She looked with some care as a pair of silver sedans and a large black van drove past her.

            She only caught a glimpse of who was in them, but it was enough. The Company had arrived on the scene. She felt a shudder go through her spine. Their presence complicated things.

            A few minutes later, the women gave a sigh of relief as she saw the large form of her partner. "I told you I should have gone with you!" she reprimanded as he slumped into the passenger seat.

            Her partner looked like hell. His clothing and armor was burnt, cut, smashed, and drenched in his own blood. Despite his healing abilities, he was covered in hideous wounds. As he placed his sword in the space between the passenger seat and the center console, she noticed that it was missing its umbrella scabbard.

            "Did you at least kill that little demon?" she asked after making sure that none of his wounds were mortal to him.

            "No," Ryoga admitted as he concentrated on letting his body heal.

            She nearly drove off the road at this "What? What happened? Did she fly off?"

            Ryoga simply nodded. He had already concealed so much from her, what did a little more matter?

***************

            "God damn-it!" DarkStar screamed as her shattered leg bones finished knitting back together. She then stood on her somewhat shaky feet. The rest of her wounds had healed, but her clothing, boots, and skin were still covered in blood and gore. Annoyingly, some of it was hers. That damn grenade had to have been designed to be more hurtful to demons. The pieces of it that had embedded in her had burned quite fiercely and left angry wounds that healed slower and with greater pain. She closed her eyes and a brief purple flash cascaded over her, restoring her uniform to it's post transformation condition.

            The demon barely noticed this as she took to the air. To a lesser scale, the grenade had damaged her opponent as well. Her extended senses allowed her to follow his blood trail, both literally and metaphorically. She landed at the side of a road that made the southern edge of the park.

            Her eyes flared as she looked down either side of the road. Ryoga had obviously gotten into a vehicle of some kind. In the couple minutes it took her to heal, he could have gone miles in any direction. Sailor DarkStar growled as she flexed her fingers. She was so close. In the moment before the grenade went off she felt his shield sputter out and her claws begin to carve into his flesh.

            The presence of a pair of humans behind her caused the demon to swivel around. "Oh, it's you guys," the demon said to the Company agents. They were both twenty-something males that were dressed in the expected Company fatigues and armor. They had night vision equipment attached to their goggle assemblies and had good sized rifles pointed at the ground.

            "Hey Gabe, hey Aram," she then greeted, looking at both of them as she said their names. She recognized them by their _scent_, but did not know which one was which.

            "What happened out here?" the one on the left asked.

            "Yeah, base picked up a pretty big pattern bloom on the remotes," the other stated.

            "Some guy who I knew came after me seeking revenge. It's over now," Ranma explained after transforming out of her DarkStar form. With some annoyance she found herself in Sunshine's school uniform.

            "Oh I see," the one on the right replied while the other talked into his headset. "This is Gabriel. Signature has been identified.. Situation has been explained. Returning to base."

            "Good seeing you," Aram replied as he and his partner turned around.

            "You guys mind giving me a ride?" the redheaded schoolgirl inquired. "I'm supposed to meet with Kasumi." 

            "Sure thing," Aram responded.

            The trio quickly crossed the park. Ranma looked over to see that the area where she had fought Ryoga had been marked off and a pair of agents were guarding the position. The demoness knew that a team from Forensic Pathology section would arrive soon enough. They would then photograph the scene and collect everything of interest from the site. No doubt Ryoga's trick umbrella will eventually end up in some obscure WIC warehouse among other oddities.

            They emerged in a parking lot positioned on the park's North side. The lot was splashed with blue and red in slowly rotating patterns. The two grayish-silver sedans with their pulsing headlights taillights and partially hidden grill lights looked remarkably like unmarked police cars. The large black van with its roof mounted lights also bore a strong resemblance to a SWAT vehicle. However, Ranma knew better.

            She followed Aram and Gabriel as they commandeered one of the sedans. Ranma found herself in the front passenger seat. After he sat down in the driver's seat, Gabriel handed his rifle to Aram who was sitting in the back. Both agents then pulled their goggles up onto their helmets. 

            A young man who was tall with broad shoulders and had a dusky complexion observed the proceedings from a distance. He wanted to get closer, but there was a plainclothes agent who was watching the small crowd. The teen did not want to be recognized by the Company. It was bad enough that they were monitoring the school. It would be rather counterproductive to attract this much attention, at least this early in the game.

***************

            Ranma walked down the corridors of WIC Toronto-A. She was finally starting to get the hang of the layout of the underground structure. An agent was still providing escort. This time it was in the form of Aram following three paces behind the redhead. Apparently, Gabriel had been called to appear before Jacob or something.

            It was a rather amusing - a lone schoolgirl in a Seifuku and a soldier in battledress walking down the grey hallways of what looked to be some type of governmental installation. Soon enough they reached a lounge that was positioned near the main briefing room and the Command and Communications Center.

            Entering the room, Ranma was surprised to see Kasumi sitting in the room's couch reading a worn paperback. The woman looked up at Ranma and her subordinate, looked back at her book, and then placed it on an end table.

            "I heard your meeting ended poorly," Kasumi observed as she got up to refill her mug. 

            "There was an intrusion at the end," Ranma said evenly. She turned around to see that Aram had left and closed the door behind himself, giving the simulation of privacy.

            "Someone from your past you said," Kasumi stated before taking a sip of her coffee.

            "Yeah, stupid bastard Ryoga." Ranma remarked as she went to the kitchenette's sink. The fluid from the hot water tap quickly restored the martial artist's birth gender. "What do you know about a group called the Assembly?"

            "Their full name is the Assembly of Man. They're a small, rather fanatical, group that hunts demons." Kasumi stated with some distaste. She did not mention that they had a quasi-Christian ideology of purity, one that most Christians would find downright repugnant, and students of history would find worryingly familiar.

            "So they're like the Company then?" Ranma asked as he dried his hands. They felt strangely dirty.

            "Not in the slightest. Willard International Consulting is a paramilitary organization. We're organized in a military fashion. We use highly trained and well-equipped teams to kill our targets. This requires three things: personnel; infrastructure to recruit, train, equip, deploy and command the personnel; and lots of capital to pay for infrastructure, equipment, and personnel."

            "And the Assembly can't afford things like helicopters, jets, and giant underground complexes," Ranma surmised. He remembered that Ryoga said that the Company was "nothing more than mercenaries with fancy toys." 

            "Exactly. But they still want to fight rather powerful Pattern Registering Entities. Small groups of normal humans cannot fight such monsters and hope to survive. Fortunately for the Assembly, they had a solution. It was hard to control, dangerous to their own people, and insanely risky."

            "They found a way to make their hunters, acolytes, whatever regenerate," Ranma said with realization. This was the exact kind of procedure that Ryoga would take up. Given that the original animosity had never been resolved, three days was a long enough wait, Ryoga would obsess over it until thoughts of revenge consumed his mind.

            That his childhood nemesis would turn out to be a demon would greatly compliment Ryoga's quest for revenge. The vengeance was no longer something personal and petty, it was something... holy. Ryoga now had a duty to slay the demon.

            Ranma wondered how long Ryoga had been a member of this Assembly. If he had joined before or after he had learned of DarkStar.

            "Yes they did," Kasumi answered, interrupting Ranma's thoughts. "We don't exactly know how they did it. Obviously the process is a closely held secret. We do know that it allows them to rapidly recover from injury. Some of their more advanced personnel can even generate something close to a protective aura."

            "Yeah, he had that."

            "How old is this Ryoga?" Kasumi asked, recalling the name.

            "About my age."

            "And he's still an acolyte?" Kasumi asked. Ranma nodded. "Then he's something of a prodigy."

            "Well, that's just great," Ranma grumbled.

            "There's also the issue of how he found you and when he'll come after you again. Clearly, he knows of the curse and DarkStar."

            "Don't worry. I can take care of him," Ranma flatly stated.

            Kasumi simply nodded.

***************

            "Well, this is just what we need," Jacob observed after he watched the conversation between Lieutenant Tendo and Ranma Saotome for the second time. He and Stillwater were in the Commander's office.

            "I find it interesting that this acolyte was able to survive a Pattern D-Silver Class 10," Stillwater remarked.

            "That is their specialty. I'm sure he had plenty of demon juice and holy hand grenades," Jacob replied using Company slang for holy water that was mostly very caustic acids, and grenades that had various lines of Scripture on them and special chemicals that were quite unpleasant to demons. The effectiveness of the religious aspects was a matter of some debate among Science and Technology section. 

            Jacob continued. "What _I_ find interesting is that this Ryoga was an associate of Ranma's."

            "What's one more coincidence with him? Lord knows he's got enough of them," Stillwater observed as he scratched his goatee.

            "You think Murdock's involved?" Jacob asked in a statement that was only half a question.

            "When isn't he?"

            "Ranma did go to the park with the intention of meeting someone."

            Stillwater nodded. "And because we're respecting his privacy somewhat, we don't know who it was or what they said."

            "You're still worried that Murdock's playing us all against each other."

            "Yes," Stillwater agreed.

            Jacob nodded. "What should we do about the Assembly? It's a shame we can't just convince them that DarkStar's not something they have to worry about."

            "That would be just great. Finally give those lunatics the proof that we're in league with dark forces. Even if they did call it off, there's still a chance that their hunter might not listen. After all, it is personal to him. Especially after tonight."

            "And what if they respond by sending more of their people?"

            "If these upstarts want to cross us, I have no problem with putting them in their place."

            "There aren't too many of them," Jacob confirmed.

            "What about the Drake?"

            "You haven't watched the tape?" Jacob asked with some puzzlement

            "Yes, I have. It's just that I'd like to get your take on what he said. Do you really believe his explanation?"

            "As insane as it sounds. There is some credence to it. A team just found the old school surveillance tape he hid."

            "So the blackmail part was true at least," Stillwater observed.

            "Any guesses as to who else is with him on that tape?" Jacob said smiling slightly.

***************

            Usagi wandered what should have been familiar crystal corridors of the palace. She was wearing the white gown she would later wear as Neo Princess Serenity. That is if Crystal Tokyo was still a viable future. Her dress did not fit quite right, especially around her waist, but she discounted that. 

            The formally dressed blonde eventually found a doorway that lead to a large overhanging balcony. From it she could see the terrain. The first thing she noticed was the sun rising over a body of water that stretched to the horizon. Looking down she could see that the central complex of spires she was in was surrounded by a series of gardens, grass, and paths. These inner courtyards were then bounded by an immense crystal wall. On one side, this wall met the water. One the other sides, buildings had been removed and grass had been planted to provide clear lines of approach.

            She could see one impressively solid-looking gatehouse complex. On the road approaching it were a pair of black armored vehicles, and around them were groups of armed black and grey clad soldiers. Looking at the courtyards and the wall again she could see groups of them patrolling the castle complex. When she strained her eyes, she could just barely see the orange of their visors or goggles. 

            Usagi could also hear the waves smashing onto that one wall, but she did not smell salt in the air. With that piece of knowledge she knew what city she was in. A brief glance at the other building she could see quickly confirmed this.

            The royal then turned when she head someone approach. She looked to see a trio of nubile demons in a protective detail. Each was wearing black, low-cut skin tight tops with thin armor paneling. The garments had red trim and were open in the back to allow for their wings. They also wore tight, little dark violet skirts that barely went to mid-thigh, red leather belts, violet-trimmed fingerless gloves that went to the middle of their forearms, and heavy boots with two inch heels.

            The blonde looked briefly looked at the demon in the front of the procession. She had a lithe attractive form. Her long black, violet highlighted, hair was and pulled back into a loose ponytail. Her eyes were a deep blood-colored red. She had the expected physical attributes. The horns on her forehead were red, her tail was violet with black fins, and her wings were black with violet tips. Usagi found this demon particularly familiar.

            She then turned her attention to who they were escorting. It was a woman in a highly corseted, petticoated, and lacy dark-violet ball gown. Her deep crimson hair was pulled up, then down her back and between her wings through the use of dozens of spiraled black ribbons. Usagi also noted that there was a discrete hole for the woman's spade-shaped tail.

            As she walked Usagi could just barely see the demoness' six inch high violet high heeled pumps. The blonde could see the sparkle of jewels on the woman's footwear. Fixed on them were tiny rubies and amethysts that formed strange patterns. Similar gems were on the woman's black elbow length gloves. On these the patterns were clearer but no more comprehensible.

            The young woman wore a golden crown that was set under her horns. It was set with a black orb in the center with a large ruby on either side of it and an amethyst on either side of that. She had a silver necklace with a large ruby gem and multiple pairs of hanging earrings. She also wore the Silver Millennium era ring that was only to be worn by the sovereign of Earth. Made out of gold, it had the Terran seal on it.

            Her makeup was in a very elegant and regal style that perfectly set her deep violet eyes that looked simultaneously seductive and commanding. "Greetings my queen," the woman said in a feminine and courtly voice.

            "DarkStar? What's going on?" Usagi asked with uncertainty. Things were quite confusing. The only way she kept herself from losing it was by locking onto those beautiful violet eyes.

            Worry crossed the redhead's face. "Nariko, can you and your girls please step out for a minute?" the queen of Earth asked to the demon with the red eyes and black hair. The demon nodded and then had the two other demon-girls march out of sight.

            DarkStar then turned to the blonde magical girl. "I know how troubling this is for you. You were supposed to rule the world with my predecessor," the demon said in a soothing voice as she walked closer to Usagi. "But in spite of those setbacks, we are triumphant. Murdock has been defeated. The world is safe and at peace. We won," as she said this, DarkStar gently grasped Usagi's hands. She then pulled the other girl in close, and hugged her.

            Usagi responded to the embrace. She felt secure, safe. "So Crystal Tokyo happened?" Usagi asked as she leaned her head on the taller girl's chest.

            Sorrow darkened the redhead's face. "I'm sorry. We lost Tokyo. The resistance managed to smuggle a bomb into the city. The palace's shields protected us, but everyone else in the city..." 

            Usagi blinked unsure of how to take that piece of information. Tokyo destroyed. A resistance that was willing to wipe cities off the map to stop them. She started sniffled and her eyes started to tear up.

            DarkStar saw this and held the blonde's face close to hers. "Don't worry, my love. I will always protect you," she said staring into the blonde's eyes. Once again Usagi held onto those wonderful amethyst eyes. When the demon moved in to kiss her, Usagi leaned in to meet her lips.

            The two girls pulled each other closer. They crushed their gowns into each other as they continued to kiss. Usagi felt the redhead's tail wrap around her legs. Eventually they broke apart.

            The demon then took on a wistful look "I've always been fond of humans. My time as one of them has only reinforced this. I would never be cruel to these sweet and useful people, but regretfully they do need to be controlled. After all, we need them as much as they need us," Queen DarkStar stated with a smiled as she looked over at the animals she stewarded.

            "We?" Usagi asked with definite dread.

            DarkStar turned to her mate. "Don't you remember? You decided that you wanted to be converted."

            Usagi shook her head. That made no sense. She would never sign off her humanity… but a part of her knew that she _was _more than human. She was a being of great power. One that was destined to live for centuries and to rule all of humanity.

            Usagi then turned to one of the rather reflective crystal walls and looked carefully at her mirrored image. Her eyes were still the same. So were her teeth, although her gaze did linger on her canines for a rather long time. She still had a pair of large white wings, but they were no longer puffy and made of feathers. What was even more damning were pair of little horns that poked their way out of her hair. That they were a pure white in color only seemed to make it worse, like a cruel, cruel joke. With dread realization she knew why the back of her gown did not fit quite right. Undoubtedly, there was a white spade-ended tail hidden within her dress.

            Screaming in revulsion, horror, and a bit of desire and anticipation, the blonde girl forced herself out of this dream. She then found herself awake in her apartment, unsure of what to do next.

***************

            Janet Frasier knew a thing or two about dreams. She knew that while some dreams could be prophetic, most of them were not. She also knew that some dreams were not created solely by the dreamer, instead they were sent by others. Her training had taught her to control and protect her dreams. For some, sleep was when they were most vulnerable. 

            Last night was the first night since moving to Toronto where she had been able to sleep undisturbed. The girl feared what she had she had to do. There was some dread at the tasks ahead.

            Janet pushed those thoughts aside and concentrated on finishing getting dressed. She carefully scrutinized her uniform. Her white blouse was properly pressed, buttoned, and tucked in to her purple skirt, and that there was no noticeable bulge in the small of her back where her weapon was kept. She then checked that the skirt was straight and that the pleats hung properly.

            She then carefully tied her blue ribbon tie, and put on her jacket. The girl then put on her Mary-Janes. She would have preferred boots, but her mother insisted that she wear something more feminine. As she secured the buckles on them, she reflected that at least they were a nice shade of blue and that the heel on them was rather low.

            After applying her makeup, the girl then brushed out her rich shoulder length auburn hair into a light center part. Her uniform also came with a blue beret, but that went into her backpack. It was the one part of the uniform that really annoyed her. Fortunately, wearing them was not heavily enforced.

            Janet then put her notebooks, textbooks, and purse in her backpack. The girl then walked over to the mirror on her closet door and appraised her reflection one last time. Her lightly made-up lips smiled slightly. She did clean up nice, she had to admit. Her thin eyebrows then raised in surprise at the familiarity of the Seifuku. It was a frustrating sense of deja-vu. One that she fully understood.

            Janet then walked out of her room and into the main room of the apartment. She looked to see her mother cleaning up the breakfast they had finished a ten minutes ago. The teen then exchanged pleasantries with the woman in the white lab-coat and nametag that read "Dr. Nadine Fraiser (Radiology)", and had a logo for North York General Hospital on it. The logo consisted of a blue semi-circle. Inside of it was a white N who's second vertical spar became the vertical spar of a Y that had a strange echoing repeat on it's right side. A dot that was placed in the cup of the Y gave the impression of a line of stick figures with their arms raised.

            The girl understood her mother's worry. Today was the first school day since the incident, but she was confident that it would be okay. And even if things went sour, she could take care of herself. She hated keeping secrets from her mother, but certain things had to be done.

            Janet then left her apartment, went down the hallway, and took the stairs to the ground floor lobby. She checked her watch to confirm that she would have more than enough time to walk the few blocks to Furinkan and take care of something.

***************

            "You okay?" Minako asked the other blonde. The quintet of girls were walking to school. The Monday morning was unusually clear and had a slight wind that made it bright yet brisk.

            "What?" Usagi asked with some confusion. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. It's just... nothing."

            Rei studied the girl's face before speaking. "No, there's something. You've been acting weird ever since that night you woke up screaming with that 'Charley Horse.' " The girl's tone indicated that she did not believe Usagi's excuse.

             "Yeah, I mean normally she's the one with the freaky dreams," Makoto said pointing to Rei.

            "Thanks," Rei deadpanned before turning to Usagi. "Seriously, is anything wrong? Is it something we need to be worried about?"

            Usagi stared at the sky for a few seconds. She assured herself was just a dream, and it was far, far into the future. "No nothing. At least for a while," the girl stated.

            "If you say so," Rei responded.

            "Was Setsuna able to get the cats out of quarantine?" Ami asked, interjecting into the conversation.

            "Yeah. After school she's going to take me and Usagi to get them," Minako replied.

            "Maybe they can help," Usagi supposed.

            "I doubt it. They can hardly remember the _end_ of the Silver Millennium, let alone something that happened five hundred years before that, and don't get me started about this Murdock business or the Company."

            "Still... they might be of some use," Usagi stated before changing the subject to something a bit more inane. They walked for a few minutes until a salutation from behind caused them to stop.

            Strolling out of the entrance of the convenience store the girls had just walked past was a Furinkan High School student. She was reading from a magazine that she had just purchased.

            Minako's face lit up with recognition at the neatly dressed girl. It was the other new kid in the morning classes she had with Ami. Her name started with a "J."

            "Hi Janet," Ami greeted her classmate.

            The auburn-haired girl smiled as she put her magazine down. "Hey Ami. So, these are your roommates then?" she 

            "Yeah," Ami confirmed with a slight twinge of nervousness.

            "So which one stained your blouse?" Janet asked as she briefly studied the other four girls. One of the blondes was in several of her classes.

            "Ami, who's your friend?" Usagi asked as she looked between the two girls.

            "This is Janet Fraiser. We share some classes together," Ami introduced.

            Janet transferred her magazine to her left hand and shook hands with Usagi. The blonde looked into the other girls gray-green eyes and saw nothing amiss. "Hey, how's it going? Yeah, I just moved here with my mother," Janet explained. She then turned to Ami. "Oh, the moving company finally found where they shipped all our stuff."

            "Where?"

            "Toronto." Janet then paused, "But Toronto Ohio. Fortunately it's only three – four hundred miles away. We should have it by tomorrow."

            "Good for you," Ami said.

            "So how did you meet?" Makoto asked she had turned her head to read the title of the magazine. It had a futuristic plane of some kind on the cover and was entitled _Popular Mechanics_. Strange reading for a teenage girl.

            "In the laundry room. When you were cleaning the blouse I stained. That would mean you live in the same building as us," Usagi stated.

            "Not too shabby," Janet observed. "You're right. Because the movers lost our stuff, me and mom were short on clothes. Good to see a blonde who's brains aren't mush."

            "She just got lucky," Makoto teased.

            "American right?" Minako asked the girl.

            "Yup, and you guys are a group of Japanese exchange students if I'm not mistaken."

            "Was it our accents?" Minako inquired. She had spent time in England and hers could be harder to detect.

            "That and how at ease you are in these things," Janet said as she lightly tugged at her uniform's collar. She was careful not to mess it up.

            "This is great and all, but we should start walking to school. Unless you guys want to be late to school?" Rei interrupted.

***************

            Ranma picked at her lunch in the Furinkan cafeteria. While tasty, the bowl of beef stroganoff was disturbingly familiar. The redhead sighed and idly tugged at her left earring. She stopped when the back to the stud post started to dig into her earlobe.

            "What's wrong?" Naoko asked, concern on her face.

            "Oh, I'm okay, just distracted," the crimson-haired demon said in a distant voice.

            "You sure?" Samantha inquired as she put her left hand on Ranma's right. " If something's wrong you can talk to us. Is it about the attack? To tell you the truth, I'm still weirded out by it."

            The martial artist smiled faintly at this. It was kinda nice to have some normal people to talk to. Her smile then died. These were not Ranma Saotome's new friends but Sunshine Saotome's. They only knew her as another school-girl who had a stupid name and rebelled against it by dressing darkly, to such an extent that she found the normal Furinkan uniform too cheery and made a set of custom ones. They knew a girl that favored purple, black, and red. To them, Ranma Saotome was her brother, and to Sunshine's great discomfort, someone that they asked if they could date.

            Given all this, Sunshine knew that she could not tell them the truth. That the real reason she was out of it did not have to do with the attack, at least not directly. Destroying those youma _had_ been fun and satisfying. The real reason was that the last time she was in this room, she had turned Tatewaki Kuno into a female demon. 

            There was also the fight with Ryoga. She remembered the sense of frustration at being unable to take his soul. She had no qualms about trying to kill him, the bastard burned off her face, tried to skewer her with that stupid umbrella-sword, and then he used a grenade on her. Lethal force was more than justified. Wanting to devour his soul afterwards however....

            "Sunshine!" Samantha stated as she waved a hand in front of the redhead's face.

            "Sorry, I guess I am out of it today," the Saotome girl admitted as she looked at her blonde friend.

            "That's alright," Naoko reassured.

            Sunshine nodded and resumed her attempts to eat. She was interrupted by an enthusiastic greeting by a familiar voice. The girl turned to see another teenage girl. She had black hair with violet highlights, skin that was slightly less pale than Sunshine's, and eyes that were a deep crimson. Her appearance was quite human, though the redhead knew better.

            "Hi Sunshine, I've missed you" the girl repeated in a gushingly sugary voice as she sat down next to the other demon-girl.

            "You're here!" Sunshine cried angrily. Her tone then became more morose. "Of course you'd be here. It's not like it'd be hard for you to get enrolled."

            "My uncle _is_ the principal," the girl countered.

            Sunshine's brow furrowed in puzzlement, but she kept silent. If her identity was being kept secret by the Drake, the same thing would likely be done for his "son."

            "So you're the Principal Kuno's niece?" Samantha asked.

            "Yup, I'm Nariko Kuno," the girl smiled while trying to lean on Sunshine, who pushed her aside. She then spoke in a conspiratorial tone "I transferred here because I got kicked out of my previous school. They said I was a troublemaker."

            "And with a relative in charge they think you'll be under control?" Naoko asked.

            "I guess," Nariko shrugged.

            "You know where Tatewaki is?" Naoko asked the girl. He had a crush on Sunshine and would normally pester her, but he was nowhere to be found.

            "He finally got accepted to that military academy," Nariko replied after a slight pause.

            "The one in Ottawa he always babbled about?" Samantha asked.

            "That's the one."

            "Look's like you have another friend here," Naoko said to Sunshine.

            "Woo ho," the redhead deadpanned.

            "She's just kidding," Nariko smiled. "You know how Sunshine is. Can't let anyone see her happy or smile," the red-eyed girl joked, causing Samantha and Naoko to laugh and Sunshine to groan.

            Usagi had reentered the cafeteria after using the bathroom. As she passed the table that Sunshine was at she stared at the three girls that sat with her. She had a sickening sense of vertigo as she looked at them. There was a disturbing correlation between the quartet of demoness in her dream and the four schoolgirls sitting at the table.

            Usagi stopped when she heard the name Nariko come up. She then looked at the red-eyed girl more closely. Save for a lack of the extra anatomy, she was identical to the demon that had lead Queen DarkStar's security detail in her dream.

            "Um, Sunshine? Can I talk to you?" Usagi asked eyeing the redhead.

            "Let me guess - it's in private again," Sunshine asked as she stood up. She then lead Usagi out of the cafeteria and into the bathroom that, coincidentally, Usagi had just left. There was undoubtedly some form of camera surveillance, but the redhead just wanted privacy from the other students. "Okay so what do you want?" Sunshine asked as she studied her reflection. It looked like Ryoga's attack had left no permanent damage to her face.

            Usagi blinked. For someone who was really a guy, she really spent a lot of time checking her makeup. "What's your relationship with that Nariko?" the blonde asked. She half expected Sunshine to open her purse and start rummaging around in it.

            The redhead made eye contact with the other girl. "Look, I just saved her life, that's all!" Sunshine stated, sternly.

            "Oh I see. Look just don't do anything to her," Usagi warned. The dream may have foretold that girl's name and physical description, but that was all it was going to do.

            Sunshine paused, her face darkening. "Good lord no! What the hell's wrong with you! I'd never do anything with _her_!"

            "Thank god," Usagi said with relief.

            "And what's this all about?" Sunshine asked.

            "I had a dream with you and her in it," Usagi admitted as she looked down at the floor.

            "That's disgusting," Sunshine responded.

***************

            The redhead grumbled as she got out of Nabiki's Ford. School had definitely gone downhill after lunch. Despite being a year older than her, Kuno had decided to go back a year and be in all the same classes as her.

            At least during class Nariko was quiet enough and did not try anything weird, but it was still creepy. As she walked up the driveway, she saw that Kasumi was sitting in the swinging bench on the front porch. She was reading a book while her left hand idly scratched her right forearm. She then put her book down and greeted her two sisters and her, currently female, fiance. 

            As she passed the Company agent, the aqua-transsexual saw something that made her stop. Kasumi turned to the redhead, smiled, and winked. She then went back to her book. 

            The demon blinked and continued into the house. She was trying to figure what _that_ meant, and almost ran into Soun, who was standing in the foyer. The elder Tendo cleared this throat. "Akane, Nabiki, could you to please go upstairs?" he asked his daughters before leading the Saotome girl into the kitchen.

            "Why hello Sunshine," Nodoka said from the kitchen table while Genma sat somewhat stunned at the other side.

[End chapter 5]

Author's Notes:

Prereaders for this chapter are Starfire, Joe Fenton, Black Dragon, and Wray.

I'd also like to point out that the Fanart at my website has been updated, by 

some really nice work by Mike Koos.

[go to the site listed as my webpage on my FF.net main page from there you can go to the site.

            One more thing. Many of you may have noticed that most of the cast in The Return has back stories that are only alluded to. Such as the original DarkStar, Kasumi's training and early missions, Ryoga and his experiences in the Assembly, Murdock and his deal, WIC's History, Soun and the Drake's moving to Canada, Nodoka's experience at the Company, the Drake's work at the Company, Jacob's history, and many, many other possible stories.

            The Company mythos itself provides a wide range of locations and times in history where events can take place.

            Many of these I will be covering later on in the story, or I will write them as separate side stories. The Company's history and Murdock's past are two examples of these. For the others I have a proposition.

            If any of you are interested in writing some of these side stories, send me an email, and we can try and work out something. Naturally certain requirements have to be made to prevent confliction with facts and events in the main story. 

            One final thing.  I've also started a pre project to catalog all the Ranma-in-a-fuku-fics. That's slightly incorrect term for fics where Ranma a Sailor Senshi, or is in a uniform similar to that of a Sailor Senshi.  

[go to the site listed as my webpage on my FF.net main page from there you can go to the site.

            I'm off to a pretty good start at thirty-seven stories cataloged. If you wrote a fic that I missed, or know of a fic that I missed, please tell me. Remember for this list Ranma has to wear the fuku, or something rather close. Good rule of thumb.  Kenko's Paragon doesn't count, but my DarkStar does.  Remember the primary qualification is the Seifuku.


	7. Interlude A Brief History of the Company

A Brief History of the Company

Josh Temple

Disclaimer at the End

            A slight warning.  It is advisable to read all of the currently released chapters of The Return _before_ reading this text.  Go now and read it.  A big part of the early chapters was to find out just what the Company was and this would ruin it.

            This text is simply to put the Company in some more context.

            It began in a small logging town in Shepard's Creek, New Hampshire.  The local sawmills and most of the timberlands were owned by the Willard family. In 1840, the wife of the head of the Willard family, Susan Willard, had borne a son, Johan.

            It became apparent that young Johan was unwilling to takeover his father's company.  With some reluctance, Stanley allowed his eldest son to attend university in Boston.  It was there that he studied physics and mechanics, and it was there in 1861 that he enlisted in the Union Army.

            Because of his education,  Johan was sent to the artillery corps to calculate range books for cannons and mortars.  There were collections of tables that allowed artillery-men to figure out the angle of elevation and powder charge  needed to lob a shell of a specific weight a specific distance.  Although once the books were completed, Johan's unit was moved closer to the front as to inspect cannons for damage and wear, and repair their carriages, wheels, and firing mechanisms if damaged. If the barrel itself got damaged they would simply send it to be melted down into a new one.

            It was May of 1865, the war had been won.  Johan and his unit had returned to Boston.  At the time, a flu was sweeping through the city.  Johan managed to catch a rather bad case of it.

Bedridden with the illness at a friend's house, Johan managed to read an article about a perplexing disappearance in the woods of New Hampshire.  A team of loggers returning to Shepard's Creek found a deserted village.  Local police have no idea what happened to the two hundred plus residents. They found no bodies and only small amounts of blood and other stranger fluids of unknown, yet organic, descent.  The police also found a large number of bullet holes and strange notes scrawled in journals and on walls.

            As Johan recovered from his illness, he did nothing other than study the investigation. Using his status as the only Willard not missing, he had daily correspondence with the constable in charge and a local doctor that had been called up for when - if - the townsfolk were found.

            Eventually, the story died down and was forgotten by the newspapers.  By that time, Johan had recovered and was exploring his hometown with the help of friends from his time in the army and at university.

            As the sole heir to Willard Timber, Johan was more than able to fund his investigation.  Heeding the advice of the locals, they only went into the town during the daylight and always in groups of no less than six people, all heavily armed.  The search that these soldiers and scientists conducted was the most thorough and in-depth forensic study to date.  Their notes, photographs, and samples are still kept in the Company archives.

            Eventually, they found a trail leading from the town to a series of caverns.  There, Johan and the others found the bones of over a dozen people.  As they conducted the examination of the cave, they found a series of tunnels leading further down beneath the earth.  Night began to approach, so the team left and went back to their base camp.

            It had become obvious that something had eaten the residents of Shepard's Creek.  During their investigation, Johan and his associates had interviewed locals as to what had happened.  There was also the strange bloods and fluids that had been left in the town, still being analyzed in the laboratory, not to mention the scrawled note referring to "a skittering, membranous, furred lobster" and "a mass of hissing lumpy oil."  They knew that they were facing some sort of hideous beast or beasts.

            The next day, Johan decided to arm his men with grenades, revolvers, and repeating rifles, and explore the cave tunnels.  All the men going into the tunnels had been soldiers, seeing the indescribable horrors of the War Between the States.  Johan had also brought a cartload of nitroglycerin and black powder and left some at the mouth of the cavern. He would have used dynamite but that would not have been invented for another year. The rest was brought with the exploration team. He had told the men he had left up top to blow up the cave if anything –unusual –tried to escape.

            Their torches lead them deeper into the cavern until they found a –nest for lack of a better word.  It was a large circular chamber that looked to be filled with a brackish sludge.  The surface was doted with dozens of large white ovals. Johan remarked later that the pods resembled giant five foot strands of rice and seemed strangely animate as they floated.

            It is not clear as to what happened next, but it is known that Johan and his men saw something emerge from within its vile concavity.  Later on, no one could give a clear recollection as to what had risen out of that pool of muck and ooze, except for a vague anthropoid-like shape, and more importantly a sense of wrongness, that this was a thing-that-should-not-be.

            Two of Johan's men opened fire.  Their maxi-balls tore through the creature's thick head carapace, which issued a thick ichor eerily similar to the substance that the monster had wallowed in.

            The men fled from the monstrosity, waiting only long enough to drop their black powder charges and ignite their fuses. Two of Johan's team fell, their  screams slowly degenerating into gurgles and crunches.  As they ran out of the cave, Johan had his topside men trigger the charges.

            The rocky knob that served as the entrance to the cave collapsed in on itself in a shattering implosion that formed an oblong cavity.  Johan and his friends had their weapons at the ready waiting for the _thing_ to emerge. The strange ichor did ooze up into the cavity, which was then doused in a mixture of oil and gunpowder and set ablaze.

            It was looking into this smoldering pit, hearing the alien screeches of the dying thing, that Johan and his friends made an oath.  Never Again.  They did not know the extent of what they faced.  They did not understand exactly what they were up against.  But they knew they had to _fight_.

            In their research on the Shepard's Creek massacre, they had found stories of other missing towns, whole convoys vanishing,  piles of mysterious bones, and other such silent horrors.  It was more than could have been explained by Indian attack, battle, or people simply getting lost.  There was a distinct force that was preying on humanity, and these soldiers and scientists had stumbled onto it.

            For two weeks, they continued the examination of the area.   After that, they returned to Boston and continued their research.  Friends wrote to friends and quiet inquiries were made.  Arms, tools, and scientific instruments were slowly purchased as Johan's organization grew and took shape.

            Then in 1870, five years after the expedition to Shepard's Creek, the Willard Investigative Company opened its doors.  Like the Pinkerton Detective Agency, WIC, or the Company, as it is still called today, consisted of teams of private investigators hired out to businesses, municipalities, or citizens.

            Unlike the twenty year old Pinkerton investigators, the Company specialized in missing persons cases, specifically those of unusual circumstance or number.  The Company also prided itself on having the latest in technology to assist its investigations.  They were among the first to use electric lights, audio recorders, wireless radios, motion cameras, not to mention the advances in armaments over the years.

            One would like to hope that the Company held up its oath, that the intrepid teams of scientist-warriors met their foes and dispatched them while saving innocent lives. The truth is that all too often, brave teams of men willing to give their lives for this cause did.  In the archives, there are scores of failed missions.  Ones where every single man sent out was killed.

            When asked of the risks his men took, Johan, by now in his fifties, said that every creature that mutilated, raped, or killed humans, that was destroyed made the nation that much safer, that every cult of degenerates that worshiped these twisted beings that was broken up and dispatched, and that every piece of information gathered, made up for every death, widow, and orphan created when men did not return.

            Throughout the first  forty years of its existence, the Company was purely a reactive force.  It would only come to a town after people started to go missing or when the unspeakably mutilated bodies began to show up.  Only after people started to die would the Company come to town in one of its train-mounted mobile headquarters and laboratories.  

            Towards the middle of the second decade of the twentieth century, Company leadership decided to take a more informative role in their job.  It was felt that the truth would be too destructive.  There was a belief that the public would become irrevocably paranoid at the knowledge of what lurks in the shadows.  There was also the opinion that if humanity were to openly hunt its opposition, the horrors would respond in kind.

            Yet they still wanted to inform the public, to warn those that would listen about what could happen, to distribute the warning signs of a dangerous situation, and to tell others what they could do in the event of finding such a situation.

            The Company found a promising writer.  A young man familiar with the fledgling horror genre.  An author with the ability to descriptively and rationally describe horrific monstrosities.

            The thirty six year old Rhode Islander was intrigued by the trio of detectives that had entered his house.  The eldest flipping through admirably complete collections of _The Scientific Gazette_ and _The Rhode Island Journal of Astronomy_.  Both hectographed journals had been produced in his childhood and had been only released to his friends.  The detective also had copies of manuscripts, only one of which had been published, the rest of them had been sent to the writer's friends in correspondence.

            His indignation at having his privacy violated was tempered by his curiosity.  Who were these men and why did they seem so impressed and professional with his stories, especially _The Alchemist, The Mystery of the Graveyard, _and_ The Beast in the Cave_?  Reaching into his briefcase, the senior detective pulled out what looked to be several bound journals and handed them to the young New Englander.  The writer took them and started to read.  When he finished, he looked up at the grim faces of the three detectives and uttered six words: I think I can help you.

            It is of interesting note that in 1917  H.P Lovecraft changed not only the frequency of his writing, but the style as well.  What had been fragmentary collections of paragraph sized chapters like _The Mysterious Ship _or_ The Mystery of the Graveyard_, or equally short collections of thick paragraphs as in _The Little Glass Bottle _or_ The Secret Cave_, suddenly changed.

            Some who study Lovecraft's works would account this to his developing skills in his craft such his increasing potency in his use of a personal log style of writing.  He managed to convey horror not by simply stating the supernatural, but by having rational, learned people confront things from beyond the normal scope of man.

            Critical to this was a sense of reality, an impression that these impossible events and creatures were actually happening.  It would seem that Lovecraft excelled at the suspension of disbelief, a quality all the more necessary given his unusual subject matter.

            There are some who have suspicions as to the sources of his material.  There are those who will say that while there never was a Red Hook in New York City, there was an eerily similar cult in South-Boston.  

            There is also the matter of the Innsmouth Massachusetts.  Lovecraft writes of a "strange and secret" government investigation of the town in the winter of 1927-1928.  While it is true that there never was a federal intervention of that nature in the town's history, and equally true that said winter was quite uneventful, the spring of 1914 was another matter entirely.

            Municipal records account for a series of surprisingly large fees paid out to an undisclosed investigative company.  Local papers of the time also record of strangely disfigured bodies washing onto shore and being caught in fishermen's nets, not to mention strange explosions emanating to the North of the town.

            It is also true that many of the dread tomes he wrote of were purely fictions, books such as T_he Eltdown Shards, The Necronomicon,_ and _The Pnakotic Manuscripts_. However several of the tomes he wrote about can actually be found in certain universities and museums such as _De Vermis Mysteriis_ by Ludvig Prinn, _Nameless Cults_ by Friedrich von Junzt, and _Kryptographik_ by Johan Ludwig Kluber.

            Those of a rational bent will look at these and several other cases and simply point to coincidence and dedicated research on Lovecraft's part. However, there are others who believe that Lovecraft's own interest and research in these events are not enough to account for the depth of his knowledge.  These people enjoy pointing to arcane references made in Lovecraft's notes consisting of lists of three digit numbers, some of which consisted of five blocks.

            Of the meeting that took place in the spring of 1926, there is no mention, although the exact contents of that meeting could explain much.  According to Company records, the young author needed little encouragement.  He seemed delighted with this new source of information, and used it to it's fullest.  The security procedures were not a problem either.  Many of the event reports Lovecraft read were too dry or fragmentary to make entertaining short stories.  A good part of them were too gruesome even for _Weird_ _Tales,_ his preferred publication.  But the accounts did make an excellent point to start from.

            He seemed to think it a great jest to exchange elements of his "mythos" with those of other authors.  It was quite easy make a reference to a character or item that another writer had mentioned before, and another connection is made interlinking a great body of work.  Lovecraft entertained asking what _assistance_ his contemporaries received in their writing but always abstained, fearful of what the quiet, grim Company men would do if he violated their agreement.

                        When Lovecraft passed on in 1937, no attempt was made by the Company to replace him with another author. Lovecraft's creations still enjoyed their popularly, and often obscurity.  In the years following the author's death, the Company instead relied on rumors and reports that they themselves leaked as a form of specially tailored misinformation.

            For the first seventy years of it's existence, the Company had roughly the same methodology.  Its investigators continued to use the latest in technology and weaponry.  The Thompson machinegun and the Mills bomb, invented in 1915, it was the first safe (for the person throwing it) hand grenade, proved to be exceedingly useful.  

            More importantly however, developments in electrical machines, optics, photography, and biology allowed for the first comprehensive cataloging system of various enemy forces - the precursor of our current Pattern Identification System.  This version required over six hundred pounds of equipment and a team of four technicians and had  only a sixty percent accuracy.

The Company investigators in their charcoal suits resembled federal agents more than anything else.  Being mistaken for the G-men was something Company investigators were always willing to use to their advantage.

            Then the Second World War began to heat up.  In it's official capacity, the Company had little involvement in the Great War some years previous.  Some investigators were sent to France on the rumors of  Pattern Z's being loose in the trenches.  The rumors of the Hun's using undead warriors were just that.

            The Nazis were another matter.  Hitler's interest in the occult was matter of public record.  He sent troops on missions to the Holy Land looking for the chalice of Christ, the Lance of Longius, and pieces of the True Cross.  He also invested time researching German mysticism to lend credence to his eugenics and Aryan supremacy.  For a time he employed astrologers  to prophesize the strength and victories of his Thousand Year Reich, until he had them all killed for practicing the newly illegal, subversive, and Zionist trade of astrology.

            What was not known, what had been kept secret for now over sixty years, more closely than the German Nuclear Program and how near they were to having the Bomb, more than Japan's Unit 731, (a biological warfare research facility in occupied Manchuria that killed nearly a quarter of a million Chinese)...

             If the war had been prolonged a little bit longer, Germany could have had nuclear tipped V2's and the U-boats to launch them, Japan could have used its submersible mini-carriers to launch biological attacks on the cities of the American west coast. 

            Having Allied cities infected, irradiated, and vaporized were not the highest of risk.  More importantly were certain treaties being signed by the Axis powers.  Top spies in Germany had brought back information of certain alliances being made, rumors of pacts between the Nazis and –other powers.

             The War Department knew of one organization with the experience to help them deal with this threat.  The Company signed a contract with the United States military to provide "consulting on matters pertaining to specific enemy activities, to be defined as necessary, for the duration of the war."

            The Company trained investigative teams.  It was here that the Company changed from styling itself as a private investigative company to a paramilitary organization.  They had contact with the British Special Air Service, the American Ranger battalions, the Office of Strategic Services, and other such organizations.

            The war progressed and Allied Command deployed the Company trained, Army Special Investigative units with greater frequency, until the fall of  1943, when "activities of note" among the Germans decreased to nearly nothing.  This is not to say the ASI units  were idle.  

As territory was liberated, the scale of Nazi atrocities became all to clear.  The deathcamps were opened, the laboratories were shown, the endless piles of cataloged body parts were recorded, but not everything was shown to the public.  One such discovery that to this day remains hidden in an Army archive, is a cache of film canisters hidden in a root cellar found near the German-Austrian border.  They contain several hundred hours of footage of Nazi super-solider experiments.  It was their plan to create a hybrid species using transfusions and transplants.  

            The success of these experiments was well known to the ASI troopers, most had either fought or been called upon to catalog and dissect German soldiers of "unusual tenacity and constitution."

            As the war closed, the ASI units got the attention of their allies in Soviet Russia.  Stalin had formed the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs (NKVD) in 1936.  It was based on an older organization, the OGPU.  The NKVD were the secret police.  They answered only to Stalin himself and had no obligation to obey any standing civil laws.  This was the tool Stalin used for his purges of political opponents, mass arrests, and the elimination or exile of undesirables.

            The USSR was, and Russia still is, an immensely large country.  It is mostly wilderness and there are vast tracts of land to the east that are still unexplored.  It is a place where obscene numbers of people disappear frequently, and bodies are found with less frequency.  Upon learning of fascist relation with certain entities, Stalin, in his classic paranoia, feared the subversion of such entities in his country.

            A special department of the NKVD was created one to "combat those that seek to undermine the state and destroy the people regardless of their form and origin." They were not created to hid themselves from the public or control information.  The Soviet government had enough of that.  This department was made to maintain the secret from other government agencies and to place form one cohesive force specially trained to deal with the threat. 

            They would identify and eliminate any suspicion activity, and eliminate anybody at risk of contamination.  It was at their orders that farms were set on fire, towns shelled by artillery, and, whole swaths of land reduced to a moonscape.  When the NKVD was succeeded by the Committee for State Security (KGB)  in 1946, this department made a smooth transition and a permanent place among the "Sword and Shield of the Party".

            The war was over, but the enemy that the Company fought was still there.  The military reduced it's size, discharged men, and dismantled much of its armor, ships, and planes.  Most former ASI soldiers were approached by Company recruiters.  They were offered a job where they could apply the skills they had learned.  A very sizable fraction accepted.  Coupled with the generous fees they had collected during the war and the military surplus that allowed them to supply and equip this new personnel, the Company dramatically increased its power and influence.  Tripling the number of personnel and doubling the number of basses.

            Renaming itself Willard International Consulting, the Company became one of countless American firms that worked the occupied countries, helping with the reconstruction.  It was then that the Company moved it's headquarters from western Massachusetts to (what would later become the first Operations Centre) the outskirts of Topeka, Kansas. 

            The Company also changed it's overt method of operation.  Ostensibly an international consulting firm,  WIC called itself a government funded think-tank, defense contractor. It was a fitting cover.  What better way to explain the _special_ relationship the Company had with the US military than to have them working for them?

            To the general public, WIC was just another Northrop, Boeing, Harris, or Lockheed-Martian.  They were just one that specialized in integrating systems for military use.  It was WIC that developed the earliest methods for helicopter strategy and how to combine their abilities with existing military hardware.

            As a military contractor it was expected for the Company to have a working relationship with not only the military, but also with certain intelligence agencies. The secrecy their organization and employees operated under was also expected.

            This is not to say that the secret of the Company was never leaked.  That would be impossible given the size and age of the organization.  Ever since the latter quarter of the nineteenth century, roughly every decade or so some enterprising reporter broke the story of the Company.

            The newsman would tell a riveting story of mysterious agents that worked in for an agency that had no governmental oversight.  He would always mention the focused, almost robotic agents this organization had that, depending on the time period, wore grey suits, black dusters and fedoras, green molted fatigues, black on black suits, business casual wear, or black and grey counter-terrorism ninja suits.

            The reason none of these stories became earth shattering was how they could never bridge the gap between being obscure and boring, or outlandish and simply unbelievable.  The reporter either had a story on a military contractor that was conducting operations with the military in a vaguely illegal way, or a secretive paramilitary organization that had spent many, many years fighting eldritch horrors.

            The most credible story breaking the Company's true purpose sourced a full hour of video footage that was shot on October 12th  of 1973. This tape contained footage of Company agents eliminating a group of Pattern L's.  Unfortunately for the news team that had made the tape, they had questionable credibility going into this, and the media elites doubted the tape's authenticity.

            People in journalism have a sense that they understand how the world _really,_ works and when something shows up that challenges their views, they deny it's existence or try to discredit the source.  This is not just restricted to the paranormal.  

            Several networks did play the tape.  It made for good copy.  It had plenty of action and blood, and since it was not _real,_ there was less concern about it's highly graphic nature.  Instead of concentrating on what was on the tape, the media tried to find out what film studio was responsible for making this action sequence.  The networks eventually concluded that it was a publicity stunt pulled by a new special effects company that was trying to sell its name.

            It did not matter that this answer made little sense. The name of the special effects company was never mentioned.  No company was mentioned.  The uniforms of the soldiers bore no logos.  And no one took credit for the footage on the tape.

            It was still an answer. One that the media thought was  simple and easy enough for their viewers to grasp. Copies of this tape are still in circulation. In the end, the media's complacency, bias, and a refusal to acknowledge the existence of certain creatures was what protected the Company. 

            This is not to say that a sufficiently public event would not break the secret.  If a large attack conducted by clearly inhuman entices were to be captured by a news team and broadcast live, the secret would be out.  It might just be the secret of paranormal invaders fighting against humanity.

            That Willard International Consulting was one of the leading organizations that combated these _things_ might not break out.  An enterprising reporter could correlate the locations that WIC was active in with areas where paramilitary forces had fought such monsters.

            In the event of public knowledge of Pattern Registering Entities and the various human cults that support them, the Company would be more concerned with the opposition's reaction than their own cover. With their secrecy gone, certain opposition elements may decide to declare an open war on humanity.

            A sudden and worldwide surge in nonhuman activity is one of several scenarios that the Company has developed contingency plans for.    This was one of the main reasons that WIC had cultivated a close relationship with not just the United States military, but other organizations as well.

            Much like it's training of Army Special Investigative teams during the Second World War, the Company is currently involved in providing information, training, and weapons designs to conventional military forces.  

            One of the most critical devices the Company sells and licenses out  are their pattern scanners.  These devices are the culmination of decades and decades of data taken on thousands of missions. 

            Their most popular model is the Nordstar series personal mount that is under five pounds and has a headset-mounted viewing picture. The Company also has their Ostar series of vehicle- and base-mount long range scanners. This technology is only sold to the governments and organizations that the Company has had a long standing and friendly relationship with. However if the need arose, such devices could easily be mass produced.

            Recently, the Company has given a small number of their  inter-dimensional jammers to an Air Force working group.  The threat posed to a extremely mobile enemy was described in a RAND Corporation, WIC, and NORAD study entitled: Reactions and Countermeasures to Multiple-Point Invasion of Unusual Means and Penetration. For brevity this study was referred to as Rack Pump.

            Like many papers of it's kind, such as those detailing the appropriate US response _after_ a nuclear exchange with the Soviet Union, it was mostly speculation and some educated guesses.  Naturally, WIC provided the hard evidence and potential technology for the report, the NORAD team observed the problem from a Command and Control Perspective, and the RAND team developed a way to implement the planned system.

            Behind the jargon, Rack Pump was simply the US response to a coordinated attack perpetrated by an enemy with access to... teleportation or some other ability which allowed them to bypass conventional defenses.

            Currently, the Company maintains its stance war against various enemies of humanity.  Among the private organizations and government agencies that share the same field as Willard International Consulting there is a sense of urgency.  Sightings of and crimes committed by Pattern Registering Entities was on the rise, and membership in cults that assist them had also increased.

            Theories as to what this means are diverse and often conflicting.  The general consensus is that the opposition has gotten sick of being hunted and executed by mere humans and that they are planning a massive counter attack.  Whatever it is, the Company is the organization best equipped to handle it.

            Preparations are underway.  This includes the construction of a new facility in the Toronto metropolitan area, attempts to expand their alliances, and increasing the number of archaeological digs they conduct on early-human and pre-human civilizations. Willard International Consulting will go to any length to ensure that humanity is not destroyed.

Disclaimer:  Willard International Consulting is my own creation. However within it's history, methodology, and culture are nods to several other sources.  Of historical note are a few novels written by Dean Koontz (think of what happened in Shepard's Creek), the creative works and life of H.P. Lovecraft, and a few books by Steven King. 

Inspiration for the Company itself comes from numerous places:  Tom Clancy's Rainbow organization,  NERV, MIB, the Hellsing Institute, the Centre,  The Shop from _Firestarter_, and Stargate Command.

Prereaders for this are Wray, Joe Fenton, and Jakub.


	8. Chapter 7 Response and Recruitment

Chapter 7 Response and Recruitment

            Ranma looked at her parents. Her mother was wearing a white lab coat that almost certainly had a firearm concealed within it. Her father was maintaining a surprising level of composure. The man was only fidgeting slightly, and he remained fairly silent.

            "Now husband, is this your idea of raising a 'man among men' ?" Nodoka asked in a cold, mostly dead voice. "Look at her!" she then shouted as one of her hands dropped to her waist.

            "It was the Drake's idea," Genma replied.

            "With a name like Sunshine, I have no doubt. I told you that man was a bad influence. He's an irresponsible lunatic," Major Saotome said flatly.

            "I was simply trying to get the engagement to work," Genma defended. He was still off kilter. He had not expected his wife to simply walk into the kitchen and sit him down.  And now their son was here. It was almost as if it was planned, as if events were choreographed... but that was absurd.

            "I'm amazed that you haven't screwed that up as well," Nodoka said as she narrowed her eyes. At least Kasumi was a good Company girl, and she had a fair deal in common with Ranma.

            "What's going on?" Ranma asked. "I didn't expect you to be back so soon," the redhead was still in her improved Furinkan High School uniform.

            Genma's eyes widened with realization. Ranma had found her mother and told her that they were at Soun's place.

            "Before Genma took you, he wrote and signed an agreement. Basically it stated that if he failed to make you into a 'man among men,' you'd commit suicide. This was supposed to make me feel better about the abduction?"

            "That's insane!" Ranma cried. She then turned to her father. "You were under that agreement, and you still put me in school as a girl. What the hell is wrong with you?"

            "It was for your own good," Genma said as his eyes tracked the exits. His friend Soun had left the room, but Kasumi had entered the hallway that lead to the kitchen. He did not see her move nor did he hear her arrival, but he had more pressing concerns than the observation of Ranma's fiancee.

            "Now, Genma I'm giving you a chance to make things right," Nodoka said as she reached into her coat. The steel machine she pulled out, while placed softly on the table, still made a heavy metallic clunk. Nodoka then pulled back letting the firearm complete her statement for her.

            Genma looked at the gun. He blinked. It was still there. The bore of the weapon stared back at him. He knew that the backdoor was behind him. Escape was still an option.

            Ranma shook her head; stupid Company theatrics. Her mother could not be serious. If she really wanted him dead, she would have just shot him. The Company had no problems with disposing of bodies. The demoness then turned to see Kasumi alertly watching everything. The agent's hand was on her weapon and she seemed ready to draw.

            "Genma!" Nodoka shouted, getting her husband's attention. "I'm giving you a chance to take the easy way out," she then said in a much friendlier voice.

            Genma looked at the gun then at his wife. Putting his left hand on the table, he took a couple deep breaths. The man then leapt to his feet, knocking his chair over in the process. He then spun around and ran to the back door, which he tore open and dove through. Genma then sprinted across the back lawn and disappeared into the forest that surrounded the property.

            Nodoka sighed and holstered her sidearm. She then pulled out a cell phone and flipped it open. Nodoka entering a speed dial number and establishing a connection. "We have a runner. Stage one complete. Yes, I'd like to be picked up,"

            "What just happened?" Ranma asked.

            "Oh nothing Dear, just a little training exercise," Major Saotome said as she got up.

            "You're going to have a bunch of agents after him," Ranma observed.

            "Of course I will. We have to make sure he's not working for the enemy," the woman said to her daughter in a soothing voice.

            "What are you going to do to him?" Ranma inquired. She was just starting to think that these guys might not be so bad.

            "Nothing too damaging I'd suspect. Chemical means can extract just about anything now," Nodoka mused with what seemed to be disappointment in her voice.

            Ranma blinked, her eyes felt a bit strange. "And now what are you going to do?"

            "I'm going back to WIC Toronto-A. The Commander wants to speak with me." The woman then turned to the Operations agent. "Lieutenant, please make sure my son doesn't do anything rash."

            Kasumi nodded and turned her attention to Ranma. "Please don't make this difficult."

            "Why would I do that? I'm still angry at the stupid oaf for this Sunshine crap. If a few Company goons are gonna dope him just to find out what bars he stole from, why should I care?" Ranma said in a muted tone. Her mind was distracted. It seemed like Nodoka wanted to have Genma's death be payment for her absence in Ranma's life.

            Kasumi smiled at this. Ranma was taking that event most well. She then left the room. It would not do to watch the redhead, and if she really wanted to go there was little Kasumi was allowed to do to stop her.

            The lieutenant's concerns were unnecessary. Ranma sat at the table for a few minutes before going up to her room.

            "Stupid trees," Genma mumbled as he dodged another branch. He had been on the run for about ten minutes. His plan was to spend the hiding somewhere, a place that preferably had a bar, and then come back in the morning. By that time his wife would have either left or calmed down and Genma would have a fool-proof explanation, one that would prevent her from taking out that gun. He almost wished his wife had brought that damn sword of hers instead.

            Before any of that could happen, he would have to get out of this forest. His eyes widened when he saw the end of the trees ahead. A few seconds after that he was able to make out an asphalt centered cut in the woods. He knew there was a road behind Soun's house. The martial artist's elation was cut short when he felt a pair of strange pains flare in his chest. His pace staggered and he found it hard to concentrate.

            Agent Morrison paused just long enough to confirm his visual. Immediately afterward he depressed the trigger. He then watched the projectile make contact with the target. His partner had fired another shot. It too made contact. They waited for the target to go down before the approached the body.

            From his position, Genma saw two shapes from just before the tree-line rise up. Their outlines were somewhat humanoid, but they were broken up by a strange mesh of leaf litter and other debris. They had weapons aimed at him.

            "Bishop One to King. We have the pawn," Lieutenant Patterson said after confirming that the target was breathing, unconscious, hooded, and that his arms and legs had been properly secured. The shackles on the man were rated for Class 4 and under. The agents were sure they would hold for a human.

            "This is King. Acknowledged Bishop. Rook is ETA in six. Repeat. Rook in six," the voice responded in Patterson's and Morrison's headsets. The senior agent then turned to the road. All they had to do know was wait for the van to stop at the side of the road and load their cargo onto it.

            Genma's vision swam into focus. Or at least it tried to. The room he was in was bright, far too bright. Several lights were pointed at him. Behind them he could see several shadows moving around that might have been people. The martial artist then noticed that he was strapped into the chair he was sitting in. Even his hands and feet were rendered immobile. He closed his eyes and tried to gather his thoughts but he found the process sluggish.

            "Ahhh, you are awake now? Very interesting," a voice with a strange clipped accent said. Genma tried to twist his head to see who was talking but he could only turn it a few degrees.

            "I apologize for inconvenience," the voice said emphasizing the G in the second word. "But we must be ... certain that you will be... cooperative," the man said, pausing as if to remember the correct word.

            Genma was sure it was a man now, and possibly a European man. He listened as the voice from behind him said a few sentences in some language. He recognized the words "Hans" and "und." The words "Königin" and "Pfandgegenstand" were particularly odd and stuck in Genma's mind.

             "Now my friend, we will talk. Yes?" the voice from behind Genma asked in a jovial voice.

            Genma froze when he saw the needle. It was being held in a nondescript man's hand.

            "Again, I apologize, but it is your fault. If you hadn't run from us all those years ago. Why did you have to take your son Gendo?" the man asked.

            "That's not my name," the martial artist said trying to break out of his bonds.

            The interrogator simply laughed.

            "Well, that was disappointing," Jacob remarked after he finished watching the recording. He was in Stillwater's office in WIC Toronto-A

            "At least we've confirmed that the man knows nothing relevant to our plans," the commander replied. "The Major should be pleased at the other things we learned."

            "Unless Genma has had his mind worked over before," Jacob pointed out. The interrogation had gone by the book and their subject was already released, but something nagged at his mind.

            "If that's the case then he would have been useless anyway. It also served as good training. I see that Captain Jarvis has gotten more skilled with information retrieval."

            "But that god awful accent?"

            Stillwater smiled slightly. "Other than English, German was the only language all the agents involved spoke. We had to give Genma the impression that we got the wrong man. I thought the Captain's acting was quite good."

            "Okay, he did pull that off rather well," Jacob conceded. "I also like that rum spray idea. What about Major Saotome's wishes?"

            "They'll be granted for now," Stillwater stated.

            Genma woke up to the sound of wind brushing through leaves and distant traffic. With a headache that normally accompanied the darkest kind of hangovers, Genma pulled himself upright. He fought off vertigo as he tried to take his bearings. He found himself sitting in a gully in a lightly wooded glen. Looking at the sun, he guessed that it was still early morning.

            Stumbling, the man made his way towards where he heard the cars. Genma soon found himself at the edge of a paved road. As Genma followed the asphalt path, his mind slowly cleared. Eventually he arrived at a familiar intersection and made his way back to Soun's place.

            While he walked back, Genma considered what had happened to him the previous night. His memories were jumbled and confused, but he knew that his wife had found him and he had been abducted by some strange people, foreign men who thought he was some Gendo character.

            "Where's Pops?" Ranma asked as she got into the kitchen. "Didn't he come back last night?"

            "I haven't seen him," Soun said with only a hint of concern. Genma normally ran off when faced with a difficult decision. It was how his friend got time to think things over.

            Ranma then turned to Kasumi who was brewing coffee.

            The agent shrugged at the seifuku-clad redhead. Kasumi then turned to the front of the house. She had heard the sound of an approaching car. "It sounds like we have guests," the young woman observed as she walked towards the front door.

            "Oh hello, Mrs. Saotome," Kasumi said respectfully as she opened the door.

            "At ease young lady," Nodoka smiled. "Has my husband shown up yet?" she  asked. She hoped that the agents were not too rough on him.

            "Wait mom? You don't know where he is?" Ranma asked skeptically.

            "No I don't," Major Saotome replied honestly.

            Ranma was not sure how to respond to that so she changed the subject. There was something else that was nagging on her mind, something that had not let her sleep. It kept circling in her head.

"Mother, I have a question. It's about that girl that I turned."

            "Really what?" Nodoka asked.

            "I think that's Genma," Kasumi said, interrupting her fiance while pointing at a disheveled figure that had just come into view.

            "We'll talk later," Nodoka assured her daughter.

            "What the hell happened to him?" Ranma asked as she walked over to her father.

            "Looks like he's been drinking," Nodoka observed. "He used to do this back when we were living with each other."

            Ranma held her tongue but she wanted to know how often her mother threatened her father.

            "He certainly smells like it," Kasumi noted once they had gotten close enough to smell the odor wafting off of the man.

            "Nodoka, you won't believe what happened to me!" Genma cried. He then spoke in a hurried pace. "I was running through the woods and I had gotten abducted by these angry Germans. They thought I was this Gendo guy, so they drugged me and asked me all these weird questions. Then they found out I wasn't him so they dropped me off in a ditch out in the woods."

            "Definitely been drinking," Nodoka noted.

            "I was not!"

            "You were drunk dear, you probably hallucinated the whole thing," the elder Company agent said, her voice darkening at the word dear. "Remember the day after our third anniversary. You disappeared for a week and when you came back you swore you had been kidnapped by aliens."

            "This is different! I wasn't drunk this time!"

            "I'm sure it is," Nodoka sighed. "Now if you don't mind I have something to discuss with our son." Her eyes then narrowed. "I'm planning on talking to you afterwards. Don't leave."

            "So what do you want to talk about?" Nodoka asked after Ranma had closed the door to her bedroom.

            The redhead sighed and sat down on the bed. Nodoka noticed that the girl's fishnet-stocking-encased legs were held together at the knees. At least Ranma had enough sense to do that; that purple skirt of hers was very short. Beyond a miniskirt, it was a micro-mini. The older woman shook her head and sat down next to her child. The seifuku was very racy, but at least she was wearing a uniform. Some demonesses found clothing restrictive.

            "I've done something horrible," Ranma finally admitted as she made eye contact with her mother.

            Nodoka paused. What was her son admitting to? With her demonic body it could be any number of things. Keeping her voice clear and free of distress, the major asked Ranma what she had done.

            "It's about that demon girl you saw me with. After I well... made her, I ignored her."

            Nodoka nodded. She had noticed the cold shoulder Ranma gave her minion in Operations Centre Three.

            The redhead sighed, and looked at her modified Furinkan High School girl's uniform. "I'm only now starting to realize how inappropriate that was. All she wanted was some attention, but I was too afraid."

            "It's okay," Nodoka soothed as she put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Do you have any idea what you should do?"

            "Yes," Sunshine Saotome said, staring at the wall. "But I'm not sure if I can go through with it."

            "You have to do what you think is right," the agent advised. "No matter the price," she then added somewhat to herself.

            Hikaru Gosunkugi waited in the hallway. His eyes narrowed when he saw Rod approach.

            "You have the translation?" Rod Ferris asked, grinning slyly.

            Gos sighed and held up a rewritable compact disc.

            Ferris quickly pocketed the jewel case stored media. "Isn't technology grand?"

            Gos simply shrugged.

            "What are you afraid I'm wearing a wire?" Rod inquired. "Never mind. My associates are much appreciative of this token."  
            Gos looked the other teen in the eye and walked past him.

            Rod smirked and walked off in the opposite direction.

            Two floors above this exchange another was taking place.

            "Mistress, what's going on?" Nariko asked after Sunshine locked the door to the Drake's office. The principal was kind enough to allow them to talk privately in the room.

            "I have something to confess. Ever since I made you I've been treating you badly," Sunshine said, looking at the other demoness.

            "That's not true."

            "Yes, it is. I've done nothing but treat you like dirt." Sunshine said, using a decorative Canadian beer themed mirror to study her reflection. "Normally, that'd be fine but you are my responsibility, and it's time I owned up to it."

            "So what are you planning?" Nariko asked, expectantly.

            "Nothing like that," Sunshine responded, sternly. "The thought of being romantically involved with you repulses me, and it's not just because you were once male."

            "What then mistress?"

            "I spawned you," the redhead said while gazing into her violet flecked blue eyes. "I'm your mother. That's why I can't be romantic with you, why it repulses me so much, but I can still love you as a parent. I have to take care of my child," Sunshine admitted haltingly. It was a strange concept to the redhead, but her mother had provided good advice.

            Nariko blinked. "Mistress? Mother?" The black and violet haired demon did find that concept appealing. The demoness before her had given her life.

            "Yeah, that's it," Sunshine said as she turned to face the other girl. It was then that she felt the bond between them. It was the connection between an elder demon and one of her children. From that link she felt the absolute loyalty and devotion that Nariko had for her. The desire for affection that had repulsed her so much was now in a completely different light. "I'm sorry," Sunshine said after her realization.

            "Mommy!" Nariko shouted as she bounded over to the other demoness. She then embraced the slightly taller girl.

            Sunshine tensed at first but then she returned the hug. This was not some girl that was hitting on her this was her flesh and blood. Nariko sighed happily, enjoying the sense of security and protection that her mother gave off.

            The redhead looked down at... her daughter. It was hard to accept, but it was the truth. She sighed and hugged her child tighter.

            "I love you Momma," Nariko said, happily.

            Sunshine paused. She decided to go with her gut. "I love you, too," she said as she stroked her daughter's hair. The redhead then kissed Nariko on her forehead. It was the simple loving kiss of a mother to her child. If Sunshine had turned to the mirror she would have seen her eyes briefly flare purple before turning back to blue with an increased density of violet flecks.

            Two school girls were walking back to their apartment complex. They were both dressed in the fuku of Furinkan High School. One had fairly short blue hair and the other had longer, shoulder length, auburn locks.

            "Well, that physics club was a bust," the somewhat taller girl observed sourly.

            "They weren't that geeky," the other girl countered.

            "Yes Ami, they were, but that's not why I'm disappointed. They're not doing anything. Back in Cheyenne, our physics club actually made things. These guys go to competitions where they regurgitate physics trivia. That's interesting but eventually you have to do something with what you've learned," Janet stated.

            "What'd you guys do?" Ami asked. Janet had shown her blueprints and photos of some of the machines that she had built.

            "Mostly fighting robots."

            "Maybe they can do that too," Ami suggested.

            "I doubt it. Those guys don't even have a work shop," Janet countered sadly.

            Ami shrugged. She then looked at the convenience store that they were about to pass. "You mind if we go in? I have to pick up some orange juice."

            "Okay." The two girls then crossed the small parking lot. Only Janet paid particular attention to the small puce-colored Honda that had pulled into the far end of the lot.

            "Come on Davis. We have a meeting to get to, and I for one don't want to be late," the man in the passenger seat said.

            "Sorry Mitch, I'm hungry," the driver countered. "It'll be a simple in and out. Just another dead 7-11 clerk. Not only will we get fed, but we'll have some spending money."

            "It's broad daylight though," Mitch stated.

            "Are you afraid of some clerk? We can take him out before he has a chance to do anything. Anyone else in there's a bonus," Davis stated. He then opened his door and stepped out of the car ending the discussion.

            Mitch shrugged and followed his associate.

            Janet was browsing the snack aisle when she saw two average looking men walk up to the clerk's counter. They were dressed in black and dark blue sweats and looked like a pair of college students stopping in for a quick snack, a fresh pack of smokes, or a case of beer. She then watched as one distracted the clerk by asking for some lottery tickets, while the other moved his arm towards the man behind the counter.

            A lead-filled sap hit the shopkeeper, and he fell to the ground. The taller of the two guys leaped over the counter and pried open the register. The other then pulled a pair of large revolvers. The guns were stainless steel and polished until they shined brightly.

            "Okay everyone! This is a holdup!" the armed man shouted to the handful of patrons in the mini-mart. "I'm sure you all know the deal. Keep them high were I can see them, and I'm sure you'll be home before diner." he said in a reasonable sounding voice. Davis smiled inwardly. Humans were so much like cattle, a few soothing words and they would ignore the man with the maul.

            Janet did not have her hands up. She went down just after the clerk did. There was a chance that the robbers were simply that. However, it was also a large coincidence that they attacked the one store that had a Sailor Senshi in it.

            Even if the two men were human, they were still criminals. Janet knew what she had to do. Normally, she would have drawn her weapon and taken them out right now, but there were too many witnesses and she had to maintain her cover.

            Staying down, she went to the back of the store. The girl hoped to find a bathroom, or some other place she could change without being seen. Janet did not see her friend Ami and hoped that she was okay.

            Janet quickly found herself in the dog-legged hallway that lead to the stockrooms and a pair of bathrooms. "God damn it," the girl quietly swore when she found out the door to the women's room locked.

            Ami had taken to leaving her Mercury Computer on and in scan mode. She knew she was being paranoid, but the precaution made her feel safer. It paid off, when in the beverage aisle her computer started to beep. Recognizing the tone, she glanced around the store. Her gaze fell on a pair of men that had just entered the store. She calmly made her way to the back. If things turned bad, she wanted the ability to do something about it.

            Ami was in the small women's bathroom when she heard one of the men start to shout out orders. Even if they were simple criminals she had a duty to stop them, especially with Janet still out there. She locked the door.

            "Mercury Crystal Power. Make Up!" Ami shouted, activating her Super Sailor Mercury form. Having the transformation sequence occur in such a small space made for an unusual spectacle.

            After the lights died down, Sailor Mercury turned to see someone try to turn the room's door knob. It turned slightly before meeting resistance. Mercury then heard a familiar girl's voice on the other side of the door swear.

            The magical girl blinked, and walked over to the door her in knee-high, high-heeled boots. If Janet was in danger, she had to help her. Mercury unlatched the door and popped it open.

            Janet's reaction to the sudden appearance of a Pretty Sailor-Suited Warrior of Love and Justice was puzzling to Mercury. "Oh, good looks like I'll have some help," Janet stated after pausing to look at the Sailor Senshi.

            Mercury then watched as Janet shrugged off her backpack and pulled a weapon from behind her back. As her eyes tracked the length of the metal object, puzzlement crossed her face. The auburn-haired girl then held both her hands, one over the other, on the grip of the handle.

            Mercury stared in amazement at what happened next. Janet smiled as she thrust the large gold and silver inlayed hunting knife upward. Several points of white light flared on the auburn-haired girl's forehead. They formed a somewhat hourglass-shaped figure. The "belt" of the figure consisted of three points that formed a slanted line. She then shouted, "Orion Constellation Power. Make Up!"

             Bright green and purple light swirled around the girl as her clothing dissolved. The etchings on the double edged blade of her knife flared to life and the edged itself began to glow a golden color. As Orion started to twist the weapon, the handle on it began to grow in length.

            A white body hugging garment that was very familiar to Mercury appeared on Orion's body. As that happened, the purple light split into three parts. One went to her waist and formed a pleated, white-trimmed, light purple miniskirt. The middle went to her chest and formed a similarly colored collar. The last divided and went to her arms forming purple-trimmed elbow-length white gloves.

            The green light then divided into three streamers. The first two hit her chest and the back of her waist. They formed big almost neon green bows. The third went to her feet and formed a pair of light green two and a half inch high-heeled pumps.

            The girl continued to twirl her weapon around. Its silvery handle, now over three feet long, continued to elongate.

            Jewelry then flashed into place. A white choker appeared around her neck. On the front of it was a diagram of a familiar constellation. The stars were represented using diamonds and the lines connecting them were done in gold filaments sewn into the material. Her earrings were bright green eight-pointed stars. A golden tiara then appeared. Set in its center was an Alexandrite, a gem that seemed to change from light blue to dark purple depending on how the light hit it.

            Her hair was then styled slightly. It was still center-parted and shoulder length. But now it looked like it was freshly cleaned and brushed, making her auburn tresses shine. Makeup that was slightly lighter than Ami's in intensity then formed into place.

            By now, her weapon was no longer a simple knife but a glaive-like object. Its shaft, nearly six feet in length, was topped on either end by a long double-edged blade.

            "I'm glad I finally found another one," the auburn-haired, apparently magical, girl said as she adjusted her bladed staff and made her way forward.

            Mercury blinked at the other sailor-suited girl. "Sailor Orion?" She had never heard anything about Senshi of constellations.

            "Yeah," the other girl nodded. "Come on, let's do this," Orion said quietly as she carefully approached the corner with her staff pointed forward and slightly inclined. While staying low, she used one of the polished blades from her staff as a mirror to check on the location of the two enemies.

            With her free hand, Orion pointed at Mercury and then moved the hand so that it was horizontal. She then lowered the hand. Orion then pointed  right. Mercury nodded in understanding. The other girl wanted her to crouch down and go around the store with her.

            The two girls moved out. Janet had halved the distance between the bathroom and register, when Mitch turned to look at the movement in the corner of his eye.

            "No, not a Senshi," Mitch sighed as he gripped his weapon.

            With her cover blown Sailor Orion stood to her full height. "Convenience stores are for quick transactions involving overpriced commodities. They are not a harvesting ground for monstrous bastards. In the name of Orion, you will be destroyed," the Senshi announced in a cold voice as her eyes narrowed.

            "Davis help!" Mitch cried, redundantly. His partner already had his guns trained on the green and purple Sailor Senshi.

            Mercury positioned her hands and with a shout of "Mercury Aqua Rhapsody," fired at the creature. Her eyes widened. It was too late. He had gotten off a couple of shots.

            Sailor Orion's thoughts were carefully controlled. This was what she had practiced for. There was no time for second guesses, she had to act now. Assuming that Mercury was covering her, Orion leaped at the shorter of the two enemies. In an efficient motion she rotated the forward blade of her weapon through the target.

            Mitch screamed as his left arm was sliced off at the elbow. His eyes then tracked the girl in front of him rotate her staff while increasing its pitch. He caught a glimpse of a blade heading for his neck.

            Just before the other Senshi's blast connected, Davis watched his partner's decapitation. Davis did not even have the satisfaction of hitting the girl. Poorly aimed, his shots hit nothing but the dairy section.

            "You okay?" Orion asked as she warily looked at the two piles of ash.

            "Yeah," Mercury replied.

            "I didn't think it'd be so fast," Orion commented.

            "We should get going."

            "Just let me get my bag," Orion said as she dashed to the restroom hallway, careful to not step into the growing pools of spilt milk.

            Mercury followed her after she realized that she too had left her own book bag there.

            "Where are you staying?" Sunshine asked her daughter as they walked down a subterranean corridor in WIC Toronto-A. The Company was more than happy to give the girls a ride from Furinkan to their facility.

            "With father," Nariko stated.

            "How is he taking this? You're not having trouble with him?"

            "No, he seems to be okay with it. Unnerved but okay. I'm just glad my sister is still away. I don't know how she'd handle it," Nariko admitted leaning on the other girl as they turned left at an intersection. "What about your parents?"

            "My father's clueless. He wouldn't understand anyway, and my mother's an agent."

            "Oh, and what does she think of me?"

            "That's what I'm about to find out," The redhead sighed as she knocked on a door.

            "Come in," an older female voice said. Major Saotome then looked at the two girls in the hallway. One was her son the other...

            "Is this my granddaughter?" the agent asked, her tone becoming somewhat puzzled at the last word.

            "Yes. Nariko Saotome, this is my mother Nodoka Saotome," Ranma introduced.

            "Saotome?" Nodoka asked.

            "Well, she is my daughter," the redhead shrugged. "I'm going to ask Jacob if he can change her name again."

            Nodoka looked over the demon girl. She had been cleared by Command and turned by her son. It was strange, but what part of her life was not? She then smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Please come in. I apologize for the mess, but I just moved in," Nodoka then turned to see a woman bounding over to her.  
            "Grandma!" Nariko shouted with glee as she hugged the lab-coated woman.

            Ranma smiled, amused that this time she was not on the receiving end.

            The older woman returned the girl's embrace. The girl seemed so eager and affectionate.

            Ranma looked around the lab. Smaller than the one her mother had in WIC Japan, the room was filled with crates and boxes. Some of them were open, their contents stacked on the counters and floor. "You got your transfer?"

            "Yes, I wanted to be closer to my family," Nodoka said as her eyes fell on her granddaughter.

            "Nariko-chan was born a boy named Tatewaki Kuno. He had a thing for Sunshine and Akane." Ranma explained as she told her mother how she had gotten a daughter.

            "I wanted both of them," a blushing Nariko interrupted.

            Three generations of Saotome women were in the commissary eating a light snack. At least Nodoka's portions were light. Ranma's were slightly larger - and Nariko had already surpassed both.

            "She's been doing this for a while now," Ranma said after chastising her daughter for eating too fast. Normally, she would not care, but she wanted Nariko to have some restraint in front of her grandmother.

            "She's a growing girl," Nodoka said with amusement. _This was perfectly natural for young demons.  They grow rather fast in the first few months, _the agent thought to herself.

            "Sorry," Nariko said after taking a drink of water.

            "Excuse me," a female Company agent said as she walked up to their table.

            Ranma tuned to look at the woman. It was the communications agent who was in the mobile command center.

            "Miss Nariko, your father is here," Maya Iverson stated.

            "I guess I should be going then," Nariko said sadly.

            Ranma looked at the girl's expression and sighed "I'll call you when I get back. Okay?"

            Nariko's face brightened. She then turned and followed agent Iverson out the commissary.

            "So what do you think?" Ranma asked once Nariko had left the room.

            "I'm very proud of you. You had a very tough decision, but you made the right choice."

            Nodoka's daughter nodded.

            "Just remember being a parent is a lot of responsibility. She may look like a teenager, but she's really very young."

            "I know," Ranma said. "I'm not sure what I've gotten into, but I couldn't ignore her. God, all she wanted was some affection from the person that created her, but I was too repulsed by what I had done to treat her like a person." Ranma's head was down and she could feel her eyes beginning to tear up. She had kept her emotions in check for so long, only to lose control now.

            Nodoka put her hand on her child's shoulder. "What's important is that you came around now, and you're giving her the love she needs. The worst thing that can be done to a child is to take away her parent. That's what I did to you. I'm sorry."

            "It's okay," Ranma said, returning the gesture to her mother.

            "I did everything I could to try and find you. It just took so long," Nodoka confessed.

            The redhead slid herself closer to her mother and hugged the woman. "I know mom. I know you're trying your best."

            Nodoka returned the hug and smiled slightly. "I think your own daughter knows that you're doing the same."

            "I don't remember there ever being Constellation Senshi," Luna said from her perch on the kitchen table. Three girls and two moon cats were having a meeting to discuss what Ami had seen.

            "You didn't remember DarkStar either," Usagi countered.

            "What did you do after the fight?" Minako asked Ami.

            "Well Janet looked at her watch and ran off."

            "Does she know who you are?" Artemis asked.

            "I didn't tell her my name, but I was the only one missing and I picked up my book bag."

            "There's also the hair color," Ami idly remarked.

            "Makoto and Rei are going to wish they hadn't gone to the video store," Usagi commented, referring to the two absent senshi.

            "So what should we do?"

            "I scanned her. The results were very close to a Sailor Senshi signature."

            "So she's a new Senshi? Wouldn't be the first we've met in Canada," Minako stated.

            "And she seems to be more of a Sailor Senshi than this DarkStar," Luna noted.

            "We should ask Pluto about Senshi of constellations and then talk to Janet herself," Usagi said.

            Akane was taking her after school jog. Her mind was mulling over today's events. She had seen her sister's fiancee hugging that new girl Nariko. At first she thought that Ranma had a girlfriend and was into some sort of weird lesbian sex. Further inspection showed that the body language was wrong for a romantic embrace.

            It was more like the two girls were sisters, or at least very close friends. Upon further reflection the girl found something wrong with her assumption. There was something about how the redhead had been talking to the other girl, something that Akane felt should have been obvious.

            Asking Ranma proved to be no help. The redhead stated that they were close friends and dismissed all further inquiries. Frustrated, Akane went jogging. Initially, it was successful at preventing her from obsessing over it, but then Akane had an epiphany.

            The reason she did not recognize Ranma's stature and tone initially was because of how absurd it was. The conversation Akane overhead was like that between a parent and child. It did not make sense. Granted a person could take a protective stance over a friend, but what Ranma had been doing was eerie.

            This realization only spawned new questions. These were much more urgent than the initial one. What did she really know about Ranma? Why didn't the curse bother Kasumi? Why did Kasumi keep taking Ranma with her to work?

            Akane pondered, but was not able to solve anything. There was a missing piece. Her thoughts were interrupted by what felt like an insect biting her left hip. She slapped the spot and continued running.

            After a couple more paces, the girl's legs began feeling numb. Her left foot then failed to land properly, and she tumbled off the shoulder and into the drainage ditch that ran next to the road.

            The driver in a passing green van saw the body, pulled over, and stopped. What looked like a pair of good Samaritans got out of the vehicle, checked to make sure that the girl was alive, and then placed a quick call using a cell phone. After carefully loading the girl into the back of the van, they drove off.

            In the suburb of Vaughan off exit thirty-four of Canadian Highway 400 was a small light industrial park that had recently come under new ownership. Parked inside one of the small warehouses in the lot was a green van.

           The warehouse was deserted. After parking the two people in the van carried their package into an adjacent building. What had originally been the office space for a custom machine shop had been redecorated in manner Spartan, yet plush. It looked like someone with fine taste was building up their furnishings in stages.

            "Mistress, we have her," the van's driver called out while gently placing the teenage girl on the room's thick burgundy carpeting. She immediately averted her gaze from the woman standing before her.

            "Excellent, you have done well, Laura," Mistress Alexia said after she confirmed that the stock was not unduly damaged. With mid-back length curly blonde hair, dark green eyes, tanned skin, and an erotically proportioned six foot tall body, the woman looked imposing, sexy, and very, very cold. This was accentuated by her long blood-red nails, her leather ankle-high, five-inch-heeled boots, her pieces of gold and ivory jewelry, and her green-trimmed black leather dress. The garment was low cut and hung from a pair of shoulder straps, and was secured down the front center by a series of small gold buckles.

            She knelt down and removed all of the girl's clothing. Alexia swung one of her legs over the girl's body so that she straddled the unconscious teen. The blonde then smirked as her canines elongated and her eyes began to glow. Alexia's teeth pierced the teenager's neck. She summoned her power and started to remake the teenager.

            "So you're all Senshi?" Sailor Orion asked the five girls seated in front of her. The six teenage girls were in the living room of the apartment the inner Senshi shared.

            "Yes," Sailor Moon responded.

            "Thank God I'm not alone," Orion sighed. "We're all stellar or astronomical objects, interesting. Are there more of you?"

            "Yes there's a few more of us back in Japan," Moon stated.

            "Any of them named after constellations?"

            "None that we know of," Mercury replied. "So you don't know any other Senshi?"

            "Nope, you're the first I've met."

            "So how'd you get your powers, Janet?" Venus inquired.

            "A couple months ago, I had a weird dream. In it a man wearing old fashioned hunting clothes asked if I would be his avatar. I said yes. When I woke up I found this under my pillow," Orion said patting her double bladed staff. "Of course it wasn't this big then," the auburn-haired girl laughed.

            "I guess we can change back," Mars said.

            Orion shrugged and powered down. Her weapon shrank back down to a silver and gold hunting knife. "Damn, that's still cool," Janet laughed.

            After transforming out of Senshi form, Usagi looked over the girl. Earlier, she had called up Pluto and asked her what she knew of Sailor Senshi of Constellations, specifically of Orion. Setsuna's voice had strained briefly. The green-haired woman then told Usagi everything she knew about them.

            During the Silver Millennium a group of mages working at Serenity's request researched the possibility of expanding the number of Sailor Senshi. Several methods were looked into: bonding candidates to the other moons in the system, linking candidates to elemental sources, having more than one Senshi to a planet, and tapping into the energy that the Constellations represented.

            Setsuna recalled that the group had made little progress. Their work was all in the theoretical stage. They were only just starting to test mockup spells and modeling when the Silver Millennium fell. The time guardian then said that if Ami's computer gave her a positive match then she probably was a Senshi, but that it was best to be cautious.

            "This is definitely Silver Millennium," Luna said as she looked over Janet's knife. "Don't normally see this type of transformation item though."

            "I still can't get over the cats," Janet noted. "You guys really are a troop of magical girls."

            Usagi sighed. She would have liked to have Pluto look over the girl, but apparently Setsuna had urgent business. There was a fresh lead with Murdock that the older woman was investigating.

            The blonde woman looked into Janet's green-grey eyes and made her decision. Sailor Orion had already proven herself in the store today, and now was not the time to keep prospective members out. Especially considering a demonic nearly Sailor Senshi who simply refused to join their team.

            "Welcome aboard," Usagi finally said.

            "What will you have me do, mistress?" a newly created demoness eagerly asked her mother. Naked, she had a pair of dark blue horns, a black tail with blue fins, and a pair of wings with blue-black membranes. The rest of her body was remarkably similar to a certain human female. If her demonic extras were removed she would be nearly identical to that girl. It was the eyes where the difference was; they were still brown but something was not quite right about their shape and pattern.

            "Patience my child," Alexia said, with a cold smile. "I think I'll call you Eclipse," the blonde said as she stroked her chin.

            The demoness smiled at her new name and bowed to her mistress.

            "I have a mission for you," Alexia said as she strummed her fingernails on the armrest of the couch she was sitting on. "Inside you are the memories of a little piece of meat."

            Eclipse nodded. She felt the experiences of a weak, pitiful human inside of her.

            "These memories will help you kill a traitor," Alexia said before she described DarkStar.

            The young demoness' face hardened. To her mind there was no greater sin than betraying her mistress, her mother.

            "You will assume a human looking form, go to this girl's house, and pose as her. Do not arouse suspicion. Once the traitor has fallen asleep you will go into her room and kill her. She normally sleeps in the guise of a male human so it should be very simple," Alexia said.

            "As you wish," the young demoness replied as she bowed again.

            "For your reward you may eliminate the other humans in the house."

            "Thank you," Eclipse stated, her eyes looking adoringly at her mistress.

            "Get dressed. Laura shall drop you off."

            Eclipse nodded. After making her demonic appendages disappear, she grudgingly donned in Akane's clothing. She would suffer the indignity of wearing the dead girl's clothing to serve Mother's will.

            "So where's Mommy?" Nariko asked the Company agent.

            Kasumi looked at Ranma's progeny and sighed. The two young women were in the kitchen of the Tendo house. Her father and Genma were out, most likely drinking. Nabiki's car was also gone. Akane was either out with Nabiki or jogging. Given that Akane's running shoes were missing from the shoe rack next to the front door, Kasumi guessed the latter.

            The lieutenant then turned back to the demoness. She really hated babysitting assignments, especially the ones that literally involved watching some kid. "Ranma's still at the base. I believe he's in a meeting with the colonel."

            "Ahh, so she's going to be here soon?"

            "Yes, she should be coming home soon. Major Saotome is coming too."

            "Yay! Mommy's coming soon!" Nariko practically squealed. "And Grandma's going to be here too!"

            Kasumi smiled despite herself. It was hard to stay cold in the face of a girl who was so exuberant at the simple prospect of seeing her parent. The agent wondered if Ranma had any idea of the kind of commitment he had made. She imagined that he did, given that Nariko was essentially moving in with them.

            Her thoughts were interrupted by the front door being unlocked and opened. Kasumi walked over and saw her youngest sister entering the house. The agent evaluated the girl and found a few things amiss. Her clothes were stained and ripped in a few places yet her top was still tucked into her running shorts. The girl's gaze was also off somehow. Lt. Tendo knew that something was wrong and kept her guard up.

            "Oh dear, did you trip?" Kasumi inquired.

            "Yes. I did... Kasumi," the blue-black haired teenager replied in a distant voice.

            "You hit your head?" A concussion could explain this behavior.

            The younger sister nodded as she walked into the house.

            "Let me look at your injury," Kasumi proposed as she approached the girl.

            "No, I'm okay. It's just a little bump," the girl backpedaled.

           "Okay, maybe you should sit down for a bit," Kasumi said carefully examining the girl. She then closed the front door.

            "What are you doing?" the younger woman asked in a panicky voice.

            "Just checking to make sure you're not badly cut or bruised," the agent stated, looking at the girl. Concern was evident on her face.  Less obvious was whether it resulted from her sister's injury or her sister's behavior.

            "Oh, it's Ranma's friend," the girl noted looking between her sister and the other girl. Her expression became confused. Akane's memories did not say that the traitor had any demonesses with her, but that human's memories also missed that there was a demon living with her in the first place.

            Kasumi turned to look at Nariko. The girl's confused expression that made the agent even more wary.

            "Did Mommy turn you too?" Nariko asked the younger girl. "It doesn't smell like it was her," the demoness commented, curiously.

            "What?" Eclipse asked with confusion. Mistress had said this would be easy.

            For the Company agent, it became all too clear. Training took over as she drew her weapon, cocked the hammer, and aimed it at the girl who was wearing her sister's skin.

            "Kasumi, what are you doing?" Eclipse asked, trying to keep her tone innocent. This was her largest mistake. If the real Akane had suddenly found her sister holding her at gunpoint this would not have been her reaction.

            "Get down on the floor. Hands behind your head!" Kasumi ordered.

            As Eclipse started to kneel down, she began to think. If she could kill both the human and the traitor's spawn and hide the bodies, then the plan would be salvageable. When she was crouching, Eclipse sprung forward at the human and manifested her true form.

            Kasumi's eyes narrowed. She ignored the wings that had torn out of the creature's back and the tail that had popped out of her shorts. The woman even overlooked the horns, fangs, and glowing eyes that appeared on her sister's face. The agent simply acquired her target and depressed the trigger.

            The silver jacketed slug hit Eclipse in the top of her right shoulder. The angle allowed for the projectile to travel through several of the demon's internal organs.   The young demoness yowled in pain as she tumbled from her planned trajectory.

            Kasumi swiveled to avoid the creature and fired another round into the demon's chest. Eclipse fell to the ground. Raw hatred filled her face as she looked up at the human who had done this to her.

            It took all of the agent's training to keep her hand from shaking. "Stay down," she ordered to the demon.

            Eclipse flared her eyes and tried to charge forward.

            Kasumi uttered a noise that was halfway between a sigh and a sob and placed another round into what used to be her sister. She noted that the monster was bleeding heavily, but still breathing, for now.

            Eclipse cried. She had failed her mistress. She was worthless. She deserved to die this way, gunned down by a mere human.

            Kasumi adjusted the aim of her weapon. It would be easy to end it. One more pull and she could destroy this mockery of her sister and end Akane's suffering right now. It was then that the agent looked over at Nariko. "Will you save my sister?" Kasumi asked. She knew full well what that meant.

            Nariko looked at the broken demoness. She remembered the feelings she had for Akane. Since her conversion, she had neglected them. Her mistress had taken all of her affection. However, with Sunshine as her mother now, Nariko still needed a mate. The red-eyed girl knelt over the other demoness.

            Eclipse tried to fight the intruder, but she was too weak. She then felt the other's teeth sink into her neck and her essence mingling with hers. It was then that the mortally wounded demoness lost consciousness.

            Nariko hoped that she was strong enough to do this. Not only would she have to bond Akane to herself, and by extension Mother, but she also had to heal the girl's wounds. While healing was only a side effect of the bonding procedure, and in the case of humans the conversion process, it still took power.

            Kasumi looked away slightly. She then pulled out her cell phone and hit the speed dial for WIC Toronto. She explained the situation and then called in a medical team and a strike team.        

            "So your... daughter's going to live with you?" Nodoka asked her child as they wandered the corridors of WIC Toronto-A. After Nariko had left, Ranma had stayed to talk with her mother. Given the subject they were discussing, her son felt more comfortable in female form. Nodoka fully understood this.

            "Yes. We'll tell them that she got in trouble with her uncle Drake and that he kicked her out. Given that she just transferred here and I'm an old friend..."

            "Ahh, I see. What will your father think of this?"

            "He can be convinced to look the other way," Ranma said, smirking. Whether Genma admitted it or not, he was afraid of his son's new cursed form and would try to avoid confrontation when Ranma was a girl. That was another factor that had made the Sunshine thing all the more irritable. Especially given that she could almost start to stand that name.

            "And Lieutenant Tendo can talk to her father," Nodoka surmised.

            "Exactly. Now my only problem is-"

            The redhead was then cut off by the public address system activating. "Major Saotome and Ranma Saotome are requested in medical lab one. Medical emergency. Incoming wounded," the inappropriately pleasant voice of that Company dispatcher stated.

            The two Saotome women ran to the nearest stairwell and went up the two floors to the level where the medical laboratories were. As the entered the corridor, they glimpsed a medical team rushing two gurneys into one of the rooms.

            "Dear god," Nodoka gasped after she had gotten a clear view of the two unconscious people being moved from the gurneys to a pair of beds in the medical room.

            "What the hell happened?" the redhead asked. On one of the beds was a familiar demoness. She had black violet-highlighted hair, red eyes, little red horns, black violet-tipped wings, and a violet tail with black fins.

            The other demoness was somewhat new to Ranma. This one had, light blue hair with silver highlights, brown eyes, dark blue horns, blue and white wings, and a white tail with blue fins. Her face however was very known to the redheaded demoness. There was also something strange about her form. It was a familiarity that she could not quite grasp.

            "Nariko turned Akane," Ranma observed flatly. "What the hell happened?" the redhead repeated.

           Lt. Tendo cleared her throat and began to speak. "I was alone in my residence with Nariko. Akane then came home. Her speech and movements were most unusual. She then panicked and manifested, revealing that she had been turned into a demon. She then attacked me."

            The agent paused, then continued. "I defended myself. I shot her three times. I then asked Nariko to heal her."

            The redhead blinked in disbelief. Someone had turned Akane and sent her back to her house. "That's horrible." She now understood why Kasumi had reacted that way when they first met. An unfamiliar demon was a very dangerous thing, especially if she was once a family member.

            "Yes," Kasumi stated.

            "What do we do with her?" Nodoka asked.

            "If Nariko converted her, there may be a chance," Kasumi proposed. She then looked to see Section Chief Tofu run into the room.  

            "Okay, one's a rather immature D4. She's healthy, but rather drained," Tofu said as he looked over the scans of Nariko.

            Ranma smiled a bit with pride despite herself. Her daughter had gone up two classes.

            The doctor then started examining the other girl. "Almost newborn D1. She looks like-" He stopped when he examined the readout from his scanner.  "Incomplete conversion! She's unstable. We're gonna lose her," the doctor stated, in a detached voice after his initial shock..

            The redhead sighed.  Her daughter had tried, but she was not strong enough to both heal Akane and break the bond to her original parent.  Ranma  could not let Kasumi's and Nariko's efforts go to waste.

            The redhead walked over to the younger Tendo sister's form. She then leaned over and completed the work her daughter had started. It did not take much time.  This would be the second time she had done this procedure, and now she was only finishing up.

            Kasumi's eyes narrowed.  She kept her hand at her side.  This made a total of three demoness at Akane's neck today, but this was the only option.

            Nodoka froze.  She knew that her son had the body of a demoness, but until now she had been acting as if her son simply turned into a girl.  Now she had to face up to the truth. Her child was not human. She had a demoness for a daughter.

            When it was over, the forensic pathologist examined the blue-haired demoness. "That should do it," he said, indicating that the girl was now healthy.

            "Akane? Momma?" Nariko muttered as she began to wake up.

            "Yes?" Nariko's mother asked, going to her daughter's side.

            "I saved her," Nariko said, smiling at her mother.

            "Yes you did.  I only had to help a little bit."

            "She's now one of us," the younger demoness said. Her eyes were now alert, and she was alternating between gazing lovingly at her mother and her mate.

            If the redhead could have gotten any paler she would have. The consequences of what had just happened had finally hit her. "I've got another daughter," Sunshine realized with a mix of horror and euphoria.

            "Can I speak to you outside?" Kasumi asked Ranma, startling the redhead.

            "Sure." The two young women then stepped out of the room and into the hallway. After the door closed Ranma sat down on one of the benches that were next to the wall. Kasumi sat down next to the redheaded demoness. She unholstered her handgun, dropped the magazine, ejected the chambered round, and started working the slide. "You know why I let Nariko do that? You have to. I couldn't let my sister die. Fuck. I never thought my life with the Company would come to my family," she rambled as she field stripped the weapon. The pieces went into a small pile on the table that was next to the bench.

            "Akane's now bonded to you and Nariko," Kasumi observed as she reassembled the pieces without looking at them. "She's now your responsibility. You _will_ help her recover. You won't neglect her." the agent stated staring into the redhead's eyes. "Am I being clear?"

            Ranma stared at Kasumi for a moment, and then her eyes narrowed.

            Kasumi's breath caught in her throat as Ranma's hand blurred toward her, and she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as the newly reassembled gun clattered on the floor in front of her.

            "Shut up," Ranma mumbled. "Shut up now." The redhead's eyes remained hard. "Don't you dare talk down to me like I'm some goddamn agent under your command."

            The agent's face remained expressionless, though her hands twitched slightly from the stinging sensation of having the gun slapped away.

            "I know you've just been through a lot of crap. I know it hurts. I know that for all you act like a robot, you're not going to stand there and shoot your sister in the head, all right!" Ranma grit her teeth as Kasumi's face continued to stare straight at her, unflinching.

            "Yes, I'll help her recover. No, I won't neglect her. I'll be responsible for her." Ranma's eyes hardened again. "But you keep in mind that YOU asked Nariko to do that, not me, and that I don't take orders from you. Am I being clear?"

            Kasumi continued to look at her fiance.  She reached down, picked up her gun, and holstered it. "Crystal," Kasumi replied with a hint of a smile.

            "Dear God. That better _not_ have been a fucking test!"

            "I was concerned about Akane," Kasumi replied, simply.

            "She's my daughter now. Since I finally understand and... accept what that means, I know what I've got to do. I won't screw up again." Though the young mother felt insulted by what Kasumi had done, she felt both it and her defense were justified.

            "Good, I'm very concerned about her. You know how delicate these things can be," Kasumi then said.

            The redhead then put her hand around the agent's waist. The older girl stiffened at first, but she then relaxed. "Its okay Kasumi. If you hadn't thought to use Nariko, we'd be arranging a funeral."

            "Just don't fuck this up. It's too important." Kasumi said as she closed her eyes, trying to hold back her emotions.

            The redhead nodded. The guilt over what she had done to Nariko weighed on her mind, and now there was this. It was too much. "I promise," she said, attempting to hold back her own tears. It did not last. The demoness started to sob.

            Kasumi smiled and held the other girl. After a minute, the lieutenant looked into the redhead's blue and violet eyes. This demon... this girl... her fiancee had very human emotions and motivations. It looked like Akane had some hope after all, and for just a moment, Kasumi almost wished their engagement was more than just a charade.

            The demoness stared back. "Come on, let's go inside," Sunshine smiled through her drying tears as she stood up.

            Kasumi nodded and followed the other girl into the room.

            A blue-haired demoness opened her eyes to an unfamiliar room. It was very drab and grey. More importantly were the people in the room. She smiled at tallish black-haired demon that stood next to her bed. She then leaned up and kissed her mate on the lips. Nariko immediately responded and leaned into the girl's embrace. Soon the two demonesses were in the bed, tangled into each other.

            Ranma sighed. Part of her felt uncomfortable at this. Another part felt very lonely. She almost wanted to lean over and kiss Kasumi herself. The agent was her fiancee after all. "After you two finish, I have a few questions."

            Nariko broke away from her mate and looked at the redhead sheepishly. "Sorry Mommy."

            "Mommy?" the blue demoness asked. Yes, that was her mommy.

            "Yes, she's our mommy." Nariko smiled.

            The redhead then walked over to the youngest demoness and stroked her hair. On a whim, she then kissed the blue-haired girl on the forehead. "So what happened? Do you remember who you are?"

            "I was Akane Tendo, but then I was taken. My old mother made me into Eclipse," the blue-haired demoness said with a mix of revulsion and pleasure. Akane then closed her eyes and sighed. "She then sent me to... to... kill you. All of you," she added sadly. "But then Nariko saved me. She broke me free from my mother- no- from Alexia. You saved me too," the blue haired demoness said, as she looked at her mother's face.

            "It's okay. You couldn't control yourself," Sunshine said to her daughter. She then turned to her other daughter. "You did good Nori-chan. Akane's alive because you saved her."

            "I'm happy that you're back," Kasumi smiled at her sister.

            "Thanks Auntie Kasumi," Akane beamed before she kissed Nariko again.

            Kasumi sighed. Her sister still needed a lot of help.

            "You have my word: Akane will have all the love she needs to recover. Unlike..." Sunshine as unable to finish the sentence.

            Nariko looked at her mother. "Stop beating yourself up, Mama. I... I... was an ass before..."

            "I know. I thought only of that. I could only see you as a horny transsexual trying to get into my panties. Not as my child who only wanted love from me."

            "But with Akane-chan we'll get it right, right Momma?" Nariko asked.

            Sunshine looked at Nariko and smiled despite herself. She felt a powerful urge and went with it. She grabbed both of her daughters and held them tight. "We'll try girls. Kasumi, Mom, will you help us?"

            "Of course," Kasumi said smiling, at her fiance.

            "You didn't need to ask.  I would be honored to help my daughter heal my granddaughter," Nodoka replied.  For the Company agent, the words were still strange to speak, but they felt so right.

            "Sorry to interrupt, but I'd just like to tell you that, both of your children are  healthy," Section Chief Tofu said after checking the sensor readouts.

            "Great," Sunshine smiled. At least her children were physically healthy.

            "Well, I'll leave you alone then," Tofu stated before leaving the room.

            Akane leaned back in her bed and yawned.

            "You sleepy?" Nariko asked her mate.

            Akane nodded.

            "We should leave then," Nodoka said tapping on Kasumi's elbow. "Come on Lieutenant."

            Kasumi looked at her sister before following the major out of the room. Akane needed some time alone with her... mother.

            Sunshine looked at her sleepy daughter. "Scoot over," she then said as she slipped into bed with Akane. The blue haired girl complied. Sunshine then looked disapprovingly at Akane's clothing. Her jogging suit was ripped in the back and covered in blood. "Take those off."

            Akane happily slipped out of the trappings of her old life. Being naked in front of her mother did not feel odd in the slightest.

            "Come on in," Sunshine then said to her other daughter.

            Nariko looked at the empty space by her mother's left side. It would be a tight fit, but she did not mind. She then climbed into the bed and snuggled next to her mother. Sunshine's form then shimmered and she became naked. The three demonesses laid there, blanketing each other with mutual reassurance.

            Somehow, Sunshine knew sleeping as a family would help... and the waves of warmth and love from her children told her why.

           "This is an interesting turn of events," Jacob commented as he watched the live feed from the medical room. As usual, the two senior agents were meeting in Stillwater's office.

            "Have we found any information on the demoness that turned Miss Tendo?" Commander Stillwater inquired.

            "Just a name: Alexia. We also have teams searching the area where she was captured. We might get lucky," Jacob shrugged.

            "This does not bode well."

            "We should have expected them to try hitting Ranma close to home. At least they'll be safe for now."

            "This demonic brood is of some concern to me," Stillwater said, looking at the monitor.

            "I disagree. I think it's the best thing that could have happened to Ranma. Before, he had nothing to anchor him. He was divided between his humanity and the demon within. Now _she_ has responsibilities and a family that loves _her_ and trusts _her_," Jacob countered, emphasizing the pronouns in the last sentence.

            "Provided that she can bear the responsibility."

            "Yes, that is a given.  However, we do have excellent support in place. Major Saotome and Lieutenant Tendo will be invaluable."

            Stillwater nodded in consideration.

            "Now please turn off that monitor. Give them some privacy. You can always review the archives later," Jacob stated respectfully. Those three demonesses might not have a problem with nudity, but the agent still had his sense of decency.  Given some of the things he had done for the Company, it was a strange for him to have a sense of modesty like that, but Jacob held onto what he could.

            Sunshine could not believe how quickly all her apprehensions and doubts melted away as she lay between her two children. She even knew that the Company was watching them, but she did not care. For once she had nothing to hide. Given her state of undress, her thoughts had a more literal meaning as well.

            Each of her daughters slept with an arm under their mom, and another loosely draped over, as if sharing something valuable. The two girls had weathered a lot today, but their mother's presence... her presence... had helped both sleep soundly at last. As she drifted off to sleep, content, she wondered what her life in the future would be. And what choices she would make.

            Her last conscious thoughts were of Akane... and her new child's fate. Would she be like Nariko? Or... would she be able to help the new demon back to being Akane, or as close as she could be considering her daughter's new body, and its needs?

            Ranma looked over at Kasumi. It was easier to gaze at his wife than look through the glass. Only a few years had passed since he had come to the toughest decision of his life. "Sunshine" was just a memory now, still brought to life in cold water, but he did not surrender his soul to the demon. And the Enclosure was the cost of his personal victory. The Company was willing to maintain the room, and that too had its price. Swallowing, his gaze returned to the two residents of the glassed-in area.

            Food had just been dropped off, so the demons were eating. Though both had regressed to a near feral state since Ranma had freed his mind and soul from DarkStar, the two demonesses had matured and certainly looked content. What remained of their humanity could be seen in their grooming, or perhaps it was natural for demonesses to groom themselves too.

            The silvery-blue haired demon who had been Akane blinked for a second, and then looked up to the glass that allowed the humans to see into her world. She spoke only one word, "Mommy."

            Ranma and Kasumi both read the girl's lips from above. Ranma closed his violet eyes. Akane was not there in the darkness. Her tears were not falling. He could not see her. He had done what he had to do. He had been saved. The schools had been joined, even if by a marriage of scant love.

            He knew that when they got home Kasumi would take out her handgun, _that_ handgun, and stare at it. He was certain that his wife was just remembering that day, and that she was not planning anything... rash. Later they would go out and have a nice quiet dinner.

            He was happy.

            He had to be.

            The scene shifted.

            Akane, dressed in the yellow gi she favored, leapt into the air with a cry. Soun tried to dodge his daughter's attack, but failed. Akane landed a solid blow to his chest after snaking around the attempted dodge. Flipping, she landed softly on her feet, her long, light-blue hair falling gently to her middle back.

            "Good choice of attack, Akane. The Saotome School is excellent in that situation," Genma shouted from the edge of the mat.

            "Yes, Daughter, well done," Soun said as Akane hurtled towards him...

            "Thanks Daddy," the girl said as she hugged her father tightly. She had passed father's test. She had proven herself.

            Sunshine watched from a position next to her own father, a proud smile on her face. She turned to Genma, "So, Pop. Does this mean the schools are joined?"

            "Yes, Boy... err... daughter. I guess it does. "Genma said as he turned to face his child.

            Sunshine held out two arms in an offer of embrace.

            Genma looked a bit sheepish, but lightly encircled his daughter with his arms. Sunshine, never one for half measures, squeezed her father hard for a few moments before letting go. "Are those tears I see, Pop?"

            "No, just some dust in my eyes," Genma said as he looked away.

            The sound of bare feet on flooring interrupted Sunshine's thoughts as a yellow blur flew into her field of vision. "We did it, Mom. We did it!"

            Sunshine looked down into her daughters eyes and saw intellect, happiness, but most of all... Akane.

            Sunshine awoke to a pillow wet with her own tears. Her children still enclosed her with warmth. She realized that this was the choice she would make. No, this was the choice she had already made. To stay Ranma, and true to himself, she had to become Sunshine and embrace her life... and make it his.

            Later, Sunshine would reluctantly untangled herself from her children to visit the bathroom. She glanced at the mirror while washing her hands. Though the reflected demoness' eyes now were almost a quarter violet flecks, she was neither surprised nor concerned.

            "So what happened to my newest toy?" Alexia demanded. She and her minions were in their Vaughan hideout.

            "I'm sorry, but we lost contact with Eclipse," Laura stated as she bowed before her mistress. "The observation team spotted a contingent of police and military style vehicles on the property. They believe it was the Company. Since night has not fallen, we suspect she has failed."

            "So, someone alerted the Company? Interesting. Any sign of her?"

            "None. We must assume that the Company has killed her," Laura replied.   
            "Yes, that is how they operate. But it is unusual for them to respond to a house where a demon has been staying. Hmm, they also came very quick. Eclipse hadn't been there all of a half hour. I wonder..."

            Alexia's smile widened. "Of course! DarkStar always had a soft spot for humans. Very clever girl. So you've found another group of meat bags to defect to. I wonder if she'll get all of these killed too."

            Murdock sat alone in the Red Turtle bar. "You believe in fate?" the runic mage asked the bartender.

            The man behind the bar paused and looked at his customer. There was something strange in the man's watery grey eyes, something repellant but enticing. "Yeah, I guess I do. I mean there's got to be some reason for everything, some point to all this."

            "My thoughts exactly. I can tell you that there is definitely _something_ behind this," Murdock smiled before he took a sip of his beer. "Of course then we get the question of fate and free will."

            The bartender nodded. His experience had taught him to let the customer do the talking.

            "Now, anyone with knowledge of history would know how free will affects fate. History is the consequences of the choices that individuals make. That's it - nothing more. Now a person's choices are influenced by past decisions of others."

            "So what about fate?" the bartender asked after he returned from pouring a drink for another customer.

            "Fate, destiny is the pattern that all these choices sum up to," Murdock chuckled and looked into his opaque beer. "The thing people forget is that it's a two way street. Yes, people are influenced by the choices of others and from that destiny, but they often forget that destiny can also be changed by individuals. Hell, look at whatever happens when someone dies," Murdock said with a dark grin. He then sighed. "I can't believe that I forgot that second part, and now I've lost her."

            "Women problems?" the bartender asked. Maybe it was that tall, tanned woman with the nice green dye job. Sometimes she would sit with this customer. She was not here tonight which was a bit odd.

            Murdock smirked. "Yeah, I guess it was that obvious. What with me getting all maudlin, but I thought I could make it work. Hell, I'd gotten so close, but it's too late for that."

            The bartender gave a sympathetic nod. He knew that now was definitely the wrong time to ask for more information. It was much better to just let the man talk... and drink.

            "I keep leading her along, and now my lies are catching up with me. I guess, I went too far today. I thought that it would bring her to me. But I didn't take into account everything. I got sloppy."

            As he refilled his customer's glass, the bartender suppressed a sigh. That made sense; there was something of a flimflam man to him. Charming and smooth, chicanery was undoubtedly this fellow's forte.

            "All I wanted was to be the man behind the woman behind the queen, and now I'm going to pay for it. It's a damn good thing I have a backup plan."

[End chapter 7]

Author's notes: Here it is the first chapter in the Second Arc of The Return.

Many thanks go to Kevin D Hammel for spurring this fic in a new direction and getting it out of its production slump. Also there are a couple of scenes he had a direct hand in making. Mike Koos also gets credit for getting me into contact with Kevin.

Prereading credit goes to Kevin D Hammel, Jerry Starfire, Wray Loflin, Joe Fenton, Bill Heineman, and Black Dragon.


	9. Chapter 8 Recreation and Retribution

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Josh Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DiC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my website.

C&C as always is wanted.

Chapter 8 Recreation and Retribution

            "I've got news," Setsuna said after her princess sat down in the passenger seat of her car.

            "Good or bad?" Usagi asked after buckling into the green 1974 Dodge Charger.

            "Complicated," the green-haired woman said as she engaged a forward gear.

            "Orion?" the blonde asked, referring to the newest Sailor Senshi.

            The older woman looked contemplative for a moment. "Not yet. It's about Sunshine," she stated as she drove them through an avenue.

            "Ranma?" Usagi half asked and half corrected. She was finding it somewhat hard to even think of that redheaded demoness as being male.

            "No... this time it's definitely Sunshine," Setsuna sighed. She then concentrated on merging into the highway traffic.

            Usagi recalled that dream of hers, the one with Queen DarkStar and her... entourage. "What happened? What did she do?" she asked, fearing the response.

            "Sunshine has converted two humans. They are now demons in her brood."

            "God," Usagi gasped as the color drained from her face.

            "It's not that bad. They were both dying. It was the only way she could save them," Setsuna explained as she shifted into the left lane.

            "What?"

            "When a person is turned into a demon, their body is dramatically altered. Healing is a side effect of the conversion process," Meiou explained.

            "So in order to save their lives, she _had_ to turn them," Usagi noted with hollowness in her voice. The story made sense but there was something _off_ about it.

            "Yes."

            "Who did she turn?"

            "Akane Tendo and Tatewaki Kuno."

            "Kuno?" Usagi asked to herself. That name was familiar to her. "Oh god, Nariko. So _that's_ how Sunshine saved her."

            "Yes. It happened when those youma attacked the school."

            "I see," Usagi said. "Wait. Wasn't Kuno a guy before?" the blonde asked. She distinctly remembered that Tatewaki was a guy.

            "Sunshine," Pluto reminded.

            "Oh yeah," Usagi replied, in a distant voice. Another part of that dream had come true. She had to make sure that the rest of it never did.

00000000000000000

            The redhead gazed happily at the two young demonesses. After she had gotten up to go to the bathroom, the two girls had moved closer to each other, filling the spot where their mother had lain. They then entwined each other in a tight embrace.

            After summoning her leather dress and boots, she walked over to the medical bed where her two daughters were sleeping. She knew what she had to do, but she was still unsure of how to do it. As Ranma watched the two sleep, a plan formed in her mind. The demoness would need some help with it, but she knew who would be willing to help her.

            She looked at a clock mounted on the wall and decided it was time to get her children up. Gently pushing the girls she woke them up.

            Akane's eyes fluttered open. She smiled at the sight of her mother's face. Noticing who she was laying next to, she kissed her mate as the red-eyed demoness woke up.

            "Get dressed you two," Ranma said, softly.

            "Do I have too?" Akane pouted. She found clothing to be to constrictive...

            "Yes, we're guests here and our hosts would rather we stay dressed," the girl's mother explained.

            "Yes, meat bags don't like being naked," Nariko said, casually. She had spent a fair bit of time around humans.

            A small growl escaped the redhead's mouth as her eyes flared violet. "NEVER use that slur!" the demoness chastised her older child. "Not only is it insulting to every human, but also to your whole family. Your grandmother's human. I'm part human. You and your mate WERE human. I will NOT stand for such language," Ranma explained, her voice stern and commanding.

            "I'm sorry Mommy," Nariko whimpered. _Mommy's mad at me._ The girl recoiled, pulled her knees up to her chest, and tried to hide within her wings. She found that they were being held back. One was being held by her mate another by her mother.

            Akane's glance alternated between at the two women. She comforted Nariko, but she knew that Mother was right. Their humanity was important.

            "I didn't want to yell at you, but it's important that you understand," Sunshine said as she sat down on the edge of the bed and held the girl.

            "About humans?" Nariko asked, her mood brightening.

            "Yes, now get dressed. We can get some breakfast," Ranma said.

            Nariko nodded and summoned a dark red leather dress. Strapless and hanging at just above her chest, the dress was short and went her mid thigh with slits on either side. She was also wearing a pair of calf-high red leather boots that were a bit more feminine than her mother's despite having a slightly lower heel. Nariko's version had more pointed toes, a narrower heel, and some fringe decorations.

            Akane shrugged and tried so generate some clothing. She was soon wearing a pair of little dark blue leather shorts and a light blue leather top that exposed her midriff. It had a simple collar that transitioned to a plunging neckline. Instead of shoulder straps the top wrapped around the back of her neck before coming down her back and connecting back to her top. Akane was wearing a set of simple, unadorned ankle-high blue-black leather wedge-heeled boots.

            Ranma ruefully smiled at Akane's skills. She was proud that Akane was willing to wear clothing for her mother, and that she figured out how to generate clothing. Something that she herself still had trouble with.

            The trio of demonesses then left the medical room. As they walked down the corridor, the agent positioned at the door called his commanding officer.

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            Because she was a recent transfer and permanent housing had not been assigned for her, Major Saotome was sleeping on a cot in one of the barracks rooms in WIC Toronto-A. A subordinate agent from Operations Section woke her.

            "Yes, Lieutenant?" a somewhat bleary-eyed Nodoka asked. The first thing she did was ascertain the rank of the person waking her up.

            "They're up, Ma'am," Kasumi stated.

            The older woman nodded and got up. "Early," she noted. It was before five in the morning.

            "They did go to sleep very early," Kasumi noted.

            Nodoka nodded. She then got out of her cot and put on a fresh uniform with the dark green trim of Science and Technology Section. If she were in the US military she would have pinned a set of gold oak leaves to her collar.

            However she was a major in Willard International Consulting, and therefore used a set of paired silver bars to indicate her rank. As a separate organization with its own history and traditions the Company's rank and symbol system was different from a military rank system.

            Her lab coat then went over the gray uniform. The officer checked to make sure her gun was loaded and secured.

            "I'll take you to them," Kasumi said.

            The two agents then walked through two hallways and entered the commissary. Nodoka smiled slightly upon seeing the three demonesses. "Major, Lieutenant," a voice from one of the corners of the room said.

            The two officers turned to see the Commander and the Colonel sitting at a wall-mounted table. Behind the table was an aerial photograph of a half constructed WIC Operations Centre Two, located near Stuttgart, Germany.

            "Yes Sirs," both Nodoka and Kasumi responded saluting.

            "At ease," Stillwater said after returning the salute. The commanding officer of WIC operations in Toronto looked at his executive officer before continuing. "Given the personal nature of yesterday's events and their relevance to the Company, both of you have leave to spend time with your family," Stillwater stated in a guarded voice.

            "We feel that your presence would greatly benefit Miss Ranma and her children," Jacob added before he took a sip of coffee.

            "Thank you Sir," Major Saotome replied.

            "Same goes for your sister."

            Kasumi nodded respectfully. Last night after her sister had fallen asleep, she and the Colonel had gone over that day's events. Command had determined that the lieutenant's actions were correct, given the circumstances.

            "Dismissed," Stillwater then said. As he watched the two agents head towards their family, Stillwater reflected on the path the Company had to take. He wished he could have Jacob's sense of optimism when it came to this demonic brood, but he was a more cautious man.

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            "What was that about?" Ranma asked as the two older women sat down across from her and her children.

            "We were just given permission to spend more time with you," Nodoka said with a smile.

            "That's good," Ranma said before gently scolding Akane for eating too fast. She turned to see that Nariko had learned table manners lesson from yesterday and was conducting herself appropriately.

            "I'm sure she's very hungry," Nodoka observed.

            "Yes. I'm just thankful we can eat normal food," Ranma said.

            "Your species is omnivorous," the Major observed. "You shouldn't have any problem with eating any type of food..."

            "It would certainly be a pain if we needed something more... exotic," Ranma said hesitantly. She then remembering when she had killed those youma and absorbed their energy. While being nice and filling, she felt that it was not terribly necessary.... yet.

            "Well... you were probably feeding them as you slept last night," Nodoka explained, remembering what she knew of demonic biology.

            The redheaded-demoness recalled cuddling with her children. There was a sense of warmth and security; there was also a gentle draining, a feeling that she was nourishing them with sustenance that she had gathered, stored, and converted to a more easily absorbed form. "It's like I was breastfeeding them," she said with more wonderment and much, much less horror than she had expected.

            "So Auntie Kasumi, you're a secret agent? That's cool," Akane observed as she ate some bacon.

            "Something like that," Kasumi said as she forced herself to smile. To the untrained eye, it looked like Akane had simply gotten extensions for her canines and dyed her hair a light blue. However, Kasumi's eyes _were_ trained; she could tell that her sister was no longer human even without Akane manifesting attributes that were unique to demons.

            The agent justified what she made Nariko do the same way she justified failing to immediately put two rounds through that demon's head. Kasumi could not let her sister die. Now, Akane had a chance.

            "I'm sorry, but Akane was asking what this place was and what you do," Ranma said, smiling at her daughters.

            "It's good that she's... inquisitive," Kasumi said, with greater relief than she let on.

            "Yes," the redhead said. She then turned to her mother. "Sorry for getting distracted but I'd be honored to have your help." Ranma then turned back to her fiancee. "Both of you."

            "What are you planning for today?" Nodoka asked.

            "Oh, I've got a few things in mind," Ranma said. "But first I have to go to the bathroom," the redhead said with some annoyance. She had gone after getting up in the middle of the night, but she needed to go again. Sometimes her new biology irritated her.

            "I'll go too," Kasumi said standing up after her fiance. The two girls then left the room.

            "So how are you two doing?" Nodoka asked her two granddaughters.

            "Okay," Akane said looking out the door Mother had left through. That her mate and grandmother were still here helped her, but she hoped Mother would be back soon.

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            "We're going after Alexia," Kasumi stated to her fiance as the two young women walked the short distance that separated the commissary from the nearest bathroom.

            "Of course," Sunshine replied. Her eyes flared with anger at the thought of Alexia. That demoness had no respect for life, neither human nor demon. For Alexia her children were nothing more than minions she could easily control. She had sent Eclipse out on a suicide mission immediately after Akane had been converted.

            "I thought so. The Company is putting its weight on this mission. Someone knew enough about you and me to put together this plan."

            "You think it was Murdock?" Sunshine asked as she opened the bathroom door.

            "It could have been him. Or it could have been someone else. We'll find out," Kasumi promised as she followed the redhead into the bathroom. The two young women then went into a pair of adjacent stalls.

            As Sunshine washed her hands, she gazed at her reflection. There was that beautiful woman with crimson hair, pale skin, and blue and violet eyes. On an impulse she increased the heat of the water being poured onto her hands.

            The person's form shifted to that of a male teenaged human. Ranma looked down at his pants and sighed in relief. He was glad that he was wearing something when he last activated his demon form.

            Ranma then smiled at his reflection. His eyes were still blue, he was still human. His smile then faded. Something was wrong... something was missing. He could no longer feel his children. That was another thought that confused him. In demon form, the thought of having Akane and Nariko as kids seemed perfectly natural. Now, it felt strange and alien.

            Kasumi looked quizzically at Ranma. His emotional state seemed to be confused and muddled.

            Ranma sighed and put his hand under the sink while decreasing the water temperature. The demoness looked at her reflection and sighed again. Kasumi was not able to tell whether it was in fear or relief.

            "You okay?" the agent then asked.

            "They need a mother not a father," Ranma said staring at her reflection. "I can't help them as a human."

            "Let's go back to them, then," Kasumi said after washing her hands.

            The demoness nodded and followed the agent out of the bathroom.

            "I'm amazed that you haven't been overwhelmed," Kasumi stated as they walked down the hallway.

            "Who's to say that I haven't?" Ranma asked, in a darkly humorous voice. "Ever since I admitted to Nariko that I was her mother I'd been going with my instincts."

            "And since you've been in a demoness' body..." Kasumi proposed.

            "Exactly," the mother sighed, as she ran a hand through her hair.

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           "What's wrong?" Nodoka asked her two granddaughters. Both of the young demons' eyes had gone wide with fright.

            "Mommy's gone!" Akane exclaimed.

            Nariko nodded. She could no longer feel mother's presence. Unlike the other times it had happened, where their link had faded with increasing distance, now was a sudden cut.

            "Ranma was going to the bathroom," Nodoka said trying to comfort the two. She was about to inform the Commander when the two girls gave a confused, but happy, pair of sighs.

            "Is she back?" Major Saotome asked.

            Instead of responding to their grandmother the two girls leapt over the table and ran towards the commissary's entrance. They went straight to the redheaded woman that had just entered the room. Both leapt into the air and clutched onto their mother; Akane on the left and Nariko on the right.

            Kasumi blinked as the two bounding demons ran past her. She shook her head and made it back to the table where her breakfast was. Her fiance was going to have an interesting time raising those kids.

            Agents of Willard International Consulting had been trained to accept and combat the unusual. However, the sight of a demonic brood mother comforting two of her spawn, right in a Company commissary, was something new and strange.

            "This used to be a professional organization," Commander Marvin Stillwater stated with a carefully neutral face.

            "They're just kids happy to see their mom," Jacob chuckled in reply.

            The senior officer paused to stroke his goatee as if he were in deep contemplation. "So it would seem," Stillwater finally answered before resuming his breakfast.

            Jacob smiled slightly.     It was a good sign that Marv had a sense of humor about this.

            Ranma's attention was divided between her two children. "Yes?" she asked the demonesses that were still clinging to her.

            "You turned into a human didn't you?" Nariko asked, worry on her face.

            "We couldn't feel you," Akane added.

            Ranma sighed and hugged her daughters. "It's okay; I shouldn't have worried you like that."

            "Please don't go back to that icky form, Mommy," Nariko pleaded, her crimson eyes large and scared. She had just gotten her mother back; she did not want to lose her again.

            "That wasn't the first time you couldn't feel me," Ranma countered, still holding her daughters close and soothing them.

            "Yes Mommy," Nariko said sighing in remembrance. Those first days had been so hard for her. In a new body with new needs she was confused and alone. It was only mother's presence that kept her from breaking down completely.

            Akane untangled herself from her mother and went to her mate. She wrapped her arm around the taller girl. "It's not so much that we couldn't feel you. It's just that it was so quick. We thought.... we..." the blue-haired girl uttered unable to complete the thought.

            "It's okay," Ranma said as she moved her kids back to the table where they were eating breakfast. "I'll be more careful next time," the demoness promised as she considered the implications of the event.

            "Next time?" Nariko asked in a worried voice.

            "I'm still part human, dear. That's who I am. Don't worry. I'll do it in front of you. If it gets too scary, I can change right back," Ranma explained, hoping that she would be able to avoid spending all of her time in demon form.

            Nariko whimpered slightly.

            "It wouldn't be so bad if we could still feel you," Akane suggested.

            "I'll see what we can do," Ranma promised.

            Nodoka smiled as she watched her child control the situation. It looked like Ranma was handling herself well. The major finally noticed the leather shorts her granddaughter was wearing. She knew of underwear that was less revealing than the garment the blue-haired girl was wearing. They looked painted on and barely were long enough to actually have leg sections. She shook her head and made a note to talk to her daughter about Akane's tastes.

            "Sorry about that," Ranma apologized after she and her children had sat back down.

            "That's okay," Nodoka reassured. "So what are you planning for today?" the agent asked her daughter.

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            A pair of grey Company sedans stopped in front of a gate complex. After traveling twenty miles on a roughly northern heading, the two vehicles had left the city and were now in forested lands. The gatehouse straddled a tall length of razor-wire topped fencing. Looking out from one of the sedans, Ranma was not surprised to find that there was another fence several hundred feet within the second.

            "Let me guess, WIC Toronto-B?" the redhead asked as their car was inspected by a group of agents in nondescript grey work clothing.

            "Yes," Kasumi replied while she kept her hands on the steering wheel. "This is where we store and service our helicopters, maintain training facilities, and have backup services."

            "How private is it?" Ranma asked after they were waved through the first checkpoint.

            "It's private enough where we can do most of our helicopter maneuvers and execute small simulations," Kasumi said as she pulled up to the second checkpoint and deactivated the car. "Notice there's trees around most of the property," the lieutenant then said, pointing at the trees on the inside of the fence.

           "Good. I don't want to attract too much attention. I'd do this at home, but the neighbors are too close," Ranma noted.

            Kasumi nodded and after a brief conversation with the agents guarding the gate drove through and down the wooded path.

            Despite containing only human Company officers, the second car went though a similar series of inspections. This vehicle was being driven by Agent First Class Aram Kowalski. Major Nodoka Saotome sat next to him. Colonel Jacob Edwards sat in the back.

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            "Wow, this place is actually... nice," Ranma said commenting as she looked at the collection of buildings that made up the Company facility. Unlike the other WIC bases she had been in, this one was made up of several tastefully designed buildings, instead of ugly blocks of concrete, glass, and steel. The demoness and her fiancee were standing on a large flagstone patio that connected two of the buildings.

            "Yes, it was an unoccupied business park that the Company bought. I believe it used to be the test site for a company that produced aviation engine controls," Kasumi explained as she parked the car. "The Drake got us a rather good deal on it," the agent added before she unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door.

            As Ranma got up she thought back to what she knew of the Drake. The unbalanced educator was more than a principal. He was also a trader in land and property. It was a land deal that had gotten him and the Tendos into Toronto, and the walls of his office were covered with photographs of properties he had bought and sold. "I guess he's an important part of the Company," Ranma observed.

            Kasumi's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. "Yes he has done much for WIC. So why here? Why train them now?" Kasumi asked.

           "You know what happened yesterday. I'm a target. So are the rest of you guys. So are my kids," the redhead added.

            "Yes, Eclipse was ordered to kill all of us," Kasumi stated, her voice emphasizing the name. She then looked to see Akane and her mate exiting the back seat.

            "And Alexia's not the only one after us. The Assembly also wants kill us. Not to mention whatever other enemies are out here," Ranma sighed.

            "Like that group of Pattern V's Lieutenant Patterson and the Senshi killed a couple days ago."

            Ranma nodded. "I have to make sure they're able to defend themselves," the redhead said as she looked at her children.

            "You're going to train us, Mommy?" Akane asked.

            "Yes, dear."

            "Ohh, neat," Akane replied happily. Mother was a powerful demon; she had to be knowledgeable and experienced.

            Nariko smiled. It had taken Mommy some time to realize what she was. Now Mommy was taking care of the two of them. She idly ran her tongue on one of her fangs and reached for Akane's hand. The other demon accepted the contact and returned the grip.

            "Come on," Kasumi said as she escorted the three demons further into the WIC facility. "I'll show you some of our training areas, but I suppose you're more interested in aerial work," Lt. Tendo stated as they walked down one of the paths that ran between the buildings.

            "Yes, first off is making sure they can fly. Then we can move into more complicated moves."

            "So we can fly?" Akane asked, somewhat rhetorically. She remembered having wings, but that was only after she had been first turned and when she was trying to... kill Kasumi. The blue-haired demoness shuddered at the memories, and tightened the hold she had on her mate's hand.

            "Yes we can," Ranma replied. She then sensed that something was off. "What is it?"

            "I'm sorry Mommy, Auntie, Nari-chan. I didn't... I didn't mean to," Akane choked out. She remembered the delight she felt at the prospect of murdering her family. The demon closed her eyes and whimpered. "It wasn't me. I didn't mean to-" Her speech was cut off by a tight embrace.

            "You're absolutely right," Ranma said as she hugged the smaller girl. "You were just a puppet of that bitch Alexia.

            "You're free of her now," Kasumi said as she put a hand on her sister's shoulder. The agent looked into brown eyes that were familiar yet alien.

            "I know, I've got Mommy and you to protect me," Akane said her spirits lifting somewhat.

            "Yes," Kasumi said as she got the demons walking forward again. "Now remember to keep fairly low. If you get too high there's a chance someone outside of the base could spot you," Kasumi warned.

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            "I should go talk to my son," Major Saotome said as she watched the agent and three demonesses walk away.

            "After this meeting if you will," Jacob stated.

            "Of course, Sir," Nodoka replied. "May I ask what it is?"

            "Recently, we came into possession of an interesting artifact. You might be able to help us analyze its composition," the older man said.

            "Why is it here, and not in the A base?" the scientist asked. She suspected that the artifact was too large to be studied in the main base.

            "There is some risk in its use. We have it powered down so it should be safe, but to be cautious we have it out here," Jacob replied. He thought that it was a bad idea to be experimenting with such an object, but Command was adamant. They wanted inter-dim technology. It was one thing to be able to jam its use but quite another to be able to use it.

            "I see," Nodoka replied as she was lead to the warehouse where the captured gate was being analyzed.

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            Ranma looked around the field. She could see a forest, a cluster of buildings, and several agents. The closest group was a squad of armored troops lounging around a helicopter. Kasumi had told her that the Company maintained at least one team near a helicopter for fast response at all times. They were close enough that the redhead could hear their hushed conversation. Undoubtedly, they suspected that she had superior hearing; their conversation _was_ fairly clean.

            "Now, these girls know how to dress," Specialist Agent Morrison joked as he watched the demonesses stretch.

            "Careful there Rich, those girls bite," Agent First Class Alfred Stevenson replied as he looked them over.

            "At least they're not wearing demented school-girl uniforms like the others," Richard Morrison responded.

            Ranma gave a toothy grin to that. That was one advantage she had. Her uniform might make her look like a bimbo, but it could have been worse.

            "That's true," Alfred replied. "Hey, Lieutenant what do you think?"

            Lieutenant Patterson had been watching the trio of demons with a neutral expression. "This is not the first time we have had non-humans working with us, and Command seems to think that we need the Pattern Silvers," the officer said carefully.

            Ranma pulled her attention from the agents and went back to her kids. "Okay, I really can't explain much of flying to you girls. It's just something you'll have to do. Fortunately, your instincts should be a big help. So bring out your wings."

            Nariko stretched and summoned her red horns, black and violet wings, and black tail with violet fins. Her strapless dress had lowed its back to accommodate her wings and had gained a small hole to allow for her tail. Consisting of a flap and a clasp, the hole could be opened up to allow for her tail, and its fins, to be pulled though.

            Akane had also summoned her demonic extras. Her top went around her neck and back in such a way that it did not need to be modified for her blue and white wings. Similarly her tail with white with blue fins was able to form above the top of her tiny shorts.

            "I wonder," Ranma said as she closed her eyes. She knew that she could make her wings and tail appear without going into DarkStar form. Hiding and showing such demonic physiology was a basic power of her species. Both of her children were capable of that minutes after they were converted.

             Her leather dress changed, becoming backless and gaining a hole at the base of her spine. The redhead's body then changed. Small black horns grew into place on her head, her canines lengthened slightly, her crimson and dark violet wings appeared, and her three-foot long tail with violet spade-shaped fins formed into place.

            "Mommy's pretty," Akane said as she looked at her Mother's true form for the first time.

            "Umm thanks, Honey," Ranma said as she swished her tail back and forth nervously. At least this time the compliment on her physical form was not sexual in nature.

            "No, you really are beautiful, Mommy. You shouldn't be embarrassed about it," Akane said.

            "I know," Ranma admitted. "Okay, you're going to want to start by extending your wings," the redhead said as she began to instruct her children.

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            From his seat on a flagstone patio that connected to nearby buildings, Jacob watched the three demons flying through the air. It was clear that Ranma was the most skilled but her children were quick to learn. Initially, they had been unsteadily ascending and diving, but after some acclimation had learned to properly use their wings and tails.

            The agent smiled. Their maneuvers reminded him of his childhood. Only Stillwater knew that in his youth Jacob had been interested in falconry. He had even gone so far as to take an apprenticeship for two years in order to obtain his license. Jacob had considered following in his father's footsteps and becoming a professional falconer.

            There had been something to raising and hunting with a powerful raptor. Jacob remembered the lecture his father had given him before he had been given his hawk, a beautiful Redtail named Rebecca.

            "Always remember that she is _not_ your pet, boy. She'll tear off a chunk of your flesh if you're not careful. You can't tame her and if she doesn't like you, you can't train her, but if you work hard you can teach and hunt with her," the elder Edwards recited in the WIC officer's memory.

            Jacob grinned slightly as he traced a faint scar on the back of his right hand. His father was right. It did not take long for him to slip up and end up with Rebecca digging one of her talons into him.

            His attention returned to the brood of demons. They really were magnificent. Like the raptors of his youth these were beautiful hunters, but with much greater potential. Unlike his hawk, they did not just have their instincts; there was intelligence to their actions. They were also much more lethal and powerful than a simple bird of prey.

            Jacob knew from experience that this particular species of demon made for a dangerous opponent, but he could also see how they would make for an extremely useful ally, especially one that was a Pattern Silver as well.

            The agent knew that he had to tread carefully with Ranma. Ranma's reaction to "taming" would be worse than any raptor's. The destruction was not something Jacob wished to consider. Especially if one of her children were threatened. Already, Ranma had become quite protective of her brood. It would also be unwise to treat Ranma or her children as animals. They might be inhuman but that did not mean that they were subhuman.

            Fortunately, his agents were following their orders and conducting themselves properly around the brood. His main concern was the higher ups in Command, but having the demon be a Pattern Silver went a long way with them. That Ranma was also the _son_ of a high ranking WIC officer also helped.

            Though honestly, Jacob thought of Ranma as a demoness first and a human second, if at all. He had started using male pronouns when referring to Ranma. Out of deference to Ranma's preference, but as time passed and Jacob saw more of the demon than the human his views on Ranma shifted. That Ranma was now the brood mother to a pair of young demons reinforced this greatly.

             The agent even harbored theories that Ranma's human form was really just a very, very good illusion, but the Pattern Scanners said that form was human, as did Ranma and Major Saotome. The Major had not seen her child in years, and Jacob did not want to cross her on that issue.

            For the Colonel it was a moot point. Ranma had shown herself to posses human values and ethics, and that was enough for him. It was Ranma's character that had gotten her to fight these monsters, and it was her morals that had made her a mother.

            Jacob also had to remind himself that while he was providing support for them and hunting with them, he was _not_ controlling them. Unlike Rebecca, Ranma was a thinking creature and Jacob was not her handler.

            The agent thoughts shifted away from those things and returned to simply watching the demons fly. He chuckled to himself as he watched the Drake's child swoop down and tag Lt. Tendo's sister.

            From his position, the agent could just barely see the blue-haired demoness' eyes flare as she corkscrewed around and tried to catch her mate. Their mother then swooped in a bit closer and shouted some advice to the pursuing demon.

            Shortly after this the three demons landed. The younger demonesses were not quite as graceful as their elder but they managed to touch the ground without tripping or falling. The Operations Section colonel smiled as he watched the demons walk over to a waiting Lt. Tendo.

            The agent sighed with relief. Despite the strangeness, things still looked like things could go according to plan.

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            "Yes, what do you want?" the mullet-wearing educator asked the person that stood next to him. His tone was pleasant but strained.

            The girl the man had given the name Sunshine to looked at the grass and the trees that lay beyond the porch rail they were leaning on before continuing. WIC Toronto-B was much nicer than that underground warren that served as their A base She knew that a pair of fences surrounded this facility; they were on the other side of the trees and were out of sight. "It's about Nariko," she said after checking to make sure her daughter was out of sight. She and Akane were being watched by Nodoka elsewhere on the base.

            "Our child?" Drake chuckled, darkly.

            "Actually, that's exactly it," the redhead sighed. "You took care of her. You took care of her even when I thought she was an annoying monster. So far you've been a better father to her than I've been a mother."

            "A lot of good that did. When she asked if she could change her name, I simply called up Jacob and asked him if he could have the Company do it. Nariko's not my son," the Drake admitted, while maintaining most of his composure.

            Ranma put her hand on his shoulder. "No she's your daughter, and you kept her from doing anything... unacceptable. If you hadn't been there for her, she would have lost _all_ of her humanity, and turned wild."

            "What are you getting at?" the Drake asked his voice gaining an edge.

            "I'm thanking you for keeping my daughter out of trouble. You saved her life," Ranma said before moving her hand back to the railing. The redhead knew full well what the Company would do to Nariko if she had not behaved herself.

            "I see," the principal stated. "Your daughter? So you're accepting what she is to you?"

            "I tried denying my relation to her and look what that did," Ranma sighed.

            "She needs you. She needs to be with you. She needs your love," Drake noted.

            "Yes. You seem to be taking this well."

            "Only out of concern for my child," the Drake said narrowing his eyes. "You _abandoned_ her. You ran from your responsibilities, and doing so ruined a person. That she still needs you is the only reason I'm going along with this. I just hope you won't betray her again."  
            "I know, and I won't," Ranma affirmed, her eyes glowing slightly. "You're still her father; she still needs you."

            "However?" the Drake asked eyeing the demoness.

            "I think she should live with me. She'll spend time with you, likely even overnight, but most of the time she'd be with me."

            "Physically, that would be best for her," the Drake admitted.

            "You talked to Dr. Tofu about what had happened last night?" Ranma asked. It made sense. The Drake would be curious about his child's new mate.

            "Yes," the Drake said looking over the redhead. "I also talked to him about Akane and _her_ chances for recovery," the man accused.

            Ranma looked down and sighed. She had discussed things with the pathologist as well. "So you know she can recover, but that Nariko can't," the redhead said. Nariko had been abandoned during those first formative days and her old personality was essentially lost, but Akane had a chance.

            "You saved my son's life, but then you killed him," the educator said in a cold voice that matched with the anger in his eyes. "If you hadn't been so selfish he could have recovered. Granted he still would have been a demoness, but it would have been _him_ in that girl. Instead, Tatewaki died alone and scared."

            "I am sorry. But come on! I saved someone's life, and suddenly I'm their mother! I didn't see _that_ one coming," Ranma defended.

            "That's not good enough!" Drake shouted his eyes staring down the demoness. "I hope you were simply ignorant about one of your children needing you so much! Otherwise that would make you a negligent, horrible mother."

            Ranma's expression hardened at the accusation. "At the time, I didn't know she was my daughter! I'm new at this! I even tried to cure her. I brought her to Jusenkyou, but that didn't work!" the redhead countered, part of her wanting to silence him for his arrogance.

            "I lost my only son. I had to watch you change him. And I tried to love the girl she had become, but it wasn't enough. She needed her mother. A mother who could barely tolerate her!" Drake angrily lectured.

            Ranma looked off into the distance, and tried to control herself. The words hurt, and she wanted to reciprocate. The redhead noticed that her claws were starting to flicker in and out of existence.

            "No, you simply turned him and dropped a creature I was wholly incapable of raising in my lap," the man continued.

            Ranma inhaled. She had to control herself. Her daughter would be unhappy if she killed Nariko's father. Mom would also be disappointed in her. She paused to regain control and check her emotions.

            "First off, you have no idea how close you were to becoming a burnt smear. I am the _wrong_ person to lecture. Not today and certainly not about _my_ daughter!

            "You know why it took me so long to realize that Nariko was my kid?" Ranma asked as her eyes glowing in anger. "First off, I'm a child myself who has no idea about raising kids. I'm only sixteen, and a _guy. _And don't get me started about my parents. I hadn't seen my mother in years, and my father's an incompetent oaf and a thief. So, I'm sorry if I'm a bit shaky at this!

            "As for your son, I _hated_ Tatewaki! He was a total jerk who kept hitting on me. So again, I'm sorry that I thought the girl who kept trying to be with me was just the female version of the guy who had done the same. I didn't know that I was her mother. Hell, did you?Hedasfasdfad"Ranma ranted.

            "Misinterpretation?" Drake asked. "Was it all that simple?" he inquired mostly to himself. He was still angry at the demoness, but he was also aware of how precarious his position really was.

            "Yes a very, very bad one. We both thought it was a romantic love between us," Ranma glared at the man.

            Drake nodded in thought. Ranma was remorseful, and was racked with guilt about what had happened. She also wanted Nariko to succeed, grow and be happy very badly. He could not ask for anything else that was obtainable, but he still felt angry and cheated. "I guess it's not your fault. Besides if it wasn't for you he _would_ be dead," the man admitted, reluctantly.

            "Yes," Ranma nodded. "But with all of our help, we can do a lot to help Nariko. And I can do with or without you," she added, sternly.

            "Especially now that's she's got both her Ray of Sunshine and her Noble Akane," Drake chuckled despite himself.

            "At least she was able to get that much," Ranma offered as she gave a slight smile.

            "True," Principal Kuno admitted. His options were limited and he had to do what was best for Nariko. "She can stay with you, but I'm still going to be in her life."

            "Thank you. Nariko needs both her mother _and_ her father," Ranma replied. She then turned to see a Company agent approach them.

            "There you are," Jacob said as he walked to the two parents. His hands were clasped behind his back and his stance was loose. The WIC officer almost looked relaxed.

            "Yes?" the Drake asked the other man.

            "I'm just here to tell Ranma that we have found the necessary tapes. When do you want to brief her family?" Jacob asked the demoness.

            "Today if possible," Ranma said.

            "You're going to tell Akane's family?" the Drake asked.

            "Yes, Soun and Nabiki are going to know something's different with Akane. They should know the truth. Akane will need her father too," Ranma nodded

            "I can make it this afternoon," Jacob offered.

            "You don't have to come," Ranma suggested. Despite being more approachable than most of the WIC officers she had met, Colonel Edwards was still creepy.

            "Yes, I do. I was the one that convinced Soun to let Kasumi to join WIC. It's my responsibility."

            "Fair enough," Ranma nodded.

            "Good," Jacob said as he smiled slightly at the partially cloudy sky. "Your mother and daughters are waiting for you in the break room," he informed, pointing his finger to a nearby building.

            The agent waited until the demoness had walked out of earshot. "Try to be accepting with her. She is trying her _hardest_ at this," Jacob advised the other man.

            The Drake eyed the agent. In the years they had worked together, the Drake finding likely recruits and Jacob getting them to join WIC, the two men had gotten something of a friendship. Jacob knew everything about Principal Drake Kuno, but he knew nothing about Jacob's personal life. Most of the time, he doubted if the man even had one.

            There were rumors. The most popular formula being that Jacob was a young SWAT policeman, FBI agent, or Army Special Forces Officer that had lost his wife and young child, pregnant fiancee, or parents to cultists, vampires, or demons and in order to get retribution swore revenge and joined the Company. The Drake had his doubts, and they were not just because Jacob never wore a wedding or engagement ring.

            The Drake did know that Jacob was absolutely committed to the Company and was willing to do anything for it. Despite this, Drake said what he was thinking. "I know why you're siding with her. God forbid you loose your pet Pattern Silver. You know she's going to need a lot of help to raise those kids, and the Company's going to be right there to foot the bill. And _I_ know you're just praying that her kids become Pattern Silvers too, or at least have enough Silver in them to work for your ultimate plan. That is why you're here isn't it?"

            "You are still on thin ice Drake," Jacob warned while suppressing a smile. Whoever the Drake was getting his information from had an amusing sense of humor. There was also the issue of Drake's blackmailer but that would be resolved rather soon. It was just a mater of making sure the extortionist did not have anything unpleasant that would be released if anything happened to him. For good reasons, WIC has always been wary of journalists.

            "The worst you can do is kill me," Drake countered. "You won't harm either of my daughters, not with one training to be an agent and the other being protected by Sunshine," the principal laughed darkly.

            "I'm not threatening you." Jacob sighed. "I'm just giving you a suggestion. We have to work together if we want to survive this."

00000000000000000

            Ranma entered the room. She smiled when she saw her family sitting around the coffee table in the Company break room. Her daughters were sitting next to each other on the couch. They grinned and separated to make a place for their mother.

            The redhead sat in the offered spot and wrapped her arms around Nariko and Akane. "You girls have fun with Grandma?" the redhead asked, having her girls lean on her helped.

            "Yes, she's got lots of interesting stories," Akane smiled.

            "I'm sure she does," Ranma sighed as she held her girls tighter. Their presence helped sooth her.

            "What's wrong, Mommy?" Nariko asked looking at her mother's face.

            "Oh nothing," Ranma assured.

            "Is the Drake still here?" Nodoka inquired.

            "Yes, he's talking with Jacob."

            "Nariko, why don't you show your father your new mate?" Nodoka suggested.

            "Okay," the demoness said as she and Akane got up and nearly scampered out of the room.

            Major Saotome stood up and sat back down next to Ranma. "Thing's didn't go well with Drake?"

            "I'm not a bad mother; I'm not," the redhead uttered as she leaned her head on the older woman's chest. "I shouldn't even _be_ a mother!"

            "It's okay. He's just grieving," Nodoka said as she wrapped her arms around her daughter.

            The girl smiled at her mother's touch. "I won't fail them ever again," she promised her tone hardening. Concern for her children's welfare gave her demonic body a purpose and made the situation tolerable. "I don't have the luxury of whining and fighting this. I can't be that selfish."

            Nodoka looked into the demon's eyes. Despite being a different shade and shape, they were still very familiar; they were still her son's. "Is this what you want?" Nodoka asked, now stroking her child's hair.

            "I'd be lying it I said that it didn't feel good and right," Ranma said smiling slightly in remembrance of the previous night. "But that's not relevant. I _have_ to be their mother. They need me. I accept that. Even if it means being... this."

            Nodoka nodded. "That's a very adult thing to do. I'm very proud of you. You've shown immense character and strength," she said with genuine admiration in her voice. Despite all the trials her child had gone though, _he_ had won.

            Ranma smiled and closed her eyes. She now understood why her children loved to be in her presence. Being held, being protected, by Mother was an amazing experience. The demoness and the WIC officer stayed like that for a couple minutes.

             The two were interrupted by the return of Akane and Nariko. With a mischievous smile on her face, Ranma told her spawn what to do, and Nodoka soon found herself being almost dog-piled by a trio of young demonesses.

            The agent observed how the effect Nariko and Akane had on their mother's sprits, and she became quite sure that her daughter would be able to handle this.

00000000000000000

            "Oh, hello Jacob," Soun said to the man standing on the front porch. "What's going on?" Beyond the suited Company man Soun could see a pair of silver sedans and a large van parked in the driveway. His eldest daughter was talking with her coworkers between the vehicles.

            "It's about your daughters," the agent said.

            "What about them? I got the message from Kasumi, but it wasn't too clear. All she said was that Akane was hurt," Soun stated.

            "I think we should talk inside," Jacob said. He then motioned for some of the waiting agents to follow him in.

            "Okay," Soun replied with some confusion as he watched Kasumi and a couple other WIC personnel enter the house.

            "Can you please call Nabiki and Genma here as well?" Jacob politely, asked. From their surveillance they knew that both people were still in the house.

            Soun nodded and called his daughter and old friend into the living room.

            Jacob used this opportunity to make sure that the Communications and Cryptography agent had connected her laptop to the TV in the room.

            "What's going on?" Nabiki asked as she entered the room. She looked to see her father, Ranma's father, Kasumi, a man who appeared to be her boss, and a few other cooperate drones in the room.

            "Apparently, something happened to Akane yesterday," Soun said.

            "Yes, but fortunately she got medical attention quickly and is stable. The problem is that Akane's condition is... well, complicated. I think this short video will best prepare you for it," Jacob explained.

            Kasumi wished she could roll her eyes, but her training and respect for the Colonel prevented that. The civilian briefing tapes that WIC used were notoriously dated. The only reason they were not updated was because they were used so infrequently.

            The communications agent activated the recording stored on her computer. As the television screen switched to a crew-cut tall man wearing a grey suit with a thin black tie, Kasumi allowed a small smirk to appear on her face. _At least this one's in color,_ Lt. Tendo thought to herself. As the recording played, the three civilians watched with some confusion as the Company agent from Public Relations Section began to explain things.

            The tape itself was essentially a brief history of the Company, its goals, WIC's activities, and some of the things that the organization had done. It was a basic primer used to get people familiar to what Willard International Consulting was.

            Jacob watched the reactions the uninitiated were giving off. They were all confused but Soun seemed to be especially befuddled. It was as if he was incapable of or was refusing to connect the dots. The other two were fairing better. Genma's face looked bored, but his eyes were contemplative.

            The agent had believed that Genma knew something was off with his son. After all, Ranma's cursed form had supposedly changed and he had spent some time locked in demoness form. That Genma did not know anything specific about what Ranma had become was found out during the martial artist's 'interview'.

            The girl seemed to be the fastest at putting things together. Nabiki's face was in a mix of shock and contemplation. Nabiki waited until the short film had finished and Kasumi had explained some of her past before she spoke.

            "Am I to believe that my older sister has spent the last five years working for a secretive organization dedicated to fighting demons and other supernatural invaders? If it wasn't for Ranma's curse I'd assume this was all an elaborate hoax," Nabiki said in a tone that indicated she had yet to be fully convinced.

            "If you find that hard to believe you should hear the rest of it," Kasumi laughed.

            "I'll assume it has something to do with Akane and Ranma. They've both been missing since yesterday."

            "I think it's time for them to be told the rest of it," Jacob observed. He then turned to the communications agent that had set up the video. "Agent Iverson, please get Miss Ranma and her girls."

            "Dad, Nabiki, when you see Akane, please remember that she's still Akane," Kasumi advised as Iverson returned with what appeared to be three girls.

            "Why because she got a dye job and started wearing trashy clothes?" Nabiki asked when she saw Akane. "Is she sick? Her skin's pretty pale," she noted after a second glance.

             Kasumi looked at her fiance and her children before responding. "You don't know the full extent of Ranma's curse. Ranma does not simply turn into a girl," Kasumi said as she began to explain what Ranma was and how Nariko and Akane had been turned. Her explanation only omitted the Pattern Silvers and that Ranma was one of them.

            "Okay girls, show them," the redhead said.

            As she watched her little sister turn into a demon, the middle Tendo mumbled something, likely containing the word God and maybe an expletive or two.

            Soun's befuddlement at the video had transposed into simple denial at Kasumi's story. However, seeing Akane in her true form was too much for him and the man passed out.

            "Boy! What's going on here?" Genma demanded after he had checked to make sure that Soun was alright.

            "I got tricked and ended up with my girl-form turning demonic. I had to turn these two girls," Ranma explained as she idly swished her tail.

            "And now you're their mother," Nabiki reasoned as she tried to figure out the insanity before her.

            "I'm so embarrassed," Genma moaned. "My poor son. His mind's been twisted by this new body, and he thinks he's a weak, silly girl. If only he were strong enough to resist."

            "Don't you dare say that!" Ranma's eyes flared blue-ish violet in anger. "I _had_ to turn them. I was asked to save them; I couldn't just let them die."

            "So you saved them. That's not so bad. But you still abandoned your masculinity. I guess you're weak after all," Genma smugly replied.

            "I'm _more_ than strong enough to fight these urges! I did that with my first kid for a while, and you know what? It _ruined_ her! I won't do that again." Ranma growled as her fangs lengthened slightly.

            "Obviously, you don't know how to be a competent parent."

            "Just shut up!" the redheaded demon exclaimed, her eyes flaring again. "I'm not going to be lectured by _you_ about parenting. Stop this crap or I will hurt you. And don't think that these Company goons would stop me. They _were_ going to let Mom kill you."

            Jacob remained silent neither conforming nor denying, but he did allow the right corner of his mouth to form a slight smirk.

            Genma gazed into Ranma's eyes and his will faltered.

            "So Akane, you're a demon, now?" Nabiki asked

            Akane nodded happily as she nuzzled her mate.

            "What did you do to her? What happened to her?" Nabiki demanded the strangers and people she thought she knew.

            "It was either this or death," Kasumi repeated. "She was already a demon. I made the decision to save her."

            Nabiki's response was interrupted by her father. "I had the worst nightmare," Soun said as he regained consciousness. "My baby girl had turned into a-" His eyes then widened with realization.

            "Hi Daddy!" Akane cheerfully greeted. "This is my mate Nariko and you already know my Mommy."

            "Mommy?" Soun asked.

            "Yeah that's me," Ranma sighed. "Look, Akane _is_ a demon now, but with everyone's help we can bring her back. It will take time and effort but she will recover," the redhead suggested in a pleading tone.

            "So you're saying this lesbian leather-fetish bimbo can be my sister again?"

            "But Nabiki, I am your sister," Akane whined.

            "I don't know. Akane would never willingly touch Kuno."

            "But... Nariko's pretty and nice," Akane said.

            "Nabiki, that's enough!" Ranma growled.

            "Yes, daughter. Don't pester your sister," Soun stated his focus still on his winged child.

            "You can clearly see that there's a problem with Akane!"

            "Just because Akane's a bit... different doesn't mean that she's still not a part of this family," Soun said.

            "Wow, that's remarkably lucid Dad. I'm impressed," Kasumi remarked.

            "I have to be, if Akane is to overcome her disability."

            "I see," Lt. Tendo replied. She should have expected him to do something like this. Denial was his main coping mechanism. Father had yet to broach the subject of her own job.

            "Kasumi, I'm surprised at you. If you're some kind of demon hunter how could you do this to Akane?"

            The operations agent narrowed her eyes. "Are you asking me why I didn't kill Akane? Why I didn't shoot her in the head?" Kasumi asked her voice strangely casual. It had taken a lot of effort on her part to avoid doing just that, but Nariko's presence gave Kasumi an alternative.

            "I didn't want to die," Akane cried. Her eyes locked onto the younger of her two sisters. "I already was a demon. This way I'm still myself, not some puppet," the blue-haired girl said as one of her wings was scratched by her mate.

            "And what kind of demons are you anyway?" Nabiki inquired, trying to shift the subject.

            "Succubae," Ranma sighed.

            Nabiki looked at the brood of demons. They were extremely good looking. It went beyond their physical appearance, which was only slightly marred by their extra, non human appendages. "Hmm, you _are_ cute demon girls. Yeah I can see that, Saotome."

            "Awww, you think I'm cute," Ranma smiled. "Think you could handle me though?" the redhead teased as she licked one of her fangs.

            "No thanks," Nabiki sighed. "I don't swing that way. And I thought that your kind was into guys."

            "You have seen your sister and her mate?" Ranma asked dryly. "No, human males are nothing more than a food source."

            Nabiki raised her eyebrow.

            "No, not like that!" Ranma said in disgust. "Actually... it is just like that," the demoness corrected herself. "Thankfully there's other ways we can feed, and we don't need too much energy."

            "So what do you do instead of seducing guys?"

            "Actually it's guys and girls. It's just that with our forms it's easier to go after guys. But from a nutritional standpoint it's the same," Ranma explained, recalling some of what had been taught to her about this body.

            "My youngest daughter's now a soul draining monster!" Soun wailed.

            "Well, that got him to respond," Kasumi remarked.

            "So what do you do for food?" Nabiki asked.

            "We eat meat, and sometimes we kill things and drain them as they die," Ranma said, simply.

            "Oh God."

            "You're no vegetarian; you eat the flesh of animals. We just take something else from them," Ranma explained.

            "You sure you're a succubus? I thought they had to drain humans," Nabiki asked. Her sister and Nariko seemed amorous enough

            "Well Nabiki, you haven't had much experience with demons and other non-humans. Surprisingly they don't exactly match the description that's in your Monstrous Manual."

            Nabiki blinked. She should have known that that Kasumi would remember that. Nabiki had only played it casually and she had quit Dungeons and Dragons years ago,

            "Heh, you played that game? Man, what a dork," Ranma laughed.

            "Keep it up and I'm sure some comic book geeks will 'just happen' to get some photos of you and your kids."

            "Brilliant plan sis, threaten the hormonal, gender-confused, demon mother's children. And besides if you do expose this secret it will be a race between her and me to see who can silence you first."

            "You wouldn't," Nabiki responded before she had time to consider her statement. She then looked at Kasumi, who had a slight smile on her face. Of course Kasumi would be willing to do it; Akane was living proof of that. Nabiki might not be killed but her life could be made very unpleasant. The middle daughter was just now starting to grasp how out of her depth she was.

            "Hey! I'm not gender confused. I'm a guy! I just have kids," Ranma said before adding in a much sterner voice. "Yes, Nabiki don't even think about threatening my girls. I'll take out anyone, anyone who's a threat to them. Isn't that right Pops?"

            Genma froze when he looked at his, currently demonic and female, son. He had always been afraid of those purple and blue eyes, but now they were much worse.

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            As Ranma walked down a series of dull grey corridors, the martial artist's mind was pondering... Memories was the word that fit best. Pluto's procedure had done more than just turn Ranma's cursed form into a demonic Sailor Senshi. There was something else. There were things that the occasional demon was starting to starting to recall. The species of demon Ranma's girl-form was among them. Murdock had explained some demonic biology to Ranma, but there were some things that only certain people knew that the martial artist was now aware of.

            Ranma's thoughts stopped. The destination was in sight. The distance to the door was closed and it was opened. Ranma stepped through. The drab room was quite familiar to the teen.

            Ranma turned to see a demoness nearly identical to herself. If Ranma were to activate her Sailor DarkStar form then two demons would be identical. The new demoness walked over to the others and sat down on the armrest of one of the chairs in the room.

            "Howdy partner," the other demoness greeted.

            "Who are you?" Ranma asked.

            "DarkStar. The first one."

            "Oh, well... this is just great. My dream self image is that of a succubus," Ranma said, wishing that she had shown up as a guy.

            "That's because you're sleeping in between your children," DarkStar said with a smile. She never got to have kids during her life and was happy that some part of her managed to get them.          

            "Oh, makes sense," Ranma said. She would have preferred to sleep as a human male, but her kid's needs were more important.

            "For what it's worth I am sorry." DarkStar apologized to the other redhead. "Turning into a demon is never easy. Well... it can be but then you're just a slave of the person that turned you. On the plus side. This is a dream. So just change your form," DarkStar added.

            Ranma shrugged and shifted into her birth form. "Nice," he said while looking at his hands. "This didn't actually turn my body male did it?" the pigtailed martial artist asked. "I don't want to freak out my kids."

            DarkStar smiled again. "No your form didn't really change. Your girls are still sleeping soundly against their mother."

            Ranma nodded. The girls would definitely have woken up if their connection to her had been severed.

            "I don't want to be brainwashed. But what about using Usagi's powerful crystal to turn us human?" Ranma asked. If her kids could be returned to human form that might work.

            "Sorry Ranma. I knew the Queen Serenity of that day, when I was alive. She tried that exact same thing on me."

            "It didn't work?" Ranma asked.

            "Nope. I wasn't evil so there was no darkness to exorcise out. Sure it _purified_ me, but I was still a demon. It did relieve Serenity greatly that I had passed that test though. She wouldn't let just anyone work with her, especially a demon.

            "The Ginzuishou _could_ turn a demon into a human through brute force. Problem is that that much energy rewriting and altering would essentially destroy the demon's mind. That's why I was never changed."

            "I'm not doing that to my kids. I'd hate to say it, but you're right. I don't see a way to cure myself and my kids... without ruining our minds. Jusenkyou certainly didn't work. I've had enough of that. Something might come along, but right now I have to raise them. That's more important."

            "Good for you," DarkStar agreed.

            "I'm surprised you're not some sex-crazed bimbo," Ranma noted.

            "Hey! I'm not that bad. Though, it would be nice to have a mate, for once," DarkStar sighed. Her life had been fairly lonely. She only had dim memories of her brood mother. Her guardian Walter, the Terran royal that had taken care of her and raised her was the only person that had ever really cared for her, but he had died. Eventually, the Sailor Senshi learned to trust her, but DarkStar had still died without ever having sex. Given her species of demon that was quite, quite unusual.

            "So what's this all about?" Ranma asked.

            "Nothing much. You've just started to unlock our old memories," DarkStar grinned, showing a fang.

            "Our? What do you mean? You're just the demon I was modeled after."

            DarkStar snickered.

00000000000000000

            Ranma looked at her reflection in the changing room. Her eyes looked to contain the same amount of violet as they did four days ago. She smiled, glad that training her children in how to fly and fight and spending nearly all of her time in demonic form had not accelerated the change.

            "How's the dress, Mommy?" Nariko asked from the other side of the door that separated the changing cubicle.

            "I'm still taking off my clothing, and be more careful with that name, dear," the redhead warned as she took off her modified Furinkan uniform. She could have made it vanish, but someone might wonder where it went if they noticed it missing.

            "I'm sorry... um... Sunny," Nariko said as she thought of something else to call her Mother. It sounded like Mommy and was close to the alias her Mother used for school.

            "I guess that works." Ranma said begrudgingly. She did not care for the name that the Drake had invented for her and Sunny was even worse. However, Ranma did not want to correct her daughter; Nariko was trying her best, and she _did_ come up with a name that was not Mommy.

            The redhead would have preferred to be called Ranma, but she knew from experience that neither of her children was comfortable with calling her by that name. Down to her underwear she looked at the garments that her children had picked out for her. She sighed as she put on Akane's selection. At least it was not a skirt, but that was small consolation.

            As she slipped on the shorts and the top, the redhead concentrated. When she had first been turned into a demon Ranma had only been able to wear that one leather dress. Everything else she tried to wear would simply turn into it. Later she managed to put on a school uniform that only modified itself. It seemed that now she was able to put on clothing and not worry about it changing. Though she had only tried certain leather and Lycra items.

            The redhead smiled. This was at least one problem solved. She was no longer forced into wearing that leather dress or her school uniform. After stepping back into her boots and adjusting the tiny black shorts and scoop necked tank-top, Ranma stepped out of the dressing room.

            "It looks really good on you," Akane said with a smile. As much fun as it was to pick out clothing for herself and her mate, it was another matter for find stuff for their mother. The blue-haired succubus found her mother's modesty endearing.

            "It shows off your legs really well," Nariko complimented.

            "That's because there's nothing covering her legs," Kasumi stated. She was neutral on most of the store's clothing selection. Although there was a leather jacket that she found interesting.

            "It's quite revealing," Nodoka said. She should have known that this store would be where her grandchildren would want to shop. At least now they were looking at the clothing section. The scientist was not sure how to handle it if they went to the video or _toy_ sections.

            "But Mo- Sunny should show off her body," Akane said, remembering to use the name Nariko had come up with.

            "It's nice but a bit much for being in public," Ranma added. "Even you're wearing more."

            Akane nodded. At Mommy's insistence, her shorts now went to mid thigh.

            "Though it is a pretty nice outfit. I like how the top buckles in the front," Ranma said trying to please her daughter. Honestly, she did not find the shorts too bad.

            "Thanks Sunny!" Akane gushed.

            "Here try on this one." Nariko offered as she handed a folded garment to Ranma. "Grandma and I picked it out."

            Ranma gave a questioning glance to her mother.

            "It's strange for me too, but Nari-chan was insistent," Nodoka explained. It had been trying to find something tasteful in the store. She was curious to see how her daughter (definitely daughter in this case) looked in the dress.

            Ranma took the leather garment and shrugged. She then turned and went back into the dressing room. The redhead slipped out of Akane's offering and donned the article of clothing. After making sure that it was on straight the demoness exited the dressing cubicle.

            Dark red, the succubus' leather dress ended within a couple inches of her knees. It was zippered in the front, and the interlocking teeth ran from the waist to the neck. The dress was designed to be worn either fully zipped up or partially zipped.

            The redhead found it a bit constricting around her neck when it was zipped up all the way. Therefore zipper's pull tab currently rested just above the redhead's breasts. This formed a sharp V of visible flesh that went from Ranma's neck to her chest.

            The dress had a dark violet, almost black, collar that was wide in the front and thinned in the back. Full-length sleeves with simple cuffs came out of its shoulders. Unlike the previous garment the dress did not cling like a second skin. Granted it still hugged the girl's curves but it was much less brazen than her other leather dress.

            "See, Grandma and I could make a compromise," Nariko grinned.

            "Sunny does look good," Akane agreed.

            Nodoka smiled. It was good to see her child was wearing something a bit more modest, but more importantly, more mature. "What do you think of it, dear?"

            Ranma looked at the dress she was wearing. "It is better than my old dress. It's much more comfortable. It's simple, not too flashy or girly," the succubus appraised.

            Kasumi raised an eyebrow, but remained silent. She supposed that such a dress could be described as not girly. A piece of clothing _could_ be feminine without being girly.

            The redhead tapped one of her boots on the floor as studied her reflection in a full-length three segmented mirror. "Even the color's right. Yeah, I actually like it. Thanks Mom, Nariko," Ranma said before hugging her daughter and Mother.

            "What about my choice?" Akane asked in a concerned voice.

            "It was nice, but it's not quite for every day use. Maybe for training and around the house," Ranma reassured.

            "Come on Akane, let's find something _Sunny_ will like," Kasumi offered as she took Akane's hand. The blue-haired girl nodded. Lt. Tendo then flashed a small smirk at her fiance.

            _How bad could it be? _Ranma thought with a shrug. She had already tried out something that was one step from being naked. The demoness shook her head. The things she did for her kids.

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            "Thanks for paying Mom, but I could have handled it," Ranma as the trio of demons and pair of agents entered the restaurant. Her bank account could have just paid for the two outfits each that she and her two girls had purchased.

            "I could have paid too," Nariko pouted as she followed her mother in her new leather tube dress. Shoulderless, it went from the top of her breasts to mid-thigh. It was a vivid purple with slits on either side of the skirt hem.       

            "I wanted to reward you girls for what you've done these last few days," Nodoka explained.

            "Nariko, you and Akane should go with Kasumi and make sure the hostess gets a good corner booth for us," Ranma suggested before giving a questioning glance at her mother.

            "Akane seems to be doing better with people," Nodoka observed as she watched the pale, blue-haired girl chat with the hostess.

            "They have done well in their training," Ranma said with genuine pride. It was such a pleasure to see her children not only develop their powers and skills, but also to see them interact normally interacting with people.

            "I want to help you with this. I may have missed out on your childhood, but I'll be with you for Akane's and Nariko's," Nodoka reassured. If only she had been able to stop Ranma from leaving... her son might have been human; Ranma might have been safe. Nodoka cut off that line of reasoning. It was pointless to try and think of what could have been. Her child needed her now.

            "Thanks, I didn't know how expensive this could get. Even with Mr. Tendo's and the Drake's help. I still think I should get a job."

            "Don't, you've already got two. I've been saving my money while I've been working for the Company. It'll be enough."

            "Right, two," Ranma mussed. The martial artist did have her responsibilities as both a mother and a Sailor Senshi to worry about. At least school was not a major concern. Officially Ranma was out sick, but she was really on maternity leave, until she had gotten things straightened out with Akane and Nariko, who were also "out sick."

            "Akane also seems to be improving in her taste in clothing," Nodoka remarked as she walked with Ranma to the table where the others were seated.

            "That's just because I've been suggesting that she wear something that's street legal."

            "Unlike the other outfit you bought," Nodoka remarked.

            "Yeah, I can't believe she found something more revealing than a bikini," the redhead agreed, referring to a Lyra garment that was both see through and miniscule. "But I did get that dress that you and Nariko picked out," Ranma sighed, indicating her own dress.

            "At least it was shorts, and not another skirt, that Akane picked out for you," Nodoka noted with a little smile.

            "Thanks for remembering what I really am."

            "I know it's just that you have to do this for your kids. Come on they're waiting," Nodoka said before the mother and daughter went to their table.

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            "What do you mean it's impossible, Janet?" Usagi asked with some confusion on her face. She then took another bite of her Sundae.

            "Look, you can't make a dress like that. You can't have a full length dress be tight down the entire length of the legs. It would be impossible to walk in, or sit for that matter." The newest member of the Sailor Senshi counted before spooning the last of her ice-cream into her mouth.

            "That doesn't mean it's impossible to make or even wear," Ami countered.

            "Yeah and it flares out around the ankles," Usagi added.

            "Oh yeah, forgot about that," Janet dryly remarked. "Well, I'm getting another scoop of strawberry. Either of you want anything?" the auburn-haired girl asked. After getting negative responses from the blonde and blue-haired teens she shrugged and walked up to the counter.

            "I'm glad I let her in. I think she'll work out fine," Usagi said. With Janet, she got that sense of familiarity that she normally only had with other Senshi, or Naru. The blonde kicked herself for not looking up her old friend. Already reduced with her becoming Sailor Moon, contact between them had all but disappeared when Naru's mother moved her shop to Kobe.

            "Yeah, I really like her too," Ami said her gaze shifting over to Janet before returning to Usagi.

            "It must be nice to have a friend you can talk about smart stuff with," Usagi offered.

            Ami laughed nervously.

            "Don't be bashful, I know you sometimes get lonely with us small brains," the blonde joked.

            "She did handle herself well at that convenience store," Ami admitted.

            "It is a bit odd that she's an American. Even Ranma's from Japan."

            Aim shook her head "Ethnically, I'm pretty sure Janet's Japanese. Her family probably just moved to the states a couple generations back. They either changed their name when they immigrated or she has a paternal ancestor named Fraiser."

            "Okay, makes sense," Usagi agreed. She then looked over to see Janet walking back to their table.

            "Well, a gown like that would look very good on you," Janet admitted, carrying a fresh bowl. "Though you'd only be good as a statue," Janet smiled, her greenish grey eyes twinkling.

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            On an approach from the North-west, a Company helicopter was within five minutes of its destination of WIC Toronto-B. Like nearly all Company vehicles the black flying-machine carried an Ostar series Pattern scanner. Bulky and heavy, the Ostar series had a much larger range and finer ability to resolve Pattern Registering Entities than the man-portable NordStar series.

            The Pattern scanner was being manned by Specialist Agent Richard Morrison. This meant that the agent kept an eye on the display and waited for anything significant to show up. Morrison wondered if he would be able to detect the D-Silver brood. Like he last time he had flown in to Toronto-B.

            It was somewhat unnerving to see two moderate and one very strong Pattern D show up over a Company base. Although, the nineteen year old operations agent found _seeing_ the demons in flight was also unsettling.

            The agent then noticed that a blip of the static on the edge of the scanner's range was unusually cyclic in how it fluxed on and off the screen. Curious, the agent increased the power on the system. He was rewarded with a slightly steadier signal.

            "Lieutenant Patterson, sir? I've may have something on the scanner. It hasn't resolved into a coherent pattern yet, but I'd guess it's either D, E, or V," Richard said as he continued to adjust the scanner.

            "How big? How many" Agent Morrison's commanding officer asked.

            "I can't tell at this range, but it's either a dozen low to mid class or a couple higher ups," Richard evaluated as he analyzed the displayed pattern further. "Hmmm, I'm leaning more towards D for the pattern," he said, feeling it was more likely demonic in origin, as opposed to elemental or vampiric.

            "Where is it Rich?" Lt. Patterson asked as he leaned over to see the display.

            "West of here in Vaughan, near highway 400," Richard read from the map that was overlaid onto the scanner's readings.

            "Simmons, call base and tell them, we're taking a detour. We might have found something," the lieutenant instructed the helicopter's pilot.

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            Kasumi's dinner was interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone. She answered it and exchanged a few sentences.

            "Who is it?" Nodoka asked.

            "The Colonel, Ma'am. They've found a nest of demons. They're getting ready to go in. They've analyzed the sensors and they are the same sub-Pattern as Akane was."

            "Get the check. Now," Ranma ordered her ears perking up.

            "Sir, we're on our way. ETA ten minutes." Kasumi said into the phone before hanging up

            "It's her isn't it, Auntie?" Akane asked.

            "It might be," Kasumi confirmed as she got their waitress' attention and asked for the bill.

            "Good," Ranma said as she looked at her children.

            The bill arrived, Kasumi paid for it, and the quintet of women left the restaurant. "The Pattern D's are in a group of buildings in a suburb to the North of here. Command just found out about it; we're still getting people in position," Kasumi explained as they walked to her car.

            The drive to the staging area was mostly silent. Ranma, sitting in the back flanked by her kids, furrowed her brow in thought.

            "What's wrong, dear?" Nodoka asked.

            "I've got a question for you two," Ranma proposed, her eyes darting to Nariko. It was something she had to know. "Let's say you're wounded in battle, unconscious, and –well- dying. Would you want me to... to...?" Ranma's question trailed off.

            "What?" Kasumi asked. She had a fair idea what Ranma was trying to ask. It was then confirmed when Ranma pointed to the black and violet-haired demon.

            "Oh." Nodoka blinked. That was an interesting question. Death or life as a demon.

            "It's okay if you don't want to do it. I understand. I want to know, just in case," Ranma explained.

            "Sorry, I appreciate the offer, but no thanks," Lt. Tendo stated, her eyes lingering on the reflection of her sister in the rearview mirror.

            "How come it's death for you but demon for Akane?" the redhead asked.

            "It was never Akane's choice. And it was between dying as a demon and living as one," Kasumi answered.

            "I don't know, Ranma. It's a big change," Nodoka said. "I'm not sure I could handle it," she admitted after a short pause.

            "It's okay. I had to ask," Ranma explained in a distant voice. That confirmed it. If her mother or her fiancee was wounded beyond medical treatment she had to watch them die.

            "Mommy? You okay" Nariko asked as she leaned on the taller succubus.

            "Not really," Ranma admitted as she gazed at the tips of her fingers. "There's going to be fighting. And we're probably going to have to kill some demons. It'll be unpleasant but it's something we have to do." Though the succubus was really afraid of it being pleasant, both for her and her kids, and what that would mean.

            "It's okay Mommy; they're evil. They're monsters," Nariko reassured.

            "I know. I'm still concerned. It's one thing for me to go in and kill them. I've crossed that bridge already, but you girls haven't."

            "There are worse fates than death and there are worse things than killing. Evil triumphs when good men do nothing," Kasumi quoted.

            "I know that!" Ranma said indignantly. "I'd have no problem ripping apart anyone who came after any of you!" the demoness declared with more force than she intended.

            Kasumi blinked at her inclusion yet did not comment on it.

            The redhead continued. "That's not an issue! Same with you two," Ranma turned to her daughters. "I have been training you on how to use your bodies to defend yourselves. If someone came after you... that's it. Some things you have to do, no matter how bad they are, because the alternatives are worse.

            "My problem is that I feel like today's another day of training. Only now I've set up live targets for you to go after. I don't like that I'm sending you off to kill. If it was us defending ourselves that's one thing, but us going in and taking them by surprise."

            The redhead noticed that that Kasumi was about to speak and cut her off. "Yes I know that it makes sense to take them by surprise. They'd do the same... well, worse to us. This way we can be the ones prepared and ready. That way we might not get hurt. I understand why; I wouldn't be here and I certainly wouldn't have brought my kids if I didn't."

            "But?" Kasumi asked.

            "I don't want to be a killer, and I certainly don't want them to be," Ranma said, feeling the connection to her children. Physical contact helped with that. "But I can't just stand aside and do nothing." Ranma closed her eyes, knowing that some of her did want her kids to be just that. She wanted them to be their best, and sometimes she found herself imagining what her children would be like as hunters.

            "I understand," Nodoka said.

            "I'm not sure if you're ready girls," Ranma said as she put a hand on each of her daughter's legs. "And if I think it's too hot in there, I won't let you fight. Are you two sure you want to go with me?" Ranma asked, part of her hoping that they would decline, another wanting to see her children perform.

            "Yes. Alexia needs to be punished for what she did to me and you," Akane confirmed her own eyes flaring slightly.

            "It's the right thing to do. And I can't abandon my mate and Mommy," Nariko said, hesitantly. She was afraid, but she was also eager.

            "We're almost there," Kasumi announced. The Company sedan was only a couple of miles from the staging area.

            Ranma nodded. She looked out the window to see the post dusk twilight. At least she did not worry about that approaching darkness.

            Kasumi parked her car in a supermarket parking lot. Nearby was a group of WIC Humvees and a pair of trucks. One of which was the modified tractor-trailer that served mobile command center. Kasumi went to the trunk of her car and pulled out her combat gear and armor. The two agents and three demons cleared the plain-clothes agents guarding the vehicle and entered.

            The tall, somewhat thin, agent in charge looked up from a holographic display of a group of small industrial buildings to see an older woman approach. "Major Saotome," Adam Jarvis saluted once he recognized her.

            "At ease, Captain," Nodoka said as she returned the salute. "What's the situation?"

            "As you can see, we've detected Pattern D's here, here, and here," the Captain indicated on the translucent display. "Their power levels are somewhat low. Most of them are around Class 3. It was rather fortunate that Agent Morrison was even able to detect them at this range. Our current location is just a couple miles from theirs. When we're ready we'll go in. I intend to take Patterson's team and Tendo's team in at these points," Jarvis said before going into further detail of his plan.

            "Good, I trust your ability to execute this plan." While Major Saotome was the ranking agent present. It was still Jarvis' operation. Nodoka would let him run the operation, provided that she agreed with his decisions. Situations like this were one reason why all WIC agents regardless of Section receive combat training and go on field rotations.

            "And I won't have to remind you that we have three Pattern D's working with us," Nodoka added.

            "I've already notified the strike teams Ma'am. They' won't rely on their pattern scanners."

            "They'd better. I won't stand for one of us hurting my son or my grandkids. Understood?" Nodoka inquired.

            "Yes, Ma'am," Jarvis agreed, wisely not making a statement about the gender of the Major's son or about the descendants of a Company officer being demonic.

            Ranma looked at the display and shook her head. It looked like she could bring her kids in on the fight. She still felt reluctance at it, but they had to start sometime. "Mom, I'd like you to change the battle plans a bit," she requested. Her own fears for what the fight would do to her humanity, her kid's humanity, had to be pushed aside.    

            "Of course, dear. Captain, we're modifying things a bit," Major Saotome said

            "Yes, Ma'am," Jarvis replied. He kept his face neutral. At least the other NH's working for the Company were actually part of WIC. The redhead and her spawn were not. The captain worried that their were insufficient safeguards around this brood, but it was not his place to complain.

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            Sailor DarkStar flew through above the town of Vaughan. She spotted the building visually slightly after she sensed the energy being given off by its occupants. On her left and right sides, Akane and Nariko followed her. Changing her approach, the redheaded demon angled her wings and twisted into a steep controlled fall. Akane and Nariko replicated this maneuver with relative ease.

            Ranma gently landed on the roof of the smallish beige building, which was originally designed as a machine shop and office. The other two demons landed shortly, only making a bit more noise than their mother.

            The redhead looked over the two girls. Both had changed their clothing to more practical leather boots, simple shorts that were a bit longer than Akane would prefer, and backless tops. The demonic Sailor Senshi smiled despite herself. Akane and Nariko looked as ready as they were going to be.

            The sound of approaching truck engines was then followed by gunfire. She was relieved that the WIC agents were on time. Ripping off a roof-access hatch, DarkStar jumped into the room she sensed to be clear.

            The three demons quickly exited the cramped storage room and entered a short hallway. Ranma's eyes widened and she generated a violet orb wreathed in white flames in her left hand.

            A door across the hall, to the left and marked "Women" opened. A demoness with white hair launched herself through the threshold. The snarling demon's eyes were glowing and her claws were extended.

            Ranma released the orb. The adhesive fluid within it doused the enemy succubus' neck and left shoulder before igniting. Ignoring her burning flesh, the servant of Alexia continued to close in.

            Until Ranma blocked her arms with one hand and grabbed her by the neck and squeezed with the other. Ranma did not extend her partially-opaque crimson claws. There was no need for blood. She simply crushed the demon's neck. As she died, the redheaded demon looked into the still angry eyes and smiled slightly. True demonic energy was much better tasting than that pathetic youma knock-off.

            "Mommy!" Nariko screamed as she released a dark purple orb similar to her mother's at a demon that had just come around a corner in the hallway. The approaching succubus dodged the magical napalm, summoned an orb of her own and was about to toss it.

            Both Ranma and Akane turned and fired at the new target. The redhead's orb hit her in the chest and Akane's blue one engulfed her head. The demon went down as everything above her chest burned. Nariko looked down at the writhing demon and shuddered in revulsion.

            A series of filaments then extended out her black tail's violet fins. With a whimper Nariko plunged the end of her tail into the dying demon's chest. The poor thing at least deserved a quick death. Nariko shuddered again. This time not in revulsion. The energy was nowhere near as good as what she got from Mommy, but it was still quite nice.

            Ranma looked on with her eyes tearing slightly, both out of pride and sadness. Her daughter had made her first kill. Her thoughts on this were interrupted by Akane.

            "Mommy! I think I hear something coming," Akane said quietly, now facing the opposite end of the hallway from where Nariko's kill had come from.

            Ranma nodded. That was where the larger rooms of the building were and that was where she had sensed more demons. "Nariko watch our backs," the redhead ordered as the trio went forward.

            The brood of succubae exited the hallway and found themselves in an unusually well-decorated room. The tile flooring had given way to thick carpeting, and the furniture was large and comfortable. More importantly were the half-dozen demonic residents of the room. They seemed to have been waiting for Ranma's brood.

            "Where's Alexia?" Ranma demanded her eyes flaring an angry violet.

            "You will not get the Mistress," the lead demon, a tall woman with strawberry blonde hair, replied. She then turned to Akane. "Hello Eclipse. Don't worry we'll soon have you back," Laura smiled, showing her fangs. It was a shame she had lost two of her mistress' minions but the intruders were now outnumbered.

            "Die!" Akane growled, as she launched a pair of blue orbs wreathed in white flames at the blonde. She then lunged at Laura, claws and tail filaments extended.

            "Nariko right!" Sailor DarkStar shouted as she fired on the demons on the left side and leapt in between the leftmost pair...

            Meanwhile, Akane had Laura's charred, but still lively, form pinned on the ground. The blonde tried to rake her talons over the other the traitorous spawn, but found her hands caught. The blue-haired succubus attempted to use her tail but found that her prey had wrapped her own around it.

            Growling in frustration, Ranma's daughter forced herself closer to the prone demon. When she was in range she opened her jaws and closed her mouth over Laura's neck. Like a child eating an apple, she tried to bite off as much as she could. Her sharp teeth easily cut through the demon's flesh. As her face was sprayed with arterial blood, Akane instinctively chewed and swallowed what was in her mouth.

            Ranma looked up from disemboweling a demon to see her younger daughter licking her blood-soaked lips. The redhead simultaneously cringed and rejoiced at Akane's accomplishment. The brood mother was happy that when instead of taking another bite, Akane got up and dispatched another demon, this one only grazed by one of Nariko's fireballs.

            Nariko stood over a pile of burnt and dismembered parts. They clearly belonged to a pair of succubae. However, telling which torso went with which head or arm would be a bit more difficult. The smell of freshly cut meat and hot blood was very appetizing to her.

            Her dinner _had_ been interrupted; she was still hungry. The blackish-violet-tressed girl found herself kneeling down and reaching towards the pile. Their energy was nourishing and delicious. She wondered what their meat would be like.

            "Come on!" Nariko's mother shouted. "There could still be others out there."

            "Are you sure Mommy?" Akane asked as she used her hand to wipe some of the blood of her face. "I don't feel any," she stated, idly licking her bloodied palm.

            "Neither do I. But we're still going to search the place. Alexia could still be here and _she_ might be able to conceal herself," Ranma said. She was extremely glad that she still wanted to get her kids out of the room, away from the bodies. Though she could see the benefit to letting them stay and allowing them to feed.

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            In a neighboring building, Lt. Tendo increased the pressure on her weapon's trigger. The weapon released a burst of 7.62mm WIC-custom armor piercing rounds. The agent smiled slightly as the demon's head disappeared in a cloud of blood, bone, and hair.

            Before the demon's corpse had a chance to fall Agent First Class Kowalski had lobbed a grenade around the corner she had come from. After the explosion, Kasumi pointed to Specialist Agents Gabriel Smith and Sophie Addison, and made the hand motion for them to go round the corner low and fast.

            The two agents nodded and went forward. They found the splattered remains of one demon and the mangled form of another. She was a small succubus with light green hair. The demon growled and tried to lift herself up, but the shrapnel wounds in her body were severe.

            "Don't," Kasumi ordered. This opportunity might be useful "Unless she can get at you." She then talked into her headset. "Captain, we may have a prisoner. Understood sir." The lieutenant then turned to her team. "Aram, you're with me. We'll secure the rest of this corridor. Gabriel, Sophie watch the demon. Patterson's team and the Captain will be here shortly."

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            Murdock looked at the woman sitting across from him with very well-concealed contempt. While the mage found her to be an insufferable harpy, there was no reason that she should be made aware of his feelings. After all, she might still prove useful to him.

            The rather tall woman across from Murdock gave a very cold smile as she brushed back some of her curly blonde hair. "I can't believe you're still worried about that redheaded traitor."

            "She did easily subvert your first attempt," Murdock smirked, slightly. He found the impudence was worth seeing her tanned face contort into rage. Tweaking the vain always amused the rumpled suit-wearing man, and the woman sitting across from him was vain even compared to her kind. That she even bothered to keep her skin tanned spoke volumes.

            "The impudence!" Alexia's eyes would have flared but she was in a restaurant and did not want to attract attention. "To steal my own creation. She _will_ pay for that! That little bitch took her from me on purpose!"

            Murdock admired his ability to keep a straight face during the demoness' little rant. "It is a shame what happened to her. But we do have business to attend to," Murdock stated as he tapped the briefcase that her had brought with him. Personally, he found this method of exchange a bit melodramatic, but he was acting under orders. The needless micromanaging really got on his nerves; fortunately, the fringe benefits made up for a lot of it.

            "I am aware of that, and I am pleased that your associates were able to supply the requested information so quickly. As I trust you will be pleased with what I will give-" the demoness was interrupted by a ringing coming from within her purse.

            Murdock suppressed a sigh as the woman answered her cell phone.

            "Helen what's wrong?" Alexia asked. Her dark green eyes hardened in rage at her minion's response. "Kill them all then! Damn that redhead! What do you mean; they're coming in too fast? There's over twenty of you there! Organize and hunt them down! Hello? Helen answer me!" The blonde slammed her phone onto the table in frustration.

            "What's going on?" Murdock asked in a concerned voice, as his hand reached for the briefcase. He had a fair idea what had happened.

            "My brood is being killed off by the traitor and her human lackeys," Alexia snarled.

            "And one of them called you here?" the grey-eyed man asked in exasperation. She really was a stupid creature. "I'm sorry I have to go," he said as he stood and put on his wide-brimmed hat.

            "Why are you leaving? We're not done here."

            "Yes, we are. If you're lucky WIC was not monitoring mobile transmissions in that sector. If you're unlucky they've traced the phone call and found out your current location," the mage explained as he grabbed the briefcase and held it at his side.

            "We had a deal!" Alexia's control started to slip and her eyes began to flare.

            Murdock nodded solemnly. "Yes we had one. I'll be informing my associates of your failure tonight. It was my fault for assuming you would be competent, or at least be able to _conceal_ your base."

            "You're going to pay for this!" Alexia cried. She wanted to tear him apart for his insolence, but the demoness knew that the mage would not be taken down that easily.

            "Undoubtedly," Murdock admitted honestly. He could not believe he had failed to expect that something like this would happen. The plan was starting to depend more and more on his backup plan succeeding. "Goodnight," Murdock said, tipping his hat to the demoness. Turning so that his coat billowed out behind him, he walked out of the restaurant.

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            "How'd we do, Mommy?" Nariko asked as the trio of demons left the building they had cleared.

            "Hello Ranma," Kasumi said from outside. Her team's stance was more relaxed and her weapon was pointed at the ground.

            The redhead raised an eyebrow questioningly.

            "You show up as a Pattern D and a Pattern Silver," Kasumi explained, her eyes twinkling in amusement. Not that anyone could see them behind her goggles.

            "Oh, okay."

            "Any wounded?" Kasumi asked. The brood looked okay.

            "None, thankfully. You?"

            "Nope. You find Alexia or anyone in charge?" the agent inquired.

            "We fought someone who seemed to be in charge, but she wasn't Alexia."

            Kasumi nodded. "No one else spotted a demon matching her description. At least we've destroyed this base of hers."

            The redheaded demon what about to comment when she heard a young woman scream. "What the Hell's that?"

            "Do you really want to know?" Lt. Tendo inquired, in a flat tone. In the darkness her eyes were obscured behind her almost imperceptibly luminescent goggles.

            Ranma's glare was answer enough.

            "Okay, but I think your kids should stay here," Kasumi warned.

            The redhead nodded, her sinking suspicion as to what the scream meant seemed to be more correct. "Girls, go with Kasumi's men and find a place to wash up," Ranma said before she followed her fiancee to another building.

            The agent and the demon entered and walked down a battle-scarred hallway. Sailor DarkStar stepped over the demonic fluids and body parts. The demoness could sense a group of humans and a single succubus ahead. Her heart sank at the surety of what she was about to see. They soon reached the warehouse's storage room. Unlike the other rooms in the building, the lights were on.

            The agents had set themselves up in a large open space towards the center of the room. Three WIC soldiers had positioned themselves near the edges of the room, while another pair was much closer in and had their weapons directly trained on their target.   Standing near that pair of agents was the officer that Ranma's mother had talked to. Captain Jarvis had pulled his goggles up onto his helmet and Ranma could see that the agent's dark-blue eyes were fixed on readying a syringe. "I should apologize. While our methods are not as elegant as your mistress', they're all we have," Jarvis explained.

            Sailor DarkStar's attention was on the person Jarvis was talking to. She was a fairly young succubus, not too much older than Nariko and a bit less powerful. The demoness' wings, arms, legs, and tail were bound using shackles of an unusually strong and resilient alloy. Her long, bright green hair was matted with her own blood, as was her sparse leather dress.

            Ranma noted several large tears in the membranes of the captive's wings, numerous wounds in her chest and arms that were healing with agonizing slowness, and that one of her horns had nearly been sheared off. The redhead shuddered at that. She knew how sensitive her horns were and could not imagine what having one almost torn off would feel like.

            It took the green-haired succubus a bit longer to notice the visitors. At first her large forest-green eyes looked at the other demon pleadingly and she made a weak mewling noise. Then she noticed who it was standing before her.

            It was the traitor; the redheaded bitch who had lead these _humans_ against her own kind. No doubt, she was here to gloat, torture and to eventually turn her. The demoness' snarled as she tried to break out of her bonds.

            Ranma cringed at the pitiful sight before her. The succubus was too weak to even make her eyes glow uniformly. All that she could generate was an uneven green flicker. "What the hell? I can't believe you ruthless bastards!" Ranma exclaimed.

            "She may have information as to where Alexia went off to," Jarvis said as he cautiously injected the demoness. She tried to struggle away but the bonds were too strong and she was too weak.

            "So you decide it's just okay to torture her?" The redhead and her brood had slaughtered the enemy, but at least those deaths were fairly quick.

            "Not physically," Jarvis counted. He then noted Ranma's skepticism. "The demon got wounded during battle. That's how we were able to capture her. Besides drugs are more effective than physical pain for information gathering."

            Ranma looked at the dying demoness. It was probably for the best that her brood did not get the chance to take prisoners. "It's still wrong," the redhead said as she considered what she should do.

            "There is a way she would tell us everything rather quickly," Jarvis proposed.

            "No, I'm not going to turn anyone unless they ask for it," Ranma said as she looked at the green-haired girl. "Just make it quick," the redhead said as she stood by to watch Jarvis get to work.

            Ranma watched the short procedure carefully. If the agent went too far she'd kill the demon herself, and maybe even the agent too, but she did want to know where Alexia was. It turned out to be mercifully short. The young succubus did not know anything and was put down.

            Sailor DarkStar carried the body out of the warehouse and gingerly put it with the others of Alexia's brood. The redhead took comfort in the pain she had for the fallen.

00000000000000000

            Assembly of Man Acolyte Ryoga Hibiki's partner observed the operation from a concealed position near a bridge abutment on the highway that ran next to the light industrial park. She pushed back a lock of brown hair that had fallen in front of her starlight scope.

            Her partner's powers were a double-edged sword. While they gave him increased strength and endurance, rapid healing, a protective aura, and an ability to track demons, they also made him show up on WIC scanners. There was another drawback, one that only she thought of as one.

            Everyone else seemed to think that the increased loyalty, dedication, and obedience to the Assembly was a good thing, that the blind fanaticism her partner showed were signs of a promising young acolyte not of those of someone being corrupted.

            At first the Assembly seemed like a godsend. They would give her new powers and skills and all they asked for was that she would destroy evil. The Assembly even promised to look into finding the people who dishonored her. However, as time passed she started to doubt the morals and goals of her organization, and regret ever joining.

            It had taken several embarrassing mission failures for the Assembly to realize that their more powerful operatives could be detected by that rival organization. This was why the young Assemblywoman had to observe their target alone. It seemed that the redhead was closely linked to the Company.

            The observer considered abandoning her post, walking over to an agent, and... Surrendering. The Company had its faults, but at least they were not a cult. She could be valuable to WIC. She had codes. She had names. She had locations. She had information.

            She had a responsibility to her partner.

            Ukyou Kuonji sighed. Her defection could wait. She still harbored a secret hope that she could get her partner to go with her, and that the Company might even be able to help him. At the very least she wanted to settle things with that redhead, and figure out exactly what had happened to the childhood friend that had betrayed her.

00000000000000000

            "Where's my little sister?" Nabiki asked the redheaded demon slumped on the living room couch. The past few days had been most odd for her. Seeing her sister as a nudist-lesbian-bimbo was very distracting. Annoyingly, she was not allowed to tell anyone anything about this. She knew that tempting her older sister or her younger sister's... mother was not a good idea.

            "Akane and her mate are up in her room putting away clothing," Ranma said as she stretched her neck.

            "No doubt having some sort of weird demon sex."

            "Good for them, show's they're in love and healthy," Ranma replied.

            "Uhhh... right... healthy" Nabiki shuddered at the image of Akane and what used to be Tatewaki all claws, wings, and tails rolling around doing unspeakable acts. God knew she had heard them doing it often enough.

            "Normally, I'd be willing to tell you all about how our bodies work. But I'm not in the mood for it right now," Ranma sighed, as she replayed the day's events in her head. She _hoped_ that her kids would do something to unwind. The redhead knew her body could benefit from some relaxation.

            Both girls turned their heads upward in response to the sound of a door being opened and someone running down the upstairs hallway. The person then rushed down the stairs in just a handful of steps.

            The redhead's eyes widened when she saw who was coming at her. Nariko leapt up onto her mother and hugged the slightly taller woman in fright.

            "Nari-chan, what's wrong?" Ranma asked as she comforted the girl.

            "Akane was putting away her new clothes, but she had to make room for her closet for the new outfits. We started talking about her old clothes and she started to get mad." The younger succubus spoke in a scared, halting tone.

            "Then what happened?"

            "She yelled at me! She told me to get out! Mommy, what's wrong with her?" Nariko asked.

00000000000000000

            A naked blue-haired demon sat on the floor crying softly. She did not want to scare her mate away. She loved the crimson-eyed succubus and wished she was here. She had manifested her true form including her claws. The girl looked through her long, transparent blue talons and her sobs increased.

            She had killed and drained today, and worse she had fed. The taste of... of Laura was still in her mouth. She was a cannibal. A gentle knocking on the door got her attention. "Go away," she said in-between sobs.

            "Akane, it's me Mommy," Ranma said.

            "Mommy," Akane muttered. She felt herself starting to feel better in her mother's presence. Akane then noticed the end of her tail. "No! You're not my Mommy! She's dead. You're just some... thing!"

            Ranma leaned on the door, amazed at how much those words hurt. "Let me in, we can talk about this," the redhead pleaded. "I really don't want to force you to do this."

            Akane looked at the doorway. Every part of her being was urging her to open the door, to let Mommy in. She stood and shambled to the door. Opening it she nearly fell onto her mother and renewed her sobbing.

            Holding onto her daughter, Ranma looked into the girl's eyes. With a free hand she went to Akane's left horn and gently stroked it. The blue-haired demon's eyes dilated and her crying stopped. A small smile even formed on her lips and a purr-like rumble started to form within her.

            Continuing the stimulation, Ranma lead Akane to her bed. The redhead then had her sit down next to her. The brood mother stopped the rubbing and started to wait.

            "What, what was that?" Akane asked as she pulled out of the bliss filled haze. "I knew these were sensitive, but that...."

            "I'm your mother," Ranma said in explanation. "Sorry I had to do that, but I didn't know what else to do."

            "Another inhuman thing I do," Akane sighed. She wanted to cry but she found it hard to while leaning on mother.

            "Yes. Is that what's wrong?" the redhead asked. "You're upset that you're no longer human."

            "Not just that. That until now I haven't seen anything wrong about what I am!"

            "But you are now. That's good," Ranma said as she put an arm around Akane. "You're recovering. You're turning back to yourself."

            "No I'm not! I'm still a winged-freak. I'm still a killer. I'm even stuck with that feeble-minded girl."

            Ranma raised an eyebrow.

            "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that about Nari-chan. I shouldn't have yelled at her. She's the sweetest, nicest, most beautiful person I've ever met," Akane apologized, ashamed at what she had said about her mate. 

            "See, some good came out of your change," Ranma reassured.

            "That's not so bad. What's bad is what Nariko and I were going to do. We were about to have sex, in celebration of today. What kind of monster does that after killing and eating their own kind?"

            "It's part of our nature," Ranma sadly said. "And we can't fight our nature, not completely. Look at me. I'm a guy, but I'm also your mother. I'm a demon. So are you. We don't have to be evil, but we do have to do some things."

            "I'm afraid... afraid of liking- No I _already_ like it, even love it a bit. Sinking my teeth in her neck and then licking the blood off my hands," the blue-haired demon cried.

            "You're afraid that it will control you. That you'll turn into an unthinking beast that simply hunts."

            Akane nodded.

            "The Akane of yesterday didn't care about killing. She didn't care about her humanity. But you're not that Akane, are you?"

            "But I'm still... I'm still..."

            Ranma squeezed her daughter again. "Yes, you're still a demon. But you're not a monster."

            "Thanks, Mother," Akane said. "What's wrong?" she asked seeing the strange expression on the redhead's face.

            Ranma smiled as ran her hand through her daughter's hair. "I'm so proud of you," she said before kissing her daughter lightly on the cheek.

            "Mother, what's this for?" Akane asked.

            "Say my name again," the redhead beamed.

            "You're my mother, so?"

            "It used to be Mommy didn't it?" Ranma asked.

            "Well, I'm not some little kid; I'm sixteen years old," Akane said before pausing in realization. "Oh, I _was_ a little kid. Wasn't I?"

            Akane's mother nodded.

            "Poor Nariko." Akane could now understand what had happened to her mate and how bad it was. Nariko would never have a break-through like this. To her Ranma will always be Mommy.

            "We'll do our best to help her," Ranma reassured. "Having a mate like you really helps."

            "And you're doing a wonderful job as our mother," Akane smiled.

            "Now, I've got a favor to ask you," Ranma stated as she looked at her reflection in a mirror on the wall. The fight and the discussion with her daughter had both increased the number of violet flecks in her eyes. They were now a third of the area of her irises.

            "What Mother?"

            "Could you help me –well- learn how to be... or at least pretend to be... a girl," the redhead blurted out. "Sure I know how to be a sexy demoness-"

            "Well, that's easy," Akane laughed.

            "Yes it is," Ranma laughed. "Sometimes TOO easy."

            "I'm honored, but why Mother?" Akane asked. She was a bit nervous about the prospect of having to teach Mother, but she was in awe of the responsibility.

            "I'm a Mother. I should know something. Also it'll help you too," Ranma explained. "Now go and get dressed."

            Akane looked down to see her nude form. "I'm sorry, Mother," she apologized, her pale skin blushing just a hint. She then got up, made her wings, horns, and tail vanish, and went to her closet.

            "Its okay, Honey," Ranma laughed. She had no problems seeing her children in the nude.

            "How's this? Akane asked after she had gotten dressed. She was wearing a yellow floral print mini-skirt and a spaghetti strap top with a bare midriff. On her feet was a pair of leather boots.

            "It's very nice," the redhead said smiling. It was more clothing than her daughter had been willing to wear since she'd been turned. It might not be as much as she wore when she was human, but it was a start. "Come on, let's go downstairs and make up with Nariko."

            "Can we go out and get some dinner?" Akane asked.

            "Sure, ours _was_ interrupted," Ranma replied, happy at the day's progress.

End Chapter 8

Author's Notes:

Prereaders for this chapter have been. Kevin D Hammel, Bill Heineman, Black Dragon, Jerry Jordan, Wray Lofin, Mike Koos, and Joe Fenton.

Very heartfelt thanks goes to Bill Heineman for all of his help on this project. Unfortunately, I can't tell you exactly what he's done. That would contain innumerable spoilers.

Wert


	10. Chapter 9 Revenge and Rebirth part 1

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Josh Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my 

C&C as always is wanted.

Chapter 9 Revenge and Rebirth Part 1

"Section Chief Tofu completed the autopsies," Jacob said as he dropped a thick folder onto Stillwater's desk.

The WIC commander picked it up and started to skim the report. Later, he would read it more thoroughly. "I thought that the demons there were pretty weak."

"Yes, the highest was a Class 5 that one of Miss Saotome's brood killed," Jacob agreed.

"Though her kids are progressing well," Stillwater noted. The agent paused to find the appropriate word. "Any... _personal_ requirements they need addressed?"

Jacob allowed a slight smile to form. "Sir, if you're asking whether or not the brood needs some... male companionship? The answer's no. Besides, I'm fairly certain Miss Saotome doesn't swing that way."

"But no women for her either?" Stillwater asked, a hint of amusement entering his voice. He knew that succubae tended to have no personal gender preference when it came to feeding on humans. Males were just much more susceptible to their charms.

"She has an impressive amount of control. Plus, Miss Saotome's got another way to release stress and gather energy." Jacob chuckled slightly.

"Good, we don't need more complications," Stillwater nodded. "We've confirmed that this was Alexia's brood. But we didn't get her, and I suspect that her stronger minions are still alive," Stillwater said as his eyes lingered on the photographs of the demons that had been killed by other demons.

"I agree with that assessment. I'd be very surprised if that was the extent of her brood. Her continued existence will be a complication. As is the Assembly presence. We must also watch Murdock more closely. At least we stamped out the Pattern V's in the forests to the south of the city." Jacob added.

"Yes, I'd be very interested to know who Murdock's working for," Stillwater sighed as he stroked his goatee. "Clearly, these groups are here for much the same reason we are."

"And they will be after the Pattern Silvers too."

"Likely. The documentation unearthed and translated by Historical Research Section seems to indicate that the Silvers are key in both forestalling the cataclysm or bringing it to its ultimate end."

"A part of me still hopes that this all just the deluded ramblings of madmen," Jacob said, shaking his head.

"Sadly, we've both seen too much to discount it entirely. This is cyclical in nature, and current events are starting to match past ones."

"A hundred and ten years ago it was nothing more than a bright light observed by loggers in the Yukon. Eighty-seven years ago it was just a thousand acres of destruction in northern Montana. Forty-two years ago the Company lost nearly two hundred men and barely contained the situation.

"And it was only five years ago that HR discovered the connection between those events," Jacob explained, using the abbreviation for Historical Research section. Willard International Consulting also had a Human Resources department. A commonality that caused more than some confusion. "Eventually, they managed to convince Command that the risk warranted this level of resources, and here we are."

"Yes and other... recent events have lent credibility to that... prophecy," Stillwater said, showing clear distaste for the last word. The only reason he, and the majority of Command, put stock in the scenario was the mass of evidence that seemed to confirm it.

"This time, I fear our own abilities will be insufficient. Our jammers can only do so much; our own weapons are not designed for this task. The energy increase is exponential in nature. We need the Pattern Silvers," Jacob explained.

"You're not proposing full disclosure?" Stillwater asked with some annoyance.

Jacob shook his head. "There's no need, Sir. They'll do whatever it takes to stop it of their own free will. They are the good guys after all," the agent said with a slight smile.

"Provided that this event is not key to their own plans for the future," Stillwater warned.

"If a global calamity of the scale foretold was a part of their plans, then we have more than this event to worry about." Jacob shook his head. He had read the reports from Historical Research. The accounts, if they were to be believed, of an interplanetary civilization dominated by the Pattern Silvers and the possibility of its return were... disturbing.

"That would make the Pattern Silvers the enemy," Stillwater said in a cold voice.

"I know. WIC is charged with protecting humanity from _all_ threats of a Pattern Registering Nature," Jacob sighed. He hoped that it would not have to come to that, but he was pragmatic enough to face that possibility and to have contingency plans for it.

"This is not the first time the Company has faced cataclysm, and it will _not _be the last. We will stop this threat. The alternative is unacceptable. The world will not end in _either_ way Robert Frost said it would," Stillwater stated.

" 'Fire or Ice,' " Jacob responded giving the title. He suppressing a sigh. Stillwater was almost obsessed with that poem.

---oo0oo--- 

Kasumi approached the dojo. Her mug was in her left hand and her right rested just above her waist. It was natural for her to keep her free arm at the ready. The agent entered without knocking.

Her eyes narrowed at the sight of her sister being attacked by the succubus' mate. Akane blocked Nariko's arms and tried to use her legs to sweep the taller girl off her feet.

Nariko tumbled backwards but used her wings to regain her balance. Akane closed in and tried to tackle her mate, but found her stomach being tapped by Nariko's tail. Akane frowned but continued on and embraced Nariko.

"You've got to keep track of your opponent's tail. Even if it just grazes you, it'll be very damaging," Ranma said as she looked down at her cuddling daughters.

"I know; it's just that my training has been for people who don't have tails." Akane frowned before lightly kissing Nariko.

"Yes, you've been sparring like a human. But we're not... limited in that way. Look at Nariko; she used her wings to keep from falling. Nice work there, honey," Ranma complimented.

"Thanks Mommy," Nariko said, her skin reddening almost imperceptibly in what passed for a blush in her species.

"But I can still fight like a demon," Akane said, remembering her first battle: the killing, the draining, the feeding.

"We're going to do more than that. I learned martial arts as a human too. But we need to adjust to our new bodies."

"Planning on making Saotome Anything Goes a truly aerial art?" Kasumi interjected as she considered the possibilities. Ranma's brood had considerable potential.

"Yes, though it's not too different really. One of the key points of musabetsu kakutou is learning to adapt to any advantage or disadvantage, including extra body parts," Ranma said as she stretched her wings slightly.

"Good," Kasumi nodded. "Cute... spandex," the agent commented on the garments the brood was wearing. They were in matching low-backed and sleeveless unitards that went to mid-thigh. Akane's was deep blue and white, Nariko's was black and violet, and Ranma's was dark purple and red.

"Lycra actually," Akane said, pointing out the minor difference in the materials. She had gotten up off the floor and was as putting her straps back on her shoulders.

"With our wings and tails, it's practical," Ranma shrugged.

The agent nodded. "I heard you're going back to school tomorrow," Kasumi stated.

"Yeah, they've done alright in the mall and other places," Ranma said before telling her kids what kata they should practice.

"And Akane's cover story?" Kasumi asked.

As she watched her daughters' forms, Ranma gave a brief explanation.

"Impressive," Kasumi noted. The story was simple and close to the truth. Akane had been injured very badly. She was recovering. The experience had changed her life and Akane had decided to stop hiding who she _really_ was.

"Mom helped... and Jacob," Ranma added. "Nari-chan, keep your left leg straighter," the redhead then advised the other demoness. She watched as Nariko tried the sequence again. Shaking her head, Ranma walked over to her daughter to help.

"I like how it takes care of her hair color, pale skin, and mate."

"Mother says I shouldn't call Nari-chan that," Akane said as she practiced a kata that was familiar except for the bit involving her wings that Mother added.

"Girlfriend would attract less attention," Ranma confirmed before turning back to her older daughter. "That's it. Very good."

"Thanks, Mommy," Nariko beamed.

"My friends seemed to like Nari-chan," Akane recalled. The blue and silver-haired succubus' first impression of Nariko was amazement at a sane, but air-headed, member of the Kuno family.

"That's good," Kasumi noted. She hoped that her sister would not have too many problems going back to school. There were going to be some, but she knew Akane could handle it.

---oo0oo---

Nabiki sighed; she watched the brood of demons enter the house and walk upstairs. At least Akane was able to practice martial arts with... her mother. The middle sister had an idea as to what they were training for. They _were_ working with Willard International Consulting, an organization she only recently learned the truth about.

The brunette mentally kicked herself for not seeing it earlier. Kasumi's coworkers were a bunch of company drones with no lives outside of their work. Nabiki had just assumed that their work was white-collar, not black helicopter.

"Nabiki," a familiar voice behind the teenager stated. Nabiki's body jerked in surprise as she turned to see Kasumi standing behind her.

"You're going to be asked questions tomorrow. I trust you'll not divulge anything sensitive?" the operations agent inquired in a friendly voice. A slight smile was on her face.

"No. Akane's my sister too," Nabiki said, somewhat insulted by the comment. She then looked into her sister's eyes. She always knew something was... off with Kasumi. Her older sister's incident of five years ago was still fresh in her mind.

"Good," Kasumi said with a grin that was much less threatening.

"It's just so very strange. Sure it's still Akane, but she's not human."

"Akane's gotten much better," Kasumi noted. "Ranma seems to be doing a good job."

"For a sex demon sure."

"That's what Akane is now."

Nabiki did not know how to interpret her sister's tone.

---oo0oo---

"Okay, it's my turn," Ranma said as Akane stepped out of the shower.

"You're not going to use any hot water, are you Mommy?" Nariko asked while she handed her mate a towel.

"Yeah," the redhead said.

"Mommy..." Nariko whined.

"Are you sure you want to, Mother?"

Recognizing the girl's shock, Ranma sighed. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to take a hot shower. Look, I'll be right here. You'll even be able to see me through the glass."

"If you insist," Akane acquiesced. She then hung up her towel. "Don't worry, Mommy's still here," she reassured her mate.

Nariko nodded and took comfort in Akane's embrace.

"Yes, I'm not leaving," Ranma said to the pair of nude demons. The redhead closed her eyes. and her unitard and undergarments disappeared. The demoness walked into the shower stall. Using the hot water that came out of the faucet, she changed forms as her male clothes appeared

Ranma stepped back to avoid the water and disrobed. His clothing was then tossed over the shower curtain. He knew his children were still in the bathroom, but he could not feel them. Ranma put those thoughts aside concentrated on washing his body. If the girls needed him it would be quite easy to bring _Mommy_ back.

After he finished showering he shut off the water and asked for a towel. Ranma expected one of his girls to toss one to him. Instead, Nariko slid open the door and handed him a towel.

Ranma blinked at his daughter. He should have seen this coming. Grabbing the towel he quickly wrapped it around his waist.

"Something wrong Mommy?" Nariko asked, with some confusion. How could she have a problem with nudity? The brood slept in the nude and only wore clothing for convenience.

"Oh, nothing" Ranma forced himself to either avert his gaze or keep it centered on his girl's face.

"Mommy's bashful." Nariko smiled to her mate.

"Don't see why, Mother's very good looking in either form," Akane noted. The blue-haired demon looked over the human form of her mother and formulated a plan. Mother had sacrificed so much for them. It would be nice if she could show her appreciation.

"It's just that I'm male, like this and you're... Never mind." Ranma walked to the sink. He was actually pretty happy. The girls were joking about his male form and not cowering and whining for their Mommy. That was a good sign.

"You're going to change back, aren't you?" Nariko asked.

"In a little bit." He inspected his eyes; they seemed to be clear of violet flecks. He sighed in relief before placing his hand into a flow of cold water from the faucet. The martial artist watched the reflected pair of eyes subtly change shape and not so subtly change color.

Ranma looked her body over. She was planning to summon her unitard and wear that, or go to her room and get the leather dress her mother had bought her. Her growing powers _had_ given her more options. Ranma shrugged and decided to see what she could do.

The black calf-high, high-heeled, leather boots were the same, but everything else was different. She wore a pair of black leather pants that were not _quite_ painted on. Her top was sleeveless and silk. Of a Chinese style, it bore considerable resemblance to the top of a cheongsam. The shirt was dark green and clasped with buttons in the front and had gold trim.

"Wow, you look great," Akane said, looking her Mother over.

"It's very nice," Nariko confirmed.

Ranma's reaction was a bit different. "I'm finally wearing pants!"

---oo0oo---

Assembly of Man acolyte Ryoga Hibiki leveled his gaze at his partner. The two demon hunters were in the hotel room that they had been using.

"I assure you, I have no doubts." Ukyou gazed out the window of the room. The Canada Trust Tower loomed prominently in the view. She pushed those errant, those traitorous thoughts out of her mind; now was not the time.

"Really? Father Oslo has told me about your previous relation with the target."

"I didn't know the demon was Ranma!" Ukyou shouted. "_You_ knew who this demon was, but you never told me! And you've had just as much personal contact with Ranma as me."

"I had my orders," Ryoga said simply.

"It's moot, anyway. Even _if_ Ranma was my friend, that's not him, not anymore. That's a demon that took over and corrupted his body. There's no way I could confuse Ranma Saotome with that redheaded succubus."

"Just be sure to keep that in mind."

"I will... though, maybe we should ask for assistance."

"No. We don't need any help," Ryoga indignantly replied.

"Are you sure? You couldn't kill her before, and now she's got two spawn."

"I tried to do that alone before, but together we will destroy them."

---oo0oo---

"Umm, Red, I really don't need to see your butt in that much detail," Nabiki remarked dryly to Ranma as the brood mother walked into the kitchen.

"Hey! You're the one staring at me." Ranma turned to face the teenager.

"It's hard not to," Nabiki replied. "You're wearing skin-tight leather pants."

"They're pants. At the moment, that's _all_ that matters. So shut up," Ranma paused to pull some material off her skin. "Besides, these aren't that tight."

"A whole quarter inch of extra material. No, not tight at all," Nabiki observed, dryly.

"Actually, Mother's clothing's pretty modest," Akane interjected as she and her mate walked in from the porch.

"Well, she _is_ wearing clothing," Nabiki remarked.

"I was only naked in the living room _once_!" Akane bristled. In practice for school she kept control of herself and prevented her eyes from flaring.

The middle sister decided to not comment about the other places Akane was naked, and instead comment on something else. "At least the school uniform looks good with your new hair. I'm surprised you're wearing the normal version and not the fashion disaster that your mother does."

"Hey!"

"Please tell me you're not going to defend that... thing you wear," Nabiki smiled.

"Well.... no," Ranma said before changing the subject. "So Akane, what were you doing out there?"

"We were talking with Father and Grandpa about if we'd qualify for the joining of the houses," Akane explained.

"Oh, any luck with that?" Ranma asked as she looked out to see her father and Soun sitting out on the back porch playing what looked to be go, but might have been something else.

"Grandpa's strange. I don't know what he thinks of me," Nariko commented.

"I'm sure he likes you. He's just... set in his ways," Ranma suggested. She hoped she would not have to straighten things out with her father... again.

"We should get to school pretty soon," Nabiki remarked. "So Sunshine, not even going to bother with a mockery of the uniform?" the teenager asked, using Ranma's school alias.

Ranma glared at Nabiki and used her powers to change her clothing.

"No fishnets? And is that skirt just a miniskirt instead of a micro-mini?" Nabiki inquired in a teasing voice. Ranma's uniform was still darker than the normal, most notably in the use of a black blouse instead of a white one and a crimson girl's ribbon tie instead of a dark blue one, but her skirt was normal length. Ranma's kids were wearing their own standard uniforms.

"You think I _like_ wearing that stuff? I'm a guy," Ranma replied.

Nabiki raised her eyebrow and snickered.

"Let's just go," the redhead grumbled

The middle Tendo sister's response was cut short. Something was off. She normally had to look up to meet the redhead's eyes, but now... "Just how high were those platform boots?" Nabiki asked after checking Ranma's footwear.

"Those things are a pain to wear," Ranma said with a shrug.

"But you look so delightfully Goth in them," Nabiki teased. She smiled after seeing Ranma glare.

Nariko looked at her mommy. Barefoot, she might actually be a bit taller than the redheaded demon that had turned her. Nariko paused at that. She should _not _be taller than Mommy. Tatewaki was taller than Ranma. Nariko shook her head. It did not really matter.

The quartet made their way out of the house and to Nabiki's car. Their progress was noted by the WIC team that was watching the house. The surveillance had been quietly added after Akane had been taken.

---oo0oo---

"It's been fairly quiet," Janet remarked to her companions as they walked down the second floor hallway.

"What are you talking about?" Usagi asked "Everyone's been talking about Akane today."

"More demons," Rei muttered as she shook her head. There was a time when they would attack beings like that on sight.

"Not that, with our... after school activities," Janet clarified. "So far I've just had that thing with Ami in that store."

"You seem... eager," Usagi stated as the group walked down a stairwell.

"Well, I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I can't help but sense that something big is coming."

"The school did get taken over," Rei reminded the newest Senshi.

"Where is Ami, anyway?" Usagi asked.

"Yeah, it's not often we see you two apart," Rei joked. She did feel a bit perturbed at how much time Ami spent with the new girl, but she could see the reasons for it. Janet was smart and a Senshi. Granted, the auburn-haired girl was not a super-genius like Ami was, but Janet was very bright.

"She told me she wanted to find Minako and Makoto," Janet explained, answering Usagi's question.

"Oh, I see," Usagi said.

"So what do you guys think of Sunshine's brood?" Janet quietly asked.

"They seem nice enough," Usagi's gaze was distant.

"Yeah, for a bunch of... demons. They seem okay," Rei admitted after they exited the stairwell and entered the ground floor.

"I'm glad we got your approval," a voice calmly remarked.

Rei turned to see a redhead with violet-flecked blue-eyes leaning on some lockers. "What're you doing here?" the raven-haired girl asked.

"Akane and Nariko are in the bathroom," Ranma explained as she pointed to the door. While she had no problems with going into a girl's bathroom when she needed to use it, going in when she did not was different.

"Oh, so how's your... family doing?" Usagi asked after considering her words. The school's general population did not know about the brood.

"The girls are fine," Ranma replied, eyeing the other Senshi. "I guess someone told you about them. That's good. Now you won't do anything stupid."

Rei bristled at the unspoken threat, but the princess had declared these demons off limits.

"Wow, I've never been this close to a- well you know- before," Janet remarked as she looked over Ranma. The redhead looked human; though there was something off about her. It was mostly with the eyes, while there was nothing that looked inhuman about them, they were simply a little bit... strange, though it could just be their blue and violet coloration.

"Yeah." Ranma turned to see her daughters exiting the bathroom. The mother smiled slightly at the sight.

Akane stopped when she spotted the girls mother was talking to. She could _smell_ a signature on the humans, something that Mother had as well. "Sunny?" the blue-haired girl asked, using the public name for Mother her mate had come up with.

"It's okay, Akane. They're those girls we talked about," Ranma reassured.

"Hi! I'm Nariko Saotome," the black and violet-haired demoness greeted happily as she walked closer to Usagi.

"Usagi Tsukino," Usagi smiled in return. The red-eyed demoness seemed to be very nice.

"Nari-chan..." Ranma warned.

"But my records still say my last name's Kuno," Nariko admitted, sheepishly.

"Maybe we should eat lunch together," Usagi suggested. "We should get to know each other more."

"We were planning on eating with Samantha and Naoko," Ranma said as the group of girls made their way to the cafeteria.

"They're not cleared?" Janet asked. Neither of those girls were Sailor Senshi or demons, but they might be agents.

"They're nice _normal_ girls," Ranma explained, answering the girl's question. It was nice to have some friends who were not too weird. The downside was that they were Sunshine Saotome's friends.

"Hey Akane, I like the new hair. You wanna have a good time?" a male classmate by the name of William Stetson said while leering at the girl. He was fairly handsome, but obnoxious.

A small growl escaped Akane's lips as she turned to face the intruder. Getting hit on like this was starting to wear very thin, and right in front of her mate! "I'm not interested in you. I've got a girlfriend now. Just leave," the demon said managing to keep her voice even and her eyes from glowing. Part of her wanted to give Stetson exactly what he wanted, right up until she drained the last drop of life force out of his body.

"Well maybe you could both come. I'm sure I could handle you two," Stetson said with a slanted smile.

Ranma smirked. The poor fool had _no_ idea what he was dealing with. She did know exactly what Akane was going though. Most guys took the hint and stopped bugging her, but there were always a few who kept coming back.

It was as if they were drawn to her and her kids, which was quite true. Succubae were designed to be very sexy, sensual, and appealing. When they got around hormonal teenage boys...

It would be simplicity itself to seduce one and drain him. Ranma shook her head. She would _never_ do that. Not to a boy or a girl. It was just an urge she had. She could almost taste the energy the humans gave off. Her kids seemed to have even less of a problem with it. They did have each other and they were still draining energy from their mother. Though ever since she had killed those youma, Ranma had found those urges had been dulled.

Nariko bit her lower lip. She remembered Stetson. He was one of Tatewaki's friends and seemed like a nice enough guy back then. Now, he was a rude annoyance. Nariko sighed; things were so confusing.

"No," Akane said as she narrowed her eyes. "Remember what happened the last time you hit on me?"

"You hit right back," Stetson replied, thinking he sounded much cooler than he really did.

"Well Nariko, it looks like he finally got one right," Akane almost snarled as she made a fist. She would have preferred to extend her claws.

Stetson ignored the fist and looked in eyes that _almost_ seemed to glow. The teen suddenly felt an overwhelming fear for his safely. A deep primal part of him got the urge to flee and hide. He was lucky that Akane had chosen that sense to give off. She could just as easily given another signal, one that would have ensnared him.

"Bill. Go. Now," Akane stated.

Stetson looked at the six girls glaring at him. The three paler ones seemed more threatening, not that the other half was friendly either. After giving one last, quite lame pickup line, he quietly slinked away.

"Wow, no wonder you guys changed teams," Janet observed once Stetson was out of sight.

Rei gave a sideways glance at the auburn-haired girl, but held her tongue.

"You did good, Akane," Ranma reassured.

"Why can't they leave us alone?" Akane moaned.

"I'm sorry," Nariko said as she looked down at the hem of her skirt.

"Don't worry. These guys would be after us anyway without what you... what Tatewaki did," Akane said as she wrapped her arm around her mate's waist.

"No, I'm sorry about what I did to you and Mommy," Nariko clarified.

"I can't forgive what Tatewaki did. He was a vile person."

Nariko whimpered and closed her eyes.

Akane pulled her mate closer. "But you're not him. You're Nariko."

"I know; I still feel bad."

"That's what makes you a good person."

A mental image flashed into Usagi's mind as she watched the two demons comfort each other. It was from the dream she had, the one where she and Queen DarkStar ruled over humanity. The blonde shuddered, not wanting to think of mated succubae, especially when one of them was herself.

Usagi looked at Ranma. There was something she to know - there was also something Usagi should tell her. "Sunshine," Usagi said, using Ranma's alias. "Can we talk... in private?" the blonde asked, her eyes looking at the redhead.

"I guess so," Ranma agreed. "Girls, get your lunch. I'll be with you in a bit," the demoness said to her kids.

"You two go with Akane and Nariko, we'll be right back," Usagi told Rei and Janet.

---oo0oo---

"Queen DarkStar?" Ranma asked after Usagi had explained that dream. "That's pretty messed up. I'm not royalty, and I've got no intention to take over the world," the redhead said. A small voice within her did tell her that the original DarkStar was a queen and did control the earth. This voice was quashed by another one that claimed that she _only_ had the body, memories, and powers of DarkStar.

"The dream predicted Nariko," Usagi pointed out as the walked along one of the paths outside the school. The two girls were speaking in Japanese. It was a welcome change for Usagi who while understandable, did not enjoy English.

Ranma had been raised to be fluent in two languages and hardly cared. When Genma learned of Soun's plans to move to Canada, he knew that it would be best for the joining of the houses if any children he had could speak English.

The redhead suspected that Usagi also switched languages to prevent eavesdropping. Ranma smirked a little bit at that. WIC had an Operations Centre in Japan and Furinkan was full of Japanese students. "But it didn't have Akane. I guess those other girls were Samantha and Naoko," Ranma said.

"Still..."

"So you knew the name of my daughter beforehand. That's the ONE thing your dream had that's real. I'm pretty sure we're not going to date. You're nice and all, but I've got more pressing things in my life. And didn't you lose your boyfriend?" Ranma asked after she looked Usagi over.

Usagi blinked. Most nights she still cried before falling asleep. It hurt to have lost him and in such a senseless way. He had died before, but at least those times it was in her arms... and of course he came back. She still hoped for a resurrection, but it seemed pretty grim. She was talking to Mamoru's... replacement.

"Though the part about you being a demon is... interesting," Ranma said as she appraised the girl. The redhead could easily see how the blonde would look as a succubus. It was an image that would haunt her own dreams later.

"It was horrible," Usagi said, shuddering at the memory. She looked to see Ranma's eyes appear to shimmer slightly.

"I can imagine," Ranma noted. She idly licked one of her fangs. It would be simple to... The redhead halted that line of thought.

The blonde stared at the demoness. "I know that dream's not real. It's still troubling. Why did it get that Nariko part right? Have you been having any odd dreams?"

"I'm a guy who's also a demonic mother. Yeah, I get them a lot."

"I still don't like knowing Nariko's name."

"Neither do I. You sure no one told you about Nariko before you met her?" Ranma asked.

"I don't think so..." Usagi said as she pondered.

"The dream also has me treating those demons like minions and not kids," Ranma observed.

"So you really are a mother?" Usagi asked.

"Uh, yeah," Ranma confirmed as she looked around the school grounds. While she could not see the WIC team that was monitoring them, she knew one had to be there. "There's two ways to I can turn someone into a demon. One, I force the person to change and they turn into a demon that's bonded to me."

"A minion?"

"A child," Ranma corrected. The thought of having mere minions instead of children sickened her. Monsters like Alexia had minions. "The other's more complicated and needs the help of the person being turned, but the new demon isn't nearly as dependent on me."

"Why didn't you use that one?" Usagi asked. The possibility that Ranma wanted to have a brood entered the blonde's mind.

"The second way's too slow. Both of my kids were dying when I turned them. I had to make them into my children."

"I'm a mother too," Usagi admitted. "Or I will be."

"What?" Ranma asked. That had gotten her attention.

"My daughter's from the future. I have her with Mamoru. She was sent back in time for her safety. Good thing... I don't think the future's like I remember it anymore," Usagi sighed. She still believed in Crystal Tokyo, but with Mamoru gone things were going to be different.

"Future? Yeah... with that –um Black Moon group, right? So you know what's going to happen?" Ranma asked. Murdock had told him about the Senshi, but a lot of what he said seemed too far-fetched.

"We did," Usagi sighed as she rubbed her eyes. "But Murdock ruined that." Usagi's face twisted in anger.

"Oh," the redhead stated as she let the Murdock comment slide "So in that _future_ with your _late_ boyfriend you had a kid. She came back in time; she's here right now?" the demoness asked as she tried to untangle the blonde's story.

"Setsuna got a sample from him. He can still be her father," Usagi explained.

Ranma nodded with understanding. "So then she knew he was going to die?"

"Not quite," Usagi answered, glaring at the demon. "Before... before he died, there was this evil queen. Long story short, she did something to Mamoru that made our daughter start to fade in and out of existence. After we beat her, Setsuna did that to make sure my daughter wouldn't disappear again."

"Good thing then," Ranma agreed. The thought of losing one of her kids made the demoness shudder. "You have a photo of her?" Ranma asked, suspecting the answer to that question. After all, she had pictures of her kids in her purse and her male form's wallet, and her mother carried much the same.

"Yes, here's my Chibi-Usa," Usagi answered as she pulled out and handed over the image. The blonde smiled; at least one part of Mamoru was still alive.

"Cute," Ranma said, looking over the picture. The pink hair was a bit much, but the eyes were very interesting.

"A little bit too cute," Usagi said.

"She reminds me of my Nari-chan. Same eye color," Ranma explained.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she was a demon all this time," Usagi joked.

Ranma noted that there was something strange in the blonde's tone, but shrugged it off. "She staying with you and the other Senshi?"

"Sorta. She's back in Japan with the outers."

"Why?" Ranma asked. She suspected that there were Senshi to the other planets. Pluto was proof of this.

"The outers are there in case something happens in Japan."

"And your daughter's with them because...?" Ranma asked. The thought of being on the other side of the world from her children was completely alien to her.

"Pluto advised it," Usagi sighed. "It's... it's... going to be dangerous to have her here. She's just a kid."

The demon blinked. She was training her kids to fight and had already lead them into battle. However, Usagi's daughter was much younger. "I just think you should have your daughter brought over here. She did lose her father. She'd want to be with her mother again, and you do have your friends to help protect her."

"When I talk to Usa next I'll ask her if she wants to visit."

"Okay, I know it's strange to get parenting advice from an energy-draining male demoness," Ranma laughed.

"You... drain people?" Usagi asked. She should have known. Ranma was a demon. Suddenly, the blonde wished she was not alone with her.

"Nope, only the demons we've fought," the succubus said. Though a part of her wondered what she would do if she killed a human opponent... like Assemblyman Hibiki. Then there were the boys, and even girls, at school.... Ranma immediately terminated that line of thought.

"Why?"

Ranma leveled her gaze at the other magical girl "It's something we need. Well... I don't need it as much, but my kids are growing. It's a good way to do it. The energy would go to waste anyway."

"I guess it's better than seducing and draining people," Usagi allowed.

"Neither myself or my kids will EVER do that," Ranma evenly said, but her eyes did start to glow.

"Sorry," Usagi apologized, slightly unnerved by Ranma's outburst. "It's just strange. You feed on demons. They were your own kind-"

Ranma glared at this.

"-and you took their energy. It's kinda like cannibalism."

"Kinda," Ranma agreed, deciding not to mention what Akane had done; that _was_ cannibalism. "Look, it's not something I'm proud of," the redhead started. _Don't kid yourself; you are proud,_ Ranma mentally corrected herself. _Remember how you felt when your kids made their first kills? That feeling of satisfaction and pride. _

"It's just something we have to do," Ranma shrugged. "These monsters have to be killed."

"I guess. It's just creepy... no offense."

"How do you think it feels from my side? You think I want to be a demon?" Ranma asked in a quiet but forceful voice.

Usagi made eye contact; blue eyes met with violet-tainted ones. "No, but you have to be one anyway," the blonde answered.

"Yes," replied Ranma, her eyes guarded.

"Let's go see how the girls are doing."

---oo0oo---

Alexia watched the house across the street from her location. Getting herself in position had been the easy part; controlling her power so that she would not be detected was much harder.

The demoness smirked despite this. Her minions, those that were still alive, had tried to suggest that it would not be in her best interest to go herself. If those humans found her they _might_- Alexia shut of that line of reasoning. Her mortality was not something she liked to dwell on.

_Besides,_ the demoness thought with a smirk as she turned her attention to the WIC van parked near the house. They're on the lookout for something demonic. _They're expecting a brood of demons to swoop in and start killing, not carefully observing and plotting._

Sneaking to that gray van and slaughtering the humans inside had a definite appeal to Alexia, but she knew it would simply increase their presence around the house. The demoness sighed. Her brood _could_ storm the house, but the response from the humans would be swift. The chances of her minions slaying the treasonous brood were, sadly, slim.

The problem was in those... agents. Their equipment provided an effective early warning system. Her spawn could easily get past it, but not without alerting them. The same was true of the school the traitor and her stolen minions still attended for some reason. Alexia preferred to ignore the little detail that only one of Ranma's children had been turned by herself.

She then spotted a silver sedan approach and park in front of the house. Alexia's face clouded as she watched her spawn step out. The young demoness, now enslaved to and altered by that traitorous bitch, was happily chatting with a demon hunter. As she watched this... abomination, she was struck with inspiration. There _was_ a way she could strike at that annoying redhead and reclaim what was hers....

---oo0oo---

"Oh hi, Akane. How's it going?" Ranma asked as her daughter entered their bedroom. Nariko was spending a few hours with her father, and Akane had just been out with Kasumi.

"When... when I first met you... I saw that little leather dress and thought you were just another bimbo," Akane admitted as she sat down on the bed next to her mother. "I'd never thought I'd end up in leathers of my own," the demoness sighed.

"It's not like you wear them all the time... anymore," Ranma offered.

"I know," Akane smiled as she picked the gift that Kasumi had helped her pick up.

"What's this?" Ranma asked as she looked at the simply wrapped box her daughter had handed her.

"Open it," Akane offered.

The redhead ripped the wrapping off and gazed at the contents. _Great, more clothes_, she thought. She then looked closer at the two items. It was clothing, but it was not for her succubus form. Holding the shirt and drawstring pants, Ranma looked questioningly at Akane.

"You were there for me, you helped me remember who I was and accept what I am. I want to be there for you too," Akane explained.

"But this?"

"I know you're really... really a guy. I've seen how you look at your male-side," Akane said, somewhat softly. "It's gotta hurt to do this - be a woman, a demoness, a mother. But you do it anyway, for us." She then flashed a fanged grin that went straight to the young mother's heart.

The redhead closed her eyes and smiled.

"Mother, are you okay?" Akane asked.

"I'm fine," Ranma said as she wiped the corners of her eyes. There was still hope for her human side. "I'm just so proud. I love you so much." The demoness then leaned over and hugged Akane.

"I love you too," Akane sighed happily in her mother's embrace.

Ranma untangled herself from her daughter. "I think I'll go change."

"I checked the size of your clothing before I went. It should fit you," Akane offered.

"Thanks Honey," the redhead said as she walked out of the room.

As her mother left, Akane chuckled at Ranma's modesty. But that helped prove that her mother really was a guy, at least when she was male.

Once in the bathroom, Ranma returned to her birth form. He did not worry about Nariko losing her connection to Mommy. His daughter was already out of range. Ranma then changed into Akane's gift. Ranma chuckled as he pulled on the pair of black pants. Akane had gotten the right size and Ranma would not need to worry about asking her to return it. The martial artist then slipped on the rich yellow, almost golden, silk shirt.

Ranma looked at his reflection with a sideways smirk. _He_ still had a chance to exist, in spite of- or maybe because of his daughters. He then walked back to his room.

"You look good," Akane said as she looked over Ranma. Part of Akane preferred her mother to be in demon form, but if this would make Mother happy...

"Thanks, Akane. You sure you're okay with me being like this?" Ranma asked.

"For a while," Akane admitted. While she could accept, and encourage Mother to be human sometimes, she still needed her _mother_. Akane wondered if her mate would be able to understand. "I know this coffee shop nearby. It's not a long walk," Akane suggested.

"Hmmm, I guess." While Ranma was not a big fan of coffee, it would be nice to spend some time as a male with his daughter. Ranma and Akane walked down to the first floor and out the front door. Ranma looked questioningly at the overcast sky. He was starting to see that cloud cover was the norm in this part of the world, at least in fall. The martial artist shrugged. If it rained then he and Akane could fly back or catch a ride with the WIC team that was likely to follow them.

---oo0oo---

Ami Mizuno's journey was not hampered by the threat of rain. Her and her friend's destination was in the building. The apartment door was quickly answered by a professional-looking woman with auburn colored hair. "Hi, Dr. Fraiser," the blue-haired girl greeted. "Is Janet in?"

"Hi," Usagi greeted from her spot next to Ami. She idly wondered if all smart girls had doctors for mothers.

"Yes, she's in her room," Nadine Fraiser said as she opened the door. Her shift at North York General Hospital had just ended.

"Thanks," Ami replied as she crossed the threshold.

"It's nice to see Janet's making friends," Nadine said as she closed the door.

"Yeah," Ami agreed. Why did Janet's mother seem surprised that her daughter was making friends? Janet seemed nice and outgoing enough. _Maybe I just think that because she's less shy than I am, _Ami thought morosely._ All my friends _are_ Senshi, even my new one._

"Janet's in her room." Nadine pointed to the location of her daughter's room.

"Thanks, Dr. Fraiser," Usagi said as she followed Ami. The blonde noticed that Ami went to Janet's room before the older woman told her where it was. Usagi ignored this; she assumed that this was not the first time Ami had visited.

In this Usagi was entirely correct.

Ami knocked on the door. "Janet, It's me and Usagi."

Shortly after the music playing in Janet's room lowered in volume, the auburn-haired girl opened the door. "Hey, guys. Glad you could make it. I'll show you my room," Janet said while giving a sly smile to Ami.

Ami sighed and shook her head.

Except for a pile of papers and open books on her desk, Janet's room was immaculate. The level of organization was something that even Ami found excessive. Janet was showing off her bookcase when Usagi noticed something.

Usagi looked over Janet. "You know, if you put on a lab-coat, you'd be pretty close to your mom."

Janet's face darkened. "No, I'm not."

"But your noses are very close. Your faces have the same shape."

"Your eyes are almost the same shade of grayish-green," Ami added.

"It's a coincidence." Janet had sat on her bed and looked past her friends.

"Pardon?" Ami asked.

Janet paused. She did not want to keep secrets from her friends. She was going to trust them with her life. "I'm adopted," the Senshi of Orion admitted. "My birth mother... she... she died."

"I'm sorry," Ami said as she hugged Janet. At least this explained how Janet got the last name Fraiser. Ami did wonder what had happened to Janet's birth father but thought it wise not to ask.

"It's okay," Janet said in a distant voice. "It... was years ago."

"You poor girl," Usagi said as she sat down next to Janet.

"I'll be fine," Janet said flatly.

"You're not alone," Usagi gave Janet a supportive hand squeeze. Janet did have another mother now, unlike Makoto who was still an orphan as was... Mamoru.

"I know," Janet stated with a slight smile.

---oo0oo---

"What'd you think of your first day of school?" Ranma asked as he stirred his hot chocolate. He did not like coffee and the tea the cafe served was awful.

"Could have been worse." Akane looked out one of the windows and sighed. "I kinda wanted there to be more of an uproar. I mean, I come back from being missing and more people comment more about my dye job than they do about me being a lesbian!"

Ranma turned to see what the demoness was looking at but remained silent. A silver car had pulled up onto the opposite side of the street.

"I guess those rumors about me playing for the other team were good after all." The blue-haired girl noted sourly. "Half the school probably was expecting me to get a girlfriend. I am Akane Tendo-" She glanced at her mother. "Well Saotome, but they don't know that- boy hater."

Akane continued. "I guess it's not so bad. Nariko's much nicer than any boy."

"She is a good kid," Ranma stated hesitantly.

"It's not your fault," Akane said, trying to stop what she knew was going to happen.

"It is. I'm guilty as hell. If I'd mothered Nariko from day one, she'd..." Ranma sighed.

"You're her mother now, and that is helping her. Nariko used to be incapable of disagreeing with you, but now. 'No, Mommy, I think the pink skirt is better,' " Akane quoted from an earlier conversation.

Ranma laughed. "Nari-chan is spending all day after school with her father. It's good that you both have dads." He glanced out the window to see that what was clearly a Company car had left.

"Yeah, you're not a single mom," Akane said, her voice quite flat.

"What's wrong Honey?"

"Oh nothing," Akane sighed. She hated Tatewaki, but she loved Nariko. She was depressed at the near certainty that Nariko will never "fully recover," but she was relieved that her mate would never turn back into what she was. The demoness hated taking comfort in that.

"It's about Nariko."

Akane nodded. "After she tried to apologize to me. I asked her what she felt about her human life, her old life." She looked at her own drink. She took a reluctant sip of the caffeinated beverage.

"What'd she say?"

"Not much. I don't know whether she simply doesn't think much about it or if she's keeping it private."

Ranma blinked. Nariko was the most open person he knew. This was something he had to keep his eye on.

---oo0oo---

"What do you think I should do, Daddy?" Nariko asked. The demoness and her father were sitting in the expansive kitchen of the Kuno house.

"You haven't asked your.... mother?" the Drake inquired.

"You've known me longer," Nariko said, nervously.

The Drake smiled. That his child still cared for him, still confided in him reassured him greatly. "I think I've got a solution," the Drake said before explaining what his daughter could do.

"Oh Daddy! You're so smart!" Nariko leapt over and hugged her father.

The Drake closed his arms around his daughter, who snuggled in. The Drake's resolve strengthened. His son Tatewaki might be gone, but his daughter Nariko still had a chance.

---oo0oo---

A pair of teenagers walked down the edge of the road. The female was leaning on the male who had his arm around her. Ranma looked at his daughter who had a strange grin on her face.

"What?" Ranma asked.

"Oh, it's just the waitress at the coffee shop thought we were a couple," Akane laughed.

"You did keep pretty close to me," Ranma said as he loosened his grip on Akane's waist.

"You're my mother. Though I guess there was no way they could know that."

"They saw a guy and a girl, same age," Ranma agreed with a sigh. A misunderstanding like that had been central to what had happened to Nariko. Ranma, and the former Kuno boy, had both thought that it was romantic love instead of parental.

"I did have a cutesy nickname for you too," Akane laughed.

"Yeah," Ranma sighed. It could have been worse. At least it was only Akane and Nariko who called him Sunny. He did not like the name much, but Nariko had picked it and he did not want to hurt her feelings. He then heard the familiar sound of sporadic rain hitting the ground, leaves, pavement, and everything else.

He looked up to see no discernable change in the heavy cloud cover, aside from the precipitation. Soon there was enough water to trigger the transformation.

Akane nearly purred at the return of her bond with her mother. As nice as Mother's male form was, it was nothing compared to her true form. Akane paused. _No, Mother's human form is her true one. It's the one she was born with._

"Damn lake effect weather," Ranma grumbled as she pulled her now-loose, longer and crimson hair, back. She looked at her soaked daughter. "Follow me," she said before walking into the forest that ran on the right side of the road.

Once they were surrounded by trees, Ranma did a quick scan with her senses. She then shifted her silk shirt and leather pants slightly. Her true form then manifested. After stretching her wings and tail, Ranma turned to her daughter. "Come on, we're going to do some flying."

Akane looked around the forest. The largely deciduous trees were not that close, but it would still be tricky to use her full wingspan. The constant downpour did not help either. "Mother, you sure about this?"

"It's good training," Ranma said as she oriented herself in the direction of home. "Not all of our flying will be in open spaces and with clear weather."

Akane nodded at this and reverted to her full-demon form. "I'm ready," she said after a brief stretch. Keeping her tail and especially her wings hidden, while easy, always left them a little bit stiff.

"I'll follow you. That way if you hit anything, I'll see it," Ranma said as she spread her wings.  
Akane extended her light-cobalt wings and took to the air. It was hard to weave her way through the trees. She had to go fast enough to stay in the air but slow enough to avoid trunks and branches. The ends of some of the latter scratched against her wing membranes.

When they were about halfway home, the blue-haired demoness took a turn too sharply and a branch went right through her left wing. It tore several inches of her wing membrane, until the twig hit one of her wing supports and broke off.

Yowling in pain, Akane tumbled but managed to land on her feet. She almost slipped on the muddy ground, but her tail helped keep her balance. With a wince, Akane pulled her wing in front of her to get a look at the damage.

The demoness looked up from examining the gash to see her mother land. Akane sighed - Mother was always so graceful. She never had problems flying and her posture was always perfect, even here in the pouring rain. "It doesn't look too bad," Akane said as her mother examined the wounded wing.

"It should be okay," Ranma said after watching the torn membranes begin to knit back together. She also checked to make sure there were no splinters or other debris in the wound. "How's the pain?" the redhead asked as she held her hand over the wound. Their wings were nowhere near as sensitive as their horns, but they still had plenty of nerves.

"I'll be fine," Akane said as she waited for the tear to seal. The accelerated healing she had was nice, but it felt so strange. Mother feeding her energy to help speed up her healing was also strange.

Akane laughed at that. Everything about her new body felt strange. Though having her body repair itself before her eyes _was_ rather weird.

"You sure?" Ranma asked, concern on her face. "We can walk the rest of the way," Ranma paused, then added with a slight grin, "Or I could carry you."

"I'll fly," Akane grumbled as she readied her wings.

"Be careful," Ranma said as she watched Akane take off. It was a bit mean, but she had to push her kids. Ranma followed the Akane and was glad that the rest of their flight path was uneventful. Ranma smiled as she watched Akane burst out of the forest and increase her speed a bit as she crossed the Tendo's backyard.

---oo0oo---

Major Nodoka Saotome, Doctor of Materials Science and Engineering, was in the Tendo living room working on her laptop. Displayed on the screen were the lab results on a sample of the material the captured Inter-Dim gate was made out of. Her next task was to develop ways to synthesize the material. She had a fair idea of why WIC wanted that ability.

She had the house to herself. Her husband and Soun had left shortly after Nodoka had arrived. The Science and Technology Section agent smirked at that. It looked like Genma was still rattled, which was good.

Nabiki had left a couple minutes ago. She said she was going out to meet friends. Nodoka hoped that Command had a team watching the girl. Lt. Tendo had gone out training with her strike team. Nariko was spending most of the evening with her Father and should return sometime before her bedtime.

According to the observation team, Ranma and Akane had gone out to get something to eat. The strange part was that her son was... her son. Ranma had gone out with Akane in male-form. Nodoka had asked Nabiki about the event and was pleased to hear about Akane's gift.

The agent had resumed her work when her phone started to ring. "Major Saotome here," she answered automatically.

"Major, we have an incoming Pattern D," one of the agents running the surveillance on the Tendo property said.

"Can you tell who it is?" Nodoka asked as her hand went to her sidearm.

"We're getting another pattern! It's... it's a D-Silver 10," the agent said with relief.

"Good," Nodoka said, her hand still on her gun. It stayed there until she got a clear view of the demons entering the house.

"How was your day?" Nodoka asked her daughter and granddaughter. She noted that Ranma was not in her Senshi form. Nodoka wondered if Ranma had increased her power levels or if she simply had the same power level in either form now.

"Good," Ranma said as she ran her hands through her soaked mane of crimson hair. She had folded her wings against her back and was slipping out of her muddy boots.

"Oh Akane, you got a phone call," Nodoka said as she retrieved the message she had stuck to the refrigerator.

"Hmmm, Yuka called. Looks important," Akane said as she looked over the note. The demoness then walked to the phone and dialed the number.

"Okay, I'll be down the hall," Ranma said before she headed off to the bathroom. "Damn little succubus bladder," Ranma grumbled to herself.

Akane dialed the number. Her old friend answered. After the pleasantries were exchanged, Yuka got to the reason she had tried to call Akane. The blue-haired succubus' eyed flared in response. Akane tried to keep her tone even but was unable to control herself.

---oo0oo---

Ranma was washing her hands in the first floor bathroom. A quick check confirmed that her eyes still had the same violet content. Part of her had hoped that today's events would somehow reverse the changing in her eyes.

The redhead's attention shifted. She heard her daughter's pained cry, but more directly, she felt it. Ranma tore out of the room and ran to her daughter. She found Akane kneeling on the kitchen floor holding a phone. The dial-tone drone could be heard under the sound of Akane's crying.

"What happened?" Ranma asked as she stepped down to her daughter.

Akane paused in her sobbing long enough to make eye contact with Ranma. "I called Yuka and..." Akane shuddered and folded her wings over her chest.

"Is she okay?" Ranma asked as she put her hand under Akane's chin so she could look into her daughter's face.

As she nodded, Akane emitted a small whimper. Tears resumed their stream down her face. "She's... she _was_ my friend."

"What happened?"

Akane tried to gather herself. "Yuka.... can't handle it. She said she always knew something was off with me," the demon's tone had hardened a bit at the end of the last sentence. "I wasn't even being too open with Nariko!" Akane exclaimed.

"I know," Ranma said as she hugged her. She had taken pride in her daughters' restraint. During school, they had hardly even held hands. The redhead sighed. She could guess what the call was about now. Akane just lost a friend.

"Maybe tomorrow-" Ranma tired to suggest before she was cut off.

Akane shook her head and resumed her crying.

Ranma held onto her daughter. Her hand moved up to Akane's right horn. The redhead gently rolled her fingers over the protrusion. Akane's pupils dilated as her sobbing stopped. Akane leaned on her mother and almost started to purr, almost.

"Feeling better now?" Ranma asked. The redhead stopped and looked at her daughter. "Akane?" Ranma inquired her concern increasing. The blue haired demon's face had started to contort.

Akane's eyes suddenly flared a brilliant blue. "How could you!" the demoness cried as she backhanded her mother. Ranma was knocked backwards onto the kitchen floor.

The blue-haired girl stood up. She glared down at her mother. The glow in her eyes stopped and was replaced by tears. "I can't believe it! Is that all you can do when I cry? Use my horns to drug me?"

"I..." Ranma said, dumbly. Before she could get further, her daughter had stormed out of the room.

"What happened?" Nodoka asked after her daughter got up.

"I'm not sure. Akane lost a friend. I tried to comfort her." Ranma shook her head and started walking towards the stairs.

Major Saotome followed Ranma.

"Akane, what's wrong?" the redhead asked after knocking on the locked door.

"Go away!" Akane cried.

"Let me in so we can talk about this," Ranma suggested.

In her room, Akane shook her head. She knew what Mother had done the last time she had locked herself in her room. "Stay out!"

"Akane..." Ranma pleaded.

"No!"

The redhead considered her options. Forcing her daughter, by either knocking the door down or badgering her to open the door did not seem like a good idea. However, leaving Akane to stew in her room might not be wise either. Ranma looked to see her own mother standing in the hallway. "Mom... could you help?"

Nodoka paused before answering, not out of uncertainty, but out of bizarreness. Her son was asking for help in a mother-daughter dispute, and her son was the mother... the _demonic_ mother. "Of course, Ranma."

"Akane, it's grandma. Can I talk to you?"

Akane looked up. Grandma was human. She would not be able to control her, not like Mother. "You can come in, but not Mother... not yet," Akane added. She got up and unlocked the door. The sobbing demoness looked at her mother. A part of her wanted to embrace mother and let her protect her, but another still felt betrayed, not just at her mother but at her body for feeling that way.

Ranma smiled when she watched her mother go into Akane's room. Her expression soured when she saw her daughter glare at her and slam the door shut.

"What happened?" Nodoka asked sitting down next to the demoness.

"After I called Yuka. Mother rushed to my side. She was holding me and..." Akane paused. "She touched my... my horns."

"Those are very sensitive." Major Saotome said after she recalled what Pattern D biology she knew.

"She just used these to drug me," Akane said as she put a hand to one of the little horns that poked out of her hair.

"I'm sure your Mother was just trying to help you," Nodoka said. The agent was beyond caring about the strangeness of the situation. "She's very proud of how well you're developing."

"Is she? I gave Mother a gift today. Some clothes for her human form, and what does she do to me? She shuts me up when I start complaining!"

"Ranma was just trying to make you feel better. She's your mother; she loves you," Nodoka countered.

"If Mother really _loves_ me, why is she trying to control me? Can't Mother respect me? I tried to show her that I understood her... _him_, and I got treated like a... minion!" Akane growled before resuming her crying.

"I'm sure it was a mistake. You can tell Mother that," Nodoka suggested.

Akane shook her head.

"Why not?"

"I'm afraid. This body... my body _wants_ to be with her. She's my mother. It hurt to hit her like that, but I didn't want her to control me," Akane sighed as she leaned onto her grandmother. The succubus needed physical contact with someone.

The agent looked into Akane's subtly inhuman eyes. "Missing your mother and not wanting to displease her is a perfectly natural thing for both humans and your kind."

"My kind," Akane sighed.

"It's great that you're remembering who you are and becoming a real person again." Nodoka reached around and ran her hand over the demon's wings. She stopped when she found the spot where the wings went into the girl's back. "But you are not human. You are a demon. You have to accept your body, its urges."

"Mother said the same thing. 'Some urges we can fight, some we can't.'

Nodoka nodded. "Your mother's in the same situation you are. She's learning as she goes. She has to put her humanity aside to raise you two. You have to deal with being a demon. She has to deal with being a demon and a mother. Please let her in. I promise she won't touch your horns."

"Okay, let her in," Akane said after a moment's thought. She knew that Mother did not really want to control her; if Mother did she would already be completely enthralled.

Nodoka opened the door and Ranma stepped through. The redhead was still fully manifested. Her tail nervously swished back and forth.

Akane got up and crossed the room. She stood facing her mother. Her tail was just long enough so that it could snake around and touch Ranma's knees. The demoness wiped her eyes and began to talk.

Nodoka was off to the side watching. Much of what Akane had said to Ranma was identical to what Akane had told Nodoka. The brood mother's stance was depressed. Her head was held level but her wings dropped and her tail hung almost straight down.

"Come over here, Mother," Akane said when she had finished her rant. She could see her mother's black horns had not been hidden.

Ranma nodded and walked over. She was surprised to find her daughter had pounced on her. Akane held onto her mother. Ranma returned the gesture and failed to notice when her daughter had moved one of her arms.

The redhead's eyes widened and she tightened her grip on her daughter. She then folded her wings over Akane's body and started to purr. Akane pulled her hand away from her mother's right horn and watched as the redhead regained herself.

"Mmm... Akane?" Ranma sluggishly asked. Her wings still enveloped her daughter. Ranma blinked. "Oh.... I'm sorry, Akane." The redhead then pulled her wings back behind herself.

"There's one thing you can't ever do! It's okay to hug me or hold me... like a real... human... mom might. Just don't do that!" Akane said her eyes focused on her mother's.

Ranma held her daughter. She looked at the little horns on the girl's head. It would be easy for her to dominate her children and make them into whatever she wanted: her seductresses, hunting partners, servants, concubines, or lieutenants in an ever larger brood. Anything except the one thing that would be worthwhile, the one thing that would be hard for her to do. Something that would require her to be a mother instead of a mistress.

It was difficult enough for Ranma to not use the dominance that already existed between her and her kids. Her children were bonded to her. Ranma could feel it and sometimes could almost see it. The brood mother did not want to add any more methods of control, especially one as potent as the horns were.

This made Ranma's decision an easy one. "I promise to never use yours or Nariko's horns again."

Akane studied her mother's face. Her mother listened to her when Mother could have just rubbed her horns again. She sighed. Mother was still a very, very powerful force in her life.

"Akane, I'm sorry," Ranma said still holding her daughter.

"I know. I'm still wary but...." Akane sighed and leaned onto her mother. She only felt the _normal_ connection between herself and her mother. There was no extra bit of control.

Nodoka excused herself and left the two demons to each other.

---oo0oo---

The bar had an atmosphere of a bad detective television show. Sitting on the stools around a seedy countertop were the dregs of humanity. An old man with far too many stories to tell sat on the end, away from the others, whispering dark secrets into his glass of whiskey, hoping that this would unlock more secrets of the universe.

A few stools down, sat a woman in her late forties. The years hadn't been kind to her. That didn't dissuade the slimy salary man who sat on the adjacent stool from leaning into her for a moment. She then slugged him for the third time in the last ten minutes.

Next to the so called couple sat a mage. Although the other patrons just took him for another low-life, he was here for a purpose. He sat silently and ignored the pair as they went back into their touch here, punch there match. He had business to attend to and waiting in this seedy dive was part of it.

The barkeep, a man in his thirties, but looked like he was in his fifties, belched as he placed a worn rag on the counter. He rubbed the countertop in an attempt to look busy because the rag was filthier that the counter he was cleaning. "So, ya gunna order somethin', or not?"

The mage placed his elbows on the table and whispered. "I like women's underwear."

The man's eyes glazed over. He slowly stuttered. "Y-y-yeah..."

Calmly, the man continued. "I think I'll go get some."

"I think I'll go get some."

The runic mage smiled. He loved his powers. "There's some, right over there." He pointed at his neighbors.

The bartender slowly backed away and edged toward the left. Murdock looked at the clock on the wall and noted the time. One thing was for certain, his employer was punctual. He got up and walked to a hidden booth in the back of the bar. His face, an evil grin as the screams of "Pervert", "Sicko" and "Die, scumbag" were being shouted from the bar behind him.

He slid into the booth and just as he got comfortable, a familiar female voice was heard from behind a partition. "Having fun again, I see."

"It's all part of my grand plan," Murdock assured as he straightened his silver tie clasp.

The woman gave an oft used sigh. "Murdock, Murdock, Murdock... you can lie to the demons, the Senshi, the humans, but you know better than to lie to us." A smile crossed the woman's face. She could not see him, but she knew that the mage had stiffened in his seat. There were few things that Murdock was frightened of, and the associates she represented were on the top of that list.

"I'm just having some fun. The job's actually ahead of schedule," he said in a voice reminiscent of a school boy swearing that his book report was _almost_ done... he just had to read the book.

"And what progress have you made? The Alexia situation is beyond repair."

"Is it?" Murdock said in an amused voice.

Now the woman was glad that she could not see Murdock. That lopsided, inane, and insane grin disturbed her. Not because she was afraid of him, but it made her doubt the wisdom in using him. "Have you found a way to salvage the situation?"

"Nope!" Murdock answered cheerfully.

The woman swore under her breath. She stopped when she realized that the only person who could understand what she was saying was Murdock. "Please justify your continued... employment," the woman said after composing herself.

Murdock's answer was prompt and almost professional. The sudden shift would have annoyed the woman but she knew that Murdock had finally gotten to brass tacks.

"While Alexia has failed to start DarkStar's true emergence, she was just a minor step in the plan," Murdock assured. There were other parts to the plan. Ones that had been working since day one. However, the spell that he had placed on Ranma was already degrading. The mage supposed he could reapply it, but it was not worth the risk. Already the limiters he had placed on her clothing had vanished. It was only a matter of time before the other aspects of the spell broke down.

Murdock continued. "Her continued existence could even be of use, but not in the way I first planned. Ranma's now a mother. This gives us a unique bargaining position." The woman knew that Murdock's smile had gone from inane to malevolent, and it relieved her.

"You still believe that the redheaded demon will give us what we want?"

"She's one of two people," Murdock shrugged. "Right now I'm working on procuring the other one."

"Good. We cannot accept failure in this mission. Understand?"

"I serve the Order," Murdock replied automatically. If this mission really was that important to his handler and her superiors, wouldn't they assign more than just him to the mission?

That thought gave Murdock pause. _What if I'm not the only one they assigned? Sure, I'm the best, but if it's that important to them... Why didn't they tell me? Why haven't I met anyone else? _

"Good. I knew we could trust you," the woman said as she got up.

_Really? I'm not so sure anymore._ Murdock thought as he turned to watch the woman leave. From behind she looked unremarkably average. Her eyes, which he had not seen tonight, were quite interesting. They were a shade of grey that he normally only saw in the mirror.

Once she was gone, Murdock returned to the bar and ordered a drink from the waitress who was covering for the... indisposed bartender. This bar was no Red Turtle, his preferred watering hole, but it would still get the job done.

---oo0oo---

As Nabiki exited the bathroom, she heard a familiar Norman Blake song. Though someone she would never expect was singing it. The simple song attracted the teenager to the room where it was originating from.

Quietly, she leaned onto the close door. The voice stopped after signing "I'll always love you and make you happy."

"You can come in, Nabiki," Ranma said with some annoyance.

The middle sister opened the door. She first saw her sister sleeping on the far side of the crowded bed while in the center an upright-sitting Ranma cradled a fitful Nariko. "You're not naked?" Nabiki asked. It was a pleasant surprise to not have to deal with another nude demon.

"I summoned this when I sensed you at the door," Ranma said, pointing to the simple black violet-trimmed bra she was wearing. Nariko made a whimpering noise but stopped when her mother hugged her tighter and increased the flow of energy going into her. Ranma took comfort that Nariko was taking her energy as opposed to a more traditional nursing method, one that would prevent her from wearing something over her breasts.

"What's wrong with her?" Nabiki asked.

"Nightmares," Ranma said simply. She had been woken up by her daughter's crying and had immediately gone to her aid.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Nabiki sympathized.

"Akane has them more often, but hers were earlier tonight. They were a bit lighter, too. But now, it's Nariko." Ranma hoped it was not because Nariko had spent the afternoon with her father and not her mother.

"Because of how Akane was turned?" Nabiki asked. She could hardly imagine what her sister had gone through.

Ranma nodded. Often in Akane's nightmares Kasumi was unable to stop... Eclipse. Ranma turned her attention back to her daughter. "It's okay. Nari-chan. Mommy's here," the redhead soothed her daughter.

Still standing at the door, Nabiki cocked her head. It sounded like Nariko was quietly whimpering something.

Ranma, who was closer and had better hearing, was able to make out what her daughter was saying. "Mommy, please don't leave.... I... I love you. No... stay... stay." Nariko's cries degenerated into pathetic sniveling.

After skipping a few lines to Nariko's favorite part, the redhead resumed. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are gray," Ranma sang to her daughter, with a small smile on her face.

"So that's why you were singing."

Ranma nodded as she continued to sing. Nariko quickly stopped her crying and settled down. Nariko even started emit the purring-like rumbling that succubae were prone to give off.

The redhead then looked up at Nabiki. "She really likes this song. It helps her. I used to rub their horns when this happened-" Ranma said with a quick glance at Akane's sleeping form. "-but I've stopped. I don't do that anymore."

Nabiki nodded. She had heard about the fight between Akane and her... mother. "Well, I'll leave you to your kids. Good night," Nabiki said before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

Nabiki was busy trying to digest the information and did not notice the person who had silently moved next to her. "Kasumi!" Nabiki exclaimed once she recognized who was in the hallway with her. "What are you doing up?" she asked in a quieter voice.

"I just got in from some night training," Lt. Tendo explained. "Why are you up?"

"Bathroom. Then I heard Ranma singing." Nabiki shook her head. She was actually a little bit jealous of her little sister. Akane had a mother now. Though the price was still very steep.

"Is Akane having nightmares again?" Kasumi asked. She had heard Ranma's late-night lullabies several nights ago.

"Right now it's Nariko."

Kasumi nodded. She got nightmares too. Especially the one where she relived getting her face spattered in gore when a friend got hit next to her. Kasumi was not wearing goggles at the time and a shard of Ensign Robert Talbert's skull had almost hit her right eye. In some nightmares organic shrapnel hit both eyes blinding her, in others she could still see but the experience froze her, and when the enemy attacked again she hesitated...

---oo0oo---

It was inevitable. Multiple groups were observing Ranma's brood. Two groups - really more of lone representatives - used remote viewing methods, that while subtle, were limited in their capability. Two others used a more direct method that put them at risk. The one group that operated with Ranma's knowledge had the most complete coverage, but that was to be expected. All of these groups were hostile to each other to one extent or another. No matter how discrete they were, at least two of these groups were going to meet.

To the south of Furinkan was the Regis Building, a small business park. The office space on the fourth floor was vacant and unused, save for two teens. "And that's the first bus," Ukyou said as she watched the trio of demons enter the school building. "You got the time?" the Assembly Acolyte asked as she put her binoculars down.

"Yes," Ryoga said as he looked over the notes he had written. It was dull work, but they knew what car the demons used to get to school and when they arrived. Already they had physical descriptions of some humans that they associated with, arrival and departure times of other vehicles, where the brood lived, and a few other tidbits.

"Shame you can't go undercover," Ryoga mussed.

"With agents and demons in the school?" Ukyou asked with an amused laugh.

"I knew the Company was a bunch of filthy mercenaries, but to associate with demons? Have they no shame?"

"They must have a reason," Ukyou defended, sincerely hoping that they did. She wanted out of the Assembly, but she did not want to be stuck with an organization that was worse.

"They seek power. They're just a bunch of heartless mercenaries profiting from these unholy monsters. You know what they do with the bodies of the demons they kill," Ryoga snorted.

"We'll just have to make sure we get these demons first then," Ukyou said, changing the subject. She had found that it was best to cut off her partner's rants early, before they had a chance to build up.

"Yes, Ranma will pay for his... no, _her_," Ryoga corrected with a smirk. "-crimes as a traitor to humanity." The Assemblyman's grin grew exposing his own pair of fangs.

Ukyou looked at those canines with a hint of revulsion. Her partner always had them, but they had slowly been getting slightly more noticeable. His eyes were also getting increasingly... strange. She had seen simmialr changes in other acolytes as they increased their powers, thought the original length of Ryoga's teeth only exacerbated things.

Ryoga's stance suddenly stiffened.

"What is it?" Ukyou asked

"Can't you feel it?" Ryoga asked as he stood up and checked his weapons.

Ukyou paused and concentrated on her own powers. "Succubae?" the brunette asked, feeling their presence. It was foggy and she had doubts as to their power levels, but there were demonic presences entering the building.

"Yes," Ryoga agreed.

"Damn, Ranma's brood must have spotted us and is coming," Ukyou said as she stowed her binoculars and did her own weapons check. All thoughts of defection were pushed aside as training took over.

"There's a powerful demon coming, but it's not Ranma," Ryoga said. His powers were sharper than his partner's and he described the group of demons coming as best as he could sense.

"Plan?" Ukyou asked.

"I'll take point. We'll have to see where they're going for anything more specific" Ryoga replied.

---oo0oo---

"Nari-chan, breakfast's ready," Ranma said after entering the dining room.

"Okay, Mommy," Nariko said without looking up from the small pink book before her. Holding a pen behind her canines, the girl stared at the current page. She then removed the implement and wrote a couple words.

"Working on homework?" Ranma noted the little pink book. She did not recall being assigned any essays yesterday, and she, Nariko, and Akane had all been transferred to the same classes.

As her skin reddened just a hint in her species' version of a blush, Nariko shook her head.

"Nari-chan? Is this about last night? If you want, I can be with you next time you meet your father."

"It's not that," Nariko said, breaking eye contact with her mother. "I love seeing Daddy." The demoness let the statement drop. She did not fully understand why her parents did not get along, but she knew that they did not.

"And your nightmares?"

"I'm getting better," Nariko admitted.

"Yes, you are," Ranma said with a smile. Her daughter was becoming more independent. It was very gradual, but it was in the right direction. Even Akane would be hard pressed to spend an entire afternoon away from her Mother.

"I've got you to sing to me," the red-eyed succubus grinned.

Ranma laughed nervously. In retrospect Nabiki's interruption had been rather embarrassing. "So what're you doing?"

"Last night, Daddy suggested that I keep a diary," Nariko said as she closed the book

"Why?" Ranma asked, her curiosity getting to her.

Nariko paused. She looked down at her dairy. "It helps me keep track of... things." Nariko sighed. It was hard for her to articulate her point. Even as a human, she had never been that mentally agile. That was why she had gotten the diary.

"Sounds nice," Ranma said. Even if Nariko's diary was filled with girlish prattling and odes to her mate and Mommy, it was still a good thing for Nariko to do.

"It's pretty fun."

"Nariko, how do you feel about Tatewaki?" Ranma tried to ask it casually, but her tone had shifted,

The red-eyed girl froze. "I think…" she started before her eyes darted down to the diary. "I haven't written about that, yet. Sorry Mommy."

"Oh, I see." Ranma smiled at her daughter. She had a feeling that there might be more to this diary than she first thought.

"Is Auntie Kasumi cooking sausages?" Nariko asked as she licked her upper lip. In addition to the frying meat, she could smell cooked batter and maple syrup, but the flesh held her attention.

"No, she's already left for work."

"Akane's not cooking, is she?" Nariko asked.

"Well... she's really just helping me," Ranma said. Akane was so eager to help, and if she was watched carefully....

"But she's alone now. You should go and check on her," Nariko suggested.

"It's only been a couple minutes." The redhead saw the downcast concern on her daughter's face. "I think you're right, Honey," Ranma said before returning to the kitchen. She could not smell anything burning but that only eliminated one kind of kitchen disaster.

Nariko opened her diary. It looked like she had some time to add a few more sentences.

---oo0oo---

Alexia had planned on doing some final observations of her enemy. She had brought her strongest minions, just in case the correct opportunity presented itself. The blonde demoness sighed. The timing was off for a morning attack. Again the succubus cursed those human hunters. Their technology forced her to maintain an unacceptable distance from her prey. She would have another chance to deal with that redheaded traitor later today.

Alexia and her minions were in a pair of large vans parked in a lot far out of WIC sensor range, yet still provided a line of sight to the demons observing the school. Alexia was not watching the school, at least not visibly. She had other more useful senses.

Her eyes were closed as she opened herself to receive the energy emanating around her. It was passive and undetectable to those sensors. The demoness noted with a smirk. She could feel the glowing that marked the traitor and her illicit spawn, the rhythmic flickering that marked the WIC sensors, and....

Alexia's eyes opened in shock. Assemblymen, here? The demoness concentrated in the direction from which source had come. One was fairly weak. The other... Alexia frowned as she shuffled over the energy readings. An Assemblyman this powerful could be a problem.

_Or a good snack._ Alexia thought with a laugh.

Either way, these interlopers had to be disposed of. She would not stand for another group of human hunters, and there were only two of them.

---oo0oo---

The receptionist to the Regis Building looked up to see a group of well-dressed women entering. She looked over the visitors with some jealousy. They all had nearly perfect bodies, especially the tall, tanned one in front. The woman leading the group was tall with long, curly blonde hair and piercing green eyes.

"Hello, the people on the... fourth floor are expecting us," Alexia said after checking to make sure that was where the Assemblymen were located.

"Of course," the receptionist agreed. "Go right in." She normally would have noticed that none of the women were carrying briefcases, but she did not feel particularly observant for some reason.

"Thank you," Alexia said with a wry smile. Humans were incredibly easy to manipulate. The blonde demoness then lead her minions down a corridor and gave them their orders.

---oo0oo---

"They're coming," Ukyou said; her more rudimentary senses could tell her that much. The Assembly acolyte idly touched one of the throwing weapons she had secured to a bandolier. She had used them before joining the Assembly, only now they were coated in a material that was more detrimental to demons. She supposed that the words etched onto them helped too in some small way.

Ukyou cleared her mind and concentrated on her surroundings and the sight picture presented by her weapon.

Ryoga looked back to check that Ukyou had a clear path to support him. "You know what to do."

---oo0oo---

"At least you didn't burn breakfast too badly," Nabiki remarked as she drove her car.

From the passenger seat, Akane gave a sideways glance at her sister

"Good thing Ranma came in to salvage it," the middle Tendo sister said.

Akane glanced at her sister again but remained silent.

Ranma wanted to tell Nabiki to stop picking on her daughter, but she thought Akane could handle it. Those two had been sisters much longer than Ranma had been Akane's mother.

"What's wrong? This about you and Ranma?"

"Mother and I are fine," the blue-haired demoness replied a bit curtly.

"That true?" Nabiki asked Ranma. She noticed that Ranma was wearing a white blouse with her school uniform instead of her unusual black one. She did not know the importance of that change but made a note of it.

Ranma nodded. Akane did not seem to have any problems sleeping in the nude with herself and Nariko. Although, that was a very important part of their bonding and development.

"You going to be okay in school today, with Yuka and all that?" Nabiki asked her little sister.

"Yes," Akane stated. Her mother had asked her this same question when they were getting dressed today.

"Maybe you should tone down the PDA's," Nabiki suggested, referring to Public Displays of Affection.

Ranma then felt something wash over her. Like the concussion that followed an explosion, the redhead was hit by a quick impulse of energy. She could see that her children had also sensed it. Akane and Nariko were confused. They had never sensed anything like that, but their mother had.

"Ryoga," Ranma muttered before she sensed another bloom of energy. This was one that Akane was able to recognize.

"Alexia," Akane uttered.

"What's going on?" the driver, who could not detect the energy, asked.

"Pull over and drop us off," Ranma ordered.

"Why? What did you see?"

"Drop us off _now_," Ranma stated in a cold voice. "And after that go straight back to school. Find the WIC team there. Wait with them."

Nabiki looked at Ranma and held back her response. She found her will wilting and complied. The car pulled over to the side of the road and stopped.

"Don't follow us," Akane pleaded after she got out of the car.

Nabiki looked at her sister's blue hair, then at the office building that the brood was focused on. "Uh... yeah," she agreed. Nabiki resolved to continue on to school. She did not want to end up like her sister or worse.

---oo0oo---

"Go!" Ryoga shouted as he maneuvered his sword to slice open an incoming demon-tail. The edge of the silvery blade flared green as it lopped off the fins from the demonic appendage.

"But," Ukyou cried before she flicked a pair of her throwing weapons. The silver spatula-shaped implements buried themselves into one succubae's neck and another's chest. The special coatings on the weapons immediately and violently reacted with the demonic flesh.

Ryoga's bright green eyes tracked onto a tall blonde succubus that until now had stood off to the side. He could sense her power wafting off of her; he could also sense that she was holding back. "That's an order!" the Assemblyman shouted after he used his umbrella-sheathed weapon to dispatch the demon in front of him.

Ukyou slowly nodded and backed out of the room.

"Poor move, _human_," Alexia laughed, putting special emphasis on the last word. "Together, you would have stood a better chance.

Ryoga simply smirked. His eyes flared green and from them spread a barely visible aura that surrounded his body.

Alexia's smile grew, and she lazily extended her claws.

---oo0oo---

Kasumi looked out the Blackhawk's open door. The operations agent ignored the vibration and noise that the helicopter produced, and tried to listen to the briefing that Command was giving her and her team. Having the sound played directly into their headsets helped.

"The North York Observation Team has secured the area. We've detected heavy Pattern D's and what looks to be a D-Silver. More teams are on route," Jacob's even voice said before continuing on.

Lt. Tendo nodded, cataloging the information and checking it with the heads-up display projected onto her goggles.

---oo0oo---

"That's odd," Sailor Orion remarked, as she watched a grey and green helicopter approach from the east.

"What?" Sailor Mercury asked as she checked the display on her visor.

"That looks like a UH-60A Black Hawk. But it's _way_ too quiet/" Orion tapped one of the ends of her double bladed staff on the ground.

"Let's discuss armaments later," Mars grumbled. She glanced up to see a pair of agents approach. Both were dressed in WIC combat gear. The Sailor Senshi could tell their genders and skin color, but not much else.

"We've got several Pattern D's in the building, including DarkStar and her brood. Further Company support will also be here shortly," the female agent stated briskly.

"Uh... thanks," Sailor Moon replied. The blonde looked up to see the helicopter circle the office building. Off to one side, and quarantined by another group of agents, were the workers that had managed to escape the building. A pair of strangely-gurgled screams indicated that not everyone had managed to escape the Regis building.

Orion perked her attention at that, but she followed the rest of the Senshi into the building.

---oo0oo---

Sailor DarkStar scanned the office space before her. The blare of a fire alarm hurt her ears, but she was getting used to it. She carefully stepped to avoid spilled coffee, and a step later, spilled blood. The demoness could not see the owner of the pooled fluids; however she could see some drops leading from the main pool of blood

"Mother?" Akane asked from her position next to Nariko.

"Get ready," Ranma said as she formed a fireball in her hands. She had a fair idea what had happened. She lobbed the white-flamed orb around a corner. The magical napalm hit and started to consume both the human corpse and the demoness feeding on it.

Inflamed, the demoness started to turn, only to have her head kicked in by a redheaded succubus. Following through, Ranma sliced diagonally across the chest of her prey. The demoness fell onto the still burning human; her spine had been quartered and her heart and lungs similarly severed.

Ranma glared at the burning pile of human and demon and ceased her fires from burning. She hardly had time to notice how normal it had become for her to receive energy from her kills when another demon appeared.

This one looked to see what had been her mate torn apart and tossed onto what had ended up being the demon's last meal. "Integra!" the grey-haired demon cried. She then snarled at the intruding demons, her claws and tail filaments extended. She leapt at the redheaded demoness who dodged down and to the side.

Ranma turned to see another demoness standing by the remains of an overturned water-cooler. This one, a brunette, appeared to be a bit more powerful than the previous ones. Sailor DarkStar could sense that her kids were handling the grey-haired demoness.

Akane had dodged around the growling demoness. She looked to see her mate go in and trip the grey-haired demoness. Akane then flicked her tail up, intersecting the collection of razor sharp filaments with the demoness' head. The head was shredded into a pulp of mixed consistency. Surprisingly little blood sprayed from the destroyed skull.

Nariko felt the surge of energy go into her. She smiled at her mate - this kill was theirs. It was shared between them.

Akane returned the smile and licked her lips. A few drops of her prey's blood had splattered on her.

---oo0oo---

Sailor Orion managed to keep herself from vomiting, but it was difficult. The auburn-haired Sailor Senshi could not get what she saw out of her mind. In a meeting room they had just passed was a table. On it a young woman had been dissected. She was not the first body the Senshi had run across, but unlike the other bodies, this one was not torn apart. She was carefully sliced open and select organs and choice cuts of meat had been removed. Orion tightened the grip on her staff. To these monsters, humans were nothing more than food.

"You okay?" Mercury asked.

"No." Orion switched the orientation of her staff. She was careful to avoid hitting Venus. Orion and the blonde were in the front of the group.

"Trust me, she's not okay," Mars agreed from her rearguard position. She and Orion had been the pair to check out the meeting room.

"I hate that fire alarm!" Jupiter grumbled.

Sailor Moon's response was cut short by Orion's shout.

"A little help!" Sailor Orion thrust her staff forward and upward. The double edged silver blade of the weapon cut through a succubae's shoulder and pinned her to the wall.

Sailor Moon looked the succubus over. The demon was not Ranma nor one of Ranma's kids. She prepared her attack.

Growling, the pinned succubus pulled herself off the wall, ripping her shoulder open in the process.

"Crescent Beam!" Sailor Venus cried as she stumbled away from the demon's talons. The magical attack blasted through the demon who stumbled to the ground.

Orion looked at the broken demon and shuddered. She slammed her staff's blade into the succubus' chest and stepped back to allow Moon to finish the succubus off.

After the demon had been reduced to dust, Orion glanced down the narrow corridor. From somewhere above and ahead of them came the sounds of fighting. "I guess I feel a little bit better," she remarked as she watched the demon blood dripping from her blades.

---oo0oo---

Sailor DarkStar fired a fireball at the demon. It impacted with the brunette demon's flaming aura and splattered open. The two sets of flames battled briefly. The white and violet flames were then absorbed into the brunette's yellow ones.

The enemy succubus summoned a pair of fireballs and lobbed them at the demonic Sailor Senshi. The redhead dodged under the orbs and tried to connect with her target. Frustratingly, the brunette managed to sidestep and fire another volley at Sailor DarkStar.

The redhead rolled to the side and used her tail to sweep the other demon. The brunette avoided having her feet cut apart but at the cost of her balance. Continuing her motion, Sailor DarkStar thrust her arm into the brunette's chest. Her claws easily slid past the flaming aura, but her fingers and hand felt prickly and hot when they passed through it.

"Ha! Your stupid fire-shield can't block that can it?" Sailor DarkStar snarled as she pulled her arm back and let the freshly killed corpse fall to the ground. "Though that is a useful technique," she muttered to herself.

The cause of death was quite clear; the demon's ribcage had been punched through and a part of her had been torn out. That demon should have been easy to dispatch, but Ranma found her fireballs unable to penetrate that shield.

Instead, Ranma had had to fight her more intimately. The redhead admitted that the enemy demon had been quite fast and pretty skilled, but not skilled enough. The organ the redhead held in her hand was proof of that.

"Mother?" Akane asked as she walked over to see her mother take a small bite out of something in the redhead's hand. The blue-haired demon watched her mother's eyes flare with energy as she consumed the muscle.

Ranma smiled as she used one of her talons to cut the heart into three pieces. She then tossed the larger two to her daughters.

"Thanks Mommy," Nariko said as she gulped down the meat.

Akane's reaction was just as automatic. The piece of heart was caught and slipped down her throat. "Mother?" the demoness repeated. "What'd you do that for?"

"I wanted to share with you," Ranma said sweetly. The redhead looked into the corpse hungrily, but she had delayed more than enough. "Come on, this place hasn't been cleared yet!"

"But, Mom!"

"What?" Sailor DarkStar asked, her eyes flaring slightly in irritation.

"Why'd you do that?"

"I'm sorry, but we don't have time for a full feeding," Ranma reprimanded, missing Akane's concern.

---oo0oo---

"We've got a secondary hit," Gabriel announced from his position at the Blackhawk's Ostar series Pattern scanner. "Multiple Pattern D's concentrated and not moving."

"Location?" Kasumi asked.

"One kilometer, north by northwest," Gabriel answered.

"Intercept them?" Kasumi queried command.

"Reinforcements are two minutes out," Jacob's voice transmitted into Kasumi's headset.

"Yes, you have a go," Stillwater ordered over the communications link. From his position at the head of WIC Toronto A's Command and Control Centre, he gave a brief glance to his executive officer.

The helicopter's pilot nodded and adjusted his course. Sophie and Aram gave the pair of door mounted M144 armament subsystems, each consisting of a 7.62mm M60D machine gun one final check and took position behind them.

"We're right on top of them," Gabriel stated after checking the range.

"I see movement in a large white van," Sophie said, just before the back doors of that vehicle burst open. "Shit!" the agent swore as what seemed to be a swarm of demons poured out. She depressed the trigger on the machine-gun and raked the fire over the incoming demons.

The pilot twisted the helicopter around and increased the altitude. He knew full well what would happen if the demons reached the Black Hawk. As this happened, Kasumi shouldered her weapon and fired a pair of 20mm high explosive incendiary rounds into the van. The vehicle exploded with a flat crump and a somewhat bright flash.

"Anything left?" Sophie asked. She had stopped firing, but her finger still rested on the gun's trigger.

"I'm reading clear," Gabriel said.

"Request a cleanup team," Kasumi said before giving their coordinates. She gave one final glance at the fan of demonic body parts. Most of them were right by the remains of the van's rear end, but a few had managed to get a bit further before being shot down. "Sophie, go over the bodies again."

"Yes ma'am," the agent replied, depressing the trigger.

---oo0oo---

"You're skilled, Acolyte. A few years more experience and you might actually be a threat to me," Alexia allowed with a slight smirk.

Ryoga kept silent and tried to press on with his sword. The green aura surrounding him and his blade had begun to dim. The Assemblyman concentrated. He had another ability; he might as well try it. Father Oslo had taught him that one personally. Ryoga's mentor had told him the technique was a sacred one the Assembly of Man had developed. In reality, it's origins were much more mundane. The Assembly had procured it from a mining engineer.

Ryoga concentrated, and the aura around his arms intensified. He tilted his sword to one hand, cupped his other hand, held the two next to each other, and shouted. "Shishi Hoko Dan!"

A bright sickly-green bolt shot out from Ryoga and sped to the demoness who intensified her shield and tried to step to the side. It sliced through her flaming aura and hit her body near the left hip. The blast sheared through the demoness tearing a large chunk out of her.

"Insolence!" Alexia's eyes flared, and she spawned a pair of fireballs that she pitched at the human.

Ryoga gritted his teeth and concentrated on strengthening his aura. Twin fireballs slammed into him... shattered, ignited, but his aura held. The exertion and the heat leaking through caused his sweating to increase. The demon's wound was healing alarmingly fast.

Alexia lazily lobbed another fireball at him. The magical napalm contained within this one splashed onto Ryoga's green aura. It added to the flames that were already clinging to him. The demoness waved her hand and the flames intensified.

Ryoga snarled and tapped into his powers. The aura surrounding him expanded spreading into Alexia's flames and snuffed them out. The acolyte then stared the demon down and readied his sword.

"Interesting," The unusually tanned succubus smirked. _He has quite the potential. He could be very useful, _Alexia thought. As she dodged the Assemblyman's blows her grin grew. Even in his worn down state he was... impressive. "I've come to a decision, human," the demon said as she grabbed his blade. Where she held it, the green light on the blade snuffed out. No longer holding back, the demoness wrenched the weapon out of the acolyte's hands and flung it across the room. Eyes of a darker shade of green met the human's.

Ryoga rallied what remained of his power and attacked. His training, his morals, told him to fight to the very end. However when his eyes locked into hers, his will faltered.

Alexia smirked. Ryoga froze. A small trickle of blood started to drip from his left nostril. "I guess I pushed you a little hard," she laughed, watching a small trickle of blood drip out of his right nostril.

Ryoga tried to move his body but found that it was not just his powers that were dimming. He tried to fight her presence, to block out the influence. "Ukyou was right; we should called for more support. At least she got away..." Ryoga mumbled not quite realizing he was actually talking. "I can't believe it. I never even got the chance to kill Ranma!" Ryoga snarled and managed to clench his fists just before falling forward...

.... into the demoness' waiting arms. "Oh, I think you'll get your chance," Alexia said to the unconscious demon hunter as she hoisted him on her back.

---oo0oo---

Sailor DarkStar ran into what used to be a copy room. At one end of the long room was a damaged human who was fending off a group of succubae.

The demonesses turned from their prey to see another trio of blood-spattered, leather-clad demons. The tallest, a grey-eyed succubae with dark green hair and a face and scent that Ranma found strangely familiar.

"Stop or the human dies," the green haired succubus said as she summoned a black and green fireball. She felt silly using a mere human as a hostage, but Mistress Alexia had said such a maneuver would work.

Ranma narrowed her eyes and made a fireball of her own. "You're dead. All of you," the demonic magical girl swore in a level voice.

Ukyou tried to keep her weapon held ready, but her fatigue and damage made the weight of it problematic. She had seen rival demon clans fight before. Hopefully the two groups would decimate each other enough for her to be able to kill those that remained.

"Really, now?" the green-haired succubus laughed as small flickering flames surrounded her and her two companions

Sailor DarkStar paused. She hated those damn auras. The redhead concentrated and felt the orb within her hands... shift. "DarkStar Burst!" the redhead shouted as the orb propelled itself from her hands.

The green-haired demoness saw what looked like a glossy black sphere leap out of the redhead's hands and zoom towards her. She growled and tried to release her fireball.

Ranma watched the sphere travel. Before it impacted, she could almost make out small swirls of violet, crimson, and silver either in the orb or on its surface. It hit the green-haired demon's aura and exploded. Black shards exploded outward, passed through their auras, and sliced into the three succubae; they exploded in secondary bursts.

Riddled with flaming holes, Alexia's demons crumpled onto the floor.

"Wow... nice, Mother," Akane said.

As she absorbed their energy, Sailor DarkStar looked over the broken bodies. Two were clearly dead; they had been torn apart. The third was slightly less damaged. The lead succubus' grey eyes flared in anger and then dimmed.

It was then that Ranma was able to place the familiarity. The redhead was reminded of the young succubus with light green hair; the one that Captain Jarvis questioned. Their scents were close enough that they could have been sisters... or, perhaps before Alexia turned them, brothers.

"What a lame name though. My attack sounds like some sort of evil candy." Sailor DarkStar shook her head. "Oh no..." The demoness ran over to the human. She was slumped against the wall and had been hit on the arm by one demon's fireball and grazed in the leg by a DarkStar Burst shard.

"How bad is she, Mommy?" Nariko asked as she kept a watch on the doorway they had entered.

"Can you talk?" Ranma asked the strangely familiar teenage girl. Having a fair idea what this girl's profession was, she kept some distance and eyed the girl's hands.

Ukyou's eyes focused on the redhead kneeling before her. She groaned and tightened her grip on her weapon

"Akane! Nariko! Get some medics! I sensed WIC on the lower floors," Ranma explained.

"Hold in there. You're not so bad," Ranma reassured the human. She could sense that the human was not dying and in no need of... turning. The redhead puzzled over who this girl was and what she was doing. It was obvious she was some sort of demon hunter, and very likely she was in the Assembly. She was dressed in a similar set of armor, cloak, and pants as Ryoga. Ranma supposed that was where she had seen this girl. She was an old friend of Ryoga.

"Do you know where Ryoga is?" Sailor DarkStar cautiously asked. She was unable to sense that acolyte's very strong signature.

"Demons," Ukyou stated before losing consciousness.

---oo0oo---

"There was one very strong Pattern D we have not accounted for, this could be the one known as Alexia. We're going to do a full sweep of the building, while our aerial teams scan the vicinity," Captain Jarvis said to the agents and magical girls that had assembled in the building's lobby. "Lt. Morrison take your team and sweep the-" Jarvis stopped to see a group of demons fly down the stairs and into the entranceway. He was relived that his men kept their weapons ready, but did not point them at the Pattern D's.

"Someone survived up there?" Sailor Orion asked, when she noticed the stretcher being carried by WIC medics.

"She's from another organization, the Assembly of Man. I suppose Command will call them and tell 'em we've got one of their men and send her back," Jarvis explained.

Sailor Mars concentrated on the casualty and tried to block out the blood splattered demons.

"You didn't find Alexia," Sailor DarkStar observed.

"No. We only ran into a pretty weak demon," Sailor Jupiter said.

"Just one?! I had to fight like a dozen of them! And there are, what, six of you?!" Sailor DarkStar exaggerated as she watched the medics rush the Assembly acolyte to a waiting vehicle.

---oo0oo---

"I knew the Assembly would be trouble," Jacob noted sourly. He was standing next to Commander Stillwater in the Command and Control Center

"Yes, now we've got one wounded and what looks like another missing. I suppose we could say a demon ate that acolyte," Stillwater grumbled.

"We'll go over the bodies. Something should be left... unless Alexia took him," Jacob replied.

"I'm not fully convinced Alexia was even here. We've searched the building and the surrounding area."

"I'll have the scanner logs checked and matched to what Forensic Pathology Section finds. Maybe that powerful Pattern D was killed. Or maybe Alexia teleported out before we got our jammers in place."

"Hell, maybe she teleported out _after_ we got our jammers in place," Stillwater responded.

"That would be an unpleasant thought."

End Chapter 9

Author's Notes:

Thanks goes to my prereaders for enduring my mistakes and making this story better: Jerry Starfire, Black Dragon, Joe Fenton, Wray Loflin, Burger Bill, Kevin D. Hammel, and Mike Koos.

Special thanks goes to Burger Bill for his work on writing the first part of Murdock scene.


	11. Chapter 10 Revenge and Rebirth part 2

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Josh Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer:

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction 

Other website Temple of Ranma's Senshi 

C&C is always wanted.

Chapter 10 Revenge and Rebirth Part 2

Ukyou opened her eyes. She was surprised to be alive. A more pleasant surprise came after she looked her body over. She was still human. Turning her head she took stock of what seemed to be a hospital room. The drab concrete walls were somewhat comforting.

The wounded girl leaned up on the bed to see the two other people in the room. The male was dressed in grey Willard International Consulting jumpsuits. Ukyou recognized the coloration and rank symbols on the uniforms.

The woman was a Lieutenant in Medical section. Her chestnut hair was cut almost too short to pass for a business professional style, and her brown eyes carefully studied a clipboard in her hands.

The man was a Captain in Operations section. Tall, thin, with dark blue eyes, and close-cropped hair, he looked Germanic to Ukyou. His clipped accent helped reinforce this perception.

"You're awake. This is good," Jarvis said looking the Assembly acolyte over. "Dr. Covington, her condition is stable?"

"Yes sir," the female agent nodded.

Jarvis continued. "We shall call your people. Unless you have a specific way you want to us to contact them?"

"No." Ukyou eyed the gun on his hip. She did not see her weapons anywhere in the room. This was to be expected; WIC and the Assembly were not on the best of terms.

"Really? Unusual. Then we will use a number that we know of. Cooperation on your part would be helpful."

"What happened to my partner?" Ukyou asked. There was a chance WIC had separated them.

"We don't know. None of the victims in the building were Assembly. The building was sealed, but we believe a high class pattern D still managed to escape. She might have taken him or destroyed him entirely. We are still investigating."

"Oh." Ukyou slumped. She had watched Ryoga fight that demon, and now he was.... The girl pushed those thoughts aside. Now was her chance. "I'm not going back."

"Pardon?"

"I - I want to defect to WIC."

Jarvis kept his face neutral. "Really? I'll have to talk to my superiors."

"I'm sure they're already listening," Ukyou casually remarked.

---oo0oo--- 

Alexia looked over her work. Teleporting out of the building was a pain, but it was the only option. She was angered by the loss, but those demons while powerful were still ordinary humans originally. Who she had now was.... special. Alexia had appeared in the large household that now served as her headquarters. The remains of her brood watched expectantly when they saw their mistress' new find.

The blonde demoness smiled. The conversion process had some complications, but they were easily circumvented. It was time for her to wake her newest creation. The demoness smiled. She really was a lovely little thing. Alexia went over to the sleeping succubus and gently rocked her awake.

The first thing the young succubus noticed was her sense of smell, if one could still call it that. The orange-haired girl could smell... another demon in the luxurious bedroom, one that was very familiar. Then came the other sensations from the new body. Her horns, wings, and tail felt alien and strange... The fangs were familiar at least.

The new demoness was at a loss. Her Assembly training told her that she must try to kill the monster that had turned her or at the very least destroy herself. She shook her head. _Why would I want to kill my Mommy? And why would I want to throw away the precious gift I've just been given?_

The orange-haired girl glared at Alexia. "Bitch! I'm going to destroy you!" She then screamed after steeling herself. She would kill the monster that did this to her, and then... herself.

Alexia's face dropped and to the newborn demon the elder looked genuinely disappointed and hurt. The smaller demon shook her head again. Why did she care what this… thing thought of her. She was an Assemblyman, demons like this were prey to her.

The girl smiled in remembrance. Slaying all those demons had been satisfying. It was a shame she had missed out on the chance to feed on them. That was such a waste. She blinked and a slight growl escaped her lips as she promised herself that she would kill at least one more demon.

Extending the talons on her left hand, she focused her attention on Alexia, who was simply watching this with a slight frown on her face. The younger succubus flexed her hand and was puzzled at the sensation. She then looked to see slightly glowing semi-translucent dark green claws coming out of her fingers. Looking through the weapons she almost grinned. Until now her experience had been on the receiving end of such claws.

Alexia maintained her outward appearance as her mood improved. The former demon hunter's self image was being shifted. The young creature would have much the same fanatical hate and disdain to those not her own kind.

Loyalties were being altered and reformed.

The blonde demoness increased her influence over her new minion. The new succubus was almost ready. "Whatever you do, I forgive you," Alexia lied in a convincing tone. The demoness then relaxed her stance giving the appearance of compliance.

The younger demoness paused. She had not expected this kind of reaction from the monster that had taken her humanity. "But..."

"It's okay," Alexia said as she traced her fingers over the fins of the newborn's tail. Alexia was sure that the new girl would not extend her tail filaments.

"Oh... oh... Mommy." the young succubus' eyes widened in horror at what she had just said. "What... what am I?" She had her memories, but those were what she was. The thoughts and sensations she was feeling now were more familiar, more right.

Alexia gave a warm smile. _She's almost ready. Just one more push._ "I'll show you," she said as she stood up. The blonde then lead the smaller girl to the a full length mirror.

The newborn young demon looked at her reflection in shock. A beautiful seductress stared back at her. Her nude, just over five-foot tall, body was perfectly proportioned. Her large expressive eyes were a familiar shade of bright green though now their shape was subtly different. The confused smile on her face was accented by a set of slightly longer fangs.

Little black horns peeked out of longish orange hair. Spreading behind her was a large pair of orange and red wings. An orange tail with red fins was pulled around and rested in her hands. Alabaster skin contrasted greatly to the tanned flesh the larger blonde demoness, who was also nude, that leaned over her.

"What do you think... my child?" Alexia asked, affectionately.

The orange-haired succubus stared at her reflection, mesmerized. It was the most impressive female body she had ever seen, and it was hers. A small trickle of blood flowed from her nose. Releasing her grip on her tail, she clumsily wiped it away.

Alexia smiled and cleaned up the smeared blood.

"I'm.... I'm a succubus," the orange-haired girl said weakly. The girl's eyes hardened. "No! You won't get away with this!"

"I already have." Alexia laughed as she pushed even more pheromones out and used her hand to rub the other demon's left horn.

The young demoness tried to fight the sensations within her, but soon she was purring and leaning into the hand petting her horn. The feelings intensified, and the young succubus' purring was mixed with cries of mindless pleasure.

The orange-haired girl gave one piercing cry that was a mix of growl and scream before she slumped back down. Her mind clouded she looked to Alexia, who then grabbed one of the young demon's horns and twisted it. The newborn succubus yelped and tried to move her head to minimize the pain in her horns.

"I'm trying to protect you, Dear," Alexia said as she held onto her creation. The blonde then angled the demon's head so the younger succubus was looking at her reflection. "You've got great potential, but you are so very young."

Nodding, the young demon studied her image. Alexia released her grip, but the newborn could still feel her presence.

"What are you?"

"I'm Assembly of-" the demoness started but was cut off by Alexia caressing her neck. The last bit of resistance crumbled and the girl embraced her new form "I'm a succubus." Her tone was confident and prideful.

"Yes you are, my dear Aurora," Alexia said, hugging the newly named demon.

Aurora purred again, lost in the bliss of her mother's presence and reveling in the glory of her own body. "I love you Mommy," she uttered, snuggling with the succubus that created her. Aurora reveled in the sense of warmth, protection, and love the larger demon gave her.

"I love you too," Alexia said while inwardly smirking. Normally she would have corrected her spawn telling her to call her Mistress instead of Mommy, but she decided to let Aurora enjoy herself. The task of molding Aurora into the perfect minion could wait, for now.

There was something that bothered Aurora. Something that remained from her old life. "What about Ranma?"

"Oh, the traitor?" Alexia laughed. "Don't worry. We'll tear her apart... together," the blonde succubus reassured.

"Good." Aurora's blissful grin turned sadistic and cruel. "There's nothing worse than someone who betrays their own kind." Her eyes flared and she laughed darkly. Alexia rewarded her minion by rubbing her horns again.

---oo0oo--- 

Deep within the corridors of WIC Toronto-A a group of girls waited. The Sailor Senshi had detransformed. It was strange to do this inside a paramilitary complex surrounded by armed soldiers and a small brood of demons, but their identities were already known and these people _were_ on their side.

Rei eyed the two demons. They had showered and changed their clothes, but she would still clearly recall the blood and... other items splattered on them. She turned to see the redheaded demon step out of an adjacent locker room. Ranma's hair was still slightly damp, despite being pulled back into the style she wore at school.

"You girls sure you don't wanna clean up?" the brood mother asked the Senshi.

"We're fine, thanks" Usagi replied as she pushed the image of a certain redheaded succubus helping _her_ clean up out of her mind. The blonde's frustration grew. She did not want some demonic _replacement!_ She wanted her Mamo-chan! But he was gone... killed by a lunatic, who Pluto seemed unable, or unwilling, to help bring to justice.

Usagi had met Murdock and she had done nothing. She chastised herself for not trying to... what? Kill the mage? A part of her wanted to do just that. Murdock had killed _him_. It was fair.

Usagi banished those thoughts. Sailor Moon did not kill people. She had to keep those thoughts controlled... like other urges. She remembered what she did the first time her lover died... picking up Venus' sword and.... She wanted to be with him so badly, but she was needed here, and unlike that time her Queen Serenity was not around to reincarnate them. There was no assurance that things would magically return to normal, and as much as it hurt and as much as oblivion appealed to her, she had responsibilities more important than her own needs.

There was still the chance that Mamoru would come back. It had happened before. It will happen this time, the blonde swore. Usagi smiled at the thought. She would wait for him, he would be reborn, regain his memories, and she would find him. It would be very romantic. They would be together. What Usagi ignored, what had happened to her throughout her life, was that fate tended to have a sense of humor.

"Yeah, we didn't get as bloody as you did," Rei stated.

"I got some on me," Janet said as she rotated her transformation item in her hands. The knife's silver blade reflected the florescent light.

"It went away when you detransformed," Ami said.

"And when I transform again?"

"It will be clean and fresh. That's part of the magic."

"Oh. Then why'd Ranma shower?"

"I wanted to get clean," Ranma stated. After reverting out of Sailor DarkStar form she was physically clean but she did not feel clean. Disturbingly, _she_ felt more sweaty than anything else. _He_, on the other hand... It was not just out of concern for her kids that Ranma returned to her demon form after the shower. The lingering taste of demonic flesh remained in _his_ mouth too. The worst part was that feeding that way was not her worst option. There were other feeding urges she had, fortunately killing satiated them.

"It'd be nice if we had uniforms that'd clean us up," Akane grumbled. She had tried using her powers to shift her clothes, but the gore remained, just on different garments.

Ranma paused at that. For some reason her mind flashed to those demons with their fire shields. She then remembered her own fireballs consuming bodies. The redhead shook her head.

_Maybe you shouldn't tear into your enemies like that._ Rei thought as she looked over to see Minako happily chatting with Nariko.

"Hi, Mommy! Mina-chan thinks I should get my ears pierced!" Nariko smiled cutely at her mother.

"What? How'd that come up?" Ranma asked.

"We were talking and I noticed she didn't have pierced ears. It's odd for a girl her age to not have them," Minako said.

"Can I get em, Mommy? Please."

"I don't know. We'll see."

"But you've got pieced ears," Nariko said with a slight pout.

"My senshi uniform has 'em."

"I've seen you with earrings in school too," Usagi added, quietly. A normal, a girly, conversation had drawn her attention. She wondered if Ranma was having problems like she was. A loss of humanity instead of a loss of a lover. A brief glance at Ranma's eyes confirmed this suspicion.

"Makes sense that it'd carry over," Ami said.

"I wonder if Ranma's male form has them too," Makoto idly remarked.

Akane snickered and Nariko giggled.

"Girls, that's not funny." Ranma sighed at her daughters.

"So now what?" Rei asked. She was not terribly interested in the demon's piercings. "Why are we here?"

"I wanted us to talk to each other," Usagi stated. "We should be working together."

"I'm just here because that Assembly girl's here," Ranma shrugged. "They'll tell me when she wakes up." She sighed.

"What's wrong Mother?" Akane asked.  
"Oh nothing, just thinking about the girls we killed." Ranma lied slightly. She was also thinking about her eyes. It had happened again. There was still more blue than violet in her eyes, if barely. On the plus side, if it could be called that, the violet highlights in her Senshi form's hair had dramatically reduced. Ranma was sure that the two were related, but did not know what the reduction of purple hair meant. Purple eyes on the other hand...

"They're just demons," Rei interjected.

Usagi almost laughed. It was true that Sailor Moon did not kill _people_, however she did kill demons and other monsters, many of whom where once human. Some of them she healed, but others, like that succubus this morning, she simply destroyed.

Ranma looked at Rei. The redhead's narrowed eyes softly glowed in anger. The demon's stance changed ever so slightly. Anyone who knew succubae body language would have been concerned for Rei's safety. Except Nariko and Akane, who didn't really care.

"And what about her and her kids?" Ami looked between the succubae and the humans. "They're demons too. The difference is that they're not _just_ demons. They fight for the same things we do."

"But their methods..." Rei mumbled.

"None of us hesitated to kill that demon. We blew her apart," Janet reprimanded.

"Exactly, the only difference is that we didn't drain our kill," Ami stated in a strange voice.

"You sound as if that's a bad thing!" Minako exclaimed

"What? Of course draining's a bad thing! I was just saying that's the difference."

"We didn't cut them apart," Rei counted.

"Uh... I did." Janet held her up transformation item, a large knife that could expand into her staff.

Ranma sighed as the senshi argued. She hoped that Assembly-girl would wake up soon.

"Besides, is it really any different from us blowing away demons that used to be people?" Usagi asked Rei in a calm voice.

Makoto glanced at her princess. The blonde seemed to have retreated from the conversation again. There was a distant look to Usagi's eyes. It worried the Senshi, more than Usagi's nightly crying jags. Puzzlement grew on Makoto's face when she noticed the small smile on Usagi's lips. She wondered exactly what the princess was thinking about.

---oo0oo---

From a display on the wall of his office, Jacob watched Captain Jarvis' conversation with the Assembly acolyte. Looking over his shoulder, Jacob saw Commander Stillwater enter the room.

"What did the general say, sir?" Jacob asked.

"We can conduct preliminary interviews with the acolyte. If she's a sincere defector we could learn a lot from her."

"I'm sure that will be _easy_ to determine," Jacob remarked dryly. "She could be full of misinformation, or better yet a simple spy."

"Perhaps, but there's also the issue of her partner. Our scanners detected a powerful Pattern D and a Pattern A. Both have disappeared. If this was a setup, then the Assembly is much more capable than we thought. Our knowledge of them _is_ somewhat limited, but it's best for us to be careful."

"Perhaps our new guest can help us with that."

"Maybe. So Section Chief Tofu did not find an Assemblyman among the dead?"

"No he did not, but his team is still going through the building. The carnage is pretty standard, but fairly extensive. They have found several Assembly weapons however."

Jacob nodded. "I'll tell Jarvis he can go a bit further then. What of Miss Saotome?"

"She was the one that saved the acolyte from those demons. Make sure Jarvis does not do anything... excessive," Stillwater said as he got up to leave the room

"Yes sir." Jacob then pulled out his phone. He would call Lt. Tendo and tell her to inform Ranma.

---oo0oo---

"Interesting," Jarvis noted. "So revenge was an initial motivation for your joining?" Several sets of devices recorded his words.

"Yes," Ukyou nodded. She was sitting up in the bed. It had been painful to get up, but the doctor that had examined her seemed confident in a quick recovery. The worse were the burns and cuts on her leg. Her mobility would be reduced somewhat until those healed more. "It was a... family dispute between my own and Ranma's." The brunette did not elaborate further.

"I see." Captain Jarvis concentrated on keeping her talking. He could always go back and ask for clarification in subsequent interviews. The important part was to open up a dialog with her, to get her to talk. Jarvis paused to see if Acolyte Kuonji would continue of her own accord of if he would need to prod her.

"Funny thing, my partner had the same vendetta. Well... different reasons but the same target. Then we learned that Ranma had been turned into a demon. Actually, Father Oslo told Ryoga first. Then after Ryoga was almost killed by... Ranma, I was told who that redhead was.

"Though it was Ryoga who helped me see what was so wrong with the Assembly. Sure, he was always a bit... obsessive, and he could be a real stubborn jerk, but he was a good guy. We were killing monsters. Some of the things we'd seen demons do..." Ukyou had bowed her head and paused to clear her mind.

"Sure they cured his... problems, but they made him worse. Then I noticed that he was starting to get strange... It got worse the more... proficient he became." Ukyou sighed.

Jarvis nodded. He had read the reports on Assembly techniques, and knew they were dangerous but this girl had more detailed information.

"I guess it ate at me. I couldn't even confide in my partner. If he knew... if he suspected...." Ukyou shrugged. Ryoga was a good little Assemblyman. He would do the _right _thing. She looked up to see the door being opened. The agent that entered was unsurprising, but the person accompanying her was...

The pale girl appraised the room. "You! What are you doing here?" she suddenly shouted, flaring eyes that were a strange mix of blue and violet flecks.

Ukyou reflexively pulled back until she realized that she was not the target of the demon's rage.

"I am conducting an interview, Miss Saotome," Jarvis replied coolly. He leveled his gaze to meet the succubus'.

Ranma almost smiled. It amused her that these agents were still able to stare her down. They might be creepy, but they had guts. "Really, are you going to torture her too?"

"You were fully capable of stopping me last time, yet you stood aside and let me work." Jarvis darted his eyes to the defector before continuing. "I even gave you the chance to finish her off."

Ukyou blinked. She knew WIC had information extraction personnel. She assumed they were equivalent to those she had met in the Assembly, but even the grim-faced and black-robed members of the Inquisitorial Branch never feed people to demons. Her appraisal of the blue-eyed-blond changed for the worse.

"That was one of Alexia's brood. This is a human," Ranma replied.

Ukyou relaxed slightly. It was a demon that they were talking about. She tensed when the redhead turned to face her. The demon studied her, and Ukyou was about to ask the Captain to remove her. Ukyou wanted to learn more about what had happened Ranma, but not while she was vulnerable.

"Ucchan? Is that you?" Ranma inquired. "It's been so long!" The redhead then leapt up and embraced the acolyte. "Why didn't you tell me you were a girl?" the succubus asked while nuzzling her old friend.  
Impressively, Ukyou froze for only a split second. She screamed and shoved the demon, who surprisingly released her grip and tumbled onto the floor.

"Sorry," Ranma apologized. _Why'd I do that? I guess I really missed Ucchan, but..._ Ranma recalled how affectionate her children were, and some of the things she had done._ Stupid succubus body._

"You have no right to call me that, demon," Ukyou spat.

"Hey, I'm not evil!" Ranma snarled.

"You were evil long before you got turned; you and your father abandoned me"

"What?"

"You don't even realize what you did," Ukyo realized with a bitter laugh. To have caused so much pain and to be oblivious of it.... She would learn what had happened to Ranma, after she set the record straight with the demon.

Jacob listened as the two teens dug through their memories to piece together what had happened. He had _interviewed_ Genma Saotome and was not terribly surprised by that man's actions.

Ranma looked into her old friend's eyes. "Pops tricked me. I was just a kid! I didn't know that by choosing okonomiyaki, I'd abandon you. I didn't even know you were actually a cute girl!" Ranma slapped her hand to her forehead at that slipup.

"That means a lot coming from a succubus," Ukyou tried to keep her voice cold but a slight blush did creep onto her face.

"I'm not a succubus!" the redhead bristled. "Well... not all the way. I'll show you." She opened the door to the room. "Akane can you bring me two glasses of water?"

"One hot, one cold?" Akane, who was waiting with her sister and mate outside the room.

Ranma nodded.

Kasumi watched Akane walk down the corridor. "A little demonstration, why?"

"Turns out the Assembly girl's an old friend. Though, I could have sworn she was a boy back then."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Kasumi's lips.

"What?"

"Mommy, if she's an old friend she must have thought you were a guy too," Nariko explained.

Ranma blinked. "Yeah, Nari-chan that's right."

Akane returned with the two glasses and gave them to her mother. Ranma reentered the room and demonstrated using the hot water. "See I'm still human." Ranma's blue eyes made contact with Ukyou's.

Ukyou looked him over. She knew powerful succubae could shape shift, and that she could not detect any demonic energy was meaningless. Her own senses were rudimentary and a demon powerful enough to change her form might be able to evade her detection. That water was a trigger however....

"Jusenkyou? But I thought demons were immune to that." Ukyou paused to consider what she had seen "What is there a spring of drowned succubus?"

"Might as well be. My cursed form's now a demon."

"And you just happened to turn people?"

"It didn't _just happen_!" Ranma almost growled. It was for the best that he did not. Ranma's male form was not nearly as capable as his female form in that department. "I had to save their lives."

"So you turned them." Ukyou's voice was flat.

"Yeah. I know some crazy demon hunter like you'd rather die than live as a demon but not everyone thinks like that."

Ukyou tilted her head slightly. "I'm not that crazy. I did want out of the Assembly." The demon hunter sighed. "But not like this.... not at Ryoga's expense."

Jarvis noted that Ukyou did avoided directly answering the question. His curiosity as to the nature of the relationship these two had increased.

"What happened to that guy?" Ranma had wanted to... The martial artist paused. He did not want to think about what he... no what _she_ wanted to do to the demon hunter.

"We don't know." Jarvis spoke up. "We were unable to find him or Alexia."

"When I last saw him he was fighting her. If he'd won he would have come for me," Ukyou quietly added.

Ranma simply nodded. He knew what Alexia would have done to Ryoga. They all did.

The former acolyte steeled herself and looked Ranma in the eyes, eyes that were the same blue she remembered. "Thank you." Ukyou flexed her fingers. It was a reflex from her training. "If you and your..." She paused to find the appropriate word "kids hadn't helped me... Thank you."

"It was the right thing to do," Ranma shrugged.

Ukyou smiled warmly at that. A succubus had saved her, a demon hunter, from other succubae, and why? Not for the "purity of humanity" like the Assembly spouted off or for whatever mercenary reason WIC used, but for something as simple as it being _the right thing to do_.

"Now what are you gonna do?"

"I defected to the Company. I'm sure they'll want to know everything I know. At least I'm out of the Assembly. I would like to get back at Alexia too."

Ranma nodded. "I should get going. If you want to talk to me just ask one of these guys."

"Uh okay," Ukyou said. Ranma was the only person she really knew here.

Ranma gave a slight smile and exited the room.

Ukyou watched her old friend leave. Once Ranma was out of the room he used the cold water to return to demon form. The brunette sighed and turned her attention back to her interviewer. She started thinking of her future (it seemed linked to the Company now), and how to make the most of it.

---oo0oo---

"You really wanna see that?" Ranma asked her mother. She and the rest of the brood were getting ready to use WIC Toronto-B's showers after their daily flight training session. They had been intercepted by the ranking Science and Technology Section officer.

"From what you've told me it's a very interesting attack."

"I just wish the name was better."

"It's cute." Nariko's tone was eager enough, but her expression confirmed what she really thought.

"What did you expect Mom? You _are_ a magical girl."

Ranma sighed. "Somehow, being a succubus is less a problem than being a magical girl," she mumbled as she activated her Senshi form.

"So where do you want the demonstration?" a demoness with fully violet eyes asked. It had been three days since she had first used that attack, and it would be good to practice with it again.

"I'll show you," Nodoka said. She lead them outside the building and across the facility's campus. Their destination was a large block of steel and concrete down at the end of an outdoor target range. The range was closed and a pair of young S&T agents were setting up cameras and sensors for what had to be a target.

"So how is the Kuonji girl doing?" Nodoka asked as she was handed a clipboard by one of her assistants.

"I dunno. She seems happy to be out of the Assembly, but she did lose her partner. She seems to have warmed up to me a bit." DarkStar's tail swished nervously. She had gotten into the habit of visiting Ukyou in her... cell in WIC Toronto-A.

The doctor noticed this and noted that her daughter had not mentioned what the former acolyte thought of her. She held those questions and instead explained what she wanted Ranma to do.

Agent Aida checked the scanner before walking back to behind the line. For once the weight of his sidearm was a comfort instead of a burden. These Pattern D's may be the major's family, but they were still demons. The brood mother, a girl whose height was hard to pin down (she had very tall boots), was especially worrisome. He looked over to see his coworker Ayami was her usual composed self.

Sailor DarkStar smirked when she saw the agents scurry behind the protective shield and man their machines. One of them, the girl with an odd hair color, (a dye job, DarkStar could see the roots) had the almost robotic composure, that was common to Company agents. The other was more nervous and almost human.

The demon focused her power. A fireball formed in her hands. She focused more and its surfaced smoothed over becoming a glossy black. As she shouted her attack phrase she could see violet and silver swirls forming inside the orb, just before it was launched out of her hands.

It raced down the field and slammed into the armor-faced concrete target. The orb split apart on the four inch steel plate and exploded in a forward arcing cone. Strangely enough the attack's secondary explosion seemed to come from behind steel armor. Later examination of the high speed video capture and the test block would indicate that this is exactly what happened. The shards from the DarkStar Burst, sliced through the steel, embedded themselves in the concrete, and exploded. However this was not the most interesting result of this little test.

"Was that what you wanted?" DarkStar enjoyed blowing up the block, but it was not much. The demon walked over to the equipment's display. A slow motion tracking of the orb's progress was being replayed.

"I don't see what's so important," Akane commented.

"It's hard to see without obvious references, but that trajectory is all wrong." Aida pointed to the screen.

Seeing the confusion on her daughter's face Nodoka explained herself. "We've found something odd with your attack." She then went on to explain what she wanted Sailor DarkStar to do for the next test.

The redhead quickly smiled in understanding. She might not get science that much, but she understood the martial arts. If her mother was right, that attack might be much more useful.

---oo0oo---

A tall man stood on a overlook. Rain steadily poured around him but he did not notice. Unusual for the location, there was little wind and the precipitation fell nearly vertical, and his wide-brimmed had kept his head dry. Draped over his narrow-shouldered, but surprisingly spry frame, was a long coat. The ends of plain but sturdy pants peeked out of the coat's ends. These were tucked into a pair of boots that while in good condition had been thoroughly broken in. The coat's material was a faded grey-black oilskin that had clasped up the center using a series of snaps. A large satchel, also made of oilskin, was slung over one shoulder.

His eyes were a muddy brown, but his gaze seemed to dwell in the borderlands between dedication and obsession, faith and fanaticism. His hair, what could be seen under his hat, was a light brown that seemed to be of a respectable length.

Even without the notch in his coat's high, almost chin reaching, collar he would have strongly resembled a saddle-back preacher. These were men who went from place to place preaching the word of God to towns too small to have a permanent Shepard.

He stared at the rain soaked valley that spilled out below his position. Pine forests stretched bellow him. Out of necessity, the monastery was in a remote location, but the man enjoyed the scenic side effect.

"Father Oslo?" A younger man asked, bowing his head. He had walked out of the monastery and like the other man seemed unfazed by the rain.

"Yes?"

"The Bishop is ready for you."

Father Oslo nodded. He entered the monastery and after passing plain stone and wood paneled corridors and finally through a small, but interestingly stocked, library, was let into a spacious and Spartan office. There was only one embellished aspect of the spare room. It was an immense, cunningly carved desk. The lovingly cared for oak glowed under the soft lighting of the room. That thought brought a smile to the father's face. He remembered the hours he had spend cleaning and polishing such objects during his own days as an acolyte. Humility was important to impart onto the young.

He did not allow his recollections to disrespect the man who had summoned him. Father Oslo bowed his head and let one knee touch the ground. The man behind the desk smiled, showing a little teeth that while white and straight were still... unpleasant. Though no one else at the monastery dared comment; besides after a while they stopped looking off.

"Stand, Father," the man behind the desk said, to which Oslo immediately obeyed. "I wish I had more pleasant news."

"Bishop Fortson?"

"It's one of your proteges. Acolyte Hibiki and his partner have failed to respond." Fortson's voice was conversational and warm.

Oslo nodded. He remembered sending those two. "There were complications?"

The bishop gave a slight laugh. "One could say that. It seems that the demon Hibiki and Kuonji were tracking lead them into a trap." The bishop ran a pudgy but oddly nimble hand over his bald head. "All we know was that our acolytes went into a building crawling with demons and Willard mercenaries."

"You want me to ascertain what happened?" If he were a younger man he would have sighed, but he had experienced the deaths of enough brave and rash acolytes.

"You and a squad of your best men. I want to know what happened, I want you to make sure our missing people's souls are laid to rest, and I want you to exterminate everyone who dared to stand against us!" the bishop shouted, his voice finally gained an edge.

Oslo smiled. The bishop looked soft but he still had it in him. "I will avenge our people's sacrifice."

Bishop Fortson smiled, again showing those upsetting little teeth. He knew Oslo would be able to take care of things. It was a mistake to send those kids in, but they were only tracking one demon; they were unprepared for such an ambush. It was a shame to have lost such a promising young acolyte, but Hibiki knew the risks.

---oo0oo---

"Why are we here with these... humans?" Aurora spat out. Her green eyes scanned the filth that surrounded her. The demon wished her mother would let her dispose of them. Or at least give her a chance to train with her powers more.

"Watch your tongue," Alexia corrected in a casual voice

Aurora stiffened and bowed her head. She had quickly learned the folly of crossing mother.

"You need to learn the usefulness of humans," Alexia said as she opened the salon's door.

The demon saw her spawn's respectfully skeptical look. "They're a species designed to serve us as food, fodder to make minions, or servants," Alexia whispered to her daughter as the entered the store.

"Hello Alexia. Is this your daughter?" the stylist asked. She smiled at the younger succubus. "She is a lovely girl." The woman could see why the girl's mother brought her here. Her body was very nice, but it could be complimented a lot better than the simple t-shirt and jeans the girl had on now.

The orange-haired succubus nervously licked her lips. Mother had gone through a lot of trouble for her.

"Daughter, it's a bit early for that," Alexia laughed. "First we've got to give you a proper makeover."

Aurora would have cocked her head in confusion, but she trusted mother's judgment. She followed Alexia and the humans to a waiting styling chair.

"Once we've made a proper princess of you then the fun can begin," Alexia whispered in Aurora's ear.

The stylist smiled as she organized her equipment. It was good to see such a wholesome family: loving mother and adoring daughter.

---oo0oo---

Ukyou smiled at the warm rays of sunshine on her face. For a few seconds she was able to put aside her worries. Her partner's fate, her betraying the Assembly, her imprisonment, the aches in her still damaged leg, and her... feelings for a demon, were out of her mind. Right now she was outside, breathing fresh air and laying on the grass. It was a welcome change from a solid week of recycled air, florescent lights, and concrete inside that underground base. It was also a positive sign, her privileges had increased

She was still on a WIC base, but this one was much nicer than that other one. This was reinforced by the pair of agents that watched her from a few feet away. Ukyou heard someone approach. The person's footsteps were surprisingly quiet. Though his blocking her sunlight was a pain.

The former Assembly acolyte opened her eyes. It was Jarvis. "Did you pass along my request?" she asked her interrogator.

"I did." Jarvis' speech while clipped did not have its usual accent.

Ukyou suspected that he could switch in and out of it to better aid information extraction in some way.

"The Commander is considering it."

"It's better than having me rot away in some safe house for the rest of my life."

"There is the question of loyalty."

"I know, I betrayed one organization. What's to say I won't betray another?" Ukyou almost laughed. In all her dreams of quitting the Assembly, she never really considered what she would do once she _was_ out. Now that she was, she found herself being drawn back into the business.

"I'll let you know when the Commander does make a decision," Jarvis smiled

Ukyou's thanking response was cut short by an angry growl. She watched as all the agents moved their gaze to the direction of the noise and instantly moved to their weapons. Afterwards Ukyou would realize that she had done the same thing, except that she was unarmed.

Soon they were rewarded by seeing a trio of succubae fly over head dive down, pull up, twist and retreat. It was a maneuver Ukyou recognized very well, a demonic strafe. Though she could tell that the redheaded brood mother had added some new moves to it. From her prone position it was quite an impressive formation. Her eyes could even pick out the satisfied grin on the lead demon's face.

Ukyou suspected why the succubus was so pleased. Ranma was fulfilling what she saw as her role as a male martial artist _and_ a brood mother, protecting and training the weak, protecting and training her children. Ukyou could see the martial artist and warrior within the succubus, and that worried her.

Jarvis cleared his throat and pulled out a recording device. "You mind? I believe we were at the composition of what the Assembly uses to treat their blades and ammunition?"

Ukyou nodded and started explaining what she knew of the process and materials. It did not take long. "Is that all?" Jarvis asked as he stopped the recorder.

The former Assembly acolyte nodded. Her eyes scanned the sky briefly.

"I believe they're still on base. Jefferson, Reynolds, take Miss Kuonji to the brood."

The two agents saluted and escorted Ukyou around a couple buildings. When she rounded a corner and got a clear look at what the demonic trio was doing she paused. It was not the flying that she had seen them do earlier, and it was not the sparring that she had seen the day before. It was a combination of the two.

Ukyou saw a curious mix of ground and air combat. A demon would be flying in the air one moment then would drop to the grass, dodge and leap back up, or would try to intercept her sparring partner another way. The succubae instantly switched between aerial and terrestrial modes. The brood mother was the most fluid though her spawn were performing well too.

Even Ukyou's trained eyes strained to capture their movements. Again she felt the absence of her weapons. The traitor to the assembly of man watched as the redhead neatly tipped over and landed on the ground in a tight roll. The demon then smoothly untucked and sprung her body liken an uncoiled spring. Claws appeared and seemed to cross over a dozen yards. The demon unfolded her wings and slashed into the air.

Ukyou blinked. The redhead had turned towards her.

Ranma turned, reduced her altitude, and landed a few paces from the brunette. She folded her wings back and her tail lazily swished back and forth. "Hi, good to see they're lettin' you outside now." The demon then wiped her brow. It took more effort in this form but she could still sweat.

"I guess it is." Ukyou found herself unable to meet the demon's eyes... for very long.

Ranma could tell that Ukyou was more than intimidated and afraid. Some of those emotions were present. The succubus could _smell_ them radiating from her, but there was something else to. Ukyou's body language was also off a bit. The redhead had become a bit more observant of such things. It was due to her spending more time in demon form, and getting used to the signals it was sending her mind. As such the succubus had a fair idea what was making Ukyou uncomfortable. The demon sighed. She supposed it was a mistake to hug Ukyou and call her cute. Though Ukyou was not reacting too badly. Ranma wondered if Ukyou even knew what her feelings were.

However, the succubus declined to broach _that_ subject. She told herself that it was to avoid making the defector more uncomfortable, but that was not the whole truth. After what she hoped was not a terribly long pause, Ranma spoke. "They been treating you okay? I know that Jarvis guy's pretty bad." She then turned to her kids, who were still sparring, and waved them to come over.

"No, he's been okay. Jarvis is a professional."

"That he is," Ranma dryly remarked. She recalled that little green-haired succubus and what Jarvis did, and what Ranma herself did. The demoness turned to see her children land, much more gracefully than they used to. The brood mother smiled at this.

Both Akane and Nariko felt the pride their mother had in them. Their cheeks gained just a hint of crimson. "How's it going Ukyou?" Akane asked.

"Why're you guys so at ease? I'm a demon hunter."

"So are we," Ranma shrugged.

"Yeah... you guys were training how to fight other demons I guess."

"Sorta," Ranma laughed. "I've been tinkering with my family's school, modifying things for flight, tails, claws. Stuff like that."

"I see." Ukyou's response was a bit muted. She was at a loss of how to reply.

Ranma laughed again. This time it was strained. The demon turned away and tried to reduce the information she was getting from the human. She did not know how to handle what she was sensing from the hunter.

"Ranma, Major Saotome's on base." Kasumi had walked up to the group. She eyed the former Assemblywoman before turning back to the redheaded succubus.

"Mom? Oh, okay," Ranma sighed. This was not something she wanted to think about but she had to. "Akane, Nari-chan, stay here with Ucchan. I won't be long. Come on Kasumi."

After the agent and the brood mother left, Ukyou looked at the agents and demons that she had been left with. She laughed nervously.

"I guess we can keep sparing," Akane suggested to her mate.

---oo0oo---

"I've done some thinking," Ranma said as she looked down at the glass coffee table in what looked like a reception room. She could see her reflection. Even at the awkward angle and the imperfect reflection the violet in her eyes was clear. "People die in what we're doing. There was that agent you had in the school. Chase I think his name was. I don't want.... We have to do this but..." The demoness cleared her throat.

"I don't want my kids to be without a Mom. They still need me," Ranma blurted out.

Kasumi and Nodoka exchanged a glance. "What do you... propose?" Major Saotome asked.

"If I... die. My girls will need to be taken care of. They're a bit older now so I think nothing _drastic_ will be needed, but still." Ranma knew that Nariko was not strong enough to use the forced biting method, but she might be able to do _it_ the... other way. Ranma hoped that there would be no need for that. Not with them being at their age.

Nodoka looked into her daughter's eyes. She knew what drastic meant, and wondered if her two granddaughters could survive without demonic parenting. "Of course. I'd do _any_thing to help my family."

"Well... I hope it doesn't have to come to that; you needing to be... something else. I think Nari-chan could.... You wouldn't be... minions."

Nodoka nodded. She had assumed as much.

"Count me in. For my sister, I'll do what needs to be done." Kasumi's voice was flat but with conviction.

Ranma smiled slightly. Kasumi, and her own mother for that matter, preferred to die as a human than live as a demon, but if it would save Akane and Nariko...

"Good I'm glad we got that out of the way," the succubus had one less thing to worry about. She stood up but was stopped by her mother reaching over and hugging her close. The demoness wrapped her arms around her mother automatically.

"I'm so proud of you. You're such a good Mother," Nodoka said hugging the demon tighter. Ranma responded by spreading her wings and folding them other Nodoka's shoulders and back. Despite the disparity in height, the large structures easily accomplished this.

Kasumi noted the difference in stature. She could see that the redhead was wearing shorter heels, but that still did not seem like enough. The agent supposed that Ranma was either shorter than she remembered or that the demoness had altered her own height. Kasumi shrugged. It was something to look into later. She decided to give the mother and daughter this private moment and excused herself.

Ranma leaned her head against her mother's chest and purred happily as her mother ran her hand through the demon's hair. Nodoka was careful to avoid the redhead's horns. _I just wish I could be half the mother you were_. Nodoka thought from within her child's wings.

---oo0oo---

A pair of beautiful bronzed women leaned on a bar. They looked somewhat alike though their difference in ages was too close for people to think of mother and daughter. The younger looked like she was hardly the requisite nineteen to legally drink. The older had a curly mane of blonde hair, while the younger had an equally long wave of orange locks. They both had green eyes that evaluated the other patrons with hunger.

Aurora smiled at her mother. Alexia was right. With the proper attire, attitude, and bearing, she did not even have to use her powers.... much. Aurora adjusted her dark green leather dress slightly. It took time to craft the right mix of regal and appealing, but the young succubus was confident that she had done it.

Alexia slid over to her minion and smiled. She put her hand over one of Aurora's manicured ones. "Anything catch your eye?" Though it was really another sense that the demons were using. Both were scanning the humans looking for one who's _scent_ indicated that they would taste the best.

The brood mother smiled as she watched her daughter's reaction. The young demon was so eager to perform, yet so worried about screwing up and disappointing mother. While Aurora maintained an outward appearance of control, Alexia could tell how she really felt. Aurora's attention was on a human male who had entered the bar just now.

Alexia smiled as she evaluated the human. His physical appearance was good, though the demon evaluated him in much the same way a stockman looked over a steer. The human's energy and scent indicated that he would be filling and tasty. Alexia nodded her approval.

Putting a seductive smile on her face, Aurora got up. This was still hunting. Something she had done her whole life, even before... her life had really began. The succubus fell into her body's urges and used information and training mother had given her.

Alexia observed her daughter's performance with pride, at her own skill in crafting minion. Her spawn had quickly gotten the attention of her prey and started working on him. The blonde demon smiled. Once you pushed the right buttons, humans were simple.

Eventually, the Alexia got up and paid for her drink. Aurora had persuaded the human to go somewhere more private. Alexia did not want to miss this. The demoness exited the building and took to the sky. As Alexia followed the cab her daughter and the human were in, the demoness smiled. Aurora had started to feed. It was just some minor draining while she made out with the human.

Alexia landed on the roof of the apartment building that the human had taken Aurora. Alexia could sense that the young succubus was just about ready....

Aurora reached out to the human. This was it. She was about to get a full meal... and if the appetizers were any indication. She was about to make contact when she felt a slight draining.

The newly tanned demon looked down to see a single drop of blood fall from her nose and onto the human's chest. It was quickly joined by another. The succubus snarled and put a finger to her nose. It came back bloody.

The human asked a question, but Aurora's eyes flared at the human and he was cowed by her mental command. The succubus resumed her work once the flow had stopped. She then grinned at the human that she had dominated. It was time to get back to work.

In-between feeding sessions Aurora checked her nose. She smiled when it came up clean. It looked like that was over with. The young demon had another reason to be happy. Her mother was proud of her. Aurora basked in the glow of mother's approval... and a different sort of afterglow.

Aurora wished other would let her kill the human. She had gotten what she wanted from him, and Aurora knew his flesh would be as tasty as the rest of him. However, Mother insisted she simply cloud the human's memory and leave. Aurora pouted as she primped in front of the human's bathroom mirror. Hopefully Mother will let her be more thorough with her prey next time. The demon also hoped that the next time would come soon. The energy she had gotten was good, but more important than nourishment was the sense of power that she got.

---oo0oo---

Aram sighed and looked at his watch. He glanced up at the overcast sky before looking back at his two companions. Conversation during the journey had been muted, to say the least.

"You know... it's a bit too dark to wear those things," Gabriel chastised his fellow agent, as he locked the silver Company sedan. Aram sighed and pocketed his sunglasses. The trio of humans made their way across the parking lot.

"Maybe it would've been better if you guys had just stayed in the car." Ranma sighed as he walked slightly ahead of them.

"You're the one that wanted an escort."

"No, I'm the one that wanted a ride." Kasumi and Nabiki were busy, and Ranma could not ask his mother for help, not with what he was getting.

"You sure your kids are.... fine?" Gabriel asked, for the third time by Ranma's count.

"Yeah, they're having... fun." The pigtailed martial artist shook his head. He had found that times like this were the best chance for _him_ to get a break. While mating pairs of succubae were surprisingly private with their intercourse, they still wanted Mother to occasionally watch them perform, both for approval and for... suggestions.

"And they'd better be fine. I am trusting you guys to watch over where we live." Ranma knew they were not that far from home. If they got warning he could change and fly over there within ten minutes, and Mother was there too.

"Of course," Gabriel said in an understanding voice. The kid was concerned about his spawn. The agent shook his head. He found it strange that a demon mommy was more normal than... whatever this teenage guy was.

Ranma groaned. At least this was less awkward than when they were in the car. He smiled. He had seen the item in one of Akane's magazines and knew it would be perfect. Ranma's grin increased slightly; he could even give it to Mother while in his real body.

The martial artist had his hand on the department store's door handle when he caught a beige van reflected in the glass door. He watched as the door slide open. "Guys... you see this?" Ranma asked quietly.

"Yah, I seem 'em," Aram said. There was a large van idling in front a small bank that sat in the middle of the parking lot like an island in a sea of slowly rusting cars. The three young men watched another trio of men exit through the van's open side door. Their long coats were not too unusual given the brisk wind, but there where characteristic bulges in their coats.

"They're human," Gabriel said while he looked at what appeared to be a combination cell phone and palm computer.

"Call the authorities," Aram said as he knelt down to check his shoe laces. His head tilted slightly when he heard shouts.

"What? Wha'ya guys talking about? Wait for the police?" Ranma's voice was conversational in tone and volume but his gaze was even.

"They _are_ human." Aram shifted to check his other boot.

"Come on you're saying you guys can't do anything to humans?" Ranma looked at the two agents' guarded expressions. "Fine. Screw you losers, I'll do it myself."

As Aram stood back up a small smile crossed his face. "You heard him Gabe. It's his idea, we're just providing backup."

"Besides, it's a good chance they _could_ be working for the opposition," Gabriel added as Aram made the call to command.

"Stupid company rules and goons," Ranma grumbled as he walked over to one of the large concrete combination ashtrays and trashcans that flanked the doors to the store. It had rained earlier in the morning and some water had collected into the curved depression that surrounded the lip of the trashcan.

"Goons? We're not that bad," Gabriel said as he adjusted his coat. The agent was really using that was cover for checking the position of his weapon and extra ammunition

"We could have gotten something cleaner," Aram said after Ranma took the rain water and used it to transform.

"No time," the succubus said as she glared at the bank, and extended her senses. "There's still one guy in the van.

"I'll take the driver; you two go into the bank; I'll be right in," Aram said.

"Good you're even wearing a purse," Gabriel noted.

Ranma raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Despite being able to wear pants, albeit leather ones, she continued to generate a leather purse. She suspected that it was because of her time using one at school. Her eyes widened slightly with realization at the agent's plan.

Aram separated from the two and walked around the back of the van.

As the girl known to many as Sunshine entered the bank she allowed fake shock to cross her face. Gabriel delved into a similar type of chicanery. Three gunmen: two in the main room watching the handful of customers they had forced onto the ground and the last was collecting money from one of the bank's employees. No one seemed hurt…. yet.

"Hands up!" the taller of the two gunmen shouted at the two intruders.

"Bad time for you and your pretty girlfriend to stop in, eh?" his partner added.

"Just get them down on the floor, Mike!" the one collecting money shouted.

"Right, right," the shorter of the pair, Mike said. "On the ground you two." He then waved his gun at them, a short pump-action shotgun, and suggested using a few choice offensive, both in explicit and racial nature, that if they cooperated they'll be home and having sex in no time.

Gabriel's eyes darted to Ranma's purse then back to the gunmen. The redhead simply contained her anger at their suggestion.

"Your little girl going to make a deposit?" Mike laughed. "Darrel, check her purse."

The taller of the two gunmen stepped closer to Ranma, "Hand it over little girl."

The redhead slipped the purse off of her shoulder and reached with the hand out holding it. Darrel responded by stepping closer. He barely say any movement as the small girl blurred, followed immediately by an immense pain in his chin as something impacted it.

After smashing into the first gunman's jaw, Ranma tossed him aside and leapt at the other one. Mike only caught a hint of movement before the redhead had clamped down on his neck with one hand and ripped the gun out of his grip her other hand. The maneuver broke his finger and almost ripped off a thumb. The demon then pulled his head forward and slammed it into her own.

The robber at the counter panicked. Things had changed too fast. Darrel and Mike had been taken out by a little girl, and now her boyfriend had drawn a gun at him.

"Just kill the moron," a new voice said. "Hey Red, go ahead and gut these two, then finish this last worthless bastard. I already took care of the driver," Aram said as he entered the bank and aimed his gun at the last remaining robber.

The demon paused in thought. "Nah, this is boring me," Ranma said after dropping the now unconscious Mike. Lack of oxygen and head trauma will do that to a person. She felt dirty just touching such incompetent lowlife scum. At least her real enemies were more of a challenge, and not just punks like these.

"Wait no! You cops can't kill me if I surrender!" the last robber said as he dropped his gun and put his hands up.

Aram laughed. "Sorry man, we're not the police."

"Not at all," Ranma smiled showing a bit of her fangs.

The last robber slid back. More afraid from the girl than the two men pointing guns at him.

---oo0oo---

"Yeah sis, I guess I could do that, but did you have to ambush me like this?" Nabiki asked.

"Sorry." Akane blushed in that subtle way succubae did. She supposed that it was rude to question her sister immediately when she had gotten home, but Akane preferred to get this over with before Mother got home.

"No problem," Nabiki smiled at the irony. For once Akane was the one asking Nabiki to take her photo, especially given who the photo was for. "You know my standard rate?" Nabiki said as she walked up the stairs to her room.

Akane nodded. After Nabiki had picked up her camera and some film, they went into Akane's room, or at least the room Akane kept most of her stuff in. "Don't worry, I don't need to many photos," Akane assured her sister. She had been practicing in front of a mirror and had found the perfect pose.

"Good." Nabiki fiddled with her Polaroid camera. She was not terribly worried. Akane had asked her to take these photos. There would be no negatives. So Ranma and Kasumi could not blame her if something happened. "Okay Akane, I'll do it, but you're gonna have clothes on."

"But... it's for my mate," Akane pouted.

"I've seen enough naked demons thank you. And I'm not getting your mom pissed at me." Nabiki had figured that Ranma was not home.

"Please," Akane whined trying to look her cutest, which given her species was not too bad.

"Just wear a bikini."

"Yeah... good idea," Akane agreed as her clothing shifted into a tiny blue string bikini. She looked herself over then paused and shifted into a less skimpy version. After all, Nariko saw her in the nude everyday. "We're doing two. One with me looking human and another with my full form." Akane then posed.

"Right," Nabiki said as she put the viewfinder to her eye.

---oo0oo---

"You really scared the piss out of that last guy when you said you killed the driver. Heck I could smell that he was _this_-" Ranma held her finger a quarter inch apart- "close to losing it," Ranma said before she sipped her beverage.

"I said no such thing. All I said was that I took care of him. I almost wish he'd have resisted," Aram stated leaning back into the booth.

"Why? You know all the paperwork we have to fill out when we kill a civilian," Gabriel said.

Aram nodded. "Also don't think that having Red hear take out his two friends like that didn't freak him out."

"Bah, they're worthless. They let me get too close."

"Yeah was very clean for you," Aram laughed as he took a sip of his beer.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ranma bristled. "Yah know those special bullets you guys shoot are pretty dang messy too."

Gabriel nodded in agreement.

"You sure we should wait here?" Ranma asked as she looked around the bar.

"It's the closest restaurant to the bank. That is where the Colonel told us to wait."

"Yeah but I'm under nineteen"

"You looked old enough that no one's asked you for an ID."

"Yay... the wonders of being a sex demon," the redhead quietly deadpanned.

"Hmmm, he's late," Aram said as he looked at his watch.

"I'm sure the Colonel is talking with the police at the scene. Making sure everything's nice and smooth with them," Gabriel sighed.

"Least we don't have to worry about getting chewed out... much."

"What's with that? I thought you guys were working with the local police. They didn't seem to like you guys very much." Ranma had found the police were fairly annoyed by what they had done.

"We stepped on their toes by going out of jurisdiction. We're not supposed to go after humans." Aram took a sip of his beer.

"Unless they're cultists or mercenaries in the service of pattern registering entities, of course," Gabriel added.

"You know that reminds me about something Sophie and Rob did," Aram smiled. It was a shame what had happened to Rob, but risk was a part of the job.

Aram had gotten halfway through the story about the incident between the Peruvian police and those two agents when Ranma's eyes widened. "Oh no! I forgot to get Mom's gift!"

"Relax, Red. Just take another sip of your beer. You can get that thing for the Major after the Colonel stops by," Gabriel explained

"Okay. You know the only reason I'm having one of these is because I'm curious."

"Not like one drink would effect a Pattern D your level."

"Yeah and she's just nursing it," Aram teased. He and Gabriel were restricting themselves to only a couple slowly drank too. They were WIC agents after all. "Anyway back to my story. Remember, Sophie was pretending to be Rob's wife so that's why the policeman said 'Mrs. Talbert are you aware that your cooler is full of human eyeballs.' "

"I can't believe Rob blurted his real name." Gabriel shook his head. "And Of course those weren't _human_ eyes, and the case was hardly full. There couldn't have been more than a dozen in there."

"Look you wanna tell the story?" Aram sighed.

"No, you go ahead."

Aram grumbled and continued telling the story. When he got to the end, Ranma took a long pull from her drink and blinked at the two agents.

"What's wrong with you guys? All that hassle just for some monster eyes? You guys had to impersonate FBI agents just to get them out." The succubus shook her head.

"It was better than our backup plan," Aram laughed.

"Lemmie guess. You guys were gonna bust them out with helicopters and a daring midnight raid?"

Gabriel and Aram shared a conspiratorial grin.

"Never mind," Ranma sighed. "What about those vampires or whatever that were out in the woods to the South?"

"After the Pattern Silvers and Lieutenant Patterson's team busted up their base we haven't heard anything from them. We think they're done for." Aram tipped up his beer finishing the drink.

"Though we did hear some weird stuff. You ever see the Senshi in battle?" Gabriel asked.

"Not really. Why?" Ranma asked.

"Get this. Their leader Moon, she's got this beam weapon and Morrison swears it's a kaleidoscope."

The succubus shook her head. "Man and I thought my powers were lame."

"That new one of yours has a silly name, but, oh man, it's effective" Aram said after coming back with another beer.

"You guys know about that test too?"

"Only that you tested a new power you found in that office building fight. Looked impressive," Aram noted absently.

"You don't know the half of it," Ranma smiled darkly.

Gabriel adjusted his coat and looked at his watch. "You and your girls were doing very well that warehouse and then in that office."

"I think it has to do with all their training," Aram pointed out.

"Of course I'm gonna train my kids. They are Saotomes."

"Yeah, a bunch of bouncy succubae doing their 'demon-fu' would attract some attention," Gabriel said.

"Yes and what they wear's got nothing to do with it," Aram snickered.

"My uniform's a lot better than what those other magical girls wear!" Ranma defended.  
"Yeah, it's got an even shorter skirt."

"It's still better."

"Hey Aram, what's with that gut thing back there?" Gabriel asked

"Hmm... I _was_ tempted. We didn't eat lunch yet you know," the succubus said with a wink.

"See man, some things you can't just say around a demon."

"What? I kinda forgot what you were for a min." Aram shrugged. "Just handled it like any other operation. It's not like you were gonna eat them."

"Nah… not worth my time," Ranma smiled with genuine amusement. Her eyes widened and she turned to face the new arrival. The demon could have sworn she had not sensed the man enter.

"Well, isn't this cute," Jacob said with a crooked smile. The WIC officer sat down on the edge of the semi-circular booth pushing Aram into Ranma.

The succubus blinked and adjusted herself. Unexpected physical contact was always... odd. She was also surprised that it had taken her this long to sense Jacob.

"Colonel Edwards," the two lower ranged agents said simultaneously giving quick salutes. Jacob Edwards glared at the two agents. "I had an interesting conversation with a Toronto Police Captain. Two suspects with concussions and a couple broken bones, one so scared he shit himself, and the less we say about what Agent Kowalski did to the driver the better. He has some... interesting questions."

Ranma smirked. She knew that one robber was close to losing it. _Serves the punk right. That'll keep him from stealing._

"Now normally agents from PR Section handle this, but since a Pattern Silver was involved." Jacob gave a sideways glance at Ranma. "Commander Stillwater felt _I _should handle it."

"What's wrong? We did the right thing," Ranma said.

Jacob smiled as he reached over and took Gabriel's unopened replacement beer. "Yes it was," the officer said as he popped the cap off.

Aram glanced at the table. Colonel Jacob Edwards, one of the few surviving members of WIC's groundbreaking Epsilon Team, this was Gunslinger Jacob, Executor Edwards, the only way it would be more surreal was if Commander Stillwater or perhaps Johan Willard himself had sat down to have a beer.

Gabriel similarly boggled. Here was the man that was instrumental in their training. A man who's operations were being analyzed by cadets, right up there with Sheppard's Creek.

Ranma simply shrugged.

"I don't see anything wrong with your actions. You were assisting Miss Saotome here," Jacob said evenly as he sipped his drink. He disliked the Canadian beer but he drank cordially anyway. In truth this incident was something he wholeheartedly approved of. This Pattern Silver had gone from using Company facilities to leading agents.

The officer allowed a small grin to form on his face. It seemed that his plan of being honest and supportive to Miss Saotome was paying off. At least that was one less issue to worry about. "What I'd like to know, right now, is what actually happened. Unsurprisingly, witnesses at the scene were a bit... unreliable." Jacob chuckled.

Aram spoke up first. "Well, sir, I took the driver. Annoyingly, but not surprising, his window was rolled up. So I broke it, and extracted him."

"You almost strangled him to death," Jacob noted.

"Yes."

"I see." Jacob sighed. "And after that?"

Gabriel took a turn telling what had happened, with Ranma filling in the details of what she had done. "And you know what happened once the police arrived," Gabriel finished. "Sir, do we know who these guys are and why there were there?"

"We're looking into their backgrounds now. So far it seems like a quartet of simple and stupid thieves. Though that would be a great cover for something more."

"Perhaps someone else sent them to that bank at that time knowing we would be there," Aram suggested.

"Though that would require surveillance of us and having those guys on standby, and for what purpose? It's not like anything happened to us." Gabriel countered.

"We're still investigating their backgrounds, their van, and their homes," Jacob said.

"I can't believe you paranoid loons. Maybe we just stopped a simple bank robbery?" the succubus asked.

"Why take the risk?" Jacob replied as he finished his beer.

---oo0oo---

Lieutenant Tendo walked down the corridors of WIC Toronto A. She stopped when she passed the commissary and saw who was inside. She first saw Captain Jarvis looking over his cup of coffee. Kasumi followed her superior's gaze to see a quartet of teenaged girls.

Inside the commissary Ranma was chatting with her daughters and Ukyou. "Don't you mind that he's staring at you?" The succubus looked at the agent with narrowed eyes.

"Not really," Ukyou admitted as she sipped her iced-tea. "It's not like this place isn't crawling with cameras, and part of my defection was that I tell them everything."

Ranma grumbled and resumed her lunch.

Jarvis smiled slightly. The events of Miss Saotome's life were rather noteworthy. The young succubus', or was it young man's, life was intertwined with NH activity. Two of Ranma's childhood friends joined the Assembly of Man, the martial artist's own mother joined the Company, and in an attempt to get a cure he ended up becoming a Pattern silver

All of these events were largely due to the actions of Miss Saotome's father, a person Jarvis wished he could have disposed of in a more permanent manner. Jarvis renewed his smile. Genma was only part of the picture. The man was friends with the Drake, a longtime associate of WIC. The Company connection was largely due to Drake.

Jarvis was always fascinated by the connections between people, the secrets they held, the interlocking way one event fell into another. This was part of the reason the officer had the job he did.

He got to pry the information out and analyze it, and it was all distant and professional. It rarely got personal, though often it was messy. Jarvis blinked. Was what he did that impersonal? The officer shook his head; he did what he had to do.

Jarvis then looked to see one of his team leaders enter the commissary, carrying what looked like a prototype weapon.

"Hi sis!" Akane exclaimed as Kasumi entered.

"Hello," Kasumi said as she sat down next to Ukyou. Opposite them, Ranma sat with her kids on either side of her.

"That looks new," Ukyou noted looking at the weapon Kasumi was holding.

"It's the new series," Kasumi said.

"What's the deal with those things anyway? You guys even have a name for 'em?" Ranma asked, only partially interested.

Kasumi grinned and began her speech. "As you know the standard WIC weapon fires two sizes of ammunition allowing for more flexibility and firepower. The design is based off of the Objective Individual Combat Weapon the US Army is developing. Our version has some changes. Most notably the using a 7.62mm round for the lower barrel instead of the 5.56mm, allowing for more customization in ammunition.

"The Company version was initially called the Heavy Armament Optional Weapon." Kasumi laughed. "Of course the design did have some problems. It was heavy. Problematically so in the first versions. And it had problems in loading and in separation of the 20mm section. Naturally, to give it a better nickname agents started calling it the Heavy armament Optional Gun."

"HAOG? Wait... HOG?" Ukyou asked after decoding the new abbreviation.

"Uh yeah... great," the redheaded demon sighed.

"Though this versions not nearly as hoggish." Kasumi lifted the weapon. "We've got your mother to thank for that," the officer then said to her fiance.

"Mom made that?" Ranma asked.

"The major designed new lighter components for it, still needs to be tested to make sure it can handle the battlefield though."

"Can I see it?" Ukyou was curios in how WIC armaments compared to those of her former organization. Kasumi complied but not before dropping both magazines and working the actions to remove any chambered rounds.

Ukyou was neither surprised that the weapon was loaded nor at Kasumi's actions. She lifted the gun and practiced shouldering it. "Nice, it is a lot lighter. Wouldn't have any problem carrying this all day," Ukyou said as she handed the weapon back.

"You've used one of these before?"

"The Assembly has acquired WIC weapons in the past," Ukyou flatly replied. It made sense. After all WIC has gotten Assembly weapons... and personnel. Though most of the time such weapons were scavenged after battles with NH. WIC and the Assembly rarely fought each other directly.

Ukyou remembered when her partner had first fought Ranma. He had lost one of his umbrella swords. Undoubtedly, it was now resting in a WIC warehouse somewhere. Not that her partner would care about that.... not anymore. Once again, she hoped that Alexia had simply drained, killed, and eaten her partner instead of something worse.

Kasumi nodded. "I just got back from some field tests at the B base,"

"Really? We're just going there for some training," Nariko said.

"Is Miss Kuonji going too?" Kasumi's voice had gained some distance as she eyed the former Assembly acolyte.

"You can call her Ukyou, sis," Akane said.

Kasumi noted that Akane did not say _Ucchan_; the agent turned her gaze to the demon. "I'm going to drop this off at the Major's lab. You want to come?"

"Thanks for reminding me," Ranma said getting up and picking up the box her mother's gift was in. The redhead then hugged her daughters. "You two play nice with Ucchan until I get back," Ranma said before following Kasumi out of the room.

"I'll have Aram drive you to the other base; he and Gabe aren't doing anything now," Kasumi decided. Sophie, the forth member of Kasumi's team, was still at the B facility going over a control test with the previous model weapon.

"Sounds good."

---oo0oo---

"You're testing the new model too?" Ukyou asked eyeing the metal case that lay between the two front seats to the WIC van.

"Sure," Aram shrugged as he drove the vehicle. "We are the ones who're gonna use these things, they'd better have us test them. Isn't that what the Assembly does with you guys?"

"Not really," Ukyou sighed. "Our weapons are more custom made based on our own abilities."

"Tell me about it," Ranma grumbled from a the back bench seat. That umbrella was a pretty annoying weapon. She was in her usual position between her daughters.

"Yeah," Ukyou sighed. Ryoga had told her what he managed to do to the demon.

"Creepy little cultists," Aram said before glancing at Ukyou.

"No you're right; why do you think I quit?" Ukyou asked with a shrug.

"Heh... It's kinda funny. WIC's not the creepiest bunch of demon hunters is it?" Ranma shifted over to give Nariko more room.

"Not by a long shot," Ukyou grimly remarked.

"Next time we go out you should bring your kids. They didn't have to stay home," Aram offered.

"Yeah Mommy, you went without us," Nariko pouted.

"You two were busy last night; I was just gonna buy Mom's gift but then we spotted those idiot robbers"

"Yeah, took longer waiting for the Colonel than taking care of them," Aram shook his head.

"What do you expect. It's not like those guys were a challenge or anything, just scum." Ranma leaned back slightly.

"That they were," Aram agreed.

"Maybe you can come Ucchan," Ranma suggested.

"I don't know." Ukyou looked out the passenger side window

"Why not? You are getting more privileges. Being allowed outside and..." Ranma's voice slowed as she spoke, something was _off_. She looked to see similar worry erupt on her daughters' faces followed by Ukyou starting to blink.

The scanner in the van started to chirp in an irritating pulse of increasing frequency. "Shit," Aram swore as he increased the vehicle's speed and activated his radio. "This is Agent Kowalski my scanner's going off, hasn't been resolved yet." Aram then told his location and what the scanner could tell him.

"Alexia!" Ranma shouted when it became clear what was coming.

That was when the fireballs started to hit the van. The first couple hit the roof of the vehicle, deformed it, and started to burn through. A pair slammed into the back of the truck; one blew apart the rear windows another uselessly hit the bumper. One fireball hit the rear wheel well and dripped onto the tire blowing it apart.

"Stop the car!" the redheaded succubus ordered as she transformed into her DarkStar form. "Kids!" the succubus pointed to her sides before looking up herself. As Aram braked the vehicle, DarkStar leapt up and tore her way trough the roof of the van. Akane dived through the window and took flight, while Nariko simply opened the passenger sliding door and jumped out.

Sailor DarkStar extended her wings and gained altitude. Sensing where the majority of the succubae were she turned towards them. A frown crossed the demon's face, she would have preferred the enemy's formations to be tighter but... She then ordered her kids to take flanking positions on either side of her

"DarkStar Burst!" she shouted generating and expelling the black orb at the closest enemy demon. The targeted succubus dropped her altitude hoping to avoid it.

Sailor DarkStar simply smiled and concentrated. The obsidian orb jigged down just enough to smash through the point where the succubus's wings joined her back. Then curved up gaining altitude until it slammed into a succubus. The sphere blew apart dissolving the demoness into a cloud of meat, blood, and bone. Shards from it burst out and a fair number impacted into the flesh of demons. The embedded fragments then exploded, crippling or killing six more demons. The redheaded demon smiled as she absorbed energy from her kills.

As this happened Akane and Nariko had fired their own, simpler, fireballs hitting those that their mother had missed or only wounded.

Aram handed his sidearm to Ukyou who immediately dropped the safety before opening the gun between the seats. "How long 'til backup comes?" Ukyou asked as Aram tossed a pair of clips to her.

Aram thought of the fast response team the Company kept next to a helicopter. "No more than ten or so minutes," Aram said as he pulled out the HOG and checked the ammunition.

The agent opened the van door and as he stepped out aimed the weapon to the sky "Watch my back!" he shouted and fired at his first target, and started to run from the van to the forest.

Sailor DarkStar banked off to the side as a white-haired succubus below and to the front of her exploded. In actuality, the 20mm high explosive round had _only_ blown apart the demon's torso. The succubus' extremities separated and tumbled to the ground where they splattered across the width road and well into the woods on either side of it.

"Morons!" Aurora screamed as she watched her sisters die. It was supposed to be a simple mission: hit the van fly in and kill the humans and the traitor and subdue and rescue Eclipse and her mate. _This is my first mission. Mother has trusted me to do this. I won't fail her._ Aurora swore.

"Kill the humans!" Aurora ordered as she closed in to deal with the traitor herself.

DarkStar and her kids flew through their opponents using their superior maneuverability and training to weed out their enemies. Support fire from the ground helped. Although, some of the shots Aram fired were dangerously _close_, but his accuracy was unnervingly good.

"Fuck!" Aram swore, switching to 7.62mm mode on his gun. A three round burst of silver jacketed rounds blew apart the closest succubus' skull and gave him enough time to drop the spent 20mm magazine and slap in a fresh one and switched back to it.

"Pretty much," Ukyou agreed as she finally took down the succubus that had tried to circle around them. The trees gave them cover, but it worked both ways. The demoness was wounded but she was getting closer. At least they weren't exposed out on the road by the smoldering van.

The agent narrowed his eyes as a pair of demons swooped down to try to surprise him. He fired two shots. The first demon was hit in the navel and lost everything between her knees and her breasts. The second flared her aura and instead of trying to dodge she lobbed the fireball she was holding.

Aram depressed the trigger killing the succubus, just before his head was consumed by the magical napalm.

Ukyou turned and took the weapon from the dead man's hands. She shuddered and tried to avoid looking directly at the still burning, melted, and charred remains of his head. At least he went quickly enough. She shouldered the weapon and backed a few more paces deeper into the forest.

Sailor DarkStar pursued the handful of remaining succubae, picking off the stragglers. A pack of almost twenty had been quickly decimated, though some were so weak they could hardly summon fireballs or fly worth a damn.

Those of Alexia's brood that were still alive seemed intent on getting to Ukyou and..... the redheaded demon's eyes widened when she got a clearer look at the slumped figure at the edge of the forest.

She swept back her wings and speed down to the scene. A succubus flew up to stop her but DarkStar simply dodged the incoming fireballs, extended her tail filaments, and whipped the weapon into the enemy's face as she corkscrewed past her. The energy collected hardly registered as she continued in.

Nariko and Akane gave a worried glance at their mother but followed her.

Ukyou swore as she switched to 7.62mm mode, once again wishing she had had the time to loot Aram's corpse for ammunition. A trail of demon remains marked her trail deeper into the woods. She calmed her breathing as she tracked her surroundings. The succubae had smartened up. Instead of charging and trying to launch their fireballs at her, they tried to shoot from a more concealed position. All the time forcing her to expend ammunition.

Her senses pricked and she twisted around firing a couple bursts at the succubus that had tried to come in behind her. Before the demon could hit the ground another came from the opposite direction. Ukyou reversed her position and shot the remaining rounds into the other succubus. Dropping the now useless HOG and pulling out Aram's other gun Ukyou wondered how much time had passed and when backup would come.

"Not having a good day, are we Assemblywoman?" a sensual voice, from above taunted.

Ukyou brought her weapon up and fired. The bullet was deflected by the succubus' fire shield. The flames of the aura were a familiar green. Ukyou squeezed off a second shot but the gun was knocked off by the target as the orange-haired succubus instantly closed the distance between them.

"Mother's going to be very angry," Aurora said almost conversationally as she disarmed the human and pinned her arms back. "I suppose I should bring back something for our troubles." The succubus drained a bit from her prisoner savoring the flavor of the energy. The human was quite tasty and had potential "Don't worry, you'll love being one of us," Aurora whispered this human was familiar.

"Ryoga?" DarkStar asked as she landed a few paces from the former assembly acolytes. The orange-haired succubus' scent was familiar despite the obvious changes. "Oh man, I mean, I knew this might have happened to you but still."

"My name is Aurora. I will kill you, you filthy traitor," Aurora snarled, her eyes flaring green. She then pulled Ukyou in front of her and renewed her aura.

Sailor DarkStar sighed. It looked like this version of Ryoga was just as crazy as the church nut.

Ukyou blinked. Even if Ryoga was not totally gone, she was still a servant of Alexia's will. She then gave a short nod to the redheaded demon.

Sailor DarkStar saw this and knew what she had to do. As she spoke her eyes began to angrily flare violet "Fine. Kill the damn human! Not that it matters. We survived and you and your little friends are all going to die. We've fought before and this time you don't have your little anti-demon toys; now you're just a weak little newborn."

Aurora extended her claws, and was blasted by a pair of violet beams that came from the traitor's eyes. The violet energy narrowly missed Ukyou and burned through Aurora's aura, shoulder and a good portion of the spot above her left breast.

"Forgot I could do that didn't you!" DarkStar yelled as she ran forward, intent on feeding. Her friend had been killed and she was going to get her not so metaphorical pound of flesh.

As Aurora was blown back, she ran the claws on her left hand across the front of Ukyou's stomach. Aurora regained her balance and glanced between her bloody claws and the gaping wound in her. "We'll see how much you care about humans." Aurora taunted as she spread her wings.

"Ahh hell!" Ukyou gasped as she sat slumped on the forest floor trying to hold herself together.

DarkStar looked down at the blood streaming out of Ukyou's wounds and the bits of intestine poking out between her arms and the tattered remains of her shirt.

"See you girls later," Aurora laughed as she flew off, now more concerned about Mother's reaction to her... failure.

Kneeling over Ukyou's form Sailor DarkStar took a closer look at the dying girl. Her demonic senses made that abundantly clear. "Ucchan!" DarkStar blinked to clear the tears from her eyes. "Ucchan... is.... anything at all?" she asked as she hugged Ukyou.

"Turn me," Ukyou gasped. If this had happened to her two weeks ago she would have asked for Aram's gun instead.

"What? You know what that means?" the redheaded demon whimpered as the tears forming in her eyes started to freely fall down her cheeks.

"Of course I do jackass! Do it!" Ukyou shouted, glaring at the demon.

DarkStar looked at the girl she held, the scent of her blood and sweat filled the demon's nose. "Why then?"

"I just got out and I don't wanna die like this, with you I have a chance." Ukyou's frustration grew. There was another reason, but she decided to hold back on telling it, while she still could.

Akane and Nariko watched in silence, holding hands and watching for enemies. They knew what was going on.

DarkStar nodes and wrapped her wings around the human. "Last chance?" Ukyou cried in pain but nodded in agreement. The demon pooled her energy and bit into the human's neck.

Ukyou felt and _alien_ presence intrude into her body and start changing it. Her flesh rippled and shifted as her body altered and formed into a new design. She quickly passed out letting her new mother complete the work in silence.

---oo0oo---

"Oh shit," Lieutenant Patterson said from his door-gunner position on the WIC Blackhawk helicopter. He could just make out the plume of smoke rising from the road. It matched the location Agent Kowalski had given them. "Rich you see anything?"

"Just a cluster of stationary pattern D's one is maybe Class 11 and definitely Pattern Silver too." Specialist Agent Morrison replied.

"That's them, at least they survived," Patterson said before ordering his team to check their rappelling gear again.

"There's dead in the road," the pilot said over the communications link which was also connected to base. "I see a grey Company van. It is on fire."

"Bring us down. I want you to maintain orbit for fire support," Patterson ordered the pilot.

"Yes sir." The pilot then reduced the altitude of the helicopter and held it level over the road long enough for Patterson's team to descend to the ground.

"That's a lotta dead demons," Stevenson remarked as he looked down the road, his weapon at the ready. His HOG was set to 20mm mode.

"Yeah the cleanup geeks are gonna have a field day," Morrison remarked as he inspected the van. "It's clear of bodies, sir!" He told Patterson.

"Okay. Any friendlies among the dead?" the officer asked.

"I don't recognize any of the parts, but that doesn't mean much," Stevenson said.

"I see something at the edge the woods!" Jenkins remarked. She narrowed her eyes and looked past the two succubae corpses in front of it.

"That's the direction Miss Saotome is in," Morrison said after checking his scanner.

"Let's go!" Patterson said before leading his team towards the woods. "We're going in, estimate ETA on further backup?" he asked into his headset.

"Sir, it looks like Kowalski," Jenkins said as she rolled over the male body. It being male was the clearest indicator of who it was further confirmation would require either a DNA test or fingerprinting.

"_What_ took you guys so long?" Akane demanded as she dropped to the ground. The agents turned to her but immediately lowered their weapons.

"We got into the helicopter as soon as we got the call, I'm sorry. Any other casualties?" Patterson stated doing his best to ignore the _meat_ that the blue haired demon was eating.

"Not anymore," Nariko quietly said as she wiped some blood off the corner of her mouth.

"Where's Miss Saotome?" Patterson asked.

Akane turned and started to walk back while Nariko made a motion for him to follow.

"You three secure the area," the officer told his mean before following the two demons. Stepping over some demon bodies he quickly reached them. The redheaded demon was sitting on the ground protectively cradling the defector with her wings and arms.

"Ucchan, it's time to go," Sailor DarkStar said trying to wake the girl up.

The platinum blonde-haired succubus stirred and nuzzled closer to her mother, while mumbling the word Mommy

"Uhh... gimmie a moment," DarkStar said a slight blush rising on her face.

End Chapter 10

Author's Notes: Thanks goes to my prereaders for enduring my mistakes and making this story better: Jerry Starfire, Black Dragon, Joe Fenton, Wray Loflin, Kevin D. Hammel, Mike Koos, and PyroRaven

Also I'd like to thank the people who have provided and made fanart for this 

The people who do fanart for me are great people.

Art for my little stories

And I'd like to thank you the reader for enjoying this story and bothering to read my work. I'm still amazed that others are interested in this story of mine. I would like to thank you all again for reading and a special thanks to those of you who comment on this work to me.

Even the shortest of comments gives me a gauge to my performance.

One last thing Those of you that were not aware of it. "Temple of Ranma's Senshi Seifuku" is back in operation: 


	12. Chapter 11 Reclamation and Restitution

VERSION 7

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Josh Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer:

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.

Other website: Temple of Ranma's Senshi Seifuku

C&C as always is wanted.

Chapter 11 Reclamation and Restitution

"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived."

- George S. Patton

Ranma shifted her body in response to the blonde demon's snuggling. The redhead reached over and pulled the blanket up to cover the newborn succubus more. She smiled as she watched her child sleep. Leaning over, the mother slid a few strands of hair away from the girl's face. The napping demon clutched onto her mother and steadily nursed energy.

The death of a... friend and the conversion of another were pushed back in the brood mother's mind. What was important to her now were her children... especially her youngest.

She gently hugged her daughter again and continued watching the demon sleep. They were so delicate and vulnerable when they were this age. Ranma turned her head and flared her eyes at the sound of someone approaching her room. Her expression shifted into a grin as she sensed who it was.

Lieutenant Tendo almost smiled at the sight before her. After many years of absence, a mother comforting her daughter had become a common scene in this household. "Can I ask you a few questions?" Kasumi inquired as she sat down on a chair that she turned to face the bed.

"Didn't you already talk to Akane and Nariko?" Ranma asked.

"Yes, I talked to them while Nariko made us sandwiches. I brought up some if you're hungry." Kasumi held the plate she had carried in.

Ranma absently nodded as she watched Ukyou stir. "Mommy," the platinum-blonde haired girl beamed, hugging Ranma. She paused, blinking. "I'm alive. I'm..." her eyes dropped slightly.

"It's okay, honey," Ranma hugged her daughter.

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"I should have known she'd get another kid," Nabiki grumbled as she ate her sandwich.

"Sis... Mother did what she had to do. Ucchan wanted this." Akane sighed as she returned to washing the dishes.

"Who was that girl, anyway? We know she's from that redhead's past, but that's not saying much." Nabiki's tone had turned sour. "Look what's happened to us since she's gotten here!" She had turned to see that Nariko had silently slid right next to her. The middle Tendo sister looked past the glaring red eyes. What captured her attention were the tiny smears of blood speckling the girl's face. Nariko only had a couple minutes to wash up and she only got to change and wash major stains off her skin.

"Don't talk about my Mommy like that," Nariko said slowly, keeping her gaze level. The succubus' stance had changed slightly and she flexed her fingers.

"I didn't say anything bad..." Nabiki stated, backing up a step. Nariko had gotten uncomfortably close; feeling the heat of the girl's breath was not terribly pleasant.

"Sis... Ucchan's one of us now. She could use all of our help." Akane had walked over to Nariko and was standing next to her lover.

"Well, you've got some blood right there" Nabiki pointed to Nariko's face before walking out of the room while the demons were distracted cleaning each other.

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A blonde succubus studied her reflection. The platinum tresses were the most noticeable change, though the girl was not fixated on them. Instead, she was studying her eyes.

A redheaded demon slid up to her and wrapped her arm around the blonde's shoulder. "What's the matter Ucchan?"

"I don't know, Mommy. I guess it's a good color for them, but..." Ukyou blinked.

"That happens, too, but orange looks good," Ranma hugged her new daughter. Hair and eye color usually changed when someone was turned.

"And what's with my hair... I know it changes, but blonde?"

"What's wrong with blonde? I like it." Ranma admitted.

"So I've noticed," Kasumi joked as she went over the notes she had taken.

Ranma's smile at the joke died when she turned to look at Kasumi. "I'm sorry. About Aram. He was a good guy."

"He died doing his job." Kasumi's voice was flat.

Ranma hugged her daughter. "Ucchan, go downstairs and let your sisters introduce you to the rest of the family."

"Okay, Mommy," Ukyou said as she got dressed.

"Oh, and honey, don't damage Pops too much,"

The blonde demon paused. "Yes, Mommy," she sighed before walking out of the room.

After the door closed Ranma walked over to the edge of the bed where Kasumi was sitting. She sat down and wrapped an arm around the agent and was pleased when the lieutenant did not pull away. "He saved Ucchan. That's... that's something," the succubus said.

Kasumi maintained her silence.

"It's not your fault."

"Yes, it is." Kasumi sighed and leaned into Ranma's hug. "I was the one that ordered him to go. I decided whether he or Gabriel would be the one with you."

Ranma nodded and hugged her fiancee.

"I'm not guilty, but I am responsible."

"We are going to get Alexia. There's that much," the young mother offered.

Kasumi nodded and returned the gesture, putting her own arm around Ranma.

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"We can safely assume that the missing Assembly acolyte is now one of Alexia's brood," Jacob said to the WIC officers in the conference room.

"Apparently, she's going by the name Aurora now," Stillwater flipped through the gathered reports.

"Sir, I would recommend more caution when dealing with a demon matching her appearance. Apparently this Aurora is a special minion to Alexia," Kasumi stated.

"What is your opinion of this latest batch of demons, doctor?" Stillwater asked his head of Forensic Pathology.

"Well, those that I've dissected so far, seem younger and weaker than par for Alexia, sir. However there are many bodies, and parts of bodies, that were too mangled for me to get an accurate reading on the power level," Tofu stated.

"That may be promising," Jacob noted.

"Yes, though I am concerned about Alexia's overall goals, and how they affect our own." Stillwater glanced at Jacob. "Colonel Edwards and myself are going to relay this information to General Anderson. There is also Agent First Class Kowalski's service."

"Sir, Ranma and her children would like to know when it is happening," Kasumi stated.

Jacob easily suppressed a small smile. It looked like the brood mother truly cared for the fallen agent. "Sir, I think it would be best to allow the young lady to bring her family."

"Agreed," Stillwater nodded.

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"Hi, Mom," Ranma greeted with a hug as she let her mother into the house. "Ready to go?"

"The girls back from school?" Nodoka asked as they sat down on the living room couch.

"Kasumi's picking up Akane and Nariko. Ukyou's upstairs getting dressed," Ranma said as she adjusted her blouse. At least her pants fit well.

"She needs a few more days to get used to things?"

Ranma nodded. "Today's outing should be good for her."

"It also gives me the chance to give you this," Nodoka said as she opened her briefcase and pulled something out.

"What's this?" Ranma asked as she looked at the book that her mother had handed her.

"I was really pleased with the gift you gave me," Nodoka said as she fingered the small silver necklace that was on her neck. She suspected that even if her daughter had bought it on sale it had to have cost her a good amount. "And you've been through so much. You've even got a new daughter." She reached out, resting her hand on the redhead's knee.

The redhead blushed slightly. "But this... I mean..." Ranma turned the book over in her hands.

"I know you like to sing to your children." The Company officer stated the sentence plainly enough. Her child was a mother. This was how things were, now.

"It's... for them," Ranma looked down.

"I know," Nodoka squeezed her daughter's knee. "And they really love it when their mother sings to them. I know you like it, too."

The redhead smiled slightly, remembering Ukyou's reaction to her first lullaby the previous night. "Well... it is kinda fun."

"I heard that you had run out of songs, and I decided you would like this." Nodoka pointed to the book. "It's a beginner's book about singing, how to read music, has songs in it, things of that nature."

"Well... a hobby would be nice," Ranma admitted.

"Grandma!" Ukyou shouted as she ran into the room.

"Hi, Ucchan," Nodoka said as she hugged her granddaughter back.

"Ooohh... you got Mommy a new book," Ukyou said while she nuzzled Nodoka.

Ranma looked up when she heard the front door open, though she sensed the two of the three people arriving as soon as they got on the property.

"Hey! Leave us some room!" Akane and Nariko bounded into the room.

"Interesting." Kasumi picked up Ranma's new book. "Are we going to have do deal with more demonic caterwauling?"

"Hey! Mom's good at singing!" Akane defended from her position next to Ukyou.

"Yeah, Mommy puts me right to sleep," Nariko agreed.

"That's not helping, Nari-chan," Ranma said as she blushed, almost reaching human levels.

"I guess we can go then," Kasumi remarked getting up.

"Mommy, after... after we get the... clothing for the... funeral, can we..." Nariko stammered.

Ranma smiled as her face returned to its normal tone. "Don't be embarrassed, honey. We can get your ears pierced."

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"School? Tomorrow?" Ukyou asked as she sipped her glass of water. The succubus had her blonde hair pulled back into a pony-tail and was wearing an orange Lycra training unitard of the same style as her mother and sisters.

"Yeah, I think you're ready for it," Ranma said as she drank from her new mug.

"But... I haven't been in a while... I mean... the Assembly." Ukyou absently wiped some sweat from her brow. "What about my training? I still need to work more on my flying."

"Yes, and only today did you learn to balance with your tail properly and your fireball forming is still too slow," Ranma noted as she ran her pointer finger over the raised lettering on her mug. "But I can't train you while I'm at school."

Ukyou pouted. "Will I have to wear a uniform?"

"Sorry, Ucchan." Ranma let a small smile form on her face. It was not so long ago that one of her parents was forcing her to adhere to the school's uniform policy.

"Okay, Mommy, I guess it won't be too bad," Ukyou said before getting up to refill her glass from the faucet. As she returned to the kitchen table, she looked at Nariko's gift to their mother. It was a very sweet sentiment, and one that was completely correct.

"Well... it has its good points. The work's bad and some of the people there are real jerks, but there are some nice people there, too," Ranma said as she took another sip from her "World's Greatest Mother" mug.

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Shampoo maintained her silence as she watched the courier bow to her great grandmother and leave.

After the messenger left, Cologne made her way back to her great grand daughter. She had inspected the seal before accepting the envelope, but now broke the pressed wax. The matriarch unfolded the letter contained within and began reading.

"What's wrong, Great-Grandmother?" Shampoo asked, noticing the minor twinge in Cologne's expression.

"I remember when you first tried to convince me that there was something wrong with that redhead. That your description of her matched a succubus perfectly helped too," Cologne sighed and looked out the window. This was the farthest from the village she had been in decades. "Your tracking is impressive, and you fought her alone and this far from home."

"I almost had her," Shampoo replied.

"You are not showing the proper conviction in your response for an Amazon warrior, grand-daughter. And 'almost' only counts in horseshoes, and hand-grenades. Though things had just become more complicated,too," Cologne handed the letter over to her great-granddaughter.

"She... came back? And what's WIC?" Shampoo asked after finishing the letter.

"That's the puzzling part. They're mercenaries that seem to hunt demons and other monsters. Over thirty years ago they even visited the village and surrounding area. Why they were escorting a demon..."

"Helicopters, with their logo... they must have money, then, and some power. Will this be a problem?" Shampoo asked.

"Yes, they have a far reach. They will complicate things."

"I won't stop," Shampoo swore.

"I know, but more training can't hurt. There is one thing I have in mind, something special. We'll make sure the next time you meet this demon, you'll win."

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"Who's that?" Rei asked, pointing to the new girl sitting at the lunch table preferred by the demons.

"Take a guess. I mean look at how pale she is, and look at her hair color." Ami remarked, as she disdainfully looked over the meal she purchased. Ami reminded herself to take up Janet's next offer to make lunch for the both of them.

"She's in our class, her name's Ukyou Saotome," Janet added.

"I see." Rei narrowed her eyes.

"Standard gossip is that she's another _girl of questionable morals_ that's related to Sunshine somehow, and of course there's plenty of rumors that she's... playing for the other team," Janet said with a small smile.

"I don't believe her hair's natural," Minako grumbled as the girls sat down at their customary table.

"You spent enough class time staring at her today," Ami laughed.

"Yeah, people are gonna start to wonder about you," Janet teased.

"Hey!" Minako shouted.

"It's not like you have a place to talk, Mina-chan." Makoto paused to sip her drink. "We do share a room; I've seen all of your hygiene products."

"Oh come on! Look at Ami! At least mine's within the realm of possibility!" the blonde glared at Ami. Minako then blinked. "Err... not that I do anything." The blonde sighed.

"If the new girl's one of Ranma's then it's natural. Look at her other girls," Usagi said before getting up. The blonde magical girl narrowed her eyes at the blonde succubus. She expected this new demon to be another one of Ranma's daughters, and hoped that her assumption was correct.

"Hi, Sunshine!" Usagi chirped as she walked up to the succubus table. Her gaze fell onto the platinum blonde and how she was leaning onto the redhead.

"Hello, Usagi," Ranma replied. "This is Ukyou Saotome my... step-sister."

"Really?" Usagi asked.

"Uh... yeah," the redhead sighed. Sometimes she wondered about just how thick this Moon princess was.

"You can blame Sunny's father, Genma, for that," Ukyou grumbled as she cut her lunch.

"It was funny how you made him cry like that, Ucchan," Akane laughed.

"I don't think he'll look at the gardening hose the same way," Nariko said as she tugged at her ears.

"Ohhh... you got your ears pierced. How cute! Lemmie get Mina-chan so she can see." Usagi walked back to her table to retrieve the other blonde.

"Step-sister, eh?" Samantha quietly inquired as soon as Usagi was out of earshot. She looked her friend over. Ukyou was pale like the girl she knew as Sunshine.

"Like Ucchan said, it was my Pop's fault," Ranma shrugged, hoping that her friends would not pry any further.

"Don't worry, Sam, you know how private Sunny is. She'll tell us all the dirty secrets when she's ready... or done teasing us with them," Naoko joked, in part.

"At least she's finally wearing a normal uniform," Sam observed.

"Much to the disappointment of the boys who miss the micro-mini and the fishnets." Naoko's reply was followed by three demons giggling and one blushing slightly.

"Hey, I thought I was going to help you get your ears pierced," Minako pouted when she saw the blackish-violet-haired girl.

"I'm sorry, but we were already at the mall and Sunny promised she'd take me," Nariko said as she tugged at her left earring.

"You..." Sam said pointing at the redhead. "You were at a mall." The brunette gave a short laugh. "Oh, that's rich."

"Huh?" Ranma blinked in confusion.

"Sorry Sunny, but aside from picking up material for those special uniforms of yours you don't strike me as the mall rat type."

"I can see her going into one of those _specialty_ boutiques," Naoko turned to Sam. "Remember that one near the food court with all the skimpy leather and stuff in the display window."

"Yeah, that sounds exactly Sunshine's style," Minako laughed. She then poked Usagi in the ribs. "Remember that one skirt she was wearing last week?"

The blonde in question hung her head while most of the other girls laughed.

"Hey, we weren't at that shop! Okay?" Ranma indignantly shouted.

"At least not yesterday," Akane giggled while winking at Nariko.

"We go there all the time," Akane's mate laughed.

Samantha blinked. "Really? I should have known."

"And you didn't tell us? That's it, we're coming with you next time," Naoko stated, despite Ranma's warding gestures.

"You just want an excuse to go in there."

"Yah and..."

"Well... it would be a good way to see what Sunny wears when she's not in her uniform," Samantha noted.

"I know Usagi'd like to see more of her," Minako teased. Usagi and Ranma both blushed at this.

"Well, let's try to set up a time, then," Naoko said before returning to the first subject. "So what were you doing in the mall, then?"

"Buying funeral clothes," Ranma sighed.

"Oh..." Sam quietly said.

"Were you close?" Naoko asked.

"He saved my life," Ukyou admitted as she softly hugged her mother.

"It's okay, Ucchan," Ranma reassured.

Usagi wondered who had died and what his relation was to the new demon, but this was the wrong place to ask. "Well... I guess we can talk later, sorry for what happened." Usagi then went back to her own table. She was quickly followed by Minako who had given her own quick condolences.

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"Hello, Nabiki," Nodoka said as the teen entered the kitchen.

"Yes... Mrs. Saotome?" Nabiki paused. Talking to the woman was always a bit awkward. Akane could call her grandma, and Kasumi always called her ma'am or major, but Nabiki was not sure what to say.

"I have a proposition for you, young lady. It concerns some photos you took of my granddaughter, your little sister."

"Go on," Nabiki coolly stated while her eyes went to the gun that rested on the scientist's hip. She knew she had nothing to worry about. The pictures were taken using a Polaroid and Nariko had the only copies.

"They were quite good. Tasteful in fact. Something I'd think would be difficult, given the subject." Nodoka smiled slightly. "This is something that my daughter would probably be against-"

Nabiki nodded, noting the woman's lack of hesitation at the use of daughter, and wondering what the woman wanted.

"-but I would like a family photo of her and her kids. Likely be best for them to look human in that one." The agent sighed. "And one of all of us, if possible. It is nice to have a photographer in the family."

"Oh, that's easy enough, biggest problem will be scheduling everyone," Nabiki stated. "There is the matter of my fee."

Nodoka's small smile returned. "I'm sure we can work something out.

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"I guess that was a good service," Ranma said as she re-crossed her legs and adjusted the hem of her black silk dress. The redhead and her children had been the only ones wearing black; everyone else there was an agent.

"It was okay," Kasumi said, mirroring the redhead's action as the WIC convoy pulled up to their destination.

"Heh, guess you're not used to wearing a skirt are yah?"

"You should know, Mom, Kasumi never wears skirts or dresses," Akane noted.

"Except when in her dress uniform," Sophie interjected from the front passenger seat of the WIC van. Once the vehicle came to a stop, she opened the door

"Yeah, yeah," Ranma grumbled, waiting for her daughters to get out first.

"It's funny, Mom wears skirts more often than Grandma or her fiancee," Ukyou laughed lightly as she got out of the van.

"Like you can talk," Akane grumbled, smoothing her dress after her own exit. "Remember what you told us about the clothing you used to wear, Sis?"

"You sure about taking your kids here?" Kasumi asked.

"It's just a bar. Sure, Mom didn't want to go because it reminded her about Pops and his drinking, but there was that time that I was with Aram and Gabe..." Ranma explained after getting out of the van. "Anyway, didn't Jacob reserve the whole place for just agents and us?"

"The Colonel did do that, yes." Kasumi admitted as one of the two plainclothes agents on guard duty opened the heavy oak door and allowed them to enter the Red Turtle.

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One of Toronto's streetcars stopped at the corner of Dundas and Saint Patrick street. A relatively tall woman with long green hair used this opportunity to gingerly step off the tracked mass transit. The night darkened slightly as the waxing half-moon slid behind clouds. She then made her way down Saint Patrick street. Her progress was watched through the field glasses of a high-rise observer, others in Company vans and trucks, and the staff at WIC Toronto-A.

Her likeness was a match. It and her progress were relayed to both the agents manning the door and to the ranking officers inside the pub. After a brief conversation the two agents pulling guard duty were told to let the woman in if she tried to enter.

Setsuna approached the Red Turtle. The Senshi had a second to scowl at the "Closed for Private Party" sign before the door opened.

A reserved man with graying brown hair held the door open. "Miss Setsuna Meiou, I presume?" he asked, his dull green eyes carefully looking the woman over.

"Colonel Jacob Edwards, WIC," Setsuna absently noted as she appraised the man. Despite his formal uniform and sidearm, he looked unassuming and disarming. She paused, unsure where to proceed.

"Please come in," Jacob said, opening the door a bit further. "I'm afraid there won't be any business discussed tonight," the agent apologized after he guided her inside. He fixed his eyes on the Pattern Silver. "As I'm sure you know, we lost a man recently. We're having something of a wake, now for him."

"I'm sorry for your loss. This increases my puzzlement on your letting me in."

"As if we could stop you from knowing what we were doing here," Jacob waved his hand around the bar and his tone was cordial enough, but his eyes were challenging.

Setsuna sighed, and prepared her excuse to leave. She had wanted to get a drink to try and avoid these kinds of politics. _Why does all this nonsense happen at the one bar I like? I really should stop coming here,_ she morosely thought.

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Ranma smiled and leaned back in the large corner booth. "And that's when Jacob sat down and –get this- snatched one of Gabe's beers."

"No... he didn't," Sophie shook her head. "This is Colonel Edwards, the Executor, the Gunslinger. He'd never."

"Oh, he did," Gabriel said. "I was right there. Scared me for a bit."

"I don't know why you guys are so weirded out by him," Ranma shook her head. "Anyway, he starts asking us what we did to those robbers."

"Of course neither me or Aram mentioned the more racier parts," Gabriel interrupted.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure he overheard Aram joke about me eating them."

"Same diff," the agent dismissed as he took another sip of his beer.

Ranma shook her head and continued her story, pausing every few sentences to nurse her own drink.

"So you didn't actually hurt any of them? Not even a little fireball? I'm a bit disappointed Mom," Ukyou joked.

"Nah... but Aram came close. What did he say?" The redhead paused to think about it. "Oh yes, he was talking about the driver of the robber's van, and he said something like , 'Annoyingly, his window was closed. So I smashed it and pulled him out.' "

"And then the Colonel dryly replies, 'You almost strangled him to death.' To which Aram looks him in the eye and says one word: Yes." Gabriel laughed, almost spilling his beer as he tried to take another drink.

"You put that on his tombstone and he'll rest easy," Sophie darkly joked. Everyone at the table knew that no such epitaph would be inscribed, and that no one in Aram's family would know how he had died or why.

Even Kasumi cracked a smile at that, "That's our Aram," her smile increased as she raised her glass, the others in the booth quickly followed, "To Aram Kowalski."

"Least this had a better post-funeral thing than Captain Chase's," Gabriel noted.

"To be fair, none of us really knew him," Sophie countered.

"Chase?" Ranma asked, the name sounded a little familiar, like it was from school. "Oh... he was the agent that died in the school attack?"

Sophie nodded. "He was undercover. None of us grunts had much contact with him."

Ukyou finished her drink and put it down with a pout. Mother had told her that she was allowed only one more. "I'm telling you, if the Assembly had marksmen half as good as Aram, they'd be..." the blonde succubus paused.

"Yeah, he shot them right out of the sky," Nariko said as she twirled the pretty little umbrella in her glass. "I was a bit scared at first but he kept shooting the right demons. He was real good."

"He did his job," Kasumi stated.

"Yeah, but a couple of his shots went right past my head to hit other... demons," Ranma's speech slowed down as a familiar scent reached her. The brood mother stopped entirely when she saw who Jacob had let in. A dark smile formed on her face as she excused herself and slid out from between her daughters and exited the booth.

"Anyway, I should really get going," Setsuna said. Her body stiffened when she caught some red movement out of the corner of her eye.

"At least stay for one drink. I insist," Jacob smiled, stalling as he positioned himself between her and the door.

"I've taken up too much of your time." For the first half of the sentence Setsuna was standing upright. For the other she was being tackled to the floor.

"Hello, Puu," Ranma smiled, showing her fangs, as she sat straddling the green haired-woman. "I remember promising to get back at you for all this a few months ago."

"Please don't make too much of a mess Miss Saotome. I'd hate to lose the deposit for this place," Jacob advised before turning away and walking back to the far end of the bar.

"You're right," Ranma admitted. "Besides, there's more fun and slightly less messy things we can do," the redhead purred.

Setsuna's eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding."

"Hey, you're the one that made a succubus Senshi," Ranma said as she dragged Setsuna off to an empty and small booth.

"That was all Murdock's fault," the Senshi of Pluto said as she was pushed into the booth seat.

"Meh, you're much cuter than him," the redhead said as she latched onto the other Pattern Silver.

"Yay! Go Mommy!" Nariko shouted, standing up so she could see those two.

"Good catch, Mom!" Ukyou loudly agreed, saluting with her new beer.

"Thanks, girls," Ranma smiled as she increased her grip on Setsuna.

"I just hope Kasumi doesn't get jealous," Akane whispered to Nariko.

"Now why would I be jealous?" Kasumi smiled darkly. "Ranma's obviously toying with that woman, probably to embarrass her and get revenge. Do you really think I want to be fondled by some succubus?"

Much to Kasumi's chagrin, Akane and the other broodlings nodded enthusiastically.

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"So, what is it that you want?" Setsuna asked, wondering how to dislodge the demon attached to her without losing an arm or blowing up the bar. If she tried to teleport now she would just take the demon with her.

The redhead thought as she nuzzled Setsuna's arm. "It's really how much are you willing to tell me?" the demon asked as her grip suddenly tightened. "You seem to know what's going on here. It would clear a lot of things up." Ranma's voice had lost its teasing tone.

Setsuna stiffened. The redhead was going to start asking questions; questions that she could not answer even if she wanted to. But it was worse than that. Even _if_ DarkStar were to believe that she did not know something; that lack of omniscience would ruin her reputation.

"Come on Puu... it's not like demons are known for holding grudges." Ranma sarcastically stated. " 'Course I am a demon because of you," she said as she leaned her head onto the other woman.

Setsuna sighed. She could at least set one thing straight, tonight. "Look. I didn't want you to be DarkStar. I wanted a nice, normal replacement for Mamoru. Armor or tuxedo, I didn't care. But a demon was not in the plans."

"Murdock's not the boogeyman you make him out to be," Ranma said, keeping close.

"Yes, he is." Setsuna focused her gaze on the succubus clinging to her. She found that she had to concentrate to keep her emotions under control. "Don't you see! He's manipulating events to get the results he wants!"

Ranma simply raised an eyebrow and incredulously looked at the other woman.

"Fine. You have a point." Setsuna sighed. "We've all got our schemes. So tell me, what did he do to get some trust out of you?"

"Trust?" Ranma laughed. "That's a good one. But that he at least looks like he's being open and honestly answering my questions helps."

"Why can't you feel up some WIC officer and ask them what they want?" Setsuna asked.

"Well... there's one..." The succubus pondered for a moment. "But right now I've got you." She then stretched up and whispered into the woman's ear. "Remember ditching me in that warehouse back when this started? Scared, new body, new urges, and you just ran off." The redhead then briefly nibbled on Setsuna's ear. "Just think of the missed opportunities," she said coyly, before kissing the other woman deeply on the lips.

Setsuna's mind was nearly at its breaking point, but when both the demon's hands started to roam...

"Hey! No fair passing out!" Ranma cried after dislodging herself from the green-haired woman.

"She got forcedly French-kissed and groped by a sex-demon," Kasumi stated her face being carefully neutral.

"Yeah, yeah. Gimmie a break. It was my first time doing this. Besides, you should be happy I'm practicing my skills," the succubus winked.

"I think I liked it better when you were sexually repressed."

"Hey!"

"Anyway, it looks like your _date's_ waking up," Kasumi pointed.

Ranma blinked and leapt back onto Setsuna. "Now are you gonna play nice or will I have to do that again?" the demon asked, straddling Setsuna.

"That's not how interrogations are supposed to work," Kasumi sighed.

"There's more than just the creepy stuff Jarvis does, yah know!"

"You know... maybe a Dead Scream wouldn't be such a bad idea right now," Setsuna interjected.

"Do you blast everyone that's interested in you, Puu? That explains a few things." Ranma rolled over so that she was back to sitting next to, and clinging to, Setsuna, "Now Puu... are you going to be a good girl and tell me what I want? Or will I have to punish you in the name of Love and Justice."

"You did not just say that," Setsuna groaned. That did put some of the speeches the other Senshi said in a new light.

Ranma shook her head and began her questioning.

Nariko was watching her mother's antics with a contemplative look. Eventually, she got up and walked over to Kasumi. "Hey Kasumi, is this being taped? Could I get some pictures?" the succubus quietly asked, leaning close to the agent. She figured it was pretty likely, WIC had a habit of recording everything.

Kasumi blinked a couple times. She looked around the ceiling scanning for cameras. "I think I'll be able to. I don't know how good the quality is," she stated after spotting a couple of security cameras. "But why?"

"I wanted some pictures of Mommy's first date," Nariko cheerfully said.

"I suppose that's fine," Kasumi said, letting the issue slide. She would have to talk to Ranma about it later.

Back in her booth Ranma was getting disappointed. "Is that all you know about those youma?"

"That they're a group of youma left over from Beryl's group. They were set up in a sleeper cell years ago. I believe their weapons were bought as illegal Russian surplus. Their ammunition was enhanced with dark energy. Given their power level it must have taken them a long time to do that. They also somehow had a gateway. That their the cell had such connections is a bit worrisome, but if their arms were given to them by the same person who sent them here..." Setsuna trailed off.

"Yeah, I'm sure it was Murdock who sent them to attack the school. Because that makes a lot of sense."

"It got you to fight and feed didn't it? You also got your first child," Setsuna pointed out. "Also, if the attack had captured one or more of the Senshi, who knows what his plan was for them?"

"Right. He planned all that?" Ranma kept her grip on the other woman but was starting to question if Setsuna knew anything useful.

"Probably not," Setsuna admitted. "But I'm sure he had a rough idea what would happen once you started using your demon powers."

Ranma sighed.

Setsuna sipped the drink that had finally been served to her. "That's what makes his schemes so frustrating. It's not like we can choose not to fight whatever monsters he drags up."

"Like Alexia?" Ranma asked her, voice still skeptical.

"Maybe. Maybe not. She could just have something personal against you. The original DarkStar was killed by her fellow demons."

Ranma glared, but eventually responded. "But really, you don't actually know why Murdock is doing all this stuff you're blaming him for?"

"Nothing conclusive. I know the Senshi are critical to it, but not in what exactly he's planning."

The succubus studied the Senshi's face. The woman did look nervous and ashamed at her own lack of knowledge. If she was as clueless as she said she was. "Hmm... maybe you simply _are_ incompetent," Ranma allowed.

Setsuna quickly composed herself and shot a frigid gaze at the redhead clinging to her.

"It's that, or you're competent and hiding what you know." The redhead used her free hand to stroke her chin. "I suppose I could use more forceful methods."

Setsuna eyed the demon who was now licking her fangs. "Okay, I think it's time for me to go," she said as she gingerly put her glass down. Setsuna smiled at the succubus. "What? Are you going to force me to stay?"

A small growl escaped from the redhead.

"I know you have more tricks that could get me to talk, but you're not going to use them," Setsuna stated as she looked over at the other demons in the bar.

Ranma grumbled as she let go of Setsuna.

"Don't pout. There's still plenty of agents for you to try to interrogate." Setsuna teased.

"Let her go, Ranma," Kasumi said as she walked up to the now-standing Senshi of Pluto. "She's just angry that you got past her defenses tonight."

"Yes, listen to your fiancee, Ranma. She is a good little agent after all. I wonder if you're as critical to this company as you are to me. Do you even know what these people think of you and your kind?"

Ranma's eyes flared brightly. "Yes, yes, I do." The demon looked around the room at the assembled agents. "You don't even know why we're here, do you?"

Setsuna maintained her silence.

"What am I thinking?" Ranma laughed. "It's not like you did anything when Mamoru died. Usagi said the most you gave them was a slide show."

"I've heard enough." Setsuna turned on her heel and left the building. Her exit was watched by several eyes and through at least one gunsight.

"Is it wrong to regret not gutting her?" Ranma asked once the door had slammed shut.

Kasumi was standing next to Ranma. "Want to get rid of her? A team's probably tracking her already."

"You're joking."

Kasumi raised an eyebrow.

"I would like her to be watched. Not like that's possible."

"What's wrong, Mom?" Ukyou asked, noticing her mother's expression. She still held the empty bottles she was going to exchange for new ones.

"She just gets on my nerves, Ucchan" Ranma sighed, her eyes flaring slightly.

Ukyou hugged the redhead. "It's okay, Mom. You can take care of us."

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Ranma stepped out into the night. Traffic was surprisingly sparse given the relatively early hour. She paused to look around, her eyes seeing down the street with inhuman clarity. The men watching the bar all looked like Company men, but still...

"Okay, now something's wrong," Ukyou said, from her position next to the redhead.

"You sense something?" Kasumi said after exiting the bar and noticing the brood mother's posture.

"I'm... not sure." The succubus seemed to be looking upward, off into the distance.

"Green Team, boost your scanners. Something may be up," Kasumi ordered, after flipping open her phone and inputting the corresponding speed dial.

What happened next only Specialist Agent Sophie Addison was able to see clearly, and only because she was examining the matching black dresses the succubae wore.

A brilliant purple aura with black undertones burst around the redheaded demon as she manifested her true form and sidestepped closer to Ukyou. Suddenly, the portions of her aura around the left part of her ribcage flashed to where it hurt the agent's eyes before vanishing. In that place was a gaping void of shattered ribs and mashed organs.

Before the redhead's blood and flesh had a chance to spatter onto the sidewalk, the destruction touched the blonde succubus. The damage to her stomach was much less spectacular, but nonetheless she fell over with a large bleeding wound.

It was only after all this that Sophie, and everyone else, heard the rifleshot.

"Get down! Sniper!" several agents shouted at once. All the WIC personnel drew their weapons and crouched into more defensive positions.

Ignoring the large portion of herself that was missing, the redhead spread her wings. "Girls, protect Ukyou," the brood mother snarled, her voice sounding strange and gurgling, eyes burning brilliantly. "He's mine," the demoness growled, her words almost unintelligible, before taking to the air.

"Get her back inside!" Kasumi shouted as she crept over.

"What about Red?" Sophie asked, briefly glancing up to see that the flying demon was still bleeding.

"We'll get a team to follow her." Kasumi helped her sister drag Ukyou back into the bar.

Jacob nodded when he saw that the wounded demon had made it to the relative safety of the bar. "Have Green Team follow DarkStar! That's what they're there for!" the officer shouted into his hastily equipped headset.

"Colonel, request permission to go with Green Team. I think Ranma might do something... drastic," Kasumi said simply while she looked over Ukyou's wound.

The colonel paused briefly before nodding. It would not do to ruin things. Not this far in. "Hurry up, I'll have their van pull up to the door," Jacob said giving the required orders into his headset.

"Yes, sir." Kasumi turned to Sophie. "Addison, take care of her," the junior officer ordered as she ran to the waiting van.

The agent nodded and went to work on Ukyou, and got her first glimpse at the wound. "What the hell..."

"Mommy..." the succubus whimpered as the flesh around the entrance wound started to turn grey and separate into little chunks. She was then hugged by her sisters.

"That's an Assembly Demon Bane bullet," Jacob said as he leaned over the succubus. It was mildly interesting to see such a munition in action. "Remove it. Immediately." He then went back to his headset. "I want all observational teams to scan for Assembly signatures, and all available teams ready to back them up. There might be more of them out there."

"Yes sir," Sophie said as she drew a Leatherman from a belt pouch. It had a slim blade and it could be opened into a full-sized pair of pliers. "Sorry, honey," Sophie said as she ran her hand over the blonde demon's forehead. "Hold her down, this is going to hurt," she then said to Nariko and Akane.

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The Assembly of Man paladin Earl Winters, automatically worked the rifle's bolt as he watched, disbelieving. No one, not even a demon, could be that fast. The hellspawn had to have been alerted to his presence. That was the only explanation for what he had seen.

"I will save Acolyte Kuonji," the man promised as he reacquired the blonde succubus who had taken over her body. That demon was hit, but he wanted to make sure. With the prone demoness in the center of his crosshairs, he increased the pressure on the trigger.

He stopped the progression when the redheaded demon looked up and flashed her eyes... right at him. "Oh no..." Earl muttered as he changed targets. The redhead was clearly the more dangerous succubus. He swiveled the firearm to keep track of the now-airborne succubus.

Squeezing the trigger to his gun, Earl fired his second shot. He smiled ruefully as the succubus folded her wings up. Her body dropped several feet, the round still hit, but this time it merely tore apart the membrane of her left wing.

Winters worked the action of his weapon. He wanted to take another shot, but his training told him otherwise. His position had been made, the demon could not be stopped at range; he had to alert Father Oslo and get a more defensible spot.

He picked up his weapon and backed out of the darkened, half built room. If he could get into a section of the incomplete high-rise that was just load bearing walls he would have a better line of sight. He pressed the speed dial to his cell phone, and began to speak into the headset that connected to it. "Father, my position has been compromised. Yes, it is the redheaded demon. I understand."

Earl backed up past a stairwell near the center of the building, and side stepped into an alcove in a partially sheetrocked hallway. He readied his weapon, knowing that when the demon came he might only get one more shot.

The paladin turned his head; he could feel the demon now. He concentrated, trying to see if he could narrow down the location. After a few seconds it seemed as if the demon would do it for him.

The crisp sound of boot clicking on tile neared the sniper. Under that he could hear a steady drip. He sighed slightly with relief; the monster was still wounded. He had a chance.

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Winters had not disconnected, and from his inexpensive hotel room, Father Oslo listened carefully to the phone. For several seconds the priest only heard the sound of the other man's breathing. Then the roar of gunfire came through the speaker, reducing its true resonance. The brief mechanical noises of the action being worked preceded a follow-up shot.

This was followed by a splashing sound that quickly gave way to screaming. The cries of pain grew louder as they were joined by noises of tearing, ripping, and chewing. Disgust clearly marked on his face, Oslo started praying.

"Go with God, my son," he finished, disconnecting his phone. It was a miracle the device had lasted as long as it did, especially considering how gleeful that monster sounded with its... meal.

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Kasumi felt ridiculous. She was about to do something she never thought she would. As she slipped on an armored vest and web gear, a part of her understood what the Senshi had to go through. At least she was just wearing a skirt and not ribbons or high heels. WIC did require its agents to always wear boots and carry a sidearm.

"Ok, men, follow my point and do not target DarkStar. I repeat. Do not give her reason to attack," Kasumi said as she put on her helmet and adjusted her goggles and heads-up display.

"Ma'am, I've got a fix on a Pattern D-Silver. It's about fifteen floors up. I'm not picking anything else up though," the agent manning the van's pattern scanner said after checking the coordinates and doing some division.

Lieutenant Tendo nodded as she opened the door to the van. The agents approached the lobby, where they found the security post in the lobby manned by a clueless guard. Currently, he was being babysat by Agent Henderson until someone from Public Relations section could arrive to take care of him.

Agent Morrison stopped the procession of ascending agents with a raised hand. This was the floor. Kasumi nodded and motioned for them to leave the stairwell. The hallway was darkened, and the team made their way  
forward.

Kasumi's eyes narrowed, there was only one thing the viscous fluid  
that had spilled around the corner of the hallway could be. She paused and gave the hold fire hand signal. Keeping her weapon pointed to the ground, she prepared to round the corner. "Ranma! It's Kasumi." Her only response was a pause in the loud mastication.

The agent exhaled and slipped around the corner and into the other hallway. The first thing she noticed were the streaks of blood that decorated the walls and ceiling in long arcs. Moving her technologically-assisted gaze to the floor she caught scattered fragments of bone, lengths of cloth, and chunks of flesh.

The tile floor itself was covered in a glaze of blood that the grout had absorbed faster than the tile, forming a grid. Laying in the extensive pool was an immense scoped rifle. Threaded through the trigger guard and clutching the grip were several fingers attached to the far half of a palm.

In the center of this tableau was a lump, of thin curved bones, incomplete organs, and streamers of intestines. Leaning over this, with a thin contemplative smile was a red demon. Skin, horns, hair, clothes, even the bow over her chest were splattered in blood and little chunks. Her tail happily swished back and forth, and her wings were raised up and folded back in an attempt to keep them off the damp floor.

The succubus turned her head to Kasumi and her smile grew. She quickly sliced the last piece of liver and presented it to the agent. Kasumi tightened her grip on her weapon. The succubus looked so earnest and pleased with herself.

"Ma'am?" Stevenson asked.

"It's okay, men." Kasumi then turned to the succubus. "Ranma, Ukyou's at the bar. Sophie's patching her up, but..."

"Ucchan..." the succubus' eyes widened. She gingerly placed her offering onto the relatively clean remnants of an armored vest, and bolted out of the hallway by running in between the assembled agents. She quickly found a window and made a noisy exit.

"That was... fast," Morrison remarked as he looked down to see that his left side had a smeared bloodstain transferred to it.

"Oh God... what did she do to his head?" Stevenson asked, after he found the cleaved and mostly-missing item.

Kasumi ignored the side comments and called Colonel Edwards to alert him that DarkStar was returning to the bar and update him on the situation. "Men, you secure this place and wait for Forensic Pathology Section. I'm going back to the bar." Before she left Kasumi looked back at the neatly cut piece of liver and sighed.

"Yeah... they're gonna just love cleaning this mess up," Stevenson sighed as he turned away from the mangled remains.

"Yeah, we've just gotta baby-sit a demon's leftovers. They're the ones that have to make sense of it," Morrison agreed. He did not envy the job of the team that had to catalogue this.

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"Fucking thing," Sophie grunted as she extracted the bullet. The malformed thing looked almost as big as one of the 20mm rounds her HOG used. At least the eroding of the surrounding flesh made that job easier, though the smell and the jellied texture of the affected flesh was quite nauseating. The bullet itself looked strangely shiny and appeared to have a hollow structure within it.

"Mommy..." Ukyou weakly cried as she clutched onto Akane.

"Nariko, help me clean up her wound. I think we should remove the damaged areas," Sophie ordered as she delicately cleaned up the saucer-sized zone.

Nariko helped, wiping up the damaged tissue.

"We just have to hope she can heal herself now," Sophie said.

"Mom's coming," Akane reassured Ukyou.

The blonde succubus smiled and nodded.

"I feel her, too, now," Nariko agreed.

A red and purple blur landed in front of the bar. The succubus folded her wings, and ran inside. She made a direct line for her stricken young, and embraced her.

Ukyou smiled and snuggled closer as she started taking in energy from her mother. The brood mother scowled as she surveyed her daughter's injury. It was healing now, but slowly.

Sailor DarkStar glanced over at the bullet laying next to Sophie. "That was inside her?"

"Yes, what I pulled out was coated in something that rots demonic flesh. The material itself is probably something demons are allergic to."

The mother frowned. "Maybe I shouldn't have blocked as much... let it go through her."

"If that had happened it would have done to her what it did to you: punch a huge hole in your side." Sophie's eyes widened. There was _no_ trace of damage the redhead had taken. The agent had thought such a rate of regeneration was beyond a demon at Ranma's level, and now, the demon had energy to spare to nurse to her daughter.

"I guess slowing it down was better," the redhead hugged Ukyou again. "You're gonna be okay. This nice lady helped save you." Ranma gently put Ukyou down, spun around and embraced Sophie.

"Uh..." Sophie froze. Being hugged by a bloody demon was not something she had planned for tonight.

"Sorry," DarkStar blushed in the succubus style and reverted out of her Senshi form. The blood and gore-splattered skin, hair, and Senshi uniform disappeared, and was replaced by a black silk dress with a large hole in the side. The demon concentrated, and the dress shimmered, and giving the impression of repair.

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Murdock sighed from the roof of an apartment building. With his preferred bar being reserved by the most _interesting_ of people he decided to spend the night watching the events within that establishment at a distance. Besides, it was a rather lovely night.

He had no idea just how entertaining things would get. The mage should have expected such ineptitude from the Assembly. This would have been a very positive development for him too... if not for the fact that the demon was no longer under his influence. He wondered if Setsuna would blame him for this.

A grin formed on the man's face. In a way it was a testament to how much she feared him and overestimated his skills that the independent actions of others and random coincidence was assumed to be all his doing. Of course, that he was not behind events such as this did not prevent him from capitalizing on them.

Turning his head between the two relevant buildings, Murdock silently watched the entertainment die down. He still had a job to do, and he still had backup plans. The mage fingered the final trio of envelopes in his jacket pocket. His preparations were not done yet, but once the final piece arrived he could move to the next step.

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"You see anything during your patrol?" Kasumi asked as Ranma slumped down next to her on the couch

The demon shook her head as she made her wings disappear. "No, I didn't sense any of those Assembly bastards." She looked over to her fiancee. "I trust you guys, but... I can sense them better than you."

"Yeah, you did get enough warning to protect Ukyou."

"I'm happy she's okay." The succubus extended her senses to make sure her daughters were still together and sleeping safely. "I... I... oh damn. What am I? You know what I did tonight?"

"You took a bullet for your daughter, and slowed it down enough."

"After that," Ranma glared.

"Yes, I know. When I found you, you offered me part of your meal." Kasumi forced herself to put her arm around the demon. "It was kind of sweet. In a predatory way."

"Yeah, I'm a monster."

"A monster that's a loving mother, a good friend, and a good person." Kasumi squeezed the girl closer to her. "That's not much of a monster

Ranma did not resist. "I'm not supposed to..."

"Cram it. You didn't think you'd become a teenage mother. It's too late to do anything about that. But you make the best of it. Look, you'd have tried to protect Ukyou if even if you were human right?"

"Of course!"

"And what would have happened?"

"Yeah..." The redhead's eyes flared in anger. "I would have died and that bastard sniper would have been able to take out the rest of my girls."

"We're going to get through this. You don't know how happy I am that Akane has a mother and is alive and happy."

Ranma leaned her head on the larger girl and wrapped her arm around Kasumi's back.. "Thanks. I couldn't have done a lot of this..."

Kasumi bent her head forward to look into the subtly inhuman eyes of her fiance. The agent could tell that the purple had increased tonight. "We'll get through this; we'll make them pay."

Ranma let herself be held by the other girl. For them there were no nuances to the situation. The Assembly had declared war on their family, their friends, their organizations, and the Assembly of Man would get their due.

The two stayed like that for a few minutes until a gentle knocking came from the door. The redhead's eyes brightened when she sensed who it was.

"Major," Kasumi said, giving a brief salute.

"Sorry for interrupting... the Colonel just briefed me," Nodoka stepped closer to the two young women. "You okay, honey?" The scientist asked as she knelt in front of her daughter.

Ranma slid out from her fiancee's grip and latched onto her mother. Nodoka was almost knocked over. The officer looked into her daughter's eyes and saw true fear in them. It was a fear of rejection. The situation was reversed for the young demon. Now, she was the daughter in dire need of support from _her_ mother.

After Kasumi politely excused herself and left the room, Nodoka slipped onto the now-available couch seat. The grandmother sat there with her daughter's head on her chest and her own arms hugging the girl.

"Do you want to talk about it, honey?" Nodoka asked as she felt around her daughter's side. It was amazing how quickly Ranma had healed.

The young succubus shuddered briefly and nuzzled closer to her mother.

"It's okay, if you want to talk I'll be right here," Nodoka reassured with a smile. Her daughter's breathing was starting to even out. She hoped Ranma would be willing to talk but was happy just holding her.

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"This troubles me greatly. The Assembly has attacked a place where our agents were," Stillwater grumbled. Once more, he and his executive officer had retired to his office to go over the recent events.

"I'm sure they blame Miss Saotome for the loss of their acolytes, and that we're helping her would seem to confirm their paranoid delusions," Jacob offered.

"Wonderful. We have to worry about a collection of fanatics. At least Miss Saotome dealt with that paladin effectively enough."

"You're not angry that we couldn't hand him over to Jarvis? Or what our little demon friend just did to a human being?" Jacob was surprised. Normally, Stillwater was the more cautious of them when dealing with this brood.

"She killed someone who was trying to kill her children. I understand that perfectly. Besides, we need the Pattern Silvers to get through this. We don't need the Assembly. Frankly, my only hesitation to killing them all would be the manpower and equipment cost," Stillwater laughed slightly.

"Quite right, sir." Jacob agreed. It made sense for Stillwater to feel that way when put into the context of a parent protecting their children. "I find it interesting that they just had one operative out. I suppose they were testing the waters."

"The others probably held back and then retreated when they realized the first attempt had failed and that they would only get killed if they proceeded. Or it _was_ a test and this paladin was a sacrifice." Stillwater smiled darkly. "At least Miss Saotome was nice enough to leave that man's cell phone intact. It's going to prove quite useful."

"She does seem to be bright enough at things like this." Jacob nodded as he scratched the scar on the back of his right hand. He had underestimated and mishandled one flying predator in his youth. Back then all he got was a wound and a lecture from his father, now... The agent sighed. A lot was riding on the Pattern Silvers, especially Miss Saotome.

"I'm having our men analyze all of tonight's footage. According to Agent Addison, she removed the bullet in the broodling and Miss Saotome had taken considerable damage. In her own words 'Sir, she flew off missing her left side. Fuck. Sorry, sir, but she didn't even notice it was gone.' And yet, after feeding, she had it healed completely. I saw that much myself."

"She was more powerful than we estimated?"

"Or she's _grown_ more powerful," Jacob shrugged. "Our limited knowledge of the Pattern Silvers only talks of the effect of that power in a human body. On a brighter note we do have a couple gallons worth of 'samples' that have been collected from her."

"Speaking of Pattern Silvers... why did Meiou show up? According to Murdock, she is the intelligence branch of the Senshi."

"It is a bar, maybe she was just getting a drink." Jacob joked. "She did seem reluctant to stay when I greeted her. It was as if she did not expect Miss Saotome, or us, to be there."

"Hmm..." Stillwater paused to think. "Why was this bar chosen? How did the Assembly find out about it?"

"This was a bar that Gold Team liked to frequent when they were off duty. They suggested it for Agent Kowalski's wake."

"Bring in Gold Team. I'll talk to them myself," Stillwater's voice had a slight edge. He was going to give the men a fair chance, but he had to be sure.

"We should interview the entire staff, then. A leak for something this mundane could have happened anywhere."

"That's what I'm worried about. It might have been good intelligence or sensors on the part of the Assembly, but if it was a traitor..."

"Then the Assembly is the least of our worries."

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"Sunny!" Usagi waved from the opposite side of the food court with a mischievous smile. She and Minako had been waiting for the other girls for a few minutes.

"Are you sure about this? I mean. Setsuna told us... I mean eating..." Minako started.

"She had to have been exaggerating. Do you really think Sunshine's capable of that?" Usagi asked as the two walked toward the other girls.

"It does seem far-fetched, but she's not prone to exaggerate," Minako was a little bit worried. The redhead was a demon, but she was also a Sailor Senshi. She had also not seen the girl do anything wrong.

"Well they're here," Usagi warned as they got closer to the others.

"Yeah, hi Usagi, Minako," Ranma greeted with a grumble. The 'Sunshine' thing was the only problem with her friends Samantha and Naoko, who had also tagged along with the brood. To them, Ranma Saotome was the brother to their friend Sunshine Saotome.

"I can't believe we're going to go to this shop," Naoko remarked to Samantha.

"Why not? It sounds like a real fun place," Ukyou said from next to Ranma. The blonde demon idly fingered the area where she had been shot. That there was not even a scar disturbed her a bit.

"Well... look at what it did to Akane," Naoko joked, causing Akane's eyes to widen.

"Nah... we all knew Akane was in the closet. It just took the right girl to bring it out." Samantha laughed. She was mildly disappointed that her redheaded friend was wearing a plain blouse and a pair of leather pants. It was not as wild an outfit as she had expected Sunshine to wear.

It was a good thing they were going to this store. She and Naoko would have to pick out something special for their friend. At least Sunshine's hair was good. Instead of the ponytail with a pair of antennae-like bangs, that the two girls were used to seeing, the redhead wore her hair loose in a wild and somewhat spiky fall.

"Don't knock it until you try it," Akane smiled as she put her arm around Nariko.

"It's amazing that you go to this mall," Usagi smiled.

"Huh?" Ranma blinked.

"This is where I hang out, with my friends. There's an ice-cream parlor and a good arcade just around the corner. Wonder why we never met up?" Usagi smiled.

"It's not like I go the mall that much," Ranma defended.

"Whatever you say," Minako teased.

"I should have stayed home," Ranma mumbled as she scanned her surroundings. She did not want to let her kids go out alone, not after what had happened that night, but she knew they could not just hide at home or on base. "I guess we can go to the store, now."

"Are you okay?" Usagi asked as the group of girls walked down the mall.

"Not really. I bet your green-haired friend told you all about what happened," Ranma remarked.

Usagi slowly nodded.

"It wasn't all bad," Nariko butted in. "Sunny had fun with Setsuna."

The humans in the group paused and turned their heads.

"I guess Setsuna didn't tell you about that," Ukyou dryly remarked.

"I can show you," Nariko said as she reached into her purse.

"Uh... Nari-chan..." Ranma warned, but it was too late.

"Wow... that can't be real," Minako said as she grabbed the photos Nariko had started to ease out of her purse. The assembled girls stopped to investigate the find.

"Well... that answers that question about Sunny's tastes," Samantha said as she looked over a picture of a redhead straddling a tanned, green-haired woman, while groping and kissing her.

Ranma's face reddened. "Nariko..."

"Yes?" the red-eyed succubus innocently asked.

"Sunshine... Setsuna... but..." Usagi locked up. Making out with a succubus did not seem like something Setsuna would do.

"So is this Setsuna your girlfriend?" Naoko asked, smiling.

"No, she's too stuck-up," Ranma defended.

Samantha grinned. "Is that denial or was that just a one night stand?"

"Sunny's known Setsuna for a couple months now." Nariko helpfully added.

"That is true," Minako admitted.

"Oh really?" Naoko noted.

"It's not like that!" Ranma growled.

"It's ok Sunny; we don't mind it you prefer girls over guys," Samantha reassured, putting her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Yeah, We guessed you were like that the first day we met," Naoko added as she looked over the pictures. "At least you got a real looker, there. I just love her hair."

Ranma sighed. "Let's just go to the leather shop."

"Say Nari-chan... can I have a couple of those pics?" Minako asked.

Nariko nodded and handed some over. She could always get more copies from Kasumi.

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A tanned orange-haired teenager standing at the upper floor of the mall watched a group of girls on the lower level at the other end carefully. The traitor was awfully familiar with those humans. She sighed as she resumed her concentration. It was difficult to hold back her powers, but Mother's training had been very helpful.

As long as she prevented any demonic energy from leaking out, the traitor would only be able to detect her by scent and sight. The succubus sighed as she watched the group of girls. Despite her mother's orders to keep most of her attention on the habits of the traitor, Aurora found her attention on the platinum blonde-haired succubus.

Her green eyes warmed slightly. Ukyou was the one good thing to come from... before. Aurora briefly glanced down at the manicured hands that held the railing overlooking the rest of the mall. Her act of desperation had yielded unexpected and amazing results. Her partner was like her now.

There was just one problem. She was enslaved to the traitor, just like her sister. Aurora swore that she would do something about this injustice. It was the right thing to do. Mother would approve.

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"No way," Ranma said as she eyed the garment Samantha was offering to her.

"Come on, we want to see you in something interesting," Naoko smiled. "I mean, lately you've been dressing almost normally."

"That's not a good thing?" the redhead asked.

"It's not bad. I've seen you wear worse," Ukyou added before going back to looking at a zippered leather vest.

"See! Your own step-sister agrees," Samantha said, as she forced the dress into her friend's hands. "We just want to see what it's like on you. You don't have to buy it!"

"Fine, fine." Ranma took the dress and made her way to the dressing rooms in the back of the shop. On her way, she saw the other half of their group. It seemed that Minako and Usagi were trying to get each other to wear some sort of getup while Akane and Nariko alternated between fanning the flames and doing their own shopping.

Once inside a changing room, Ranma slipped off her pants and shirt. She paused at the draped garments. There was a time when being able to dress as she wished in demon form would have been impossible. She paused at the other recent things she had done that she used to think of as impossible.

The brood mother's thoughts were interrupted by an adjacent dressing stall's door opening and closing. "Usagi?" the redhead rhetorically asked. From the scent it was obvious who it was.

"Yeah, you won't believe the thing Mina-chan found for me," the blonde princess sighed. "And your girls weren't any help."

"They're like that," Ranma absently noted as she slipped the dress on. She frowned as she put the attached choker around her neck and adjusted the straps that connected it to the rest of the dress. She did not want the front of the dress to slip off and reveal her assets, especially since she could not wear a bra with this dress.

Ranma opened the door to the changing room and stepped out. Unsurprisingly, the other girls had circled around the changing rooms. "Yeah, this isn't really my style," Ranma said as she adjusted the dark purple dress.

The front had a deep V in between her breasts that went down to just above her belly button. The tops of the front were strips that just barely covered her chest and were held up by two pairs of thin leather cables that connected to her choker. The crotch of the front V was crisscrossed by another set of cables.

Backless, the dress was split on either side from the knee-length hem all the way up to her waist and two more sets of leather cables reigned in the upper half of these slits and offered some modestly.

"Yes, it is!" Samantha said. "It fits your hair and eyes, shows off those killer legs, too! Guess all those years of training with your dad paid off."

"Hey, you forgot the sleeves," Naoko pouted. Accompanying the dress and choker were a pair of decorative sleeves that went from wrist to just above her elbow, that would have been held up by another set of leather cables that attached to her choker.

"That was too much." Ranma lifted her arms. It would be a real pain to deal with such things on her arms.

"Yeah, why wear more than necessary. I think it would clutter her look," Akane agreed.

"Either way this is the coolest thing ever!" Naoko said as she examined her friend. She wished she had the body to pull off such a daring outfit.

"Come on, Sunny, ever since you started wearing the normal uniform we've been bored," Samantha added.

Responding to a noise behind her, Ranma spun around suddenly, causing the forward and back flaps that made her dress's lower half to flare up. "Wow..." the redhead uttered after seeing what Usagi was dressed in. White leather, the dress was a simple enough affair. The dress was nothing more than a leather dress that went to mid-thigh.

"That is so you!" Samantha cried.

"Yeah..." Minako agreed after a pause. She did not expect Usagi to wear that dress so well.

"See, I told you Usagi would look good in that," Nariko smiled to Minako.

"Thanks," Usagi said slowly. She was still in shock from seeing Ranma's state of dress. That Ranma's skirting had flared up giving her a little show was also affecting the princess.

"Heh, Usagi could almost pass for a succubus," Minako joked.

Ukyou groaned; Akane and Nariko's eyes widened. While, Usagi blushed nervously and Ranma forced a laugh.

"I don't think so," Naoko smiled.

"Yeah, you've got a long way before you're as seductive as old Sunshine here," Samantha added in between her own laughter.

"Hey!" Ranma blushed slightly despite herself.

"We have photos of you making out with Setsuna, Sunny," Minako reminded the demon.

Ranma glared intensely at the blonde, who started to subtly quiver with fear. It was a good thing Naoko and Samantha were friends, but still... that was a bit close.

"I'm... sorry." Minako's eyes were downcast. Before today, she did not believe the stuff that Setsuna told them about Ranma. There was no way a girl like Sunshine, demon or not, could do _that_, not to a human. Now though, after seeing the redheaded demon's glare, Minako was certain it was true.

"It's okay." Ranma walked over to the mirror and, despite barely brushing Usagi, almost knocked the blonde girl over. "Maybe you two are right," the redhead said as she posed a few times. "I _do_ look good in this getup. What do you think, Usagi?" the succubus asked with a toothy grin as she bent over just right... to test the leather cabling holding up her dress.

Usagi blushed and looked at her own dress. "Uh... yeah, it's really good." Usagi hoped that the tickling in her nose was not what she feared it to be.

"Thanks!" Ranma smiled. "Your dress is really good, too." The redhead's grin increased as she read the changes to the blonde's scent. "But it's not on straight," the demon pouted as she stepped closer to the princess.

"Come on Naoko, I think there's some skirts that I thought you'd like," Samantha said as she dragged her best friend off.

"Nari-chan, I found some earrings that you'd love," Minako commented before she and Nariko left for another part of the store.

"Have fun, you two!" Akane smiled while Ukyou gave the thumbs up. Both quickly left to give their mother some privacy.

Usagi blushed as she caught a glimpse of the redhead's violet and blue eyes. It was incredibly hard for her to attach the image before her to the man-eating demon that Setsuna had described. The Senshi of Pluto's slightly panicked description was detailed and supposedly lifted from the Time Gates. While the Gates were all but useless for an accurate prediction of the future, they were still mostly reliable for present and near present viewing.

"I wouldn't think you could pull off leather, but you can," Ranma said looking over Usagi before returning to studying her own dress. It was far too expensive to purchase but she would be able to replicate a reasonable facsimile. The redhead smiled, she would have to thank Nariko again for this little trick.

"Uh... yeah.." Usagi stated.

"What's wrong?" Ranma asked. The blonde's scent was still confused and... _interested,_ but there was something else in there.

"It's about that night..."

Ranma turned away from her reflection and back to the princess. The demon was careful not to stare too much at the human.

"I mean... you first make-out with Setsuna and then you... I don't know what to think of that."

Ranma briefly checked to make sure they still had some semblance of privacy. "You do know what my... kind does in a fight? We feed afterwards," the demoness gave a lazy shrug.

"But... he was human, wasn't he?"

Ranma's eyes flared angrily. "This _human_," the word came out like a profanity. "specifically went after my youngest child. I did what I had to, to protect her."

"You still... I mean Setsuna said."

"I was hungry; I did lose half my guts." Ranma narrowed her eyes. "Look, you weren't there. Neither was Puu, but bitch that she is she only told you part of the story, didn't she?"

Usagi paused. The photographs were proof that there was more to that night than Setsuna had said. As for what happened to that man... Usagi recalled some of the things she had done to save her own daughter, it was still a far cry from what Ranma had done.

The blonde paused unsure of how to interpret _that_.

"I wasn't too trusting of what she said. I mean... she's been flaking out," Usagi admitted.

"She's scared. Things aren't going in the predictable pattern she's used to. It's scary when you're forced to make decisions like that," Ranma said with a hint of sympathy. However, Setsuna was not responsible for the Senshi's minds and souls and she did not have to sacrifice her species and gender to do it.

Usagi nodded. She had had to make difficult choices, too.

"I am curious... what _did_ she tell you about me? Did she mention that WIC filled a whole bucket with bits of me? Or the blood of me and my child had to be power-washed off the sidewalk?" Ranma inquired. It was only after she had made sure Ukyou was safe and okay, that she had noticed exactly what had happened... and seen the cleanup crew.

The blonde adjusted her dress.

"I betcha there's a tape of it. I mean, these Company guys record everything." Ranma briefly wondered how Nariko got those photos. She then smiled in realization. Knowing her daughter, Nariko simply asked for them. The mother's grin widened even more when she thought about _why_ Nariko had gotten such images, and more importantly _who_ ended up seeing them.

Usagi almost whimpered when she saw the amused smile on the demon's face.

"Oh snap out of it!" Ranma chastised, her grin vanishing. The redhead's glare increased when Usagi stepped back. "I don't like it when someone makes me sound like a monster that ate some poor random guy."

"I... guess," Usagi blushed. The incongruity disturbed her. She tried to picture the very healthy girl in front of her doing the things Pluto told her about, but could not quite make the connection. She could imagine the redhead covered in the blood of her kill, but that was as far as she could get, and even that mental image disturbed her, not for the gore but for how it made her feel... it was thrilling in some way that was primal and alien.

"Look, don't worry about me," Ranma drawled as she leaned into the blonde's personal space. "There's actual monsters out there, and I'm not even close to _them._" The redhead winked again. "Now, let's find the other girls.

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"I won't be too long," Ukyou told her sisters as she walked couple a dozen yards down the length of the mall before turning and stepping into the bathroom. The demon's orange eyes flared in surprise at the familiar scent in the florescent room. The blonde extended her claws and started to back out.

"Wait... I just want to talk," a familiar female voice said.

"You tried to kill me!" Ukyou spat.

"You can hear where I am, Ucchan. You really think I'm a threat from this position," the other girl laughed from within her stall.

Ukyou narrowed her eyes. The truth was that the other demon was still a threat though her position did give the blonde demon the advantage. "What are you doing here, _Aurora_?" The blonde paused. "I mean here, in the mall. Why are you here?"

"I guess you won't buy that I'm just here to get my hair done," Aurora grumbled.

Ukyou laughed, slightly. It looked like Alexia's flunky had made the mistake of taking her eyes off her target, allowing her to be caught off-guard. "You're still a lousy spy, aren't you? You're damn lucky it was me. Anyone else in my family would have killed you."

Aurora froze. She could not fail, especially in such undignified circumstances. "Why aren't you then? You should at least be calling for their help. The traitor would just love having my head."

"You did try to kill one of her friends," Ukyou sighed. Her curiosity was starting to get to her. "Well, wipe up and come out. I wanna see you when you're not trying to kill me."

Aurora laughed as she finished up. "I seem to recall that you were shooting at me then too," the orange-haired succubus pointed out as she pulled up her underwear. She got up, fixed her dress, and stepped out of the stall.

The two succubae froze as they studied each other.

"Not bad, Ryoga. At least you make a good-looking demon. Heck, I can hardly tell that your tan came out of a bottle," Ukyou noted approvingly.

"It's Aurora! Not Ryoga!" The green-eyed succubus hissed.

"And I'm still Ukyou. You see the problem, partner?"

"Mother saved me. She made me what I am."

"The second part's true," Ukyou sighed. "Look, I think I can get Mom to not kill you. We could..."

"No!" Aurora screamed. It took every ounce of her self control to hold back her powers. If she started radiating demonic energy, the traitor would rush in and kill her, or worse.

"What? We could be... together," Ukyou said as she tried not to blush. It looked like a lot of her partner survived, only now in a very sexy and good-looking body. The platinum blonde shook her head.

"Why don't you come with me to see Alexia. We could even kill that redhead like we originally planned," Aurora offered with a smile.

"Kill Ranchan?" Ukyou sighed. "Yeah, how well's that been going for you?"

"At least I've fought the Traitor! She hasn't even found Mother," Aurora grumbled.

"That's because Alexia's run or hid everytime my Mother's shown up."

"That's not true!"

"How come you're not fighting by Alexia's side then?"

Aurora looked down at the tile just in front of her high heels.

"I guess we're not gonna convince the other to defect then," Ukyou sighed. "And I don't want to fight you."

"Huh?" Aurora's expression brightened. The chance to get out and return to Mother appealed to her.

"You may be a soul-sucking demon, but so am I." The blonde shrugged. "Right now you haven't done anything stupid.

"Same here," the green-eyed girl agreed. Next time they met, Aurora promised to bring Mother with her. That would settle things nicely.

"Well... take care," Ukyou said giving a slight wave. She wanted to hug her old partner, but it was too much of a risk. Even if Aurora did not use the opportunity to attack her, the physical contact could... cloud the blonde's judgment.

"You too." Aurora's smile was bittersweet.

"I'm gonna go now. Don't do anything stupid, okay?"

"Like what? Follow you and attack?"

Ukyou grinned. "Nah, you'd probably just get lost. After all, it was the Assembly that cured that problem of yours," she stated before slipping out of the restroom.

Aurora looked around the washroom and whimpered slightly. Retracing her steps and getting back to Mother should not be that difficult.

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"So she used her powers to wear the dress right out of the store without paying for it?" Chibi-Usa asked her mother from half a world away.

"No, Spore! She made a copy of the dress later in the day." It had only taken only a few seconds for Usagi to remind herself why she so rarely called her daughter. She wondered why her daughter could not be more like one of Ranma's, minus the whole demon thing.

"Oh I see! Yeah, stealing doesn't seem like something Auntie Ranma would do," Chibi-Usa cheerfully remarked.

"Auntie?" Usagi asked her hands gripping the phone tighter.

"Well, she did inherit Mamoru's powers," the red-eyed girl sadly remarked. "But there's more to it than that."

"There is? What... does it have to do with me?"

"Sorry, can't tell you," Chibi-Usa laughed.

"Why you little pink-haired monster..." Usagi nearly growled as she shook her phone.

"Sorry... it's nothing. You two become best friends," Chibi-Usa said. She had to be careful. She did not want to lie to Usagi now, but she could not tell her too much.

Usagi paused to digest that information. "Usa... is Sunshine... err Ranma in your future."

"I told you when you called last week, meatball head," Chibi-Usa sighed.

"No, you didn't! You pretended not to know about this demons in Canada thing."

"Well... I didn't know all of her past. It's not something you or any of the Senshi talk about too much," Chibi-Usa said carefully.

"But she's in the future?"

"Well..."

"But... why didn't you tell us? You had to have known that Mamoru wouldn't be around."

Chibi-Usa gave an annoyed sigh. "You've been to the future too, you know. What was that like?"

"No succubae, that's for sure; and Mamoru was there."

"And do you think it can be the same now?"

"I know it has to have changed! I'm asking you what happened!"

"There has to be more than one future. Puu gave a good example using train tracks."

"Oh yeah... I remember that," Usagi recalled her first night in Canada, and that briefing Setsuna had given them. "So tell me more about it. Did your timeline shift or something? Is there even a future for you to go back to?"

"I'm sorry; I've said way too much already. I had to promise not to tell," the pink-haired girl looked over to Hotaru and that girl's parents. Michiru was looking out the window of their apartment. They had not taken the news of the demon attacks in Canada well, especially since nothing had yet to happen in Japan. They were all waiting.

"Who?"

Chibi-Usa giggled. "You did, of course. You made me promise to not say anything."

"Good, that means you can tell me. This is important. I have to know."

"No. You don't. You made me promise this for a reason. Look, this is something that Puu's right about. I can't tell you anything. You need to care more about the present than the future."

"But..." Usagi paused. "You're right. I have to pay attention to things that are happening now."

"Yes. So did you have fun with Auntie Ranma and her kids?" Chibi-Usa's amusement was palatable.

"Uh... yeah..."

"That's good," Chibi-Usa teased. She had a pretty good idea that the blonde was blushing on the other end of the line.

"So how are you guys doing?"

"Well, Hotaru-chan and I are doing great. Haruka almost broke some agent's nose a few days ago, though she got a broken ankle when the WIC officer caught the kick that followed her punch."

"What?"

"Well... you know how Haruka and Michiru are. They're getting kinda... tweaked waiting for an attack to start up here."

"But why'd she attack an agent?"

"She didn't like that they were watching us in the park. Though they didn't know they were being watched, until two of them walked up to us and introduced themselves. That's when Haruka got angry."

"I told them to not jump to conclusions with those guys," Usagi groaned. "They didn't do any serious damage, did they?"

"Nope. Me and Hotaru broke them up," Chibi-Usa proudly said.

"How?" Usagi asked. From her room she heard a knock on the front door to her apartment. Assuming that Minako or Rei had ordered takeout, she made a note of it.

"It helps being cute," the pink-haired girl stated, technically not answering the question.

"Huh?" Usagi wondering how being cute would defuse a fight between WIC agents and the Outers.

"We got in between them and stopped the fight," Chibi-Usa said, simply

"Oh... okay," Usagi shook her head. "I was thinking... maybe... would you like to visit."

"Well..." Chibi-Usa paused. "It is a busy time in school, and Puu did say I should stay back here with the Outers."

Usagi briefly imagined herself shielding Chibi-Usa from gunfire with her body. "Yeah...it is dangerous out here. But I'm not so sure about Setsuna. I mean..." Usagi paused wondering what was taking so long with the front door. "Guys, what's up?" she asked opening the door to her room.

"Oh, I see," Usagi said when she saw a pair of business-casual wearing twenty-something's at the door. One was an athletic-looking woman with short chestnut brown hair, she was pretty enough but she looked very nondescript. The only notable thing about her companion was his olive-green eyes, the rest of him was rather bland. He looked somewhat familiar and Usagi supposed that she could have met him somewhere else, but she had a hard time telling agents apart.

"Hello, Miss Tsukino," the woman nodded. "I'm Sophie Addison and this is Gabriel Smith."

"Gabriel..." Usagi recalled, still holding the phone. "You _are_ the one that came here before. You and that other guy... Oh... I'm sorry."

"Thank you," Gabriel said sincerity edged into his flat voice.

"She's pretty swift when she wants to be," Sophie smiled. Maybe the Silvers had a decent leader after all.

"What's going on?" Minako asked.

"It's pretty simple. Usagi figured out that agent, who died, had visited us before with him," Ami explained from the kitchen table, waving a hand at Gabriel.

"Yes, though this isn't about that," Gabriel said as he closed the front door and locked it.

Sophie nodded. "We're here on a favor for Red. You know, Ranma. She wanted to make sure you knew more about what happened that night than Setsuna told you."

"That crazy stuff about eating that Assembly goon?" Janet asked sitting opposite on the table from Ami.

"Yes, though there was some truth to it," Sophie said as she pulled a disc out of her jacket pocket. "I trust your DVD player works?"

"Chibi-Usa... I've gotta go," Usagi said before saying her goodbyes to her daughter. She hung up her phone and walked back into the main room.

"One of our security teams had a camera on the front of the bar where we were having the wake," Gabriel explained as Sophie loaded the disk.

On the television screen a black and white feed was fixed on the large glass windows of a bar. People occasionally walked back and forth on the sidewalk in front of the establishment.

Despite having a fair idea of what might happen the monotony of the pedestrian traffic lulled the girls' attention. The only thing that was remotely interesting was the banter between the agents in the security team that the camera's microphone picked up.

A group of black-garbed pale teenage girls and dress uniform wearing agents exited the bar and were about to enter a waiting van that had pulled up. One of the pale girls looked around, blurred, and was suddenly protectively covering another one.

Immediately, the side of this girl flared brightly and burst apart in a shower of blood and organs. The girl she was standing over faired better, but still had a very nasty wound.

The video was paused at this point. Despite being off to one corner, a still image of one girl with large portions of her torso missing protectively holding a gut-shot girl dominated the screen.

"Anyone miss that? You need us to replay it?" Sophie asked as she studied the Pattern Silvers.

"No... I got it," Ami said as she studied the screen.

"Oh..." Usagi said. Her mental picture of herself protecting Chibi-Usa suddenly became more graphic.

"I can see her spine," Minako horrifically uttered. At least that's what she assumed it was. The video feed was a bit fuzzy.

The other girls in the room absently nodded.

"Good," Sophie said as she hit play.

The damaged brood mother motioned to her uninjured daughter and instantly took to the air. The people on the screen, demon and human alike, rapidly went into motion to take care of the injured demon.

The audio pickup from the camera provided more information.

"Oh, fuck! What the hell was that!" shouted one of the voices heard earlier.

"This is Green Team! We've got a sniper! Man down!" one of the other voices from the van shouted.

There was a lull in the audio. During this, the injured demon was moved back into the bar and agents had drawn their weapons and were starting to take defensive positions.

The scene stopped again. "There's really nothing more," Gabriel said after he pressed the stop button, and ejected the disk.

"So... questions?" Sophie asked.

"Uh... why'd you show us this?" Rei asked.

"To give some context to why Red did what she did," Sophie explained.

Makoto noted the nickname but stayed silent.

"Given the amount of damage she took, I'd imagine DarkStar was very hungry," Ami noted.

"Yes. She also had to take in enough energy to help her daughter, too." Sophie remembered operating on the trembling blonde demon.

"The sniper's first target was Ukyou? Isn't she the youngest?" Janet asked.

"Ukyou used to be in the Assembly of Man, same organization that the sniper was from. He probably thought he was doing Ukyou a favor by 'freeing' her first."

"Oh. That sucks," Janet remarked.

"DarkStar still killed and ate a human," Rei sourly noted.

"Yes she did. It's normal for her kind to consume in battle," Sophie shrugged.

"So that's it?" Usagi asked. "You just came here to show us the tape?"

"And answer any questions you had from it," Sophie shrugged.

"This, 'Assembly', what are they? Setsuna mentioned them as another demon-hunting organization."

"They are. They just think they're on a mission from God," Gabriel smiled thinly.

"Oh, that doesn't sound too bad," Rei suggested.

"They're dangerous fanatics," Sophie said sharply.

"Coming from a secret agent?" Minako laughed.

"Laugh all you want. Just remember, if they decide you don't fit into God's plan, that will be you in a sniper scope," Sophie stated, brusquely.

Minako froze.

_I think Crystal Tokyo would qualify for not being part of "God's plan" for them,_ Usagi thought.

"Don't forget, you turned us down when we made our offer. Unlike Red, who's made quite the impression on a lot of us," Gabriel added.

Makoto narrowed her eyes. There was that nickname again.

"If there's nothing else, we should get going," Gabriel said as he adjusted his coat.

"You girls still know how to contact us?" Sophie asked.

"That's it? That's your whole attempt to try to show us that DarkStar's not so bad?" Rei asked.

"That was never our intention," Sophie smiled darkly. "After Usagi upset Red, she just wanted you girls to know the whole story, so we did her this little favor. You guys can make up your own minds."

"What about these?" Minako said after running out of the room to grab the pictures of Ranma and Setsuna. "I mean... Sunny... Setsuna... and Usagi?"

"Oh, her," Sophie smirked slightly. "I have no idea what Red saw in that woman, but right after she came into the bar Red had her in a booth for some private attention. Looked pretty intense for a while there."

The Senshi paused. The shock at Setsuna actually having a sex drive and with a demoness no less kept failing to dissipate.

"Yeah, I really shouldn't have made that bet with Morrison. Lost twenty bucks and it looked like a sure thing," Gabriel sighed, following Sophie's lead.

"What kind of bet?" Ami inquired.

"Oh, I bet that Red would have her out of the bar and on the way to a room in under ten minutes," Gabriel shook his head theatrically. It was not even a lie really. He had made such a bet, just not for money.

"Oh... wow," Usagi said. "No wonder Ranma was so pissed at the stunt Setsuna pulled then."

"I guess that's it," Gabriel said. The two agents paused briefly to allow for some final questions. Receiving none, they left, the Pattern Silvers with their thoughts.

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"So what do you think, Mother?" Aurora asked as she knelt before Alexia. She had just explained her plan. After telling her mother about her meeting with Ukyou, Aurora had spent all her free time thinking of her former partner... and her sisters.

"It has... potential," Alexia allowed.

"Really?" Aurora joyously said, looking up to face her mother.

"Yes. You will have her back." Alexia thinly smiled. This would be a prime opportunity to hurt the Traitor. It was only fair. The Traitor had taken one of Alexia's children.

"Thank you, mother!" Aurora gushed. "What will you have me do?

"Patience dear," Alexia said as she walked over to her daughter and rubbed her horns. "We now know a place they go, thanks to you. I've been watching them freely," the blonde demoness smiled. Cattle that they were, the humans did have their clever moments. The cameras in that mall were quite useful, and it was easy enough to get access to them after Aurora had seduced the proper guards.

Aurora happily purred.

"This is only the first step. Soon, the Traitor will be all alone. And then we will destroy her," Alexia laughed.

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"I don't want you to come with me!" Akane cried as she peeled off her training unitard.

"You're not going alone, young lady." Ranma's tail straightened in frustration.

"I won't be alone," Akane growled.

"Ukyou's too young."

"But I've been training really well, Mom," Ukyou pointed out, as she finished changing out of her own unitard.

"I know, but it's still too dangerous," Ranma sighed.

"So, that's it? We're just going to hide here and only go out in one big group? You know Mom, I'm sure Kasumi could provide some more agents to escort us if you're still afraid," Akane grumbled.

Ranma's eyes briefly flashed violet as they narrowed. "Have you forgotten all that's happened to us? Aram died, Ucchan nearly did. We've been attacked a few times, and there is still Alexia's brood and the Assembly. I mean Ucchan _met_ Aurora there!"

"I'm pretty sure we're always going to have enemies Mom, It's a part of what we are. Besides, Ukyou told us that Aurora was being peaceful." Akane said meeting her mother's gaze. "Look at the Senshi. They've had enemies since day one, and they don't hide in one group."

"That's different. And they really should," Ranma added. "Why is it even so important that you go alone?"

"I want to have some time to myself. You won't always be here to protect us, Mom."

Nariko disrobed and put on street clothes in silence. This argument made her feel awkward and nervous. She also did not know exactly who to side with. Mommy was right, but Akane had good points, too. She knew that today would make an interesting entry in her journal.

Ranma's face darkened. For a few seconds she regretted that Akane had regained her independence and stubbornness. "I should have expected this. You are growing up," Ranma sighed.

"So can I go?"

"Can't we do this another time?" Ranma asked.

"It's been almost two weeks since Ukyou was been attacked. Things have been quiet all that time," Akane explained. "That's why I waited until today."

"It's not a good idea. At least have Kasumi or some agents with you," Ranma suggested.

"I might as well have you come, then."

"Yes, what's wrong with that?"

"Please Mom, just trust me," Akane pleaded.

"How are you even getting to the mall?"

Akane smiled slightly. "I'll have Nabiki drop us off, and I'll call when it's time to pick us up."

"I can't stop you, can I?" Ranma sighed

"Oh you can, easily. You're my mother. You can control me if you want," Akane said as she retracted her horns. "Why do you think I'm asking for permission?"

Ranma's gaze hardened. "That's not funny, and you know it! It hurts that you would even think like that. Have I _ever_ tried to control you?"

"I'm sorry... I was just..."

"Save it. If going out there without me is that important to you, then..." Ranma waved her hand dismissively. "Just be safe, don't do anything stupid and if you get in trouble, get help."

"Really? Thanks Mom!" Akane hugged Ranma before grabbing Ukyou and taking her to Nabiki's room.

"Are you okay, Mommy?" Nariko said speaking for the first time.

Ranma dabbed at her eyes slightly. "Yes, I am. Nari-chan, be a dear and bring me the phone. I need to talk to Grandma."

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Aurora apathetically nibbled on the hot pretzel she had procured. After over a week this collection of screeching, humanity was starting to wear very thin on the demon. The novelty of what she could purchase did help things. The number of beauty aides, dresses, and fashion accessories seemed inexhaustible. Thanks to her nightly feedings she had a bit of pocket money to spend on baubles that caught her eye.

Though her shopping time was limited. She was here for a reason. She was Mother's eyes and ears. She was the one who would spring the trap. The demon smiled in anticipation. Once again, the green-eyed demon reassured herself that they had to come sometime.

Once that happened, the hard part would come. Mother's plan required getting the Traitor's brood to split up, and the success of everything else needed them to be divided. That was where things would become delicate.

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"Well, this is something I haven't seen in a while," Kasumi smiled as she looked over Ranma. The agent then maneuvered her car into an open parking spot.

"Yeah, yeah... so I've been in girl-form a lot," Ranma grumbled as he got out of the front passenger seat. "I have had to take care of Ukyou, you know."

"Yes, and all the extra training you've been giving them, plus school, and hanging out with your friends. It must be hard to find a few minutes to turn into a guy," Kasumi stated.

"What are you getting at?" Ranma asked.

"Nothing really, guess you're just getting used to your life. Which is for the best," Kasumi stated.

"What's that supposed to mean? It's better like this?" Ranma stopped walking toward the mall and glared at the agent.

"No," Kasumi sighed. "I mean it's good that you're putting the needs of those important to you first, and that you're not full of angst."

"Huh?"

"I'm happy you didn't end up some prissy drama queen bemoaning her fate. Clear enough?" Kasumi cracked a smile. "Of course we had plans setup, just in case that happened."

"Let's just make sure my girls are okay."

"Don't blame me, it was the Major's idea that you bring me, and you're the one that wanted to be male so they wouldn't sense you as easily." Kasumi looked at her watch. Hopefully this would not take too long, and she could get back to range practice.

"I just want to make sure they're okay."

"Man, even when male, you're such a Mom," Kasumi observed as she opened a door to the mall.

"Hey!"

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"What do you think of this one?" Akane asked her sister as she held up a dress.

"You in a skirt?" Ukyou grinned.

"Like you can talk."

"Hey I'm wearing a skirt," Ukyou pouted.

"Denim doesn't count," Akane laughed as she walked to the changing rooms in the back of the store.

Ukyou sighed as she watched the front of the store. It had been a quiet afternoon. She was a bit worried at the precedent this would set. After today, Akane might want to do bolder things.

The blonde-demon's eyes widened with recognition at the beautiful girl who was tapping on the glass of the front shop window. Hesitantly, Ukyou walked out of the clothing boutique.

"What are you doing here? I don't think we should meet," Ukyou said to the other girl.

"We shop at the same mall, Ucchan. That much is pretty clear," Aurora smiled.

"Ick," Ukyou said when she looked over her old partner. The only thing marring the nice silk dress, designer heels, perfectly maintained hair, and subtle makeup was the garish pink cell phone that hung around her neck like some tiny charm.

"Yeah," Aurora agreed. "I don't like it either, but Mother gave it to me."

Ukyou raised an eyebrow. Aurora almost made it sound like Alexia was a real mother and not some controlling monster. Though the blonde did wonder why Aurora had it around her neck instead of buried in the little leather purse the other demon had slung over her shoulder.

"I'm being good, see..." Aurora said as she held up her hands. Her gaze briefly drifted over Ukyou's shoulder down the length of the mall.

"So far," Ukyou allowed. "Look... I can't really be your... friend. I mean, your mom wants to kill my mom."

"Likewise," Aurora agreed.

"We shouldn't be on opposite sides. We used to be partners."

Aurora smiled as her eyes briefly flicked to somewhere behind Ukyou. "My offer still stands. We could be... together again," Aurora said as her hand darted out to caress Ukyou's hand. All she had to do was distract Ukyou's sense of smell. Mother was more than capable of masking her energy signature. After all, she was the one who taught Aurora how to do it.

"I'm sorry," Ukyou said as she reveled in the physical contact. She could feel Aurora's energy. There was also something else. Something familiar that tugged at the back of her mind. The blonde demon pushed that thought aside as Aurora stroked her hand again and even ignored the tanned blonde that entered the store right behind her.

"Why can't you come with my family? I mean, we are going to beat Alexia," Ukyou offered.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Aurora said giving a fanged smile.

"What?" Ukyou said... as she extended her demonic senses. She sensed something powerful, familiar, and malevolent inside the shop. She had been tricked.

"You fucking bitch!" Ukyou spat as she punched Aurora in the face. As the green-eyed demon tilted backwards, shock on her face that was now missing a couple teeth, Ukyou made a grab for the cellular phone around Aurora's neck. She had to call for help. Akane was in serious trouble.

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"No... no... No!" Ranma shouted once he recognized who his youngest daughter was talking to. The martial artist and his fiancee had been walking along the upper floor of the mall keeping an eye on the two succubae.

"Oh, fucking, Hell," Kasumi said when she saw Ukyou throw a punch at the orange-haired demon.

"Screw this," Ranma said as he opened the bottle of water he was carrying and poured it over himself. There was no time for subtlety. The succubus jumped over the guardrail, landed on the roof of a lower-level shop that jutted out and then finally on the first floor.

"At least she didn't show her wings... yet," Kasumi noted as she drew her gun and called for backup.

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Aurora's eyes slammed into focus as the cord around her neck snapped. Alexia's daughter looked up to see Ukyou straddling her, murder in her eyes. "You traitorous little whore," Ukyou spat, holding Aurora's pink phone in her hand like a prize.

The green-eyed demon's fear turned into confusion when Ukyou's face suddenly burst into predatory glee. The connection was back, Mother was here. The blonde followed the link up to the second story of the mall where the demonic redhead was standing.

"Mom! I'm so glad you're here!" Ukyo shouted. "Alexia's in the shop with Akane!"

Fear flooded back into Aurora. She had to get to Mother. A drawn-out fight was not part of their plans. Aurora flared her aura and knocked Ukyou off her, and scrambled back to her feet. Hardly noticing the damage to her face or the missing pieces of her head, Aurora ran towards the shop.

A primeval scream came from behind her and suddenly pain bloomed in the upper right of her chest. Aurora looked down to see a hole the size of a silver-dollar bored through her, just above her breast.

She stumbled slightly but managed to turn into the clothing stop. She had to get to Mother. Mother would make everything better.

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Inside the tiny dressing cubicle, Akane looked at her reflection. Looking back at her was a sexy, confident succubus. Akane smiled. This was the dress.

The young demoness frowned, something was not right. She was then hit with a wave of demonic energy and suddenly, she was back in that warehouse in Vaughan. Back to the last time she was human.

"Oh no..." Akane whimpered as the door opened.

Standing before her with a cold smile was a tanned, tall woman with long curly blonde hair. "Hello, dear, Mother's back," Alexia smiled as she reached out to Akane.

Akane, for her part managed to snarl, and extend her claws, but her hand fell short of Alexia's arm.

"I'm sorry dear, but you can't harm me," Alexia laughed. "I'm the one who made you, daughter. You are mine." This time, when the brood mother reached out to caress Akane's face, the blue-haired demon only shuddered in revulsion.

"Whatever did that Traitor do to you?" Alexia sighed as she looked over the younger demon.

"You sent me off to die," Akane spat forcing out the words with what willpower remained.

Alexia smiled. "Good. You admit what you really are. An excellent first step."

"Mother! We have to go! She's here!" Aurora interrupted.

Turning to see her daughter sporting a couple holes, Alexia snarled. They might not have secured a mate for Aurora, but they had the more important demon. Alexia wrapped an arm around Akane. "Hurry up, unless you want to be left behind!"

Aurora lunged at her Mother and grabbed onto the taller demon.

Holding a demon on each arm, Alexia smiled at the Traitor before vanishing in a pillar of yellow and green fire.

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Eyes glowing with rage, the redheaded succubus released her fireball at the spot where Alexia was before Alexia teleported out. The orb exploded in the far end of the dressing cubicle and started consuming the contents of the small room.

As she screamed a guttural howl of rage, the redhead slammed her fist into the ground. It powdered the tile floor at the point of impact, made a sizable dent, and spread deep cracks throughout concrete slab.

She slowly pulled her hand back up, not noticing the damage to her digits. They would heal anyway.

Kasumi had not seen the teleportation, but Ukyou had filled her in. She had secured herself at the entrance of the store and was on her phone. "Sir, there is a situation here. I need backup, and people from PR section. That's right sir. We had a public display. We also need strike teams ready. It's Alexia. The bitch took my sister. Yes, sir, bringing the Major is highly recommended."

Lieutenant Tendo turned to look at her fiancee who was holding her remaining daughter. Realization dawned on her "Oh no... Have the observation team get Nariko immediately, sir! Alexia might not be done."

Kasumi then described the day's events. She was almost at the end when Jacob interrupted her. The junior officer sighed with relief. "Ranma! Nariko's okay. She and your mother are being brought here. Under heavy guard," Kasumi added.

"Thank you, sir," Kasumi said into her phone. "I'll tell Captain Jarvis to take over here when he arrives."

Ukyou kept herself close to her mother. The redhead's eyes were flashing in a strange pulsating pattern. Ukyou looked down at the pink phone she was still clutching. "Kasumi! I think we have something!" she cried holding up the phone.

"That's Aurora's, isn't it?" Kasumi said. "Sir, I think we've got our first break. Make sure there's someone from Comm and Crypt coming."

"The little whore was using this to talk to Alexia," Ukyou said as she carefully handed it to Kasumi.

The agent smiled as she held the phone. They had their lead. Finding Alexia was now possible. "Don't worry Ranma, we've got the bitch. We can get Akane back and deal with her."

Ranma slowly turned her head to face Kasumi's. The demon then gave an unpleasant fanged smile and licked her lips.

End Chapter 11

Author's Notes:

It was a long one. Part of the reason it took so much time to write.

I'd like to thank Kevin Hammel and PyroRaven especially for the help they've given in this chapter and some of the upcoming stuff. For some stuff they've gone above and beyond the call. You guys know what you did thanks.

Of course my other prereaders have done their usual work Thanks to Wray Lofin, Pyro Raven, Jerry Starfire, Mondu, J St C Patrick, Mike Koos, Truk, and Joe Fenton


	13. Chapter 12 Revival and Renovation

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Josh Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.

Other website Temple of Ranma's Senshi

C&C as always is wanted.

Chapter 12 Revival and Renovation

Akane smiled. She could feel mother's presence. She had been saved from that horrible monster that had taken her. She and her mother would get revenge on the creature that had tried to change her. She froze after she opened her eyes.

"You're absolutely right, Dear," Alexia grinned as she ran a hand across the younger demon's cheek. Both of them were on a large bed, but Alexia was leaning over the other demon.

"No..." Akane wanted to get up, to attack Alexia, to run, to do something, but there was a... presence that was keeping her from moving.

"Don't worry, mother's here and everything's going to be okay," Alexia reassured. "You're safe from the Traitor."

Akane whimpered as the presence in her mind increased. She could feel it snaking around in her brain. She flared her eyes and growled as she used every ounce of her will to lunge at Alexia. "Stop it!"

The blonde demon intercepted her and embraced the younger succubus. "Are you done playing?" Alexia laughed as she watched the hatred drain from the girl's face. She then reached up and gently stroked one of the girl's horns.

"Please... just stop. I want my Mommy," she whined.

"You'll have her," Alexia gently said as she nudged the girl.

"I will?" the teen asked as she leaned onto Alexia.

"I know it's painful, but I have to break the spell the Traitor put on you. It was an awfully cruel trick she did to you."

"Trick?" Akane asked despair leaking into her voice. Her wings dropped.

"Why yes, she made you think you were some weak human." Alexia said as she removed her hand from the girl's horn and gently hugged her.

"She tried to turn me into someone else?" The young demon asked. "No! She didn't! She loved me! She was trying to help me!" She tried to work up the resolve to fight it, but her memories were fuzzy. Then suddenly one came into focus. She remembered slapping a redhead away and crying about being controlled and manipulated. It was clear in her mind what happened next. The redhead had exerted her control and punished the younger succubus for her impudence.

The teen's eyes hardened. "Yes, she did do that." Other memories and slights of the redhead's were becoming clearer.

"It's okay," Alexia repeated. "You're with me now. Mother's here for you, my dear Eclipse."

"Eclipse?" the young demon asked as she looked into Alexia's eyes.

"Yes, that's the name you were born with. Don't you remember?"

"I..." the teenager paused trying to sort her memories out. "I remember being shot," she whimpered again. "I'm sorry I failed you." Tears started to from at the corners of her eyes.

"I know. It's not your fault," Alexia said as she continued to hug her spawn. "Don't worry, I'm setting things right."

The younger succubus nodded. "You're helping me aren't you?" She could still feel the presence, mother's presence, in her mind, but it was reassuring now.

"Yes, Eclipse. I'm peeling away the damage the Traitor did you. It'll restore you back to your old self," Alexia promised. She was very pleased with Eclipse's response. Unlike Aurora, this girl already was Eclipse. She just needed to be reminded.

"Good," Eclipse purred as hate for the Traitor welled within her. That human-loving redhead had tried to ruin her and it had almost worked.

"Let's get you properly dressed," Alexia said as she led Eclipse to the same set of mirrors that gave Aurora her first view of herself.

Eclipse gave a seductive smile at her reflection. Long metallic blue hair spilling down her back complimented her deep blue and silver-gray wings and tail. She concentrated and shifted her clothing to a pair of tiny leather shorts and a top that had less material than the bras she used to wear. This style would do... for now.

The succubus laughed as she made her clothing vanish entirely. There was no need for such human trappings here. "Thank you Mother. Thank you for saving me," Eclipse said as she bowed before Alexia, adoration and awe in her voice.

"Stand up," Alexia laughed, quite pleased with Eclipse's respect.

Eclipse got back up, blushing slightly in embarrassment.

"Glad to have you back, Sis," Aurora smiled as she walked over to her sister.

"Thanks for your help in saving me," Eclipse said as she hugged the orange-haired succubus.

Alexia's smile soured when her daughters decoupled. The cord around Aurora's neck was empty. "Where's your phone, Aurora? Did you lose it again? There was a reason I told you to wear it around your neck."

"I'm sorry mother. One of the Traitor's spawn stole it from me." Aurora knelt as she gave her apology.

"That's not good," Eclipse said as she resumed preening in front of that mirror. Her new hair color was quite appealing to her.

"Explain daughter," Alexia asked, her tone sweetening.

Eclipse smiled. "The humans working with the Traitor are rather clever, in their own way. They will be able to find out all the numbers Aurora has called. Maybe even their locations."

Despite her artificial tan, Aurora's face paled. "No..."

"This house is no longer safe," Alexia announced. She sighed. This had been a comfortable lair, but thanks to Aurora's incompetence it was useless.

Aurora wanted to ask why they weren't staying and fighting, but she knew it was not her place.

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Communications and Cryptography agent Maya Iverson looked over the cell phone that had been transferred to her and another Forensic Pathology agent.

She frowned as she started to examine the cheap, pink phone. "At the very least we can get some phone numbers from this thing," Maya said as she started accessing the call records. They were surprisingly sparse. It looked like the phone was recently purchased.

"When you get the numbers see if you can get any locations from them," Kasumi briskly said before turning back to Ranma.

The redhead was staring at the far wall of the mall shop as she hugged her two children, who surprisingly enough were starting to fall asleep.

"Uh... Red? We're getting some numbers. It looks like we've got where Alexia lives." Kasumi paused, amazed that her statement had not resulted in more than a slow nod from the succubus. "You should come with us. We're organizing a rescue mission now."

Ranma blinked and got up, gently raising her kids with her. She checked to make sure she and her remaining children looked passably human before following Kasumi out of the mall and into a waiting Company Van.

Kasumi watched her fiance as the vehicle drove to WIC Toronto-B. Despite Ranma's human form it was abundantly clear that she was not human. A powerful and angry predator was thinly contained just under the surface.

"Mommy?" Nariko asked as she leaned onto her mother.

"Yes?" Ranma asked. She smiled slightly, but her eyes still kept their distant look.

"We're going to get Akane back. Alexia deserves whatever you do to her," Nariko said simply, her eyes glowing evenly.

"Yes," Ranma repeated, her voice disturbingly calm.

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"What's wrong?" Ami asked as she watched her female friend slump into her room. She noticed that Janet had not even removed her school uniform.

"It's Mom," Janet sighed and loosened the knot on her tie.

Ami's eyes widened. "Does she know... I mean... about us?"

Janet gave a defeated shrug. "She notices that I'm up here a lot, and our late night outings are starting to make her suspicious."

Ami nodded as she walked over to Janet. "There's no getting around that. We have to do what we have to do."

"Sometimes I wish we were like Sunny and her family. Things would be much easier. She doesn't have to hide what she is from her parents."

"Don't worry," Ami said as she gently hugged the other girl. "We'll get through this. Do you want to talk to Usagi about it?"

Janet nodded. "Yeah, this concerns her. She's experienced this before right? Hiding the truth from her parents?"

"Yeah, her parents are around more for her than the rest of us." Ami's face soured briefly. At least she still had parents, unlike Makoto or the late Mamoru.

"I'm not going to lose Mother. She's the only family I have," the adopted teen promised.

"You won't. We'll take care of everything," Ami reassured as she broke their hug.

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"I understand," Kasumi said into her cell phone. She then turned to the other occupants of the vehicle. "They've tracked down some of the locations in Aurora's phone. Frequently called is a landline to a residence in Pine Gove, not far from that Alexia's warehouse in Vaughan. It's a good-sized mansion. The owner is a younger woman. I wouldn't be surprised if she sported horns now though, or was connected to the fake company that owned Alexia's other lairs."

"That figures," Ukyou noted. It made sense. Alexia could find a rich woman or two and turn them into her minions. That would give her plenty of resources for her plans.

Kasumi communicated with command a bit more. "So far, forward observers haven't detected anything conclusive but they're not on position yet. Regardless we're bringing in jamming equipment and setting up a full quarantine anyway."

"Good." Ranma kept her eyes closed. She reached out to her remaining daughters and kept them close.

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Eyes glowing, Ranma spread her wings and flexed her talons.

"It's a good thing this place is on an isolated property," Lt. Tendo remarked before organizing her men.

"I can feel that the jammers are up. I'm going in." Ranma strode forward.

"But, can you feel her?"

"No, I don't. Just some fodder. Can your equipment pick her up?"

"We're getting the same on our scanners. Though she might be able to fool them," Kasumi agreed

"I thought so." Ranma motioned to her kids and the trio extended their wings and rushed the building.

Kasumi sighed and using her headset told command that the demons had started. She then watched as a pair of armored vehicles broke from the quarantine line and rammed the mansion. Their travel was uncontested and two squads came out of the back of the vehicle and secured the main foyer.

Lt Tendo and her team did not see this; they were in another vehicle that was making a run at a side entrance. Several fireballs thudded onto the roof. They flared harmlessly on the armor. Coaxial-controlled machinegun fire from the APC hit the window where the attack originated. It was joined by a guided-missile launched from the quarantining troops.

The troop carrier stopped at the door and the ramp went down. The team of agents breached the door and found nothing. "Reading anything Gabe?" Kasumi asked as she went forward.

"I see a cluster of seven no... five... um... three Pattern D's. One is a pattern silver. There might be one or two more down this corridor and above us. I'm not sure."

"We'll go to the hallway just on the other side of this kitchen and secure a choke point first," Kasumi said as she led her troops down the room. The walk-in freezer and pantry were both quickly examined. Their contents were unsurprising and ranged from mundane to horrifying.

Their task was to rescue Akane and clear the building. The detailed search and analysis of the contents of Alexia's lair would be the job of Forensic Pathology Section. The team made its way down an adjoining corridor and, after killing a succubus in a maid's uniform with a single shot to the head, met up with a team that had breached the front doors. They went up the stairwell and found an irate redheaded succubus.

"You didn't find anything did you? The bitch just bolted. She didn't even take her whole family. She left us to clean up her trash..." the redhead's eyes narrowed.

"You didn't take any alive did you?" Kasumi asked. "They might know-"

"They weren't told anything." Nariko frowned. Once Mother ascertained that Alexia's minions were useless they were disposed of. At least that part cheered her up slightly.

Ukyou nodded slowly. It was strange. Before, she wouldn't think twice of killing such weak demons. Ones that were scared and abandoned by their mistress. Now... it almost made her feel dirty.

"How did she know to leave?" Ranma demanded, as violet fire flickered down her arms.

"She might have figured out what us having Aurora's cell phone meant." Ukyou suggested.

"Fucking bitch!" Ranma summoned a fireball.

"No!" Kasumi said, careful to keep her weapon pointed away from the succubus.

"Yeah, Mom. Alexia probably left important stuff written around here. Other places she's been to, accounts she uses, things like that," Ukyou said.

Ranma's eyes twitched.

"Calm down Mommy," Nariko said as she hugged the other teen. "I want Akane back as much as you do but destroying this place won't bring her back any faster."

Ranma returned the hug and her expression softened. "I know, Honey." She turned to Kasumi. "I want a team of agents with a powerful scanner thingy and a list of all the places you think Alexia could be. And update me with _everything_ you find out here."

"You're giving orders?"

"I want Akane back, and I'm more than willing to use you guys to do that."

"I just find it a bit strange. You moved from not trusting the Company at all, to ordering agents around."

"It's that or I fly house to house all over town," Ranma said before brushing past Kasumi.

The officer nodded. It was not a hard decision. Take orders from a brood mother that made sense and would be sent for approval with command anyway or let a demon work her way from one end of the city to the other.

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"I can't believe Aurora's incompetence cost us so dearly," Eclipse sniffed as she looked around the suite where Mother had taken them.

"I said I was sorry," Aurora pouted.

"That's not good enough." Eclipse walked over to the other succubus and glared. "I see why Mother saw it fit to bring me back."

"You're forgetting mother had me rescue you," Aurora countered.

"Which you screwed up!" Eclipse extended her claws.

"That's enough you two!" Alexia shouted. Her daughters immediately stopped and bowed their heads. "Good, why don't you two play with each other nicely while Mother thinks things over."

The two girls nodded and started practicing on their clothing and hairstyles.

Looking out the window, Alexia planned her next move. Losing that lair was a blow, but it was just a building and money, such things were easily acquired. More importantly, she had her daughter back.

She could guess how much the Traitor was hurting from this. That redheaded upstart was weakened and emotional now. Alexia considered her resources. A plan formed in her mind. It was risky and it would require some last-minute adjustments but either way it would work.

Alexia smirked. The Traitor would either lose outright and die or lose another one of her beloved pawns.

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Ranma closed her eyes as she sat on the toilet. Her daughters, the two that remained, could be felt outside the bathroom. She concentrated and tried to control herself. She remembered what Alexia did... and it seemed like a useful technique... if only to allow her to regain some scant sanity. Their search had been fruitless. Most of the places on their list had been dead ends. A few had a couple clueless minion succubae but nothing more than that.

She could feel her emotions bubbling within her, occasionally forming as ghostly waves of flames that danced over her. Her experiences as a human and especially as a teenage boy were completely inadequate to deal with the righteous, raw, vengeful rage that came from having her child stolen from her.

Ranma had to get control back... she could feel it slipping away as the phantom flames of white and purple pulsed faster. Her violent urges had to be controlled, not stopped. She was going to devour Alexia. Things had to be contained; so she could get to Alexia and unleash them fully on her.

Sitting at a table near the bathroom, Ukyou and Nariko tilted their heads as they felt mother's energy... diminish. Their connection to her was still there, but the power that mother normally radiated had been deadened.

The two girls went back to sampling their meals. "We should be on base," Ukyou said as she sat in the darkened street in front of miniature mall that contained the fast food establishment.

"We're hungry now, Sis. We spent all night looking. Besides once Mommy's done we'll be back in the van. Those agents do want their food." Nariko pouted. She felt she could almost feel Akane, but she dismissed it as her longing. A part of her was missing and she wanted it filled again.

"I'm worried," Ukyou's eyes traced back to the van parked across the street. There was a fully armed squad in the vehicle, the same one that had been providing direct support. They had been assigned to them after they had cleared Alexia's former lair.

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A block away a trio of demons landed on a rooftop. The tallest started scanning the nighttime cityscape. Her attention eventually fell onto a specific building. She alerted her companions and they began to watch the building. The two younger ones raised issues about the black van's presence but the elder assured them that they were no concern.

Alexia refocused her senses. She could not believe her luck. It was too far for her to identify the scent of the succubae in that building, but she knew there were around two young ones in that building.

A building that was being watched by those meddling humans. Even if the succubae inside the building were not members of the Traitor's brood, they were still succubae. Ones that could be recruited to her cause.

The important thing was that the Traitor was not here. Alexia strained her senses to confirm it. The Traitor was irritatingly powerful for such an insignificant upstart. Alexia smiled to her daughters.

Both would have their chance to redeem themselves. Alexia watched her daughters prepare themselves and fly off. She would be with them shortly, there were just a few things she needed to do.

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A Communications and Cryptography agent noticed one of their flagged phone numbers activate. The conversation was brief and seemingly harmless. Institutional paranoia dictated that it was a code for something.

The agent alerted his supervisor and a generic warning was dispensed to the relevant units.

"That's just great," Lieutenant Patterson said when he received word. He turned to his team "Al, Rich, I want you two to get to those girls now," The agent looked out the back window of the van then back at the pattern scanner. It showed the three demons in the room but Sunshine's signal was... strange; it seemed faded. Patterson's sensor specialist said it might have something to do with interference from being a pattern silver too.

The two agents were just about to leave when a messy streak suddenly arced across the scanner's screen.

"Shit," Patterson muttered. "Alert base, we're going to need backup. Suit up, men."

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"Akane?" Nariko asked with worry crossing her face.

"Oh damn-it," Ukyou said as she looked around the mini-mall.

"Hello girls," Aurora said as she strolled into the mini-mall's lobby through the back door.

"Still wearing mall-rat grade crap I see," Ukyou sighed. "You gonna try to take another one of us?"

Aurora laughed. "You always were perceptive Ucchan."

"She will make a fine addition," another teenage woman said from behind Aurora. She had long metallic blue hair, and was wearing leather hot pants and a bikini style top. Her eye makeup was overdone and even accounting for the proximity to her tanned companion her skin seemed much paler than normal for a succubus. The face was familiar but the expression was alien. It was a crude parody of Ukyou's sister.

"Akane..." Nariko's voice was despondent. She knew this was what had to have happened to her. She had helped save Akane before, and this time she was stronger.

"The name's Eclipse," the blue-haired demon corrected as she slinked over to Nariko. "You two can give up now. Mother would be so much better to you than the weakling of a demon you're serving now." Eclipse reached out to caress Nariko but was knocked over by a punch to the side of her head. She quickly fell to the ground and was momentarily dazed

Eclipse snarled as she pulled herself up. "You'll pay for that, bitch. I'll make sure of that."

"You have no idea what you morons walked into do you?" Ukyou laughed.

Eclipse and Aurora's eyes widened. She was here. The Traitor had been waiting for them.

Ranma charged into the lobby. She had gotten out as quickly as possible. Her pants were the longest part, being something she could not simply force through.

"Well... it's good that you're back Akane. Aurora, I'd like to think that you returned my daughter out of some hope of mercy, but I'm just happy that I can kill you now." Ranma's smile showed her fangs but Aurora's attention was on the redhead's eyes.

"Saotome! Need any support!" Patterson said as his men breached the lobby and took position.

"Let me think," Ranma said keeping her attention on the two wayward demons. Aside from the agents, the only humans she could feel were the staff to the fast food place, the only open shop in the mall at this hour. It would be nice to have the agents take care of that, but that would put them too close to Aurora... and Akane.

"Ucchan, get those humans outta here." Ranma did not want to have to deal with protecting civilians or explaining to them what happened. "Agents, cover us. Don't hit the blue-haired one that bad though."

Ukyou nodded and ran into the restaurant. As a succubus she could be quite persuasive, especially to a group of night shift fast food workers. It did not require much in the way of fear pheromones or physical damage to get them out the loading door in the back.

Ranma studied Akane's form. "At least you're not wearing a bottle tan. Akane, you're gonna fight this, but that's okay. It's not really you. In the end you'll thank me." The redhead's eyes glowed softly and her claws started to slide out.

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From her perch, Alexia's eyes flared in anger. The Traitor was there all along. The redhead had hid herself and had used her minions as bait. Normally, Alexia would have been angry at falling for such an obvious honey-pot. Her smile returned. It was fortunate that she had planned on something like this happening. She vanished from sight with one final glance at that building. It looked like she would have to take care of things herself.

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The magical output from a teleport and a large use of demonic energy was something that several powerful computer systems were tailored to detect. One of which was already trained on the area and instrumental in the sending in of troops to reinforce the area.

The other, a much smaller but much more advanced computer, had picked up on the disturbance and had sounded a shrill alarm. However, the computer's owner ignored the alarm. She had more important things on her mind and in her hands.

The more primitive, but at this moment, more effective computer system had shown a sudden shift in the number of demonic signals. The technicians operating these computers knew what that meant and kept their superiors updated on the situation.

Something that the operator of the other computer system was quite remiss in.

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"My name is Eclipse," the blue-haired demon spat. "It was always Eclipse!" Fire flared around her and she shifted into her true form.

Ranma's eyes, violet with streaks of blue, darted between the twisted form of her daughter and that of Aurora. Elation filled her at the knowledge that Akane was alive. Though she was depressed that Alexia had warped her daughter, but Ranma expected that Alexia would do something like this, but not that Alexia would work quite this fast.

She finally settled on the blue-haired demon's form. "Young lady... we _are _going to talk about that nonsense you're wearing."

"You're not my mother... You never were!" As Eclipse looked into the Traitor's eyes she could almost feel her will being sapped.

"Honey, you've been brainwashed. You sound like you're in a bad movie," Ranma's eyes flashed as she stepped forward. "I wonder if you lost your fighting skills when you lost your fashion sense." The redhead smirked slightly.

"How dare you! You won't harm me. You want your little slave of a daughter back."

Ranma smiled thinly, and stepped forward. "Your sister shot you three times just to save you. What do you think your mother will do?"

Seeing that their enemy's attention was distracted and irritated at being ignored, Aurora extended her claws and tail filaments. She folded her wings back and charged in to Ranma's side.

In a deceptively lazy motion Ranma's tail flicked over and up nearly cutting off half of Aurora's tail before embedding into the green-eyed girl's right hip. As that happened Ranma turned her arm and, in a blur no one could track, captured Aurora by the wrist. There was a brief battle between Aurora's green aura and Ranma's violet but they ultimately canceled each other out.

The redhead then twisted the rival demon's arm, extended the claw on her thumb, and ran it from Aurora's wrist to between her middle and index finger.

Ranma swirled her tail with a degree of macabre panache and ripped it out of Aurora's side. The ragged wound erupted in a crimson fan. The droplets from the spray that landed on the redhead's lips were quickly licked up.

"I've haven't forgotten you Ryoga, dear. You'll get your turn," Ranma laughed. A pair of narrow beams shot out of her eyes and sliced through Aurora's legs.

The orange-haired demon had managed to dodge enough to prevent her femurs from being cut, but there was enough muscle trauma to be a problem. Not to mention the hole in her abdomen and the loss of her right hand.

Eclipse's eyes glowed. Her sister had been hurt and the Traitor had turned away from her. She focused onto the Traitor and came in with a low kick...

... just as Aurora moved and pressed her own attack with the claws in her still functional hand extended. Ranma saw both of them move and stepped into Eclipse's attack

She caught Eclipse's leg and flung her right into her sister. Panicked, Aurora was forced to adjust her attack. Instead of decapitating Eclipse, her claws merely sliced through the demon's hair.

"Sorry kiddo, I'll train you better once this is over, I promise," Ranma said as she retracted the claws in one of her hands and punched Akane in the jaw, resulting in a brittle crunch.

Nariko narrowed her eyes. This was much worse than what had happened to Akane the last time Eclipse took control, but she trusted mother. "Akane... just stay down," she whispered. It looked like Mother's strength and will had beaten her lover's twisted hate.

"Monster!" Aurora cried as she held Eclipse's unconscious form.

Ranma laughed. "Please, I'm saving her. You've taken worse. Remember Assemblyman?"

"Don't call me that!" Aurora snarled.

"Like you could stop me," Ranma shrugged. "Now get up and fight. You've still got all your limbs. Heal your wounds and fight! Where're your fireballs? Where's your eye beams? No glowing sword?"

"Yeah Ryoga. Maybe you can stand and die with some shred of honor." Ukyou added. "I mean you spent months talking about what you were gonna do when you got Mom. Well, here she is."

Ranma sighed. "You know. Maybe I should just tell the Company team watching us to kill you. I think it'd be fitting to have you killed by humans. It's your choice."

"Ma'am?" Lt. Patterson asked as he kept the orange-haired succubus targeted with his HOG. He had a clear shot... for now. But if the demons started fighting again it would not last.

"Sir, something strange is happening!" Patterson's sensor specialist shouted to Morrison as the display on his pattern scanner changed.

"Oh good... she's finally showing her face," Ranma smiled. She would be able to end this mess. She summoned her power and quickly shifted her clothes.

Ukyou and Nariko stiffened slightly, though they kept their stances. Mom was here and mommy was stronger than that monster.

Aurora smiled. Mother had arrived and she would personally kill the Traitor.

"Not just going to stand by and lose _these_ minions?" Ranma taunted as Alexia's form crashed through a skylight in the strip mall's lobby. The redhead looked the rival brood mother over and smirked. "Somehow I hoped you'd be more impressive, but you look just like what you are. A petty thief who has to steal everything, even the home for her brood."

Alexia glared; it would be a pleasure to... correct this Traitorous upstart. Her daughters had seemed to be able to hold their own... if not for that redhead. She appraised the humans. There would be no interference from them

They were in for a rude surprise. It had taken a lot of her energy and had used the last reserves of her brood, but it was worth it.

"This is Green Team! We need a jamming team at our location ASAP! Alexia has been spotted!" the Company officer requested into his headset.

"It ends now, you human loving-" Alexia paused. The redhead seemed to be whispering something under her breath. _Why isn't she cowering in fear, and what is she wearing?_ Alexia thought just before the redhead's hands suddenly went horizontal.

The blonde brood mother's thoughts were cut short as an obsidian orb slammed into her chest. It sent explosive shards racing through her torso. Narrow fans of blood and bits of minced organs sprayed out of her back.

Alexia blinked and saw that the redhead had closed the gap between them. The blonde summoned a shield and put her power to repairing her torn organs. "As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted. Your human flunkies won't save you now."

"Wow... I didn't believe it when Akane said you looked like a carrot, but there you are." Ranma laughed at the tanned succubus as she folded her wings and went on the offensive.

"Fuck! Sir, we've gotta mess of incoming pattern D's!" Morrison shouted.

"What direction?" Patterson asked.

"Um... everywhere sir. At least a few dozen. They'll be in the building in no time." Unknown to the agents, Alexia had teleported her minions to a staging area outside of range and then ordered them to split up and approach the building from multiple directions.

"Sir," Patterson said into his headset. "Alexia's brought the remnants of her brood." He paused. "Yes Sir. We'll hold things until you arrive." Patterson turned to his team and roughly quoted Colonel "Chesty" Puller USMC. "Men, the enemy's in front of us, behind us. We're flanked on both sides by an enemy that outnumbers us over ten to one. They can't get away from us now!"

The officer then turned to Ukyou and Nariko. "Would you two girls mind covering our backs?"

"That and we'll take care of Aurora," Ukyou promised while Nariko nodded.

"Good, come on men. Red can take care of herself. Stevenson take point, we'll take the front entrance. Henderson, Morrison you take the back," Patterson ordered.

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A Company agent fired down the length of the alleyway behind the restaurant. A burst from his smaller barrel dropped a demon that tried to land in the narrow passageway. He pulled a pair of grenades off of his belt and lobbed them onto the roof of the building where that demon had come from.

" Fred that's enough!" Agent Morrison shouted as he tapped onto his comrade's shoulder.

"That got 'em mad!" Fredric Henderson agreed as he and Morrison retreated to their position inside the building. "That got a third of them... maybe," the soldier said as he looked at his pattern scanner.

The door suddenly burst open as a swarm of succubae ran through the opening and right into the agent's fire. If he had the time to think it, Fredrick could almost pity the things. At this moment all he had time to do was kill them.

20mm rounds made short work of the first wave. Then came a pair of fireballs. One splashed just above Fredrick's helmet setting the fabric on the outside of it on fire. The other hit square onto Morrison's chest armor, knocking the agent over.

"Rich!" Fredrick cried as he fired the last round in his 20mm clip. It killed one succubus and maimed another, but another pair slipped in after that. One was felled by a precise burst of 7.26mm to the head by Fredrick, but the other slipped by and pounced onto Morrison. Fredrick had do deal with another group of succubae that came through the door.

The succubus sunk one of her claws into the shoulder of the prone human she straddled. The fire on his chest had already snuffed out but she would make short work of him. Though whatever he was wearing did prove tough for her flickering claws.

Her eyes widened in shock when she saw movement behind the human's goggles. The human's arm then jerked and a bit of cold metal slid across her neck. Then there was nothing.

The demon gasped and flailed, splattering blood onto the agent. Despite this, Morrison flipped the demon off of his body. With his right arm now free, he pulled out his sidearm and placed a pair of fifty caliber rounds into her skull. He flicked the blood off of his k-bar and slid it back into it's sheath.

His breathing ragged, he briefly looked down at the deep scorches in his ceramic-composite chest-plate and the bleeding cuts in his shoulder. He then turned to his partner. "You okay Fred?"

"Me? I'm not the one who a demon pounced on." Henderson said as he put a new fresh 20mm magazine into his HOG

"Yeah, I've gotta thank whoever came up with this new armor we got," Richard said as he flexed his shoulder and decided not to switch guns. He would be better off to not try the HOG.

"Lieutenant, the delivery door's secure. What's the ETA on that backup?" Henderson asked.

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"Get back here!" Ukyou shouted as she dived after Aurora. The orange-haired succubus was becoming a real pain. Ukyou could not dish out damage like her mother, and Aurora was able to heal faster than she got hurt.

Alexia looked at the reforming stump that was her right arm in horror.

"Man... have you ever fought hand to hand?" Ranma said before she took a bite out of Alexia's forearm. "Hmm... from this soft muscle I'd say no."

Alexia snarled as she kept backing up. "You'll pay for defiling my body!"

"This from a woman that coats herself in orange coconut sauce? You're just begging to get eaten," the demonic senshi laughed as she charged up and released another DarkStar Burst, knocking Alexia into a wall.

Nariko was killing any demons that had slipped past the agents at the doors, and was using her considerable spare time to watch her mate. She was therefore the first to see what was going on. "Mommy! Stop her!"

"What the?" Ukyou said as Aurora straightened up and shot a fireball at her. She then swooped down to Eclipse whose eyes quickly opened. Her jaw was still misshapen but she rapidly got to her feet.

"Mother?" the blue-haired succubus asked in a distorted voice, her eyes trying for focus on Ranma's form.

Ranma turned to look at the demon, with a guarded look. Maybe she knocked some sense into her.

"I'm sorry, Mom... Alexia... she was strong... she.." The girl's speech, already mangled by the state of her jaw line, degenerated in sobbing.

Ranma leapt over to her. "It's okay, Mommy's here," Ranma comforted, before she was punched in the nose, which broke in a wet crunch. The force from the impact knocked her over.

"Hah! I can't believe you think I'd turn against my mother so easily," Eclipse taunted.

"Akane! No!" Nariko yelled as she swooped in.

"Don't you see! She broke my jaw. That proves she just wanted to force me back when I was defenseless. Come with me, Alexia will let you into the brood."

Ranma had spun around and swept Eclipse's feet out from under her and then pounced onto the prone form. "You should have followed through with your attack, instead of gloating." Her voice was sad she should not be forced to do this, not to her own daughter, but this was how things were.

Ranma was then hit by a pair of fireballs.

"Take your own advice," Alexia smirked. "Well done daughter."

"Isn't it odd in the slightest that Ranma would be fooled like that? You do think she just enslaved you," Ukyou asked while she fought Aurora.

DarkStar pulled herself up. Deep purple flames surrounded her burned body. Her eyes glowed angrily as she charged at the rival brood mother.

Confidently, Alexia fired off some more fireballs that were simply absorbed by the redhead's fire. Anger clouded her expression which was then mangled by a pair of purple beams that were only partially reduced by her own aura.

Alexia recovered, turned, and ran to her daughters. She grimaced when she felt a pair of claws and fingers sink into the bones of her wings and hold fast. With a scream Alexia flipped her tail up and severed her wings where they joined her back. If she had more time and energy she would have made them vanish, but things were dire. She had to get out.

Eclipse looked at her... mate and sniffed. "I'm sorry... mother needs me," she said before Alexia grabbed her with her remaining arm. Aurora leapt down and hugged her mother.

"No you don't!" Ranma snarled as she dropped Alexia's wings and rushed in. She grabbed Alexia's other hand and snapped the forearm trying to pry the appendage off of her daughter.

"Aurora cut it!" Alexia ordered.

Aurora nodded and used a claw to slice her mother's hand off. Alexia screamed, but the Traitor was no longer attached to her and she was finally able to escape. With hardly enough energy, she teleported away.

Due to the sudden release, Ranma tumbled back. As she watched her daughter get stolen from her again the demon formed a fist, crushing Alexia's fingers. She blinked and could suddenly hear the steady bursts of gunfire. She could also sense a handful of other demons.

"Not again! Not again!" Ranma chanted as she kept crushing Alexia's arm. She slowly stood, separated the appendage and gave the halves to her children.

"Come on Mom, let's see how those agents are doing," Ukyou delicately said as she led Ranma to the back of the building.

"Yeah, we've got some agents to save," Ranma admitted. As the three succubae approached the nearest exit, the gunfire suddenly stopped.

"Heya Red, how'd things go for you?" Henderson asked as he turned from his position behind a mound of succubae corpses that had massed near the door.

"I don't see anyone else back here. I think that's the last of it. Good thing we got the bottom of the barrel," Richard added as he looked over the scanner before carefully checking down the alleyway.

There was the sound of gunfire before that of boots hitting the roof as a squad of agents rappelled down from a helicopter. The Company Blackhawk's door guns quickly dispatched the straggler and leftover demons. After that a team had rappelled down and secured the roof.

Ranma looked at the dead succubae. Naturally, they all had gunshot wounds, but one had something else. "Who knifed this one?" she asked looking at the demon with the slit throat and not much above the jaw.

"That was me, Ma'am." Morrison said as he exchanged hand signals with the reinforcing agents. "I got hit by a fireball and that thing pounced right on me and it was the fastest thing I could draw."

"Impressive." Ranma nodded. "About fucking time," she grumbled as she felt a WIC jamming equipment enter the area. "You guys are too late!"

"Ma'am?" Morrison asked. He looked away briefly. The succubus' form unnerved him. The blood and gore on her were normal, but the healing wounds that dotted her form and the torn uniform were distracting.

"Not you. You guys held on. Though I'd look at your shoulder. It's these other guys that came in late..." She glared at the fresh Company troopers that had arrived on scene.

"About time you got here, Jarvis," Ranma stated.

"Sorry for the delay," the officer replied. His tone sounded sincere, but his features were obscured by his balaclava.

"I won't lose her again."

"Good."

Nariko and Ukyou flanked their mother and tried to keep even expressions.

Ranma looked to see a medic start to work on Morrison's wounds. "How did the other guys make out?"

"Agent Stevenson's being evacuated by helicopter right now. He might lose that leg."

"Will he live?"

"Most likely, unless there are complications."

"Good." The succubus made a note to meet this Stevenson as soon as possible. She added another name to the list as she watched a bandaged Morrison make his way towards the front of the building. The agent had retrieved his rifle and had removed his goggles and slid down his facemask.

"Is that our food?" Morrison asked as he looked at the bags scattered across the lobby. He knelt down and felt one of the bags. It still had a tiny bit of heat. The agent glanced at his watch. It had been less than ten minutes. "Quick."

"It always feels longer," Ukyou mumbled. Her attention went from the spilled food to the carnage that surrounded her. Her Assembly experience deadened her to the smears and streaks of blood, the bullet holes and scorch marks, and even the torn bodies and scattered limbs. At least the fact that she found the charnel tableau appetizing still disturbed her, but she had missed her meal.

She remembered happily eating Alexia's arm with her sister. The blonde's nose was filled with the aromas of the room, many of them quite enticing. If the agents were not here she would consider having more to eat, but she was still a bit self-conscious.

Her eyes widened when she saw her mother flick out a claw, disembowel, and cut out some liver from a nearby corpse. Ukyou should have known better. They were all injured and could use some more energy, and eating their kills was the normal for them.

"I suppose Forensic Pathology doesn't need yet another complete succubus cadaver. Perhaps we would freeze the choice cuts after autopsy," Jarvis remarked dryly.

"Not a bad idea," Ranma allowed as she sectioned the organ and feed some to her kids. "But I don't want you guys to be our personal butchers." She cracked open a ribcage and deftly removed the heart. "Also these things are so much better when they're fresh."

"I see," Jarvis remarked. He looked to see a pair of large wings that were not attached to anything. "Do those belong to Alexia?" the agent ventured.

"Yeah, the bitch was more than willing to cut herself up to escape." Ranma growled. while taking a bite. She then noticed the reactions of the men around her. "Wow, you guys seem to taking our little snack fairly well," Ranma remarked as she hugged Nariko, who was munching on a piece of heart.

The captain looked to see that his men were avoiding looking at what the demons were eating while keeping their hands a bit closer to their guns. "We are experienced in this," he replied, as usual, maintaining full eye contact with her.

"How often do you see us eat?" Ranma asked after she finished chewing.

"I've seen more disturbing," Jarvis said, though that was before he had joined the Company.

"So did you guys get a trace on where they went? Or maybe you got another lead on Alexia's hiding places?"

"Somewhat, though if I may make a suggestion," Jarvis offered.

"What?"

"Go home, talk to Major Saotome, Lt. Tendo, her other sister. Get some rest. I know you want your child back, but you look a bit... manic. Even for a demon."

Ranma's eyes narrowed and she gritted her teeth. Sometimes she really hated Jarvis' ability to stare her down. They both knew what she could do to him but that did not stop him from talking to her like this.

"How can I go home, and walk into that house without their sister?"

"It's your choice, but you have a family that loves you and supports you," Jarvis's eyes looked wistful. "Take advantage of that. At the very least, sleep when you get fatigued. Even your kind needs sleep."

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Eclipse frowned at her shortened hair. It was the only damage left. Her face had healed but the hair was still ruined.

"I'm so sorry sister. The Traitor tricked me and-" Aurora's apology was cut short as the other demon spun around and jabbed her fist into Aurora's side. The orange-haired succubus gasped as the hit opened up barely healed wounds the Traitor had given her.

"I don't need your excuses. I was there," Eclipse snarled. Unlike Aurora, the Traitor had avoided killing blows on her, but the redhead has still wounded her. They had fought well against the Traitor's spawn, but then _she_ arrived and they were forced to withdraw. If mother had not been there to allow them to escape...

Eclipse snarled. She did not want to consider that possibility.

"I'm sorry," Aurora bowed as she held her side.

"Yeah, I'm sure you are," Eclipse smiled. She then returned to the mirror and looked at her ragged hair. "Perhaps a style change was in order. Long hair did remind me of... her." The demon's eyes narrowed in remembrance of a life that was all lies.

"Hmm... let me see first," Aurora said. She was curious who her sister was talking about, but knew she could not ask.

Eclipse eyed her tanned sister's teased, permed hair, and slinky evening wear. "I'm not exactly your style."

"I know," Aurora reassured. "I've been thinking about something that matches your personality."

"It could help my hunting," Eclipse allowed. It had annoyed her that her little sister was more proficient at enticing and harvesting humans than she was. Though in all fairness, Eclipse did just have one night of hunting under her belt. It was another thing the Traitor had ruined for her.

"Don't worry sis, " Aurora said as she led Eclipse over to her makeup table. "If you don't like it we can undo it."

"What are you girls up to?" Alexia entered the room her two daughters shared.

Eclipse and Aurora fell silent and bowed their heads towards their mother. They had already been punished for their failure, and they knew they were still on thin ice. Neither really minded the first half of their punishment. It was an honor to serve mother until she regenerated from the damage she had taken to protect them, though the forced abstinence was incredibly cruel.

"I was going to give Eclipse a makeover," Aurora quietly said.

"Oh wonderful," Alexia smiled warmly. That fight had been sobering. The traitorous bitch had actually _hurt_ her. The thought of that redhead devouring her arms sickened her. It was clear that merely sending her children to fight for her was not enough. She was essentially out of minions too. It would take time until she was ready to make her next attack. It would also take more sessions with Eclipse. That girl knew much about the traitor and some of the things could be... useful, but she had to be careful she did not want to probe too deeply into those memories.

"I do regret that you failed to ask me for my advice," the blonde pouted while

flexing her recently regrown hands. Her current plans were not working. Something more had to be done. She smiled warmly at her daughters and left them again. She might as well let them have their bit of fun

"I would love to have your help," Eclipse said in a forced happy voice. She was a bit worried as to what her sister would come up with, but if things got out of hand mother would make everything better.

'Trust me," Aurora smiled as she started to work. A half hour later she had finished and let Eclipse to a mirror. It was largely for presentation. Eclipse was an integral part in generating her accessories and borrowing the jewelry from Alexia's supply.

"Wow... you really did a good job," Eclipse cooed as she looked over herself. She was wearing her slightly more elaborately detailed and embellished black hot pants and micro-top, but they were just the under-base. She was wearing stylish platform boots with a heel that helped her tower over Aurora.

Her short hair had been gelled, shaped, and spiked at the ends. Her eyes were heavily made up with heavy black eye-liner, mascara, blue eyeshadow that almost went to her temples, tiny arched eyebrows, and long, intense eyelashes. Her cheeks had been powdered to a pallor that somehow was pale even for a succubus. Black lipstick adorned her lips and matched the black talons her nails were shaped into.

Her ears had extra piercings added to them that were filled with alternating hoop and dangling earrings with gemstones. Her belly button had been pierced and had a stone in it that Aurora had convinced Eclipse was not too gaudy. The chain anklets, silver bracelets, and satin choker seemed like a bit much, but they did look good on her.

Eclipse drew the line at the tiara. Though it was fun to wear it in private when it was just the family. "You might not be so useless after all," Eclipse complimented as she rubbed one of Aurora's horns.

"I know how much your mate laughing at your clothing hurt you and I wanted to do something about it," Aurora said after she finished purring. "Especially, after you showed me and mother how I had damaged things." The hardest part for Aurora was keeping a straight face. Though she doubted Eclipse would have noticed. She was too busy preening in the mirror. The best part was that her _big sister_ actually liked her new look.

"I hope mother will have us rescue her next," Eclipse sighed as she looked at her reflection.

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"What do you think you're doing?" Major Saotome inquired as she blocked her daughter's progress. The Saotome women were in one of the corridors of the subterranean WIC Toronto-A base.

"I wanna go back out. Akane needs me... Alexia..." Ranma's eyes flared angrily. "That bitch ruined my daughter."

"I know. Captain Jarvis told me about it."

"Then why did you order me back here? I thought you guys had something. A lead on where they were hiding," Ranma asked, the glow in her eyes flickering.

"We're going over what we found in Alexia's mansion. We will get something. She's too flashy of a demon to stay hidden for long. Hell, she just tried to attack you."

"More reason for me to go back out there."

"No."

Ranma looked to see that Nodoka was looking her in the eyes. Unlike when Jacob or Jarvis did it the redhead lowered her own gaze. "Mother... I'm going back out there."

"No, you're not." Major Saotome carefully stated. "You're going to get some sleep." Nodoka reached out and grabbed her daughter's arm.

"Uh... " Ranma looked down at her wrist, the grip was light but substantial. She could just walk out, but that would be going against Mother. The young succubus bowed her head. "Please..."

"You need rest." Nodoka said as she looked at her daughter. The succubus' skin was not it's normal alabaster pale. It was tinged gray and her eyes were less focused. "You can go right back out in the morning."

"Yes mother," Ranma said as she clutched onto her mother.

"Wow, so that's what we're like," Ukyou mumbled to her sister.

"It's cute, Mommy really loves grandma," Nariko said as she and Ukyou followed their Mother and grandmother.

Nodoka put her arm around her daughter who was trying to burry her head into her mother's side. "It's okay, Honey."

"I... I have to be strong, I have to get her back." Ranma's voice hitched as she started to sob onto her mother.

"I know dear. I know," Nodoka soothed. She then felt Nariko and Ukyou join in and start to comfort their mother. Nodoka smiled at the warmth and ran her hand through her daughter's hair. In the middle of a group hug, the officer led her family to her office and lab where a couch with a folding bed had been moved in.

The officer's eyes raised as she watched the succubae strip. She had somehow forgotten that part of how they worked. "You're sleeping with us? Right Mom?" Ranma asked when she was down to just her bra and underwear.

"Of course, Honey." Nodoka said. She could not say no to that expectant and scared face. Her daughter might be a lethal demonic cannibal, but Ranma was still her little... girl.

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"You let her use your couch," Stillwater stated to Jacob as the two watched the Saotome family fall asleep. The commander looked to the bare spot in Jacob's office where the couch normally was.

"It was the only hide-a-bed on base. Aside from yours, Sir." Jacob smiled.

"Good initiative. I am impressed by what the Major is willing to do for family."

"Indeed. We can also see where Miss Saotome gets her figure from," Jacob said as he turned off the monitor. It was still being recorded of course. And they were being watched by the surveillance teams, as were the agents guarding the door.

"I see Miss Saotome was more than willing to... make use of our resources. It appears that your plan is working." Stillwater's tone was cautious.

"Miss Saotome is irreplaceable. If we betray her trust we'll never regain it, but-" Jacob smiled. "-if we maintain it. We gain something very useful."

"I hope your optimism in her part during the tasks ahead is not misplaced."

"She is a pattern Silver that has proven herself resourceful, strong, and willing to work with us. Once this Alexia mess is cleared up we can move forward. She has been a costly distraction."

"One that has forced changes in Miss Saotome however." Stillwater scanned through Ranma Saotome's file. "It's cumulative. Every battle she fights... "

"You're not worried about those eyes are you? We have plans in place. Besides every indication we have shows her brood is getting closer to us. Having them mix with our agents has been quite successful. "

"Aren't you worried about things being too successful?"

"There's no such thing," Jacob stated.

Stillwater paused to think. "I want increased surveillance on Miss Saotome. The pressure she's under now is immense."

"That should be easy enough. Since her daughter's abduction she hasn't been more than a hundred feet from an agent."

"Good. Moving on." Stillwater took a sip from his mug. "Has there been any progress on that potential leak?"

"Jarvis has eliminated several agents and associates who knew enough to be a risk, but today's events have delayed his investigation." Jacob said as he displayed a new file on his computer.

The senior officer frowned at the report. "I want an independent investigation on Jarvis too," Stillwater ordered.

Jacob blinked "Yes, I'll contact Command and have someone sent in. Sir, do you suspect him?"

"No. If I did I would handle it personally, but we can't leave things to chance. We are trusting him with a great deal of responsibility."

"He has been an exemplary agent, family history aside."

Stillwater chucked. "That actually relieves me. A man with skeletons in his closet is less suspicious than one who's record is lily-white."

Jacob nodded. He was aware of Jarvis' feelings and knew where the man's loyalties lay. "You are aware that such an independent investigation would look into our own actions?"

"I fully expect that, and they should. The importance of our work warrants it."

"Maybe General Anderson should just come for an inspection," Jacob sighed.

"Now, that's a bit harsh," Stillwater laughed. "We need verification of ourselves and our officers not what he'd put us through.

"True." Jacob said as he scratched the scar on his hand. "In other news we're running down the records that we found in Alexia's mansion. It looks like the heiress who officially owned the building, who we found turned into a succubus and wearing a maid's uniform, had a fair number of holdings.

"Most of them we've cleared and we're running down the last few. Though if Alexia goes to ground she can just mesmerize or turn some homeowner and live there."

"She's not going to hide. She'll lick her wounds and maybe rebuild her forces but she wants Miss Saotome. Alexia will attack again."

"Alexia was eager to attack tonight. I guess she wanted to show off her new toy." Jacob took a long pull from his mug. "According to Green Team, Alexia only escaped by cutting off parts of her own body."

"Reminds you of the good old days doesn't it?" Stillwater smiled.

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"Well Nabiki, you're not making demands on when we'll get Akane back? You're not asking for an update" Kasumi asked as the remaining Tendo girls walked down an aisle in the grocery store.

"Would it accomplish anything? She's been gone for over three days. I know what happened when she was gone for a couple hours," Nabiki turned to eye the agent who stood back and watched their movements.

"We're doing the best we can. I mean Ranma's-"

"-crawling up the walls. I didn't really believe she was a mother. Not until I saw..." Nabiki trailed off as she looked at a cereal box.

"Ranma gave up her humanity and her manhood for them. She won't fail," Kasumi replied.

Nabiki looked at her sister critically. It was clear as day now that gentle, distanced Kasumi was a killer. Naturally, it was her eyes. Nabiki turned and looked at the pair of agents that were following them. Gabriel still looked awkward and geeky, but Nabiki knew it was all a lie. It had to be. The female agent that was next to him was unfamiliar to Nabiki.

"I know it's hard. I know what it's like to have your world turned upside down, but you have to be strong," Kasumi offered.

"We can't all be good little soldiers. Some of us are normal," Nabiki snapped back. She noted the slight smile that formed on Gabriel's face.

"At least you're not avoiding your protective detail," Kasumi allowed.

"I'm not a moron, sis." Nabiki sighed. "I can't stop you guys."

"But you did demand that it be reduced."

"I want to have something of a normal life. It's not like I'm a real target. They don't care about me. It's Ranma or her family, people that are close to her. I'll just take the minimum. Besides, every agent watching me is one less that's looking for Akane." Her gaze hardened and she laughed bitterly. "Though Dad and Mr. Saotome are clueless. You guys can keep them supplied with food and booze and they'll happily stay in the house."

"Yes, they're happy being waited on. They don't demand to go out and shop."

"I know bad stuff's going on but they're not really after me. You don't have to sugarcoat all this. I could handle this."

"Honestly? You've only seen one side of this," the officer stated.

"If you say so," Nabiki dismissed. She wondered what Kasumi was planning. There had to be more to this. Kasumi was busy. Why was she here?

"Are you okay?"

"What? Fine. I'm fine." Nabiki looked to the front of the store. "Everything's okay."

"No, it's not." Kasumi said as she drew her sidearm with one hand and pulled out her phone with the other.

"Huh?" Nabiki asked as she watched an orange-haired young woman walk into the store. She was elegantly dressed and had a nice, if slightly suspicious, tan.

"Gabe! Get Nabiki out of here! Now!" Kasumi ordered as she and Sophie fired their guns.

Aurora smirked as the bullets impacted her flaming aura. The green flames glowed brightly and blocked them both. The grin reduced when another round was fired, and another.

She gritted her teeth as the strain on her aura increased. It was getting harder to generate enough power to shield it. The demon leapt to the side and tried to flank the agents.

Aurora almost grinned at the respite, but was then knocked down by a sequence of carefully aimed shots at her chest. She almost made it. However the barrage was just too much. Most of the rounds made it through the weakened barrier. The momentums of the bullets were greatly reduced. Though there was still enough damage to put the succubus down.

Kasumi frowned. She would have preferred to hit her in the head but she did not want to miss. The agent strode forward.

Aurora looked at the mess that was her abdominal cavity and smiled. She could feel her organs healing already. "You really think I came alone, human? This is all going to plan," she stalled. Eclipse should come in any minute and take her out.

The officer heard a young woman scream. "Sophie, go support the others, I'll be done here soon enough," Kasumi ordered as she increased the pressure on the trigger. She shot her last round into the demon's head and then did something she had never done before.

Kasumi turned, reloaded, and ran in the direction of her sister's scream, all without making sure that the demon was not regenerating the wound, or exactly where the wound was.

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Nabiki felt herself being pushed by a strong arm.

"Move it!" Gabriel shouted as he led her to the back exit. His sidearm was out and he was shouting the situation back to base. "Davenport! Bring the van to the North side of the building! I'm evacuating a civilian!" Gabriel shouted into his radio.

"Okay, okay," Nabiki said as they went through a stockroom. It was easier to go with the flow than question the man with the gun.

"Turn here!" Gabriel hardly had time to think about the lieutenant's orders. He should have stayed with her. Unless the lieutenant thought that more Pattern D's were coming. In that case it was still... questionable, but Command's orders confirmed things. He was to get Nabiki out of the combat zone and to safety immediately.

Gabriel opened a side door and checked to see if it was clear. Gabriel spotted the company van idling a dozen feet away, with a combat-ready agent at the wheel. A delivery truck had prevented Davenport from pulling up right next to the curb. He then shoved the teenage girl and ran with her to the vehicle.

As Nabiki ran to across the pavement she felt a surge of wind on her back and felt the other agent's hand slip out of her grip. She looked down to see Gabriel's body sprawled on the ground, and crouching on his back was a garish Goth girl. It took Nabiki a moment to see through the heavy makeup and spiked-hair, not to mention past the large wings and tail. "Akane..."

"I don't see what Aurora's problem is with these guys," Eclipse snorted, as she dug her heel into the human she had landed on. It was not terribly hard to land on one while delivering a blow to another. She turned to see that the driver of the van had pulled out a gun and was raising it. Eclipse quickly formed a small fireball and launched it into the side window.

The orb shattered on the window and broke into globs of napalm that stuck to the interior of the van and Davenport. His armor and goggles protected him but he was unable to make out anything.

"What did they do to you?" Nabiki asked as she backed away... away from the demon and the burning person "God... just look at you. I liked you better when you were a nudist."

"You'll regret saying that." Eclipse narrowed her eyes and stepped off the unconscious agent.

Nabiki looked at the jeweled demoness for a split second before turning and running to the burning van.. It was a futile effort. Eclipse easily caught up to her and Nabiki screamed as the demon pounced on her.

"I was planning on helping Aurora get the Traitor's little girlfriend, but you'll do," Eclipse smiled as she ran a finger across Nabiki's chin, and studied the human.

"I'm your sister!" Nabiki said, trying to regain her will.

Eclipse chuckled. "Not yet, but soon."

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Jarvis frowned as he watched a medic look over Agents Gabriel Smith and Robert Davenport. Smith was lucky that he only had as little damage as he did, and Davenport was lucky that he had been able to use the van's fire extinguisher as fast as he did and had the foresight to slip on his armor beforehand. His attention returned to Lt. Tendo who was standing before him. She had explained the situation, not just to him, but to Colonel Edwards.

The captain made a few more inquiries. It was frustrating that Aurora had gotten away, and that Public Relations section now had do deal with the shoppers and staff that had seen a glowing woman get shot repeatedly and get back up.

It was Sophie who confirmed that Nabiki was taken by Eclipse. She had arrived just in time to see Nabiki being carried over a nearby rooftop off by the winged demon.

"Aurora was a former Assembly acolyte. An acolyte with superior regenerative abilities. I should have finished her but I felt that aiding Nabiki and Specialist Smith was more urgent," Kasumi admitted.

"However, _Eclipse_ had already made off with her." Jarvis allowed himself to sigh. Nabiki had requested less agents surrounding her. Her reasoning was approved by command, however Eclipse was still on the loose and Nabiki was now taken.

This was why the Company normally separated agents from their families when they were on duty. It made for complications. In Willard International Consulting's long history situations of this nature had taken place before.

There was training for this, but it was easier to simply kill a possessed or turned family member than what the lieutenant had to deal with. Jarvis suspected that tonight's incident would shortly become another field example for young recruits to be trained on.

The captain brought his expression back to its normally adamantine rigidity. Lt. Tendo could not see him look amused, especially not at this. He could sympathize with her. One by one, she was losing her family. At least she still had some hope of getting them back.

"Sir?" Kasumi inquired.

"The men will get the same orders about Nabiki as they did Akane," Jarvis briskly replied. He put his hand on her shoulder. "We will get them back Lieutenant. The Company takes care of its family."

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"We have found them," a pale man said as he showed his companion the image capture. It was a blurry shot but they could make out enough details to make the twilight photo seem viable. Neither was an expert in photo manipulation, but they had some practice. The relevant area of the shot was cropped, zoomed in and the contrast was increased.

It was pixilated and the face was hidden in shadows but they cared about the uniform. The shoulder pads on the uniform were different, but the skirt, collar and bows were unmistakable.

"When and where was this taken?" the elder inquired. Just after they had gotten their logistics in order and were ready to move their operations, their quarry had vanished. Everyone suspected a leak... or a more sinister form of surveillance. After a shakedown in the organization their efforts were redirected to finding their quarry again.

"About a week ago and... in Canada, Toronto." The man leaned back in his chair. "What the hell are they doing there? The prophecy has their rule elsewhere." He specifically avoided names. Names had power; names drew unwarranted attention.

The elder stroked his beard. "There had been rumors speculating around that area."

"The collaborators?" the pale man whispered. They were almost as bad as the prophesized ones. "But, they only care about..."

"They care about continuing their own power. And they'll work with anyone that will ensure that. They are no different from that collection of false priests." The man absently rubbed his neck. Once long ago, before the Master had saved him, he had been lost, but now he was on the Path of the Will.

"But the prophesized world has no place for their kind."

The elder-man smirked. "Of course. No doubt the collaborators think they are doing what they have always done. Dividing those that prey on humanity against each other."

"Perhaps they plan to use them and destroy them."

"I would not like to trust the fate of the world to people such as that. I am sure that in reality it is the collaborators that are the ones being used."

"The prophecy does say that the rule of purity can be defeated."

"Yes. 'And there will arise a weakness in distant lands. If the will exists to use innocence as a lance then the new moon will set.' "

"We always assumed distant lands referred to where they would takeover..." The younger looked back to the screen. Despite it being a blurry image, he found it hard to look away. "We must tell the Master, he will know what to do, and when to act."

Nabiki groaned as she was dumped before a tall blonde succubus. "So you're Alexia," she managed before the demon's green eyes locked onto her.

"You're perceptive at least," Alexia smiled. "It seems that you managed to get something useful out of Aurora's failure."

"Thank you, Mother," Eclipse beamed. "At least my dear sister was still alive. Though when I found her, the poor thing was delirious and stumbling."

"I was shot in the head," Aurora replied as she fluffed her hair. It was a small miracle that the bullet was offset just enough to allow her brain to stay largely intact. "But thank you sister. I did need your help. It was rash of me to think that I could take that human alone." Aurora bowed her head.

"It's okay," Eclipse smiled as she rubbed her sister's horns. "You now know what happens when you're left to your own devices. Don't worry. I'll be the one in charge now."

Nabiki frowned as she watched her sister dominate and pleasure a purring demon. "Of course. I wasn't even the target. You wanted Kasumi," the brunette clenched her fists. "That redheaded slut comes here and everything falls apart. It's not enough that I lose my sisters to her. No, I get pushed to the side."

"Are you through, human?" Eclipse inquired. "You should be grateful that I brought you before Mother, instead of just ripping you open."

"That's enough dramatics." Alexia dismissively waved. "From both of you." She inspected Nabiki. At first she tried to resist the demon's touching, but she found herself rapidly overpowered both physically and mentally.

"Not a bad find, Eclipse. She has... potential." Alexia turned back to Nabiki and pouted. "You're right to feel bitterness against that redhead. Don't worry, you'll get your chance against her," she whispered as she sunk her teeth into the human.

"How are you holding up?" Ranma asked her fiancee.

"I've lost both my sisters, how do you think?" Kasumi said before returning to the reports she was reading. The mansion had been cataloged and almost all of the leads from it had been run down. They were running out of places to search.

Ranma sighed. It was easier to comfort Ukyou and Nariko. She could just hug them and listen as they poured their hearts out. With Kasumi, the redhead did not want to risk touching her. The agent probably could not handle that. She also refused to talk about it.

"We could go back to base. Would you want to talk to my mom?" Ranma offered. It was a hassle to visit sometimes but Ranma was relieved that her mother had not left that facility since Akane was taken.

Ranma was... unsure of how she would handle losing Nodoka, or another one of her kids.

"No, I'm fine."

"You're not. I know. I see my own grief in you." Ranma leaned a bit closer to Kasumi.

"I can't stand it. I lost Nabiki and I can't even save her. Not in the end." Kasumi's hand flexed. "In the end you're the only one that can save her."

Ranma nodded slowly. She knew what she had to do, and accepted that. It was good that Kasumi did too.

Kasumi looked the brood mother in the eyes. "I know what you'll have to do. And it's better than what Alexia's doing to her. I just wish..." Kasumi closed her eyes. "Why wasn't it me?"

Ranma thought for a few seconds. "It was supposed to be you, but... you fought back. Alexia wants to hurt me not you."

"And taking Nabiki doesn't do that?"

Ranma decided to go with honestly. "No, not as much as if she had gotten my fiancee. She has Akane; she knows that. She knows my feelings."

Kasumi's expression closed any further discussion along those lines. There was only so much the agent could handle at a time.

"I'm just saying that Aurora attacked because _you_ were at your weakest, then, not Nabiki."

"Then why was she taken?"

"They didn't want to come back empty-handed? Maybe Eclipse remembered Nabiki. What I don't get is why Eclipse didn't help Aurora. Both of them could have taken you."

Kasumi's gaze hardened. "Maybe they don't get along. Maybe Aurora was supposed to take me alone and Eclipse was there to watch her."

"I'll be sure to ask before I tear into Aurora," Ranma promised

A silver and blue haired demon smiled as she looked over her body. "I take back everything I said about demons, Akane," she laughed, her sky-blue eyes twinkling. She was then knocked down to the ground by a blow to her back.

"Don't call me by that name," Eclipse growled.

"Know your place, little sister," Aurora added.

The new succubus stood back up to her full height. She looked at Eclipse's platform heels and smirked. "We're both demons now sis. It's a level playing field. And I always was smarter than you."

Eclipse's arms suddenly went out to the impudent girl. One grasped her by the neck and lifted her off the ground and the other gently rubbed at her horns. "Level?" Eclipse laughed. "You're a newborn, not even weaned from Mother."

The silver-blue-haired demon's sight dimmed as her body was assaulted from conflicting sensations. Her powder blue and white wings drooped as did her blue finned-tail.

Before her vision darkened completely, the new succubus lashed out blindly striking Eclipse hard against the side of a sensitive horn. Surprised by the unexpected and painful attack, Eclipse dropped Nabiki and fell sprawling onto the floor.

"Know your place little sister," the silver-blue-haired demon spat at Eclipse.

Eclipse rose, growled, and unsheathed her talons. "You're going to regret that you bitch," she said as both demons faced off.

"That's enough!" Alexia angrily shouted as she suppressed her glee. It was what she expected. Her new daughter's mostly unaltered mind was irritating her other daughters immensely. Perfect. She would be able to try a new track with this daughter. "Yuki! I expected better of you."

"Yes mother," Yuki bowed. She was not terribly keen on her new name, but mother had given it to her.

"Yuki," Eclipse smirked. "I see how that fits our little ice princess."

"You're making fun of the name our mother gave me." Yuki, who was still bowing, allowed a small smile to form.

"Indeed," Alexia noted as she walked up to Yuki. "However, she is right. You are the youngest of us, and yet... your body does not reflect this."

Yuki shivered when she looked up into her mother's green eyes. "I see."

"Soon enough you will," Alexia assured as she led Yuki over a bed. "We will correct this mismatch in your maturity."

"But mother-" Yuki started but stopped when Alexia glared at her.

"Defying your older sisters is one thing, but you will NOT defy me." Alexia growled. "I see that I was too lax with you."

Yuki froze. Instincts that she hardly understood were telling her to obey immediately and her intellect agreed. Anything to minimize what was going to happen to her.

"Good," Alexia laughed. "Don't struggle. You might damage something." She then flared with power and sunk her fangs back into the girl. The brood mother summoned her power and went to work.

Yuki cried out and lost consciousness as her body shifted and changed again.

Shortly, Alexia finished. She turned to Eclipse and Aurora who had been watching happily. "What do you girls think?" she asked as she caressed the slumbering succubus.

"She's now definitely the younger sister," Aurora noted.

"Can she be even smaller, Mother?" Eclipse politely asked. Yuki would need to be taught her place.

Alexia grinned, a daughter after her own heart. "Good idea. Yes, she can." She turned back to Yuki and made the adjustment's in the young demon's height.

"Perfect work Mother," Eclipse choked out. She was still blushing from the praise mother had given her.

"It's time to wake up Yuki," Alexia said as she kissed her.

"Mommy?" Yuki asked as she floated back to consciousness. She looked at her hands in puzzlement. They seemed smaller. She then noticed that her hair had somehow lengthened and was spilling in front of her vision. Her eyes went to the collection of floor-to-ceiling mirrors that covered one wall.

"Go ahead," Alexia encouraged as she helped the girl to her feet.

"I'm... I'm younger," Yuki said as she padded closer to her reflection. She looked similar to how she did just before she entered high school. _Minus a few inches_, she mentally corrected. She looked around to see her family towering above her. She briefly wondered if she was even shorter than the Traitor.

"Yes," Alexia laughed as she hugged her little girl. "You are my youngest daughter, and now you're in the proper body. Isn't this better?" She asked as she rubbed both of Yuki's horns.

Yuki nodded as she purred.

"Well, I have other matters," Alexia said as she kissed Yuki again. "Listen to your big sisters while I'm gone." She then turned and left the room for her own chambers.

Yuki turned to see her sisters advance on her.

"You heard mother," Eclipse coyly said. "We have to help you. I think you need a new style first off."

"Yes," Aurora agreed. "I have an idea for our little ice princess."

"I'm not going to be your toy," Yuki hissed.

Eclipse reached out and snagged Yuki's slim wrist. "You should listen to mother. ' Don't struggle. You might damage something.' "

Yuki slid out her own white-blue claws and barred her fangs.

"She's got spirit sis," Aurora laughed.

"You always had to be difficult sis," Eclipse sighed.

Lieutenant Richards looked down the hallway as he closed the door to Section Chief Tofu Ono's lab. He had been ordered to present his report to the Forensic Pathology head, but he was not in his lab at the time. In addition to dropping off the file, Richards used the opportunity to prevent his time from being wasted.

He almost allowed himself to be startled by Colonel Edwards and some Operations Major he did not recognize. The two men had a hushed conversation as they walked down the corridor. Richard's innate curiosity led him to eavesdrop on the two men. He only caught bits of their conversation, but what he did catch worried him.

"I am pleased at your promptness in arriving," Jacob stated.

"General Anderson insisted," Major Randal Koster replied. "This is an important facility, and your reports have raised questions."

Jacob nodded. "That's why you're here. To verify our activities and to check into that officer."

"From what I've seen the situation is... unorthodox but being handled properly." Koster allowed, he would have rather talked to Jacob in the privacy of his office, but the officer wanted to talk while they walked on the way back from Major Saotome's lab. That had been an.. informative meeting. More so than the videos he had seen before. "The situation is sensitive. Especially with this Alexia woman."

Jacob nodded. "And of the other issue?"

"It's a serious charge. That man, are you sure?"

"Only people you trust are capable of betraying it."

"Mother," Yuki whined as she clutched onto Alexia.

"What happened now?" Alexia asked as she soothed her daughter.

"Eclipse and Aurora keep dressing me up. They're mean when I don't agree." Yuki shuddered. The bruises healed fast enough, but when pain was used in combination with her horns it was... unnerving

"But you look so adorable," Alexia countered. The light blue cheongsam, with silver embroidery, she wore fit her body nicely and complimented her long hair, which was held back with a pair of ribbons.

"I guess so," Yuki relented, with an embarrassed blush. She did take pride in how she looked, and was pleased that Mother appreciated what she went through at the hands of those two. "They're so forceful and aggressive, though."

"You are younger, so sometimes they have to be more forceful when they know what's right and you refuse to listen. Besides, they're being nicer to you?"

"They liked my makeup today," Yuki noted with pride. Eclipse had actually given a begrudging compliment on it. She then got angry when Yuki refused to wear the right shoes. Yuki hated those strapped high-heeled powder-blue pumps; she felt that Chinese slippers would match the style thrust upon her better. Aurora and Eclipse had other ideas.

"But why do I have to do what they say?"

"They're your big sisters," Alexia hugged. "They're just helping you. They're only mean when you're stubborn and disrespectful to them. It's much easier when you just agree with them."

"I guess so," Yuki sighed. She wanted to ask when she would be able to decide for herself, but knew it was best to hold her tongue. It did not take her long to figure out how to avoid her sisters' ire, and more importantly, Mother's. She did not have to like the rules but she had to know them.

"Besides, you have me," Alexia smiled. "Remember when I punished Eclipse for throwing you against that wall, and for a silly thing like not cleaning her room fast enough."

"I know. I don't know what I'd do without you," Yuki purred as she reveled in Mother's presence.

"Good, I'm happy you girls are getting along," Alexia picked up a small notepad covered in neatly written letters and handed it to Yuki. "Now last time, you were talking about the Traitor and her relationship with this human?"

"Have you seen Sunshine?" Naoko asked the pony-tailed blonde after stopping her between classes

"Sorry, I haven't." Usagi blinked "Why are you asking me?"

"You were with us when Sunshine and us went clothes shopping. Remember your little white dress?" Samantha reminded.

"White dress?" Ami asked with a small smirk.

"So that's where you got that dress," Janet noted.

"We were just curious and thought you might know. You seem to be Sunshine's friend too." Naoko sighed

"It's not just her either. Nariko and Akane are gone too." Samantha absently looked at the cuffs to her uniform. "Heck, Akane's sister has been absent for a few days too now."

"I don't know what's going on," Usagi shrugged. "If you guys do find out, could you tell me?"

"Have you tried calling her?" Ami asked with flat tone. Her mind had returned to Janet's mother. That woman had no solid proof that something was up with her daughter but she was still suspicious.

"I did. Eventually, I got Sunshine. She sounded like she had been crying. She didn't say what was wrong. That was the day before yesterday, and the last I managed to talk to her." Naoko confessed.

"I see," Usagi stated. "I hope she gets okay."

Samantha and Naoko nodded and went on their way.

"Why hasn't she contacted us anyway?" Janet asked once Naoko and Samantha were out of earshot.

"I think something happened to her family," Ami proposed.

"Oh dear." If someone had done something to anyone that Sunshine had cared about... Usagi nearly stumbled as a graphic image entered her mind. There was blood... blood and violence.

Yuki smiled as she negotiated with the shopkeeper. The human found her simply adorable and her ill ease at the teen's older sisters was put to rest by her pleasant demeanor. "Thank you, I'm sure my sisters will just love the discount," she bowed as she walked back to the mirrored room where Eclipse and Aurora were primping.

"Wow, you look really great in that dress, Eclipse. Excellent taste. Did you pick it out yourself?" Yuki asked already knowing the answer.

"No... Aurora did," Eclipse replied.

"She's very good at fashion." Yuki innocently said as she smiled at Aurora.

Eclipse studied the diminutive girl. Her tone was respectful. "Why you..."

"Calm down, she just complimented me," Aurora sighed. It was annoying, if she didn't know any better she'd think Eclipse was jealous.

"I'm sorry," Yuki softly stated with her head down. "You picked out a perfect China-mini and accessories for me," she offered as she posed in her pink, silver-trimmed, miniskirt-length cheongsam, matching pink heels, and complimentary pink lipstick and blue eyeshadow.

Eclipse's glare softened. She was getting paranoid. Yuki had become such a simple girl, so eager to please and respectful. It was plain as day. "Did you get the discount?" she asked, hoping for a reason to correct the girl.

"Yup! I got forty percent off. I did just like you told me to." Yuki praised. _Though I added some tips from mother and... before, _she thought behind her vapid smile.

After a brief sigh of disappointment Eclipse allowed herself to smile at the girl.

"Did-did I do something wrong?" Yuki asked picking up on the sigh "What was it so I can fix it?" the girl's voice dripped with a desperate, eager desire to please.

"Nothing. Um, good job Yuki-chan. See how easier things are when you listen."

"Oh yes," Yuki agreed basking in positive reinforcement. Things were much easier when she obeyed them, especially given how clueless they could be.

Seeing Yuki's respectful eagerness, Eclipse continued. "It was like last night. You were worried about your first hunting night, but with your body and my advice..."

"Yes, it was very fun," Yuki blushed. Satiating her urges had been almost as good as the compliments her sisters had given her afterwards. Though she had no idea why they thought it was a great accomplishment. With her body it was easy to find someone up to standards and then relieve them of their money afterwards. But, it was the first time they had treated her like a... sister.

"Zip me up," Aurora ordered, but without venom in her voice.

Yuki happily complied. If her big sisters insisted on acting this way she would not stop their foolishness, besides she did enjoy being needed by them. "That dress really compliments your tan. You look like mother," Yuki gushed before she wandered off to the shoe section.

Eclipse tilted her head, but her gaze hardly lingered on her innocent little sister. "Mother favors me you know."

"Of course you are the eldest and strongest," Aurora replied, but her snide tone caused Eclipse to clench her fists.

Yuki hummed happily to herself while at the other side of the store her sisters argued. She was seeing if the store had her preferred style: fancy and cute, strapped, pumps. She decided on a white and coral pink set that fit her feet and walked back to her sisters. The money she had collected last night would allow for her extra purchase.

When she returned she saw that Eclipse had Aurora pinned on her knees and was applying pressure to her neck and where the girl's horns would have been. She remained respectfully silent and waited until Eclipse finished.

"It's a shame when the older of my little sisters acts more immature," Eclipse sighed as she let go of Aurora. "Don't you agree?" She asked Yuki.

"Of course," Yuki happily concurred. It was easy to just go with the flow of her role, especially when Eclipse was posturing like this.

Eclipse smiled. "At least one of my sisters knows her place."

"I'm sorry," Aurora said after she caught her breath. She would have liked to fight Eclipse formally, that way if she lost, which she doubted would happen, she lost with honor, but mother gave them orders to keep a low profile.

"Come on, we've got what we needed," Eclipse said as she gathered her items. Her sisters followed her to the counter. Their items were rung up at the reduced rate that Yuki had negotiated and paid for with a credit card of young woman who only went missing a few hours ago, except for Yuki's pair of shoes. That she paid for herself.

Yuki took the card back from the saleswoman and smiled when she returned it to her pink purse. Alexia's idea to use the credit and bank cards of their "recruits" was not a bad one, but Yuki recommended that they stop using them after a couple days. It would not do to help those meddling humans find them.

Mother agreed with the idea, and that Yuki was tactful enough to mention it when they were alone. She knew it would be counterproductive to make her sisters jealous.

Eclipse was walking through the door when she froze. Driving down the street was a plain black van. What she sensed in the vehicle was quite familiar to her. "Out the back! Now!" she ordered to her sisters.

"Humans?" Aurora hissed.

Eclipse nodded and turned back and walked to the back of the shop.

Yuki gave a brief glance at the street. The van gave no indication of slowing but she was sure that it was full of agents. Undoubtedly, they had called their masters and were waiting for the Traitor to arrive. She ran after her sisters. That they, of all demons, where this afraid was something she took to heart.

Eclipse led her sisters out the back door, down and alleyway and then found a young man more than willing to give three shopping girls a ride home. Later, Alexia would laugh at Eclipse's narrow escape and her method of procuring a new recruit After the brood mother converted the new minion, the car was dumped in a parking lot a few miles away as a precaution.

Alfred Stevenson lay in his bed lightly dozing. The door creaked open and the subtle scent of leather, fresh soap, and newly shampooed hair wafted into the room. His eyes rapidly opened and focused on the succubus at the door.

"You freshened up; I see," Alfred sighed as he leaned back again.

"I shower a lot," Ranma shrugged. "Besides, I don't want to scare the piss outta you and show up all bloody and smellin' like hellfire."

"I've had worse."

"I can imagine," Ranma could feel her kids walk into the room. She turned and saw Nariko wave at the agent.

Alfred coughed. "Sorry that you didn't get to your daughter in time, at that clothing store," He stated, anything to remove the awkward silence.

"It's okay. I came as fast as I could. At least we know more about them. What Nabiki looks like now for example," Ranma sighed. Kasumi was the one that confirmed the identity of the third demon. She recognized Nabiki's face from store's security cameras. Kasumi was horrified at what had been done to her, and Ranma was dumbfounded. What purpose was there to making her younger? Also, Alexia seemed set on spreading her terrible fashion sense to all of her stolen broodlings.

"So what are you doing here?" Alfred asked.

"I'm thanking you, you and Morrison. You guys..."

"We were doing our job, Ma'am." Alfred flexed his hand. "To be honest your daughter's help did help us."

Nariko smiled at the compliment.

"How's the leg?" Ranma asked after putting an arm around her daughter.

"I still have it. If that's what you mean." Alfred looked down at the bottom of the bed where it was clear that a pair of feet were under the covers. "I'll have to go through rehab, and there's still a chance I won't be able to go back to field duty."

"Well, if that falls through talk to me. I'm sure I can help get you back into the field," Ranma gave a fanged smile.

"Oh... uhh thanks." Alfred said after he figured out what the succubus had offered.

"Don't worry. There's more than one way to do it. Provided you're not dying of course." Ranma added.

"Good luck getting your daughter back," Alfred said after blinking. He should have known she'd make an offer like that. Even nice succubae that were good comrades and drinking buddies were still succubae.

Eclipse nodded in approval when she saw how clean her room was. Her eyes turned to her little sister who had curtsied and kept her head bowed in respect. The maid's uniform had been Eclipse's idea but having it white and pink and frilly and risqué, had been Yuki's. Eclipse had heartily approved of that. She found the whole process... empowering.

Yuki had put a lot of effort into the uniform, from the pink bustier, which was modified to allow for her natural form, to the tiny pink skirt that showed off her frilly white lace panties to her little white apron tied with in a big bow in the back. Eclipse was particularly pleased with Yuki's footwear selection.

Her little sister was wearing a pair of above the ankle dark pink, three inch heel boots with fur trim and shinny buckle accents. Eclipse did not like the pointed toes or the spiked heal of the shoes, but she had to admit that they looked good on her little sister.

Eclipse remembered the fun that Yuki had while deciding on which stockings to wear. Ultimately she went with white ones with little pink bows to hold them up at mid-thigh. The bit of taut tummy and narrow waist that the abbreviated top showed also pleased Eclipse. As much as she felt that those Chinese dresses suited Yuki it was a shame that she could not have a bare midriff in them.

"Are you satisfied?" Yuki softly asked as she clutched a duster in her manicured hands.

"Very much," Eclipse agreed after she inspected her room. She walked back to her little sister and gently rubbed Yuki's horns. "You did well."

"It's... it's my... pleasure to serve," Yuki gasped out between purrs. When Eclipse finished, Yuki looked reverently into her sister's eyes. Mother's advice had made her big sisters so much easier to live with. Now, they were nice. They looked out for her and only punished her because they cared.

Eclipse noticed something slightly odd. It was too cutesy to be out of place, but... "What is that?" she asked looking at the bracelet that Yuki wore

"It's a charm bracelet with Hello Kitty and Barbie and..."

Eclipse zoned out and nodded while her little sister listed each cute charm in nauseating detail.

"Isn't it the cutest thing?" Yuki squealed with delight. "Mother said she would buy me some plushies that match it, too!"

"That's... good," Eclipse smiled.

"There you are," Alexia said as she walked into the room. "Are you done with Yuki, Eclipse? I need to talk to her."

"Of course," Eclipse said as she released the little maid. She used to be jealous of the attention that Yuki received, but mother had explained that Yuki was simply being used as an information source, to help defeat the Traitor. Eclipse respected that, Yuki was too weak to be a full warrior, but she still helped in what ways she could.

While Yuki followed her mother her clothing shifted back into her preferred cheongsam. The maid's outfit was nice for cleaning, but it was not who she was. "Yes mother?" Yuki asked as she entered Alexia's suite.

Alexia put her arm around the smaller demon. "I must commend your performance. You're quite skilled. You became exactly what your sisters wanted while still serving me perfectly. Though it worked a bit too well didn't it?"

"Mother?"

"I don't think it's an act anymore," Alexia said as she ran her hand through Yuki's long hair. She had been watching this one carefully and wanted her to come out perfect. "It felt too good, you were too happy. Is there anything left? Even a tiny core that's not the perfect little sister?"

Yuki leaned her head onto Alexia and nodded sadly.

"It must have hurt to lie to your sisters like that. To lie to me."

"I'm sorry mother," the young demon sobbed.

"Don't worry. I know you tried and you almost did it. I'll reward you with a little cleaning of my own," Alexia promised as her eyes glowed.

Yuki blinked when the tingling in her mind stopped. "But... I don't feel any different Mother."

"Of course not. It was just a minor little thing. The part that thought it was acting."

"I always was Yuki. I was just blind. Until you showed me." Yuki hugged her mother and increased her sobbing.

"It was my pleasure. You deserve to be rewarded for your work," Alexia said as she led her daughter to the couch and handed Yuki's notebook to her. "Now you were suggesting an ambush against the Traitor?"

Yuki beamed. Both because she had worked so hard on the idea and that Mother had an interest in it. "Oh yes. Well, it's really yours. I just... helped." She blushed.

"Go on," Alexia coaxed.

"The key is to get it to be just you and the Traitor. Without her cheating allies you would be free to take charge."

"Yes, and the weaknesses you told me about would be exploited beforehand," Alexia nodded. "That could make things... fun."

"And big sisters' mates would be taken care of too," Yuki added with a smile. If things worked out as they should only one weak brood mother would need to die.

End Chapter

Special thanks to my prereaders: Trimatter, PyroRaven, Kevin Hammel, J St C Patrick, Wray, mondu quiambao, Truk. They read my most bonehead mistakes so you don't have to.


	14. Chapter 13 Retreat and Redemption

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Josh Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.

http/jtemple. website Temple of Ranma's Senshi as always is wanted.

Chapter 13 Retreat and Redemption

The Drake looked at his eldest, but youngest, daughter. She had finished crying and was leaning her head on his chest. The educator looked up to see the girl's mother sitting on the other side of the kitchen table with a blank expression on her face. It was an unnerving way to spend the evening, but he was happy to see his child again.

Nariko's mother, Ranma, did not look... well. Her eyes blinked more frequently and her hands were twitching. The redhead had one arm around her blonde daughter and her gaze kept returning to Nariko.

Drake supposed that this was proof that she did trust him, and value his role in Nariko's life. Otherwise she would not have let this meeting take place. Drake sighed. He wished her luck in destroying this Alexia.

Under the current situation he was unable to leave his mansion and had to make sure that neither Soun or Genma left their protective custody or even Soun's house. Drake eyed his own protective detail, standing off to the side in the kitchen. Ranma did not need to worry about more people, especially after Nabiki.

"It's okay, Nari-chan," Drake reassured. He tilted the photograph that she was holding. It was a somewhat provocative picture of a fully demonic Akane in a bikini. It showed signs of careful folding and unfolding.

"I will get her back," Nariko swore as she clutched onto her father.

Drake hugged her and noticed one of the agents hold his hand to his earpiece and stiffen. He and Ranma both made inquiries as to what was going on. The agent's response was cut off by the ringing of his phone.

The agent blinked at the ringing but after checking with base motioned for Drake to answer. Nariko reluctantly pulled herself off of him and went back to her mother. "Hello," he said, knowing full well the line was tapped and being traced. "I see. Yes... she's here."

Ranma's gaze hardened when she was handed the cordless phone. "Speak."

"It's a good thing the humans you keep at your house are such buffoons," an almost child-like voice laughed. "One of them practically fell apart when I called. At least he managed to say where you were before his blubbering became incoherent."

"Nabiki?" Ranma inquired. The voice was close to hers, but it was wrong too.

"I'm Yuki. But you're perceptive. I'll give you that," Yuki giggled.

Ranma understood why the agents had gotten more nervous. They had recorded Yuki's first call and expected this one. "You know you're being traced right?"

"I'm not stupid." Yuki's tone was defensive, but still vapid. "I'll even help you. There's an abandoned hotel off 401. Halfway between here and Kitchener. It's in Morriston or do I need to be more specific? I'd hope you guys can figure things out from that." She taunted.

Ranma growled. This seemed wrong. It had to be a trap, but it seemed too stupid. "What game's Alexia's up to?"

"She's tired of playing with you," Yuki said in a bored tone. "Oh, and don't think of just having your human lapdogs flatten this place. It'd be a shame to kill big-sister Eclipse, who you so dearly want back."

Ranma snorted. "Is that it? I'm disappointed. Alexia didn't even call me herself. What's the matter? She couldn't figure out the phone." The redhead asked as she absently licked her lower lip. "If Alexia's really there... well at least she can stand up to her death."

Yuki hung up the phone with a smile and a slight twitch. Her plan for mother was going perfectly.

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"They're the same?" Ranma asked loudly as the Company APC raced down

the 401.

"Yes, the trace on the call matched the location described," Jarvis replied in a shout to be heard over road noise of the all-terrain tires. He was sitting up front, next to the driver and looking over his shoulder at Ranma and her children. "A helicopter has just arrived on scene and confirms the presence of Pattern D's. As per your... suggestion, it's holding back."

"Good, I want those jamming trucks you have in position first. She's not getting away, not again."

"It has to be a trap," Jarvis pointed out loudly from his position next to the driver.

"Even if it is, sir, we can't avoid it," Kasumi pointed out. She returned back to checking her and her team's equipment. She could feel her fiance's optimism and hoped that it was not unwarranted. There was hope that she could get her sisters back... thanks to Ranma.

"Of course, but she won't blow up the building. Not if she can't escape." Ranma smiled as her eyes flickered.

"You do know what to do... when you see her?" Kasumi asked.

"Of course," Ranma mostly succeeded in a warm smile. "I know what we have to do."

"I do wonder if Alexia's prepared for us, for the Company" Jarvis smiled.

"She never seemed to care about you guys. Even though you've destroyed so many of her minions." Ranma shook her head. "Amazing, she still thinks this is a game. Even after what I did to her. Well... this'll be over soon enough."

"Indeed," the officer agreed. The change in the demon was intriguing. The prospect of revenge and rescue rejuvenated her. On a suspicious lead, she had bounced back from desperation and despair. She was a fascinating... person, and he sincerely hoped that this time she got her daughter back and disposed of Alexia.

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Alexia lounged on her throne. It was a smaller affair than the one she had when she first turned Eclipse, but for now it was enough. Yuki had just given her the good news.

It was only a matter of time now. If Yuki had followed her directions then the interference from those humans would be minimized. While she waited, Alexia extended her sense and allowed her mind to drift.

She imagined herself kneeling before another throne. Her three concubines and two, soon to be gifted, minions were behind her in the correct positions. They all had the same identical expression of joyous adoration and submission. Each was wearing light silks and jewelry. Eclipse had bare breasts and a tiny almost bikini-like wrapping around her waist and legs. Aurora wore a translucent green silk dress that was unnecessarily cut very short. Yuki had some measure of modesty in her tiny silk skirt and top.

Alexia wanted to show off her craftsmanship with the other two. It had taken time for Alexia to alter them to bear that hated face, but it was fitting, those two young succubae had been spawned by that treasonous human-lover. Naturally, they were both now redheads and were presented to the one on the throne as a gift; the spoils from defeating the Traitor.

They knelt behind Alexia's concubines, their blank expressions betraying what they were. Alexia left them able to speak and understand commands but not much else. They were to be empty vessels, ones that her grandmother would do with as she pleased.

In her mind, Alexia could hear the amused chuckle coming from above her and see her gaze slowly rise. It was always the same. Seated on the throne with a superior and... almost pitying smile was her grandmother, BlackSky. Her deeply blue eyes were the only thing that gave any indication to her true age. Glossy black hair spilled down her shoulders, back, and seemed to surround her and mix with the shadows. Her leather dress was elegant, but lacked ornamentation. Even her throne was only grand because of its scale, not for any detailing or material.

Alexia smiled. She would show BlackSky who really was the strongest. Being raised on the melancholy but saccharine stories of that... traitor's exploits had infuriated her. Though it was not until Alexia had been sent from their homeland to this human-infested dirtball that Alexia's hatred had truly boiled over.

She had seen the proof. DarkStar had been reincarnated. Something that was impossible, blasphemous, for demons do to. The stink of Serenity was all over this. DarkStar was clearly a traitor -- she had to have sold out her race.

However, once Alexia presented the remains of the Traitor to BlackSky she would reap the rewards. She would prove to her grandmother that her fond memories of DarkStar were all lies, that she was being tricked by that human-loving redhead. Alexia would be allowed to return, allowed to go back home.

A smile formed on her face as she considered giving one of her girls to her grandmother as another token. While, it would not hurt to curry more favor, she was loath to break up the set.

Alexia's face darkened when she sensed something wrong. There was an interference, not in her normal senses but in the background. She had felt it before around those damnable humans, but it was never this apparent. The brood mother opened her eyes, and called for her daughters.

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Ranma surveyed the hotel. It was really more of a slightly tall motel, but it was clear that Alexia lived here. Like her other lairs, her... odor lingered around the grounds. There was also the powerful demonic presence that indicated that Alexia was home. WIC had done their part and now Alexia was boxed. The redhead allowed a large smile that showed her fully extended canines.

"Just give us the word," Jarvis said before checking to make sure Red and Gold teams were in position for insertion and the targeting of the rocket crews.

"This is risky," Ukyou noted as she looked over the layout of the building. Despite her nervousness, she maintained her ready position.

"The explosives should not bring the building down. Besides, Red's information on where they are should be sufficient." Jarvis stated.

"Should be?" Nariko asked.

"They're anti-personnel with sub-munition grenades."

"I rather like it," Ranma smiled as she flexed her wings. It was a calm brisk night. Cloud cover obscured the stars and moon, but reflected ground lights. "Do it."

The brood mother smiled as a half a dozen rockets launched from their tubes. From various points at the quarantine line they stuck out and hit several rooms in the five story hotel's upper floors. The building erupted in a handful of flashes that destroyed the few minions that were guarding the approach.

Ranma was the first one to the door. Immediately behind her, on either side, were Ukyou and Nariko. A bewildered pair of succubae turned to the intruders. One slid out her claws. It was enough.

Rushing the two, Ranma dove between them. A pair of economical swipes with her fingers spread out dug into their sternums and ripped out at their shoulders. Both minions fell to the ground in messy, flopping heaps.

"Are we supposed to be impressed by your ability to kill newly recruited minions?" Eclipse laughed as she entered the lobby from a side door. She had removed some of the ornamentation and embellishments that normally adorned herself; this was a fighting night.

"She does seem so pleased with herself when she does it," Aurora agreed, following her sister. She was decked out in similar "fighting" clothes as her sister.

"This is stupid," Ranma growled. "Is Alexia even going to try? You know I can beat you two. You're not even bringing out-" she paused to recall Nabiki's new name. "-Yuki?" Contrary to her tone, she was amused. She then felt a new presence. "There you are, finally going to fight?" She asked without turning to face Alexia who had entered from the opposite side that Aurora and Eclipse had entered.

"They're not here to fight you." Alexia's smirk died when Ranma flipped back, twisted in midair, and fired a pair of narrow eyebeams before landing in front of her rival.

"It ends tonight," Alexia snarled as an intense flaming aura around her absorbed the attack. "Girls, take care of the traitor's spawn," she said as she formed a pair of fireballs.

"That's just insulting," Ranma spat. "I mean _this_ is your plan." She was slightly wary. Yuki had been the one to call her but she was nowhere to be found. Three against two would at least give her kids a bit more of a challenge.

"Die!"  
Alexia screamed as she lobbed her fireballs at Ranma, who neatly dodged them.

"Well Aurora, are you going to be difficult?" Ukyou asked as she flexed her hands.

"Mother will defeat the traitor and free you from her tyranny."

"You know... same can be said for our Mom. Well not for you though." A look of pity crossed Ukyou's face when she looked at her former partner. After Mother finished with Alexia...

"Is something the matter?" Aurora taunted.

"I'm going to save you," Ukyou swore. "I don't care what mother thinks. I'll save you." The blonde then pounced.

Eclipse snorted as she watched her little sister fight with that blonde bimbo. Those two did make an... appropriate couple. Mother's plan to divide the Traitor from her minions had succeeded. "What do you think?" Eclipse posed in front of Nariko. She had to keep her mate occupied and fighting was not the most desirable way to do that.

"You look even worse, Akane," Nariko noted sadly.

"What?" Eclipse's eyes flared. "You lie! Do you know how much work goes into looking this way?"

"I never thought there would be something you'd do worse than cook." Nariko sighed as she stepped towards Eclipse. Her voice gained a new seriousness and edge "I just want my mate back."

Nearly transfixed by the change in those red-eyes Eclipse took a step back and nearly stumbled on her platform heels.

"You forgot mother's lesson on footwear." Nariko gave a nasty little smile. "Heels are stupid, but if you've gotta wear them, wear ones you could actually fight in, and then train in them. You've been slacking off, haven't you?"

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Yuki shook her head as she waited in her spot. She could hear the fighting. It was only a matter of time. Mother would defeat the traitor and then teleport them out of here. Mother had to win. She was perfect. She was stronger. She protected Yuki from her big sisters when they were mean.

Yuki blinked. Mother also made her sisters. More importantly Mother made herself. Yuki knew her purpose, and sometimes... it disturbed her. More and more Yuki's mind raced in circles. Mother made her, mother made her to help her defeat the traitor, but Mother was stronger than the Traitor... she had to be...

Nevertheless... Yuki shook her head. Mother would take care of this. After the traitor was killed everything would be okay, Yuki assured herself. Her eyes flicked when she saw movement in front of her. Mother had given her the task of taking care of any humans that might interfere.

She was honored that the youngest like her would be given such a task and worried about failing mother. Yuki steeled herself. She knew what _these _humans were capable of and was very worried about failure.

As the succubus stepped out, claws extended, she took comfort that she did not have to defeat the humans, but merely delay them. The humans heard her and instantly pointed their weapons at her. Yuki focused. This was going to be the tricky part.

"Nabiki," the human in the lead stated.

Yuki snarled and stepped forward. Her expression softened . "Yes... you... have to.. Mo- Alexia..." she started, her tone halting and pleading.

"Yes," Kasumi agreed. She looked over the overly cutesy, pink mini dress-wearing, demon that resembled a much smaller and younger version of her sister.

Inwardly, Yuki smirked. Suddenly there was a flash, and she yowled in pain. She crumpled as a burst of bullets perforated her belly. She tried to rise, but only managed to glare at the human who had shot her.

Kasumi kept pressure on the trigger but held her position. "This is Lieutenant Tendo, we've run into one of the... hostages," she stated into her headset.

Yuki looked at the blood pooling around her and smiled slightly. The human's sentimentality would delay them. All Yuki had to do was make sure they wasted their time watching her, instead of simply killing her and moving on. She shivered when she actually studied the weapons they were carrying. Even her big sisters had trouble with these humans, a little demon like her would have no chance.

Yuki slumped back down. She would do what was best for mother, even if it meant surrendering. Besides, once Mother defeated the traitor she would rescue her youngest daughter. Yuki believed in her mother, and the pain in her wounds kept her from thinking too much.

Kasumi frowned. The succubus appeared to be pacified but... any false move would result in the death of one of her men... or of her... sister. The officer evaluated the demon and fired again.

"What the hell was that for?" Yuki cried as she held onto her chest. "I'm already down."

"You were getting a bit lively. Besides, Akane took three the day she was turned."

Yuki sighed and leaned against the wall. All that was left was for the best succubus to win.

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"Is this it?" Ranma snarled as she blocked one of Alexia's attacks.

The blonde succubus smirked as she withdrew to the side of the room and grabbed a large cylinder that had been stashed there. She twisted the top and tossed it at Ranma, who extended her claws and sliced open the container. The contents sprayed out and covered her.

At first Ranma thought she was hit by acid or perhaps assembly holy water, but it only tingled and burned from the heat of the water itself. "The hell?" A soaked redhead glared. Her skin had reddened and cracked in places but it was rapidly healing.

"Why didn't you change?" Alexia demanded as she blocked the barrage of attacks. Yuki's advice had come to naught, a gallon of pressurized hot water was worthless.

Ranma ignored the question. "That was just pathetic. Were you trying to broil me?"

Alexia smirked. She would show the traitor broil. A small fireball formed in her hand and a lance of magical napalm spurted out of the orb in a continuous stream. It took concentration, but she guided it right over the impudent redhead. It was her strongest attack, and it was too draining to use normally, but this was not a normal situation.

Ranma dodged to the left to try to get outside the stream, but it followed her too fast. Her right arm was hit directly, the spray bounced off her arm and lit her side and face on fire. Her aura mitigated those wounds somewhat, but the lance rapidly burned through her arm and then continued to clip half of her right wing off.

The flames over her body were a mixture of her aura and Alexia's attack. With her remaining arm she summoned a DarkStar Burst and launched it at Alexia's crotch. Alexia snarled and managed to maintain enough bone structure to stand, despite the fall of blood that came from her mangled loins.

Alexia's stream of napalm intersected with her pouncing rival before it sputtered out due to lack of energy. For half a heartbeat she enjoyed the impressive, fire wreathed hole to the left of the redhead's sternum just before being knocked back by a pair of thin beams of light that hit the edge of her forehead and bored in. Ranma gasped, feeling drained from her DarkStar Burst attack as she slammed into the other succubae, both landing in a snarling, slicing, burning, biting heap. Alexia's attack continued through the wall, igniting surprisingly small fires where it went through and dripped.

Alexia wildly, and then blindly started clawing her opponent. She could feel her claws and tail sink into her rival's flesh, but the traitor did not relent. Summoning her fire stream again she tried to burn the traitor off of her, but her energy reserves were depleted more than she expected.

Ranma growled as she eviscerated Alexia yet again. Her prey's regeneration was getting frustrating, especially when she had to cut into her with just one arm. The redhead chuckled at the thought and attempted to limb Alexia, who thrashed with every ounce of her strength.

Their tails entwined around each other and had shredded both ends and were now flailing about damaging both demons. As Ranma lunged with her fangs she slammed Alexia's jaw closed and pinned her head to the floor. As this happened Alexia brought her claws to Ranma's ribs and in spite of Ranma's aura started cutting into the traitor's organs.

The grim embrace continued as Ranma began to chew through Alexia's neck. It was slow going. Alexia was tough, and the battle had already taken a toll on Ranma's body. Right now, both of them were being held together by their demonic powers, but Ranma was at an advantage...

She was feeding. The blood and meat she received from Alexia's wounds was less than what was being sliced out of her by Alexia, but it was something. The redheaded demon made contented noises as Alexia's motions got weaker and weaker. She pulled off of Alexia's neck and caught one last, desperate, slash in the face from her almost helpless enemy. Ranma grabbed the offending hand and broke the arm it was connected to with a little smile. She then licked the blood off of Alexia's cheek before tearing off a piece of it. Alexia mewled in pain and closed her eyes.

The redhead frowned at the grumbling in her stomach, and the pain in her limbs and the gaping wound where her lung was. Her need for nourishment outweighed her desire for a slow, careful revenge. Draining bits of Alexia's energy was a start, but she needed more...

She cracked open Alexia's chest and began to feast on the relatively undamaged choice organs before moving onto the flesh and other parts. When Alexia finally died, Ranma paused briefly at the rush of life energy and redoubled her efforts. Strength had returned to her brutalized body.

Ranma could feel energy coursing through her. Waves of shadows bounded over her form and blooms of deep violet light sparked as her flesh began repairing itself. It all made her more keen on getting everything she could out of her catch. She had eaten succubae before but nothing like this... this was a mature piece of meat that was saturated with power, and it was not too gamey.

When she finished, the redheaded demon rose over a collection of entrails, hair, and broken marrow-sucked bones. The immediate area was cleaned of blood and other drippings, but the surroundings, where Ranma's fire and tongue did not reach, were still splattered and streaked with blood. The room itself was heavily damaged and was dotted with spreading fires.

The revitalized demon held a contented and full smile. Her rival was gone, and her next task would be simplicity itself. As she looked at the detritus that used to be her rival a chuckle welled within her. It grew into laugher and was developing into a deep, evil laugh that seemed to permeate the building and echo with increasing force when she coughed and started hacking.

"Stupid lung," she complained as she wiped her chin. "Grow back already."

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During her fight with Aurora, Ukyou kept getting glimpses of her mother's fight with Alexia. Ukyou blinked when she felt a sudden burst of energy pass over her. The reaction she saw in Aurora was even more profound. The green-eyed succubus stopped and turned to face the fighting brood mothers.

Her expression was a combination of horror and disbelief. "Mother... no," she cried as she watched Alexia get devoured.

Ukyou saw her chance. She leapt onto the Aurora, who was not resistive. She was about to bite down onto her former partner when Aurora faced her. It was not an arrogant demoness who was looking at her, but a lost young woman. Ukyou knew what she had to do. She would not let mother have a second meal tonight. Aurora's shock and mental retreat made her job quite easy.

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"Mother!" Eclipse cried when she felt the impossible happen. The connection to mother, the presence in her mind was... gone. Her mourning was cut short by a fireball hitting her side. She angrily glared at Nariko who had that insufferably pitying expression on her face.

"It's over," Nariko said, but kept her claws ready. "Just look," Nariko said as she made a grab for Eclipse's neck.

Caught by surprise, Eclipse found her gaze forced onto the grim view . Even when the other demon's hand pulled back she found herself unable to look away. "No, Mother... Mother can't lose."

"She hasn't. Mother has won," Nariko said, for once giving a truly demonic smile.

Eclipse watched her mother be consumed. All that she was, all that she had was being taken by that redhead. The victorious demon rose and after indulging in an triumphant laugh, turned and looked right at her.

"I know what you want," Eclipse said straightening herself. The victor wanted everything that Alexia had, not just her body and power.

The redhead stepped closer. Her numerous wounds were already healing, but she was still covered in gore, only some of which was hers.

"Mother..." Eclipse gulped. She would not run. "Mother failed."

The redhead chuckled as she got close enough to touch Eclipse. "Yes she did," she said as she flexed her newly reformed arm.

It was then that Eclipse felt the fangs sink into her neck. She closed her eyes and let darkness consume her.

Nariko stepped in to capture the falling Eclipse. "Thank you mother," she brushed her mate's hair and sighed.

"Watch her," Ranma smiled. She had only remade her into a daughter. She was still Eclipse. Ranma had other demons to take care of before she started working on healing Akane. "I've got other business." She walked over to Ukyou and blinked. "What's this?"

"You're not killing her," Ukyou said as she cradled a blinking Aurora.

"Ucchan..." Ranma started.

"No Mom!" Ukyou's eyes flashed orange. "I wanted to save him, and now I can save her."

Ranma gently caressed Aurora's dazed face. "You have spirit, Ucchan. Another daughter?" She studied the subdued succubus. A smile formed as she took Aurora into her arms.

"Thanks Mom." Ukyou whispered as Ranma did it. Later she would ask why the water was ineffective.

Ranma nodded and sniffed the air. There was one last demon to take care of.

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Kasumi eyed the bloody mess that entered the corridor. Only the skirting of the demon's Senshi uniform was still intact. "Nice of you to drop in. The scanners really jumped when you killed her."

"That's nice," Ranma said as she walked over to the delicate succubus. "How many times did you shoot her?"

"Enough," Kasumi stated flatly.

"Are my sisters alive?" Yuki asked as she flexed her bloodied hands.

"Yes," Ranma said as she crouched down over Yuki.

"At least part of the plan worked," Yuki frowned. "I did everything I could for her and it... it wasn't enough." She looked up at Ranma in the eye. "One request," Yuki pleaded.

"What?"

"Don't punish my big sisters too much." Yuki's blue eyes started to tear. "They did what they did because they were forced, and they thought they were helping."

"Uh... okay," Ranma shrugged. She did not expect Nabiki, let alone a demonic Nabiki, to care about others, though being unsurprised at the outcome... Yuki was the one who apparently planned all this. Ranma acquired her fifth daughter. She picked up the sleeping succubus and marveled at how light and short she had become. Unconsciously, she started releasing energy and letting the little succubus nurse. She had several gunshot wounds to heal.

Kasumi's expression flickered between a slight frown and a smile before she got it under control. "Let's go."

"Right," Ranma and Kasumi and her team returned to the burning room where the battle had happened. Agents were just starting to arrive and put out fires and catalog the scant remains.

Eclipse opened her eyes and looked at her... mother. Despair and love grew within her. The redhead had even gotten her littlest sister. She sighed and bowed before the demon.

"What are you doing?" Ranma inquired.

"You defeated Mo- Alexia. You were right to take us... Mother," Eclipse stated with resignation.

"There's hope for you yet," Kasumi stated.

"Perhaps, but it isn't your concern," Eclipse spat.

Kasumi narrowed her eyes. "I'll let that slide, for now."

"Whatever." Eclipse dismissed.

"I haven't even done anything to you." Ranma cried as she held the sleeping Yuki. "Aside from bring you back into the brood."

"You're the stronger mother. You showed no mercy," Eclipse paused and looked at her sister. "Against Alexia."

"That's because, she's our rightful mother," Nariko said as she pulled Eclipse back to her standing position. "Don't you remember?"

Eclipse blinked. Without Alexia, her mind felt a bit different. The reassuring, constant, crushing presence was gone. In its place was a no less intense presence but it was softer and warmer. It was familiar. She looked at her new, and old, Mother. "Is this how I'm supposed to feel?"

"Huh? But I haven't done anything yet," Ranma said.

"What are you talking about, Akane?" Nariko asked as she hugged her mate.

"Don't call me that!" Eclipse bristled. "That's- well, is it my name? I remember, but Alexia said it was all a lie."

"Oh, it's Alexia now?" Ukyou asked as she cradled Aurora.

"I don't know!" Eclipse whimpered.

"It's okay. We'll get everything straightened out," Ranma said as she shifted Yuki so she could hug Eclipse too. She wondered what Alexia had done to these girls, to get Akane to act like a whipped puppy.

Kasumi watched the scene, her fingers tightening over her weapon. Revenge on what was done to her sisters was taken from her.

Aurora's eyes opened scanned the room and then closed again. They were held tight yet not enough to keep the tears from falling.

"Oh come on," Ukyou sighed, while hugging Aurora. "You and Akane were acting so tough. Were you two really just big wimps?"

"Ranma did it again!" Aurora cried. "She took everything from me! Even my sisters!"

"You remember your time as a human?" Ranma asked, now comforting a gently sobbing Eclipse.

Aurora simply glared at her.

"She didn't take your sisters," Ukyou said. "Can't you feel it? They're still your sisters."

Aurora seemed to study Ranma before her face turned into a scowl. "Fine. Then do what you will. Rewrite my mind. You've already done it with my sisters," she spat.

"No I haven't," Ranma sighed. "It's all Alexia's death. I don't know what she did to you girls."

"Her will. It's gone." Aurora's determination faltered and she slumped down.

Ranma looked down at the crying mess that had become of Eclipse and the innocently sleeping child-woman that was once Nabiki. She now, finally, had some idea what Alexia had done.

"Don't worry, Mom will help you." Ukyou comforted.

"Mother?" Aurora blinked. She turned to Ranma with rising horror. "Oh no."

"Hey," Ukyou said as she knocked Aurora on the head. "She's a great mom. Much better than the fashion disaster that almost got you killed."

Aurora started crying again.

Ranma's eyes widened. She was also getting her first glimpse of what raising these girls would be like.

"Come on mother of five, I think we should leave," Kasumi suggested. She looked between her sisters and hoped that Ranma could handle this.

"Yeah," Ranma agreed as she started prodding her kids out of the hotel. She noticed that a Company APC had part of it's front melted. Ranma looked back to see that it was in-line with the wall destroyed by Alexia's attack.

Aurora gave a brief hiss at some of the agents, but was quieted by Ukyou. Eclipse hardly noticed as she was leaning on Nariko. Ranma judged that she was enjoying her mate's presence. The purring alone was a strong hint. As Ranma sat down the demon she was holding opened her eyes.

Yuki studied her new mother. Alexia was dead, but this was not a bad consolation prize. Her sisters were alive, and she was getting a whole new class of feelings from this Mother, a mother that was happy just holding her. The perfect taste of the energy she was nursing off of Ranma was simply amazing.

_Not bad at all - better than a mere consolation prize_, Yuki reappraised the demon holding her and gave an adorable smile that melted Ranma's heart and went back to sleep with a contented purr.

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"That went well," Jacob said to Stillwater. Naturally, the two men were in Stillwater's office.

"Her actions tonight were expected," Stillwater agreed.

"Anything less from her would be a disappointment." Jacob looked at the footage of what little remained of Alexia's body and the condition of the interior of the APC that Ranma and her brood had ridden home in.

"And Major Koster? What will the General's man think of tonight's actions?" Commander Stillwater asked while leaning his face on his steepled hands. It was a standard contemplative position.

"He will tell us tomorrow, but this is nothing new from Miss Saotome. Koster knows she eats demons. His concern is us," Jacob pointed.

"Yes, he needs to make sure we're not compromised," Stillwater sighed as he eyed the roster of active agents. It was looking more and more that one of them was playing for more than one team.

"It is a valid concern." Jacob looked at the document that held his superior's attention. "We have narrowed down the list of suspects. We will nail the bastard that thought they could betray the Company."

"Good. Though Miss Saotome is still a concern." Stillwater picked up a different document. "The scans from her… we will have to reevaluate our contingency plans," Stillwater noted.

"Ranma's increase in power is not our primary concern."

"I know. Miss Saotome took more than power when she killed Alexia," Stillwater shrugged. "We've gone this far, and with Alexia out of the way..."

"Yes," Jacob nodded as he started to pace the office. "She can't be it. Something more is coming, and I'm not just talking about the prophecy."

"Alexia was a distraction," Stillwater agreed. "How do you see Miss Saotome taking these new children?"

"Motherhood defines her," Jacob simply stated.

"Lieutenant Tendo could be an issue," Stillwater continued. Instead of comforting her sisters she had taken her team to the range for practice. There was also the Lieutenant's past history.

"That all depends on how she sees her sisters and what they've become."

Jacob activated the video feed from a locker room where Miss Saotome, her mother, and her children were. "Five children. Perhaps it is time we talk to our young mother about her compensation."

Stillwater smiled. "I don't think she'd balk at so called 'blood money.' Not anymore."

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"You did it," Nodoka smiled as she entered the locker room where her family was. The redheaded brood mother had changed her clothes, but she had yet to shower. She wanted to see her mother first.

"Yup!" Ranma said as she hugged her mother, a slight purr escaped her.

"You're very familiar with a human, why?" Aurora asked. It was one thing to be in a facility filled with human soldiers, especially ones that showed proper deference to them, but hugging a human like she was family was another.

Ranma wished that Kasumi was here to help with her sisters, and felt a slight pang in her heart as if realizing that a gulf was starting to form between them. Ranma turned to lecture her daughter but was interrupted by Eclipse.

"Mother relied on... grandma greatly." Eclipse turned to Nodoka and almost smiled.

"That explains things," Aurora shrugged. She held back her tongue. Both out of fear of punishment from mother and a lack of surety on her own feelings.

Nodoka gave a little smile as she looked over the bloodied demons. "I enjoy you presenting your young, Dear, but you could all use a good washing."

"Of course, mother." Ranma blushed and ushered her daughters into the adjacent shower rooms. Their bathing as a group was without trouble, but difficulties came when they started dressing themselves.

Yuki bit her lip and walked over to her Mother. After a hushed conversation which made Ranma very embarrassed, much to Yuki's amusement, Yuki dressed herself in a slightly more modest, but cuter, version of her customary pink cheongsam and makeup. It was nice to be able to dress her age.

Ranma's thoughts on what, and who, Alexia had made Yuki do, were shaken by an argument between Nariko and... Eclipse. "What's going on?"

"I don't think this looks good on her, Mommy," Nariko scowled.

"What? This is how I dress," Eclipse's eyes darted between her mate and her mother. Mother normally loved her fashion or decided it for her.

"The clothing's gaudy, but you've worn this style before," Nariko stated.

Ranma nodded. Her daughter's tiny top and hot pants were similar to what she wore when she was first turned. "It's the makeup isn't it?"

Nariko nodded.

"My makeup's fine!" Eclipse defended.

"It looks like slut war-paint," Ukyou noted.

"Hey! Aurora helped me with this!"

Aurora snickered.

"You bitch!" Eclipse growled. She charged forward but found herself caught held by mother.

"If you don't like your fashion, change it then," Ranma stated, looking her daughter in the eye.

Eclipse looked away. "How can I?" she asked with uncertainty. "This is all I've known."

"No it isn't. Don't you remember?"

Eclipse paused. "No- at least I don't think..." she said softly. "It's hard."

Ranma sighed as she hugged her daughter. She could feel her daughter's pain, and followed it right into her mind... and the part that was blocked off. "Do you want to remember?" she asked, experimentally tugging at whatever Alexia had done.

Eclipse looked into Nariko's eyes. "Just a bit, just the fashion."

Ranma nodded it was a start. She then concentrated and unraveled that specific block

Eclipse blinked and looked at herself. "I see." Her clothing lost some of it's embellishments and her jewelry simplified, but the largest change was in her makeup. She still wore complete makeup, but it was no longer overdone and served to emphasize her beauty, not bludgeon it.

"Well?" She turned to her mother with an eager expression.

"Nice," Nariko smiled. "That makeup was what really got to me."

"Better." Ranma looked at her daughter, but her concentration was really on Eclipse's mind. She blinked when she felt the other blocks connected to it start to crumble. It was like watching cracks slowly spider web outward. She deserved the truth. "I couldn't just remove that block. The rest are weakened too."

Eclipse blinked, then shrugged. "Those are just memories. I'm still the same person." She _could_ remember some things more clearly.

Yuki nervously giggled.

Ranma turned to Yuki. "And what about you?"

"Alexia wanted my memories intact. To use me to get to you." Yuki blushed. "It's going to take more than clearing my head to make me into Nabiki again. Or any of us."

"Just overwhelm our minds, reprogram us and be done with it," Aurora suggested with conviction as she adjusted her eveningwear.

Ranma paused. "No. I'm not like Alexia. What about your mind?"

"Go to town, Mother." Aurora stepped in front of Ranma.

"I don't believe Mother works that way," Eclipse stated as she adjusted her top. She still preferred her earlier, skimpier clothing tastes. "Mother's got more-" Eclipse paused to find the right word. She loved both her mothers, but with Ranma there was no fear. "-class than that."

"You're saying Alexia had no class?" Aurora said lividly. She felt an urgent need to defend Alexia.

"What did she do aside from dress us up like her dolls and have us go out and feed?" Eclipse taunted. "Unlike you I've had both as my mothers! She gave a smile to Ranma. "And I'm remembering, now. There's a reason a less powerful, younger brood mother was able to kill Alexia." She flared her eyes at Aurora. "Alexia put a spell on us! Made us blind to what she was doing!"

Aurora continued to glare at Eclipse with hot, smoldering eyes.

"You think I'm lying? Sure it's nice to feed and look nice, but my mate kicked my ass tonight. We were even when Alexia took me, when she ruined me. Why else would Alexia alter my memories?" Eclipse's eyes narrowed. She started controlling her breathing and seemed to calm.

"She made us!" Aurora defended.

"She did that well, but then what? There's more to being a brood mother than that." Eclipse said pointedly. "I love her for what she gave us, but there's also what she took from us!"

"Nicely said, Akane," Ranma nodded.

"Eclipse, Mother," she paused. "Unless of course you want me to change it," she said with a slight bow. She knew that Alexia had named her Eclipse when she was reborn, but did not recall how she returned to the name Akane, only that it was very joyous.

Ranma looked over her daughter. It would be easy to force her into being Akane, but it was clear that she was recovering, and she never took the easy way with Nariko or Akane the first time around. "Uh... no. I want you to do it, yourself. When you feel like Akane."

"Understood mother," Eclipse nodded, flush with an alien but familiar feeling, responsibility. It was her responsibility, her choice to determine when she was ready to change her name. It was a heady feeling.

Ranma shook her head. Eclipse being her daughter was stranger than the one that hated her.

"Fiddle with my mind then," Aurora stated bowing her head before Ranma.

Ranma narrowed her eyes and studied the mind presented before her. "This is bad. It's all a jumble. How many people messed with your mind?"

"There was Alexia and then all those times at the Assembly," Ukyou stated.

"Just wipe it and start over," Aurora urgently said. "I'll be happy then."

"No. I told you, I'm not like her," Ranma stated.

"So you're going to force me to have a mother that I hate?" Aurora laughed bitterly. "You _are _cruel."

Ranma's shoulders sagged as she continued to study her daughter.

"Hey!" Ukyou slapped Aurora on the back of the head. "Don't say that! She's trying to save your mind. What little there is of it."

"Why do you want me to lock you down?" Ranma asked as she studied Aurora's green eyes. "What are you afraid of?"

"Nothing," Aurora's eyes flickered.

Ranma's eyes widened as she watched the mental house of cards that was Aurora's mind shift. "That's exactly it."

Nariko tilted her head. Aurora's posture was familiar. It was something she saw in her own reflection when…. "Mommy! Hold onto her now! Ucchan you too!"

Aurora screamed as she fell to her knees. The order imposed by Alexia was gone and she felt her mind begin to fragment. The programming the Assembly gave a young acolyte and the tenets to the family style taught to an eager young boy were insufficient and too far removed.

Green flames burst over Aurora's body as she mentally scrambled for something- anything to grab onto. She found two forms: one was primal and maternal; the other a trusted peer, who had always been at her side and never betrayed her.

She screamed, cried and growled as her mind seemed to explode. However, the fragments were not lost; they were captured by the two presences in her mind, holding her mind together. It was like an egg. Everything was kept inside a strong, yet fragile, outer shell.

"So that's why she wanted Mother to erase her mind," Eclipse noted. The flames had died down, and the three succubae sat on the bathroom floor in a tight embrace.

"Mother mentioned once how easily that Assemblyman's mind broke when she was turned, and how quickly she became Aurora," Yuki said. She watched the shuddering form of her older sister with interest.

"Our minds are fragile," Nariko stated. "She's lucky she had people to catch hers when it broke."

Eclipse turned to her mate. "Is this normal for you?"

Nariko smiled. "I have experience, remember?"

Eclipse nodded, despite her memory still being spongy, she felt something.

After several minutes Ranma and Ukyou pulled back from their charge. who opened her eyes.

"How do you feel?" Nariko asked.

"I don't know," the green-eyed demon blinked.

"Ryoga?" Yuki asked, hedging on some kind of regression, and recalling the name Mother had once used for a certain Assembly Acolyte

The orange-haired demon nodded.

"But... Aurora?" Eclipse asked.

"Yes?" The orange-haired demon asked.

"So who the hell are you?" Eclipse demanded

"I... I don't know," the green-eyed demon cried. She leaned onto her mother and closed her eyes.

"What happened?" Eclipse asked her mother.

"Her mind couldn't take it. She needed the reinforcement, the pressure from Alexia's will to keep herself together," Ranma said as she brushed the crying demon's hair.

"Like those deep sea fish. They spend their whole lives at enormous pressures and when they're brought up to the surface they explode," Yuki said.

"Yeah, that's about right," Ranma said, hardly noticing the grossness of the example. She had, after all, committed extremely violent cannibalism earlier that night. "Ukyou and myself. We helped as much as we could..."

"I don't have his body," the orange-haired succubus mumbled. "I have hers. Yes. That will do. For now I'll be Aurora."

"For now?" Ukyou asked.

Nariko smiled, fully understanding what "Aurora" meant.

"Sis," Eclipse asked as she knelt in front of Aurora.

"Yes?"

"Are you still you?"

"Are you?" Aurora smiled.

Eclipse blinked.

"If you girls are dressed, I think we can get some food," Ranma said as she helped Aurora to her feet.

"Mother, you really should have waited four days," Aurora said as she shifted back into an evening dress with matching jewelry, makeup and styled hair.

Ranma blinked in recollection. "Oh yes that. Well... sorry?" she offered.

"It's okay. My fault, and in the end it all worked out," Aurora laughed as she put her arm around her partner's waist. She remembered getting lost quite often when she was younger. The physical contact also felt really nice.

"I guess she's still our sister," Eclipse whispered to her littlest sister.

"Yes, but you're both changing," Yuki whispered back. She would talk to Mother about her own issues later.

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"Honey, is there something wrong?" Ranma asked as she watched Yuki pick at her meal. Her daughter was still draining energy from her, they all were, but Yuki seemed less enthusiastic.

Yuki froze mid-bite. She could not lie - not to mother. "Yes." Her eyes were downcast.

"Yuki-chan?" Eclipse asked. Her little sister was not normally like this... at least not in her memory. Yuki was confident, but knew her place.

"What is it honey?" Ranma confidently asked.

Yuki fidgeted and tried to meet her mother's gaze, but could not manage it. "Can... can we talk about this in private?" she quietly asked. Her eyes darted between her older sisters.

Ranma put her hand on her nervous daughter's shoulder. "Of course." She said before turning to her other daughters. "I trust you girls will be okay?"

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on Aurora," Ukyou answered. "I'll make sure she doesn't wander off and try to eat someone."

"Hey! I'll be fine!" Aurora bristled. "Though a snack would be good," she mumbled after taking a bit of her stew. These humans could cook well too.

"No eating agents." Ranma glared.

"Not even a little drain?" Aurora whined.

Eclipse perked her ears. A little draining sounded good

"No," Ranma repeated.

"Yes, Mother," Aurora responded in a disappointed voice. She understood following orders. Mother's will was Mother's Will.

Eclipse returned to her soup, also disappointed. She recalled some of those strange rules about humans that Mother had. She also recalled agreeing with Mother about humans... both of her mothers.

"Come on, Yuki," Ranma helped her daughter up and led her out of the commissary.

"Thank you, Mother," Yuki whispered uneasily.

"What's wrong?" Ranma asked as she opened the bathroom door for Yuki. "Is it about your sisters?"

Yuki looked away and caught her mother's reflection. "Not entirely."

"What is it then?" Ranma asked as she put her arm around Yuki's waist amazed at how much her new arm felt like her old one.

"I wasn't always this adorable little cutie," Yuki stated.

"Alexia did this?"

Yuki's pink lips formed into a bitter smile. "She set the pieces and watched it happen. My body was made into this but my mind..."

"Yes?" Ranma quietly asked.

"Alexia... she had my big sisters 'take care' of me." Yuki's eyes finally met Ranma's. "Remember what I told you before you turned me?"

Ranma paused to remember the earlier conversation. "Not to punish them?"

"Yes, you can't tell them," Yuki's body shook with a bit of fear. "Or if you do... please protect me," she whimpered. "I can't stand up to them; I'm the little sister," She continued, ashamed.

"Of course. What did they do?"

"They were just Alexia's pawns." Yuki's smile became sincere. "Besides, they stopped beating me when I started acting proper." She knew Eclipse would not think this was proper, unless Mother told Eclipse that it was.

Ranma frowned at that eager smile and her face flushed in anger at the statement that followed it. "It was still wrong what they did," she haltingly stated. She should not get angry at her daughters for what Alexia made them do.

"I know mother." Anger bloomed over her adorable features. "It was Alexia! It was her! Big sisters are supposed to protect and look out... not beat and abuse! She turned our family into a mockery! Stupid gaudy, bitch. She made my sisters mean bullies and worse!"

Yuki gasped, horrified at what she had said about her big sisters. She feared that Mother would hurt them, tell them, or hurt her.

"They're not going to do that again," Ranma promised.

Yuki's face brightened. "Thank you!" she cried as she hugged onto her mother with all her strength.

"I'll make sure they don't abuse you," Ranma said as she brushed her daughter's hair.

"But... how?" Yuki's eyes widened. The latitude mother was giving her was amazing. "You're not going to hurt them? Not because of me."

"No," Ranma blinked. "I'll tell them not to bully you. If they keep it up, I'll have to be more drastic I guess."

"What about me? Will I be punished? For telling?"

"Of course not," Ranma noticed the relief on her daughter's face and that it was not total. "There's something else?"

Yuki turned to look at her mother. "I was forced to be the little sister." She signed. "I turned myself to please them, but it wasn't enough..." Yuki laughed. "Mother- Alexia, she did one final alteration to me."

Ranma simply held her daughter.

"Look into my mind, Mother," Yuki requested. She then felt Mother's presence enter her psyche.

"What do you want me to do?" Ranma asked as she held Yuki.

"You're asking me?" Yuki was full of awe.

"Of course, I'd rather not muck with your personality or anything. No making you Nabiki," Ranma shook her head. "I didn't make Akane... Akane either."

"Just remove that... cap Alexia put on my mind," Yuki respectfully asked.

Ranma smiled and tugged at the block that was put in place; she left it weak enough that it would crumble on it's own. "So what are your plans?"

"Plans?" Yuki asked.

"Yeah, what do you want? To stay this age?"

Yuki looked down. "Well... I had some ideas, but..."

"You can tell me; I'm your Mom."

Yuki paused. This Mother felt warm and safe. "I have three ideas."

"Three?"

"I knew there was a chance that... Alexia could lose. It wasn't something I liked thinking about, but if she did." Yuki paused. "I wanted to be prepared for my new mother."

"I see. Go on," Ranma encouraged.

"I can stay like this," Yuki offered.

"Like this? As Yuki?"

Yuki nodded.

"Well, you are a sweet and smart girl," Ranma complimented.

"Thanks, Mother," Yuki blushed.

"What are the other ideas?"

"Status quo might not work," Yuki sighed. "I'm.. I've been damaged."

Ranma hugged her. "I know, it's hard."

"I don't want to implode... not like big sister," Yuki's expression became pained. "It'd be worse. She was never... abused." She blinked. She was able to say it. "If it gets too much.. maybe you could... regress me."

"Regress? That's not what I think it means." Ranma looked down to see Yuki's big blue eyes.

"Please mother. I could get a restart. Be put to before my trauma."

Ranma held her peace. "Is getting younger a way out? Would that help things?"

"I hope it doesn't come to that," Yuki sighed. "This is if I can't handle things."

"This is the last resort, right?"

Yuki nodded. "If I can't handle the other plans."

"What's the third idea?" Ranma asked. She tried to remove the thought of an even younger daughter, a little girl to take care of.

Yuki blushed. "I make a go for Nabiki."

"Nabiki?" Ranma looked over her daughter. "Is there any Nabiki in you?"

"I think so," Yuki sighed. "I'd like to think so. I think... I want... to be able to

be more than just... Yuki-chan."

"Recovery? I knew you had it in you," Ranma noted with pride.

"I know it's gonna be hard. Maybe too hard," Yuki admitted.

"But... but if you want to do this I'll help you best I can," Ranma promised. Yuki having an interest in her human life was a very positive sign. "I think this is the better option."

"I won't become Nabiki, not all the way," Yuki warned. "Maybe not any at all."

"I don't care about that," Ranma assured. "I just want you to be happy. To be what you want to be."

"You do?" Yuki's eyes widened and she leaned onto her mother with a happy purr. "You're the best,"

"Err... right," Ranma said thinking of how she screwed up with Eclipse's memory blocks and let Aurora's mind shatter. She should have been able to stop those things, and then there was the potential problem of them resuming their bullying Yuki.

"You're the best," Yuki repeated. "You care."

"Of course." Ranma said as she hugged her daughter. Yuki purred once again feeling happy and safe. Ranma held the smaller demon and took a quick glance at her own reflection in the mirror and noted that her eyes were now all purple. After the moment had passed, Ranma led Yuki back to the rest of the family.

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"You get out fine?" Ami asked as the girl ran up to her.

"Yup," Janet smiled. "Mother went to bed an hour before I left."

"Clever girl. I knew that's why I... liked you," Ami joked as the two started walking down the street.

"Are you sure about this?" Janet asked as she rubbed her bare shoulders. The dress she was wearing was a bit too revealing for her tastes, but Ami had talked her into it.

"Don't worry, None of the Senshi would ever think of going where we're going," Ami assured, while putting an arm around the other girl's shoulder. "What are you afraid of, they'd brand us as traitors?"

Janet nervously laughed.

"We're still good little Senshi. Usagi trusts us," Ami assured.

"Yeah... Sunshine's a Senshi, and this is the exact kind of place she'd go to," Janet stated as she fidgeted with her knife, her transformation item. It had started to... change, but Ami assured her that everything was okay. That she was just evolving into another Senshi mode, like the others have done, and will shortly come into her new powers.

"She's busy tonight," Ami promised. A sly grin formed. "Besides, even if her... family did meet us there, so what? They of all _people_ would be sympathetic."

"I guess succubae would get two girls out having fun," Janet allowed.

"That's the spirit," Ami laughed. She adjusted the hem of her short dress, and pulled a card out of her purse. "Here's your ID."

Janet took the offered card and examined it critically. "You're right, the right makeup does add two years."

"It's what we need to get in," Ami agreed.

"You also look great with your hair up," Janet complimented.

"Thanks," Ami blushed. "Though I don't have enough to have it up properly, not yet at least, but I'll take care of that soon, I promise."

"I wonder what Usagi would think of all this?" The underlying wariness in Janet's tone betrayed the casual nature of the question.

"Her two 'brainy' friends wearing nice clothes and actually going out?" Ami laughed. "I think she'd gush, and wish us luck in snagging some nice boys."

Janet smiled at Ami's joke. "I dunno... I saw the way she acts around Rei. It wouldn't surprise me if it turned into a double date."

Ami paused at that and started laughing. Janet may have been new to the Senshi but she had picked up their personalities quickly. "That's rich."

"Now, now," Janet said between her own laughs. "There aren't any lesbian Senshi. Well... aside from Michiru and Haruka... and Sunshine."

"And Setsuna if you believe the rumors about her."

"Oh... that's true," Janet nodded ad the two continued to walk. "Well... I'm sure there's plenty of rumors about us."

"Oh, there will be." Ami promised. "But that doesn't matter."

"I suppose it doesn't. Whatever happens we're working for the Princess," Janet's tone quieted down as she spoke.

"No matter what the others say." Ami's eyes hardened. "We're doing this for her."

"I know, I... I know." Janet sighed. "We're her Senshi. We protect her from all threats."

"External _and _Internal," Ami added cryptically.

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"That's good," Ranma appraised as she stepped around her daughter. "Your arm should be just a bit higher, though." She then adjusted the younger demon's limb accordingly.

"Okay, Mom," Yuki blushed at the compliment.

"Now do it again," Ranma told the pink unitard-wearing succubus. She turned to look at her other two daughters, who were glaring at each other at the other side of the dojo. "I'll be right back," Ranma said before walking over to them

Yuki nodded and resumed her practice. Mother had seen potential in her and encouraged her; Yuki would not let her down.

"What's going on here?" Ranma asked.

"Akane is being a pain," Aurora smirked.

Eclipse's brows knitted at the use of that name. "You're just getting too uppity for your place."

"My place?" Aurora's voice dripped with incredulousness. "I'm challenging you to show you what my place should be."

Ranma sighed and put her fingers to her temple. "This isn't Alexia's brood. There's no pecking order here."

"We tried to tell them that," Nariko agreed.

"It's good that you guys are practicing, but... what?" Ranma shook her head. "Are you two going to fight to find out who's better?"

"Yes!" Aurora said. "It makes sense. It's how things were always settled."

"I don't know," Eclipse paused and looked at mother. "This isn't how we do things."

"Exactly. You girls can spar, but it's not like I have a favorite," Ranma stated.

"Then why are you still lording over me and Yuki?" Aurora asked.

"I... I'm the big sister." Eclipse replied, hesitantly.

"No. Nariko is," Aurora smirked.

""That's true, I am the eldest here," Nariko innocently reminded, "but that's not important right now."

Eclipse looked down. "Yeah..."

"Wait... did you just give up?" Aurora asked. "That's not like you!"

Returning her gaze to Aurora, Eclipse raised an eyebrow.

"Okay fine, maybe Akane's more reasonable and less of a..."

"Ill-tempered and arrogant makeup-disaster?" Yuki offered while she continued to practice. Her face devoid of any malice and as innocent-looking as Nariko's.

"A bit bluntly put, Yuki-chan..." Nariko said.

"Hey! I'm being nicer," Eclipse pouted.

"Alexia's eldest daughter being nice?" Ukyou laughed.

"Alexia's dead. Dead and eaten." Eclipse flatly said.

"I still want to spar," Aurora reminded.

"Keep the damage to a minimum. To the building." Ranma cautioned "And yourselves, but you girls can take a fair bit of damage, but growing back chunks of your body is not fun. Trust me on this."

"Yes mother," Aurora said as she slipped into a ready stance.

Eclipse smirked and stretched her tail.

Ranma critically watched her daughters spar. Aurora was intriguing; she would transition from one style to another. Ranma spotted bits of feral succubus attacks, the Assembly tactics that Acolyte Hibiki used, and parts of what Ranma dimly remembered as Ryoga's family style.

Eclipse countered with the familiar moves of her family's styles. Ranma smirked. Soun's and Ranma's versions of Anything Goes were present, but there was nothing Alexia taught her being used. She was somewhat hesitant and rusty but she was improving.

"They're very stubborn girls aren't they?" Ukyou asked. She had moved to stand next to her mother and watched as Aurora and Eclipse danced around each other. Both were bruised, sweating heavily, and bleeding from a number of cuts.

Ranma nodded and allowed the match to continue for a few more minutes. She stopped when it degenerated into a brawl with the girls on the ground.

"But Mom! You fought like this," Eclipse pouted, before checking to make sure she had not lost any teeth.

"Good match still." Aurora smirked and adjusted her neck. She whimpered when pain started to shoot up her back.

"Yeah," Eclipse agreed as she limped over to Aurora and gave her a hug that made both gasp in pain.

"She has a point, Mom. You and Alexia were rolling around on the floor like that." Ukyou reminded.

"She got the fight to turn into a brawl," Ranma grumbled. "Then she forgot to protect her neck."

"Maybe you should train us in that kind of fighting too?" Yuki asked simply.

Ranma blinked. "Now that's an idea." She nodded. "Yes... good idea, Yuki."

Yuki blushed at the compliment.

"This seems nice," Kasumi said as she entered the dojo.

"Agent," Aurora said with a slight bow to her head.

Yuki eyed Kasumi. Part of her wanted to squeal "sister" and run over to Kasumi and glomp-tackle her, but... Yuki could read Kasumi's expression. She looked to Eclipse for advice, but her big sister was similarly unsure. Neither demonic sister felt that Kasumi really wanted them.

Ranma shook her head. "You finally get off from work?"

"Yes," Kasumi responded. She smiled as she looked at her sisters. It was familiar to see Akane like this, and strangely fitting for Nabiki. It made Nabiki more like herself and Akane.

"It's... good that you're back," Ranma noted.

"Yes, it is good. I missed... all of you."

"So when are you going to mate with her?" Yuki asked, her voice actually not being totally innocent.

"Nabiki..." Kasumi glared. Despite her best efforts she blushed slightly.

"You would make a good mate for Mother," Eclipse said.

"Is that all you see me as?" Kasumi's light tone was betrayed by the hardness of her eyes.

Eclipse tilted her head. "We were sisters, right?"

"Yes," Kasumi agreed, wondering if the use of past tense was accidental or not.

"We're close." Eclipse smiled at the memories. She recalled a strong, protective, vicious older sister. "You would make a great succubus."

"I've been told," Kasumi's eyes narrowed. She looked into her fiance's purple eyes and frowned. "Can we talk in private?"

Ranma glanced at her girls, then returned her gaze to Kasumi. "Yes we can." She turned to her eldest, "Nariko, lead the others in finishing up their practice for today."

The mother shifted into a form that passed for human, and the two stepped out of the building and started walking around the grounds. "So what do you want to talk about?"

"They seem..." Kasumi paused and looked off into the forest.

"Like demons? Not the sisters you remember?" Ranma's voice gained an edge. "Maybe they would be better if I had some help. I'm just one person."

"You're their mother."

"Yeah, and if you want them to see you as their sister you better damn well act like it."

Kasumi stopped walking and turned to make direct eye contact with Ranma.

"Remember just after the battle? That critical time when they had just been freed from Alexia? After we got back to base where were you? Where were you when Akane argued with Aurora that Alexia ruined them? Where were you when I had to coax out of Nabiki that she was abused and tormented by her own sisters?"

"I had work to do."

"Bullshit." Ranma smirked. " You know they would have agreed to that after the operation at the hotel."

Kasumi's hand spasmed. "I wanted..."

"What? You wanted the sisters you remember back?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Really now?" Ranma stepped forward and into Kasumi's personal space. "I lost my daughter. Oh, I got her back, but she's different. Unlike you I can make them into what I remember them to be."

"Why didn't you then?"

"Then I'd be no better than her. They'd be mockeries. Puppets. It would destroy them. If you want any hope of them recovering, it's going to be hard. Did you expect me to bite them and to have Alexia's evil spell lifted instantly?"

Kasumi kept silent.

"So that's how it is. Can't you have some patience? It's been less than twenty-four hours and Nabiki's already making sarcastic comments. You'd know that if you had spent any time with her."

"She still looks..."

"Oh, so you see cute and pink and can't see anything beyond that. Shallow." Ranma spat.

"And what am I supposed to think?" Kasumi demanded. "I can't 'feel' them like you do. I can only see someone who says she's my sister but doesn't dress or act any thing like she used to!"

"That's why you avoided them?" Ranma sighed. "Look... they could use your help. I could use it. And are they really that bad? I thought Akane was making good progress."

"She's like just after when you turned her last time."

"So? That shows potential. Akane will be fine. It's Nabiki that worries me."

"Yes," Kasumi agreed.

"She does want to become Nabiki again," Ranma pointed out.

"She... does?" Kasumi asked, disbelief coloring her face.

"Yup, she confided in me that she wanted... more. She's scared though. A big sister that was always nice to her could help," Ranma offered as her expression warmed.

"I'll do what I can," Kasumi promised.

"Great," Ranma said as she put her arm around Kasumi's shoulder.

The agent paused but let the hand stay there.

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"Are things back to normal?" the Drake asked the man who sat in the bar stool next to him.

"You're out in a bar in public," Jacob said as he straightened his tie. He then ordered a drink. He allowed himself a slight smile. The Drake's idea of back to normal was charming.

"Good, my daughter told me that she was dead," Drake smiled.

"I still recommend that you have some security. She may be gone, but there are other threats."

"I guessed as much," the educator noted before emptying his glass.

"We investigated your problems," Jacob remarked.

"Oh? What took you so long?"

The bartender handed Jacob a glass. The officer sipped the scotch before speaking. "We had other... internal matters to deal with first. You were right, it was a simple extortion scam."

"I told you I wasn't a traitor," the Drake stated, eyeing the man.

"I know. We still have to be careful," Jacob sipped his drink again.

"You're not going to ask why?"

"No." Jacob took care to gently place his glass. "I recall you loved your wife very much. Losing her... you never got into a real relationship again did you?"

"I dated some... then stopped," the Drake admitted. "However, I still...

"You're human, and got lonely. Then that news reporter found out about your... lady companions."

"I had a reputation to keep up."

"Yes, a real estate mogul is allowed some eccentricities, but not a high school principal."

The Drake nodded sadly. "There's also my children. I didn't want them to think I was a pervert."

"One is a succubus and the other is a WIC cadet," Jacob quietly pointed out.

"I'm still human," The Drake said, almost petulantly.

"Yes, and your indulgence almost cost us this operation." Jacob took another sip. "Next time your urges get you in trouble call us. Don't try to handle it yourself."

"You had to have found out what he wanted," the Drake noted.

"Of course, he was digging into the reason why exactly WIC had been hired by the Canadian government. He was able to connect us to you. His theories on the missing persons and other events was... interesting," Jacob smirked.

"I tried to stick to the cover story." The Drake's hands shook; he steadied them by clutching his glass.

"Yes, and your deviations from that he did not believe. It was too fanciful for his tastes."

"What will happen to him?"

"He tried to get critical information out of a government defense contractor through extortion. That could be considered treason. He's in a prison somewhere."

"And me?"

Jacob studied the man before replying. "What did I say when I first came in? If there was a serious problem with you... you would already have been taken care of. Of course your leash has been tightened."

"You're here to make my problems disappear?" The Drake asked.

"Depends on the situation," Jacob said. He turned to his old friend. "Sometimes it's more expedient to make the person causing them to disappear."

The Drake nodded and ordered another drink. This was the price he paid for dealing with people like this.

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"You girls get what you needed?" Ranma asked as she entered the house from the back door. She had been training in the dojo when she sensed that her daughters had come home from their errand with Kasumi.

"Oh yeah," Aurora smiled. "It was getting real dire without my dresses."

Yuki and Eclipse were less enthusiastic with their agreement. Going back to... the hotel had been... sobering.

"We still had a good time," Kasumi assured as she put her hand on Yuki's shoulder. It was an interesting experience, watching her sisters sift through the debris that marked that part of their lives.

"You girls didn't get everything, did you? We're cramped for space as it is." Ranma joked.

"I didn't, but Aurora did," Eclipse laughed.

"That's not fair! You already had a wardrobe here!" Aurora glared, her grip tightening on the large makeup case she carried.

"Yuki-chan took less than you, and none of her old clothes fit."

"That's because a lot of those clothes were just costumes I was forced to wear. Like that horrible maid outfit," Yuki glared.

"You still brought plenty of cheongsams, mostly pink and other cute things," Kasumi noted.

"I like pink," Yuki stated.

Ukyou entered the room with Nariko. She smiled at her partner. "Careful there, Sugar. You'll break that box," the blonde cautioned while putting her hand over Aurora's.

"It's... it's important."

"Why? You don't wear that much makeup," Ukyou noted. "And what you do wear you put on more by your powers than anything else."

"I was trying a more... natural look, but what if I... need this?"

"Are you saying that a skilled martial artist, elite demon hunter, and strong succubus needs a makeup kit so she'll feel nice and pretty? Like a real girl?" Ukyou asked.

"Like you can talk," Aurora grumbled. "You don't even have a makeup kit."

Ukyou sighed. "I'm not all that girly. You've seen Nariko's makeup. She doesn't have that much. Neither do the rest of us combined. Look at this thing," she pointed to the immense box. "What are you -- a fashion model?"

"It's okay," Ranma said as she stepped in and hugged the trembling Aurora.

"Yeah, sis. I didn't save my old makeup stuff," Eclipse reminded.

Aurora blinked.

"That goes without saying, Dear," Ranma reminded. "Aurora, if you want to keep this... tackle box you can, but... I think you're just holding onto it out of fear. You look beautiful without all that extra nonsense."

"Easy for you to say. With your perfectly balanced blush, precise mascara, and great lashes. Not to mention your lipstick," Aurora sighed.

Ranma blinked. "Huh? I got what now?"

"Don't kid me. How much makeup do you have? Or do you just use your powers? It can't be an accident that you look this good."

"I... I don't know how it works. I just look in the mirror after I get dressed and..." Ranma paused and tried to remember when she started thinking of her makeup as normal.

"Teach me how you do this," Aurora waved her hand at her mother's face, " and I'll throw out this," she said tapping her makeup box.

"You're kidding?" Ranma asked.

"You do look very lovely, Mother," Nariko reminded.

"I'm serious," Aurora said as she put her makeup box down on the kitchen table. She looked to see the rest of the family staring at her and mother. "I... I guess we'll finish unpacking the car."

"That's great. I'll be showering."

"Why? You're not covered in blood." Yuki asked.

"I was training. Don't you guys notice the purple unitard, or that my wings are still out? How about that I'm all sweaty?"

"You repaired your makeup after you trained," Aurora noted. She turned to her sisters. "And you guys call _me_ vain!"

"Hey, this just happens automatically," Ranma defended.

"It's okay, Mom," Eclipse laughed. " There's nothing wrong with wanting to look nice."

"Unload your stuff," Ranma sighed. "Oh and put some of that in Nabiki's and Akane's rooms. Our bedroom's too full as it is."

"Maybe if you didn't have two full beds crammed in there," Kasumi noted.

"Not my fault succubae sleep like this."

"Actually, Alexia had us sleep in our own queen-size bed," Yuki said with a slight blush. She recalled that Alexia would often use her minions in the bedroom, but... Yuki shuddered. Sometimes she wondered what Alexia was planning for them, but she was able to banish those fearful thoughts - Alexia was gone. She had been eaten by mother and what little remained was incinerated by the Company.

"Sleeping with mother is much better. It's a wonder Alexia never did it," Aurora said as she and her sisters went back out to the car. Ukyou and Nariko went to help the other three, leaving Kasumi alone with Ranma.

"I know why Alexia never did that," Kasumi noted.

"Oh?"

"She was afraid that if she actually comforted her daughters, held them as they slept, that she might... actually see them as daughters. Real daughters, not whatever cruel joke of a family she had made."

Ranma eyed the agent. "How do you know this?"

"Look what it did to you," Kasumi noted. She gave Ranma a quick kiss on the cheek before walking off to her room.

The brood mother blinked a few times. She banished her wings and tail and made her way to the bathroom, grumbling about crazy kids and fiancees the whole time. She was going to talk to Kasumi about this... later.

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"What's going on?" Nariko asked as she walked up to the trunk of Kasumi's sedan.

"Nothing," Yuki poorly lied as she shifted what she was carrying.

"That's all Akane's stuff," Nariko noted after looking at the pile of clothes.

"I'm just helping," Yuki defended.

"Hey! I didn't tell you to stop," Eclipse growled as she brushed past the others and up to her little sister. She glared at Yuki.

Nariko narrowed her eyes at her mate.

"I... Nariko was just asking me what I was doing - and she's older," Yuki said, her face flush with embarrassment. She did not want to deal with this.

"I told you to unload this for-" Eclipse was cut off by a hand grabbing her shoulder and spinning her around. She found herself looking into a pair of strangely intense red eyes.

"What do you think you're doing?" Nariko carefully asked.

"Well..."

"To me it looks like you're bullying our little sister. Something mom told us not do to," Nariko noted with a hard edge to her voice.

"Eclipse, how could you?" Aurora gasped.

"You got her to help carry your stuff," Eclipse said defensively.

"I asked her nicely," Aurora corrected.

"Ucchan, please tell mother about this, but tell her that I've got it handled," Nariko said in a polite tone as she released her grip on her mate's shoulder.

"Right," Ukyou nodded before walking back to the house.

Nariko sighed as she ran her hand over Eclipse's cheek. "Now what should I do with you?"

Eclipse swallowed; she did not like the way her mate was looking at her, evaluating her.

"For starters you're cut off from this," Nariko said with a wave over her body.

"But..."

"I'm not going to have sex with someone who bullies my little sister," Nariko stated.

"Come on Yuki, this is between those two," Aurora said as she guided her little sister back to the house.

"Okay," Yuki said while smiling. It was fitting to see big-sister-Eclipse taken down a peg or two.

"Calm down, Akane," Nariko advised. "This is just my punishment. I have no idea what Mother will do when she finds out."

Eclipse paled the slight amount that was physically possible for her.

Ukyou ran up the stairs. Then the blonde succubus opened the bathroom door; she could tell that her mom was the only one in there. Still in the shower, Ranma spun around an gave a surprised shriek. Ukyou almost laughed at her mother's embarrassment. This was not the first time mother had been caught in the act of "tension release", and until she found a mate it would not be the last.

"Ucchan!" Ranma gasped as she shut off the water and grabbed a towel. These actions had the important task of keeping both her hands busy. "What's going on?" she asked using her towel more to dry off than for modesty.

"Akane was being a jerk. Nariko said she's handling it though," Ukyou said as she closed the door behind her.

"I see. It's not important?" Ranma said. She finished drying her body and slipped on the clean clothing she had laid out. One of the violet leather dresses that Nodoka had bought her went over a pair of lacy purple bra and panties. That set was a surprising gift from Aurora.

"Nariko said she was handling it, and it looked minor," Ukyou said.

"Good." Ranma said. As she dried her hair it started to spike. She brushed it a bit to help it gain body until her hair became the familiar teased, fluffed structure that added a couple inches to her height before cascading down her shoulders and back.

"Wow, Aurora's right," Ranma admitted as she watched her reflection. Matching makeup appeared on her face as she put on her obsidian earrings and silver necklace.

"That shower was hot wasn't it?" Ukyou asked.

"Yeah... so?"

"What about your curse, Mom?"

"What about it?" Ranma asked as she ran over to her room to get a pair of boots to put on.

"It's activated by hot water. You didn't change in the shower, or when you fought Alexia."

"Oh yeah, I turn into a guy don't I?" Ranma asked as she slipped on her tall leather platform boots.

"Well, do you? I think you're locked, Mom."

"Let's see: I added two kids to my brood, I ate Alexia, and my eyes are all purple," Ranma said as she walked back to the bathroom. There she washed her hands with their simply manicured and gloss-coated nails.

Ukyou noted that Mother had used the hot water to wash her hands and that Mother had frowned for a split second before returning to her normal expression. "Well?"

"Well what?" Ukyou's mother asked as she put an arm around the blonde's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I'll look into it, but I've got Eclipse to talk to."

"Er... okay," Ukyou said as she reminded herself to tell grandma about this as soon as possible.

"Great. Now let's see what Akane did. I hope she's not bullying her little sister again."

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Yuki frowned at the two piles of clothes. One pile fit her and was the style she liked – soft pastels and pinks. The other... was what used to fit her and what she used to like. She lifted her gaze and looked around her room.

"Well, Nabiki's room," she quietly corrected. She slept in Mother's room with the rest of the brood. This was just where she kept her stuff. She returned her attention to the clothes. It was best to try little steps. If she spent too much time wallowing in what she was she would not get anything accomplished.

Yuki promised herself to return to Nabiki's - her personal effects. She would read through her old notes and emails and other things. It was important to look at her past, but first she had to go through her clothes.

The bras were the easiest. They were almost the same size as what she wore now and would only need slight transformation to match. Her underwear was a bit more complicated, but it was doable.

Most of her blouses and skirts could also be saved. They might work when she did not feel like wearing a cheongsam. They would have to be taken in, but their plainness would make a good base for a more understated and simple cute.

Her brow furrowed when she came to her jeans and slacks. Yuki remembered how comfortable and casual these clothes were, but... She sighed wondering what to do. She wanted to keep them, but could not see herself wearing... pants.

Picking up a pair she was struck with inspiration. She extended her claws and made a pair of cutoff shorts; a bit of her power gave them a pink hue.

"Very nice," Eclipse commented from the doorway. "I think those would look great on you."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Sure," Eclipse nodded. "They're cute but they're more... rugged. Shows you're more than just an adorable doll."

"So, what are you doing here?" Yuki said as she placed her new shorts on the bed.

"I'm here to apologize. It was wrong for me to treat you like a servant..." Eclipse bowed her head.

"Mom must have given you quite the talking too," Yuki smirked.

"You have no idea," Eclipse pouted. "I am sorry. I've been trying to be... good, but.. you know."

Yuki walked over to her sister and gave her a slight hug. "I know. You got used to the place you had under Alexia and all the stuff you could do."

Eclipse sighed as she returned the hug. "Since when did you end up being such a good sister?"

"Since I realized the value of a family that actually loves you."

"That is really nice. I'd forgotten what mother's like." Eclipse nodded. It made her ashamed to disappoint her like that. She promised to never fail mother like that again. She changed to a more benign topic. "I was just sorting clothes, too. Though it was easier for me. I had done this once before."

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As a pale man drove down a highway, he allowed his hands to shake. He knew he should not have been nervous as he drove through that border crossing, especially since his vehicle did not have anything illegal in it. While there certainly were materials that were dangerous to Her, there was nothing that would catch a policeman's attention.

The weapons were being transported via other means. Means that the driver was not told. He almost wished he knew less about the plan than he did. They were following the Path of the Will and that soothed any moral qualms, but what the Master planned...

The driver comforted himself as he checked to make sure that he obeyed the local speed limit. That was now being given in kilometers per hour. He reminded himself that drastic measures were required to deal with such a dangerous foe. They were saving the world after all. Saving it from Her. Saving it from the ice.

While he drove he repeated the prophecy in his mind. His eyes twinkled and his lips formed into a smile when he came to the most critical part

'And there will arise a weakness in distant lands. If the will exists to use innocence as a lance then the new moon will set.'

After a few mantras he relaxed. Soon he would rendezvous with the other members and preparations would be able to proceed to the next step. The risks were higher now than they ever had been, but they were more than willing to do whatever it took.

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Lieutenant Richards looked around the drab room. He knew something was wrong. Even if it _was_ just an inquiry on behalf of Major Koster, things were taking too long. The door clicked open and Richards watched as Captain Jarvis entered.

"Hello Richards," Jarvis said as he stepped into the room just enough to allow a pair of agents in full battle dress enter and level their weapons at Richards.

"What's the meaning of this?" Richards demanded.

"Stand up. Hands on your head," Jarvis conversationally stated.

Richards glared at the other officer, but he complied. After a thorough frisking his sidearm, pattern scanner, phone, utility knife, wallet, and flashlight were confiscated. He was pushed back into his seat while the two guards retreated with Richard's possessions.

"I guess, I'm being tested again," Richards sighed theatrically. Sometimes agents were subjected to this in order to see how they handled interrogation.

"Not quite," Jarvis said as he put his briefcase on the table. "I could have my fun. Slowly work at you. Finding your weaknesses. It would be a treat to work against a challenge, but I don't have the time or the patience to play."

Richards silently stared at Jarvis.

"You're curious." Jarvis laughed. It was a hollow, broken sound. He made a gesture with his left hand. After a few seconds the door unlocked and a figure stepped in. She was obviously female and had long red hair and wore a revealing inky-black dress. The door closed behind her and locked, but she hung back in the shadows of the back of the room. The darkness seemed to coalesce around her, especially near her pale skin. Violet lips were pursed in an amused smile.

"What's this? You're having a demon do your work for you?" Richards exclaimed.

"I'm curious too," Jarvis said.

"He's afraid. He stinks of fear," Ranma noted with distaste.

"Yes, I can smell it too," Jarvis noted. "Of course he could just be aware of what you really are."

"Perhaps," Ranma said as she stepped forward and started examining Richards as if he were a fascinating yet repulsive insect.

"We know he's dirty," Jarvis noted.

"Agents don't just happen to have coffee with Assemblymen," Ranma agreed as she sniffed the air around Richards. Apparently satisfied with her findings she stepped back into the shadows.

"What are you going to play good agent, bad demon?" Richardson asked.

"I'm not a good person," Jarvis stated. "You've seen what I can do. Granted, I don't eat people."

"You're not going to get to me," Richards defiantly said.

Ranma sighed with disappointment. "You said this would be fun, Adam. You said he would be tough to crack and I would be able to have a snack."

Jarvis shook his head. "Come on, Richards. You can be tougher than this."

"You don't have anything."

"What happened Richards? Your conscience hit you? So you decided to talk to a priest? Have a bit of confessional? Maybe if you gave enough you'd be granted an indulgence?"

"I'm not a traitor, and even if I was it wouldn't be to save my soul."

Ranma broke into laughter. "Who would want it? It's an empty mess."

"So that bit about a snack was just a threat." Richards leaned back. If he kept his cool... he could make it out of here, or maybe finger someone else. He did have a fall guy lined up.

Ranma walked up to him with a large toothy grin. "It's not your soul I want," she growled as her tail formed into existence and waved over Richard's face.

"It's a good thing we're doing this in a room with a drain in the floor," Jarvis noted

Richards looked down and saw the gleaming steel drain in the low center of the room.

"Just make sure he can still talk," Jarvis advised.

Ranma nodded.

"So why then?" Jarvis asked, sitting down across from Richards. He waved the demon off, who returned to her place in the shadows. "Were you planning on running away once you sold enough of our secrets? Maybe the Assembly promised you a nice job working for them."

"You're crazy," Richards laughed. "I am not a traitor to humanity."

Jarvis smirked. "I never said you were."

"Maybe that's why he told the Assembly those things. He thought he was helping things. The Assembly hunts demons too," Ranma said in a bored tone.

"Was that it, Jason?" Jarvis asked Richardson. "Did you think you were helping unite humanity?"

"Maybe he just wanted to be rid of the demons infesting his base," Ranma snarled as she stepped closer to Richards.

"What better way than tipping off the bar. So what if you're using the death of a comrade. You're getting rid of demons." Jarvis eyed Richards for his reaction.

"Why can't you look at my eyes?" Ranma demanded.

"You _are_ letting a demon do your dirty work," Richards laughed.

"Your little friends almost killed her daughter. You have any idea how angry that makes a succubus?"

"You sold me out!" Richards cried.

"It's only fair. You sold out WIC. The brass around here felt that it was a fair deal."

"You can't just feed me to a demon."

"Because you're innocent, right?" Jarvis laughed.

"I see how this deal works." Richards shook his head. "If I talk, you hold the demon back and I get prison time, or maybe just a bullet to the head before she tears me apart."

"It's always nice working with a bright boy," Ranma smirked.

"You underestimate me. What if I kept quiet? I could die before I said anything." Richards leaned forward and smirked at the succubus. "Would you be able to hold back your rage or would you kill me before you found anything out?"

"Is this your last stand? Not going to try to bribe your way out of this?" Jarvis flexed one of his hands. "Selling information to others is your business. Are you so principled that you'll die for people you sold out?"

"Maybe he found god," Ranma laughed.

"You think it was just the Assembly?" Richard's smug expression died when he looked at the other two's faces.

"So you have quite the cottage industry," Jarvis noted. "All human organizations I trust." His right hand made a slight motion.

"I just wanted you to realize how much you missed, well not exactly how much. That's the point isn't it? I mean... right under your nose, Captain." Richards laughed. He stopped when he noticed the look of... anticipation on Jarvis' face.

Richards and his chair were suddenly knocked down. He looked up to see a snarling face over his. Richards felt a hot pain in his arms as they were held to the ground. He looked to the sides but his vision was blocked by a pair of spread wings. His universe consisted entirely of the succubus that had him pinned.

Richards' vision darkened as he was transfixed by those luminous eyes. A primal fear rose within him as he fell into the violet depths.  
He was coherent enough to notice the tail snake between her legs and hover above his chest. Gently the tail came to rest on his ribcage and extend its filaments. Dozens of tiny lacerations formed and started to bleed.

"Squirming will make it worse," Ranma teased.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" Richards cried

"It's much to late for that," Ranma laughed

"Ranma, I think that's enough - unless you're hungry," Jarvis offered in an approving voice.

Ranma retracted her tail filaments and brought the limb to her mouth. She licked the blood off of the fins. She growled in disgust and spit it onto Richards' face. "Tastes horrible anyway," she grumbled as she pulled herself off of him.

"I'm disappointed," Jarvis said while righting Richards' chair, and Richards. "You fell apart way too easily."

"First sight of blood," Ranma shook her head. "Pansy."

"You know Richards, I interviewed another person. He wasn't an agent, or really even in the business, but he held together, and admitted what he did wrong. He wasn't some smug little bitch like you." Jarvis opened his briefcase. "Now... can we finally get to business?"

Richards blinked and tried to wipe some of the blood off of his face. He felt the wound on his side with a wince. None of the cuts were very deep but they stung. His gaze froze when it came to the demon. She was standing just behind Jarvis, but when he looked at her.. the short demon seemed to somehow loom and twist the space around her.   
"Something wrong?" Jarvis asked with a purposefully, ill-concealed smirk.

"Those can't be real. Shadows don't do that," Richards babbled with wide eyes.

"Right," Jarvis deadpanned. "I suppose Miss Saotome could be a mite nicer, but you haven't given her any reason to. Maybe if you enlighten us to your... activities, she can be persuaded to be nicer."

Richards weakly nodded.

"Telling us every thing you know about the people who tried to kill her child would help. If she's off killing them she won't be here to eat you." Jarvis offered.

"Don't forget all the other twits he told. I would like a heads up at what other morons are after me," Ranma added.

Jarvis smirked inwardly as Richards began to talk. In the end, everyone talked. Though having a succubus around did make things more... expedient.

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"That was fun," Jarvis noted as he washed his hands. He washed after every interrogation whether he needed it or not. "Thanks for the help."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Ranma noted as she leaned on a nearby wall. It was the first time she had been in a men's bathroom in a while.

"You had fun," Jarvis noted. "It wasn't all an act."

"Okay fine. It was fun to break that smug bastard. What a moron!"

"You certainly were impressive," Jarvis noted as he looked at his reflection.

"Thanks. I can't believe he actually thought selling WIC's secrets actually helped things."

"He thought things would work better if all the organizations of our nature were one big happy family. Of course the assurances of payment and an escape from the Company when he earned enough helped too."

"What'll happen to him?"

"He'll get a fair court martial, and given the evidence he'll be shot," Jarvis said as he dried his hands.

"Good."

"Going to ask about Richards' little friend?"

"It sounds like Agent Platt was an unwitting accomplice. All he did was feed information to Richards." Ranma shrugged.

"Yes. Richards wouldn't lie to protect someone he was thinking about framing as a fall guy."

"You've still gotta interview Platt," Ranma remarked as she checked out her own reflection.

"Of course, but he should be easy." Jarvis picked up his briefcase.

"If you want, I can help with that," Ranma offered.

"Yes, you could." Jarvis noted. "So what you said about how Richards' soul tasted was that true?"

"You should know whether or not demons eat souls." Ranma snickered.

"Quite right. So how are the kids doing?" Jarvis asked as they exited the bathroom.

"Oh? Funny you should mention that," Ranma said before going into a lengthy talk about her spawn. Jarvis nodded and paid attention as best as he could. He knew what asking a mother about her children would be like, or at least he thought he did.

Eventually they came to the room where Platt and the rest of Richards' team was waiting. Agent Platt was quite nervous about being singled out, especially by Captain Jarvis and Miss Saotome.

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"Mom!" Ranma cried as she ran over to Nodoka and hugged her. It had been a couple days since the raid on the hotel and the demise of Alexia.

"Dear, at least let me get in," Nodoka said as she tried to step into the house. "So how are things?"

"Good. Alexia's gone, and I have time off to take care of my kids," Ranma said as she untangled from Nodoka and led her into the house.

"And your father?"

"See for yourself," Ranma said as they entered the kitchen and walked to the back porch.

Genma and Soun were sitting at a table on the back porch. Their chairs were facing out into the back yard and they were quietly snacking on some sandwiches.

"Thank you daughter," Soun said graciously.

"You're welcome," Yuki smiled before walking back to the kitchen.

"How's things with him?" Ranma asked.

"Oh, it's okay," Yuki sighed. "Father thinks I'm his little girl.

"That's what parents do," Ranma said while Nodoka nodded in agreement.

"Yes, but it's like he's forgotten that I was ever older. Or that I had a car. He's just pretending that I was always the youngest."

"It's how he copes. Remember how long it took him to get used to Akane," Ranma assured.

"Yes -- and that was just his tomboy daughter, becoming a lesbian, nudist demon," Yuki sighed.

"At least you're getting along with your father," Ranma noted. She then stepped out onto the back deck. "How's it going Pops?"

"Fair enough," Genma allowed.

"Say... after I talk with Mom, do you wanna spar? I promise I won't use any freaky demon powers."

"I'll think about it," Genma grumbled.

"Okay," Ranma said before stepping back into the kitchen. Disappointment clearly marked her face.

"I see what you mean," Yuki said before excusing herself. She left looking for her sisters to warn them that Mother and grandma would need some alone time.

"What's wrong?" Nodoka asked as the two walked to the den where there was more privacy.

"Pops used to spar with me more. It was one of the things where he seemed to care less about what I am," Ranma sighed, and slumped into the couch she had just sat down in.

"You are maturing into a young woman. Maybe he feels out of place," Nodoka offered.

"He's the one that doesn't want to be a grandpa to my kids. You'd think someone that wanted the houses joined would be happy about this."

"I don't think this is what he expected," Nodoka said as she slid closer to her daughter.

"You're handling this though," Ranma pouted as she leaned onto her mother.

Nodoka paused, unsure what to say. She had spent ten years away from her child, and just wanted Ranma back. "I knew about demons. I had some ability to cope. Genma... he dreamed of you becoming a husband and raising sons and training them."

"Not being a Mom and raising daughters," Ranma forced her violet eyes closed.

Nodoka sighed deeply. She knew she could not ignore this next issue.

"I took your girls out shopping today," Nodoka stated. It was important to keep the girls busy as they were still recovering and not quite ready for school.

"Yeah," Ranma weakly smiled "Aurora finally got rid of her makeup kit, and all her tanning cream, and all she bought was a bit of lipstick, blush and eyeshadow."

"You taught her well," Nodoka smiled while she pulled her daughter closer. She remembered her own experience helping her daughter with "girl stuff".

"It was also cute how Nariko and Nabiki had to help you correct the others on what would actually be good in a stew," Ranma laughed.

"That's good," Nodoka sighed. "Ukyou told me something," she lifted up her daughter's chin and looked into the brood mother's eyes. "Are you stuck like this?"

Ranma whimpered and put her head on her Mother's chest.

"I guess that's a yes."

"It's... it's for the best. I don't... I don't think I could live as a guy anymore. I'm this now. I've gone too far. I... I like being a mother," Ranma closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around her mother.

"So... you don't want to become male again?"

"Promise me you won't get mad," Ranma pleaded.

"I won't," Nodoka assured as she ran her hand through her daughter's long hair. She reached into her lab coat and pulled out a brush.

"When Ukyou first pointed out that I wasn't changing I was... happy." Ranma tilted her head so her mother could brush her hair better. "It makes things easier. I don't have to worry about water. No changing into a different gender in public, but most importantly, it's a weakness I no longer have."

"The limitations of your human form can't be used against you," Nodoka surmised as she continued brushing.

"Yes. Alexia tried to turn me back into a human. If it had worked..." Ranma sighed and hugged her mother again.

"It's okay. You beat her and you're training your kids; they'll be strong just like you."

"Well, not just like me," Ranma noted. Mother complimenting and reassuring her maternal skills always cheered her up. "I'm part Pattern Silver they're not. I guess the Senshi stuff doesn't transfer."

"That's a minor thing," Nodoka said as she finished brushing her daughter.

"Wait..." Ranma leaned up off of her mother. "Who's to say that I can't transfer... I mean I nurse them every night. If I really tried... I mean what if I..." She started to think.

"What?"

"It's just an idea. I'll have to see if I can even transfer energy that way. I also should wait until my girls are a bit more... stable."

"Thinking of an energy increase?"

"Something like that," Ranma smiled.

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A woman wearing a knee-length black leather skirt with a matching leather jacket over a light violet blouse entered a bar. Her vibrant red hair was long, and while it had significant body, it was carefully styled. The tresses did not have a scattering of spikes down its length, instead they were in a smooth fluid shape. She looked a bit too high class for such a dive of a bar.

However, her mannerisms, the cut of her blouse, the slit on the side of her skirt, and the nature of her expression hinted that she would do just fine here. She sauntered across the bar and made her way to an empty stool next to a man in a rumpled suit.

"That's a new look for you," Murdock said after turning to look over his companion.

"I'm trying something a bit more mature," Ranma shrugged. She ordered her drink and sighed. She would rather not drink, but to not order something would make her stand out even more. Murdock was in his usual state and had his normal amused expression. "So what do you want?"

"Congratulations on defeating your foe?" Murdock offered.

"You should have sent a fruit basket," Ranma said as she was handed her drink. "Why did you really go through the trouble of sneaking another note in my underwear drawer?"

"There's no small talk with you, is there?" Murdock laughed as he sipped his gin.

"Not when dealing with a potentially dangerous mage," Ranma stated.

"I'm hurt," Murdock pouted.

"No you're not, but you are still stalling."

"I can't just see how my favorite succubus is doing?" Murdock asked. "I was the one that helped you when you first turned."

"Interesting bit of charity that," Ranma said as she drank some of her beer.

"You're implying that I had some ulterior motive when I helped a confused young demon." Murdock allowed himself an amused smirk.

Ranma sighed. "Yes, you and Setsuna are cut from the same cloth. At least with her I know what her plans are."

"Fairy-tale ending. Perfect magical kingdom, ruled by a wise queen. Somewhere with no place for demons... or most of humanity for that matter," Murdock laughed.

"Spare me. I know about Crystal Tokyo," Ranma waved off.

"Do you? Are you aware of what Setsuna and Usagi are willing to do to make that future possible?"

Ranma laughed. "Okay... Setsuna. I can see her playing the evil schemer, but Usagi?" the succubus burst into another fit of laughter.

"Leadership changes people. They have responsibility, and they have to deal with life and death situations. Look at how combat's changed you," Murdock stated. "Think of how fighting's changed Usagi. How future fights will change her."

"Future?" Ranma narrowed her eyes. "Are you really planning things like Setsuna said?"

Murdock laughed. "There's no need. Among certain groups events in Toronto are well known. Didn't Usagi tell you about her enemies? How many groups the Senshi have had to fight?"

"They do seem to come out of the woodwork," Ranma admitted.

"And it's not just the Senshi this time. There's your brood and the Company now." Murdock idly rotated the glass that stood before him.

"And it's not just Alexia, the Assembly's still around, and who knows what else is out there," Ranma said leveling her gaze at Murdock.

"Oh, you think I know?"

"Well what do you know? Why are you even here?"

Murdock smirked. "Do you honestly expect an answer? I could tell you something but you would never know if it was the truth or not."

"Try me," Ranma said.

Murdock inhaled. "Alright then. I'm on vacation. All the stuff that's happening here is just an amusing spectacle to me. Maybe my Order sent me here to make sure nothing gets out of hand, to step in if things go to hell in a hand basket. I know! I'm under orders by an unknown third party to orchestrate things. I could be an opportunistic scavenger, selling information to all the interested parties. Like that inept traitor you and your friend interrogated yesterday."

"That... that wasn't what I was asking for," Ranma sighed, conversing with this man was always a headache. "Maybe you'll tell me something more useful."

"I can try," Murdock happily said.

"Who ordered the hit on Ukyou? Who did that sniper work for?"

"Father Oslo of the Assembly of Man. I believe he was Acolyte Hibiki's mentor. That was why Oslo's team was chosen for this mission," Murdock added.

Ranma nodded, making sure to ask Ukyou and Aurora when she got home, and then follow up with what the Company knew. "So will there be anymore succubae like Alexia I'll have to worry about?"

"Nope," Murdock replied. "A brood mother like her is pretty rare."

"How can you be sure?"

"This town wasn't big enough for the two of you. Succubae are territorial for one, and Alexia was gunning for you."

"Why was that?" Ranma asked. "Why did she hate me so much?"

"Jealousy," Murdock shrugged. "DarkStar was a legend. DarkStar was the tragic child of that demonic invasion. Then Alexia saw you... the DarkStar in the flesh, and you were associating with Senshi and demon hunters."

"What so she decided to kill a legend and a traitor?" Ranma asked, remembering what Alexia called her.

"You got it," Murdock said.

"That's stupid. She ruined dozens of lives just to get to me?"

"She was a bitter, stupid creature," Murdock agreed.

"All this because of some crap I did in the past," Ranma sighed. She took another sip of her drink.

Murdock raised an eyebrow. "You did? I thought DarkStar was some demon that got transferred into you."

"She is," Ranma blinked.

"You said..." Murdock smiled. "Do you think you're DarkStar?"

"Yeah, I'm Sailor DarkStar." Ranma wondered where Murdock was going with this.

"I see. That does explain things." Murdock shook his head. "I guess if anyone could make a demon reincarnate, she could."

"What?" Ranma asked. "Reincarnate? How did..."

"Queen Serenity," Murdock stated thinking more than he let on.

"Oh yes... she reincarnated all the other Senshi." Ranma smiled. "If that's true... then Setsuna was wrong. If I was already... her... I would have turned into DarkStar... just like I did."

"Yup, there's no need for an evil manipulative mage," Murdock joked, while internally he worried. If true, this prospect disturbed him. It meant he was being played.

"So why are you messing with Setsuna?" Ranma asked. "You can tell me that much. I appreciate messing with her myself."

"Yeah, I heard what you did to her at the bar," Murdock shook his head. "Nice work. Yeah, we're pretty much doing the same thing, but I have much more free time with which to torment her."

Ranma stared at Murdock before laughing. "Only you would be immature and stubborn enough to go through all the trouble to make Setsuna think you were controlling everything."

"It's remarkably easy. I don't even have to know what's going on. I just have to make vague, amused statements, and then lecture her when she tries to do the same to me," Murdock sipped his drink. "The trick is to play into the other person's expectations. Setsuna expects there to be a puppet master orchestrating everything. Therefore she's more inclined to believe 'evidence' that supports her existing view. It doesn't matter that in reality there's a mass of different organizations each with their own goals. Setsuna wants there to be one enemy. One person she can blame."

"And you're taking that mantel just to mess with her. I believe you," Ranma deadpanned.

"What? I've been straight with you this whole time," Murdock assured.

"Uh-huh, so no evil plots going on in the background?"

"Oh I have plenty of those, but you're not a part of them. In fact I daresay you wouldn't want to be a part of 'em. Not your cup of tea. Not enough blood and gore."

"Oh? You don't sound too happy about that." Ranma noted. "You actually have some real work to do? Not just messing with Pluto."

"We can't all get paid to kill monsters," Murdock said.

"I'm sure WIC could give you a nice deal," Ranma offered. "They compensate their freelancers well."

"What made you take their money?"

"I have a family to feed," Ranma stated. "Besides, I'm gonna fight inhuman monsters anyway, might as well get paid for it."

"No moral qualms? You are taking money from scary people."

Ranma gave Murdock an incredulous gaze.

"Right... the whole cannibal demon thing," Murdock sighed.

End Chapter 13

Author's Notes:

Here it is, the last chapter in the Second Arc of The Return.

I'd like to thank my prereaders for helping me: Trimatter, PyroRaven, Kevin Hammel, J St C Patrick, Wray, Mondu Quiambao, Jerry Starfire, Truk


	15. Chapter 14 Respect and Reliability

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Josh Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.

http/jtemple. website Temple of Ranma's Senshi Seifuku

http/ as always is wanted.

Chapter 14 Respect and Reliability

Willard International Consulting Cadet Kuno bit her lip as she read the briefing report again. The document fell to the tray in front of her seat after she finished. Sighing, she looked out the window of the Company 717 jet. She had read the document twice during the Northbound flight, and had been briefed in person by a blank-faced Colonel before leaving the 14th Training and Development Grounds.

The young woman unconsciously shifted in her seat. After sixteen months of constant, daily use her sidearm had become an extension of her body. She flipped over to the second item in the briefing packet. Unlike the terse text of the WIC document, this was a personal letter. The handwriting was feminine and a bit sloppy, but it was familiar. The attached photographs were even more disheartening.

After reading that letter again, she turned her attention to the others on the plane. It seemed a more solid activity than worrying about her... family. Normally, she spent her leave time on base training or studying, but this... this warranted returning home. She then got up and made her way to the bathroom.

Unlike her experience at the 14th, no one had the brown uniform trim of Recruitment and Training Section. In this plane the black of Operations dominated, though she could make out a few agents wearing the green of Science and Technology Section. In the last couple rows were a couple agents with dark violet trim, marking them as Communications and Cryptography. Kodachi's eyes caught a lone officer with the orange trim of Historical Research at the last row near the cramped bathroom.

He looked up with curiosity, which she fully understood. She was the only cadet on the plane, by far the most junior member here. The others on the plane had to wonder why a someone like her was on this flight.

She smirked at her reflection after she finished her business. She was certain that some of the Operations officers had to know why she was here. After all, they had to be briefed on the Pattern D... situation, too.

"What's wrong, honey?" Ranma asked as she sat down next to her youngest daughter. The brood mother saw the young demon fingering a set of keys and guessed what the problem was. Her first guess was bad dreams. She was having her own... odd dreams.

"I've been trying; I really have," the powder-blue haired demon assured.

"You can tell me, Nabiki." Ranma assured. She automatically wrapped her arm around her daughter's waist.

The young teen gave a fanged smile. "I _am_ Nabiki." She looked down at her pink skirt and pink accented white-blouse. "Aren't I?"

"You're who you want to be," Ranma said with a smile.

"I want to be..." Nabiki closed her blue eyes.

"You can drive your car. Sure, you'll have to move the seat way up, but you can do it, and the Company can take care of the paperwork."

"Put my age back to seventeen then. Yeah I look that old," Nabiki laughed. "Will fit right in with me going back to school."

Ranma raised an eyebrow.

"I can't even reach the pedals! I had to move my seat to use my own car. As for school, I don't even look fifteen!"

"We'll work around it. I don't look nineteen but I go into bars," Ranma reminded.

The sad succubus gave her mother a sardonic look. "Mom, when you wear your leathers you look like a twenty-something biker babe."

"Maybe that's the solution to your problems. A nice motorcycle. That way you won't have to worry about pedals as much" Ranma joked.

"Can I get it in pink?" Nabiki smirked back.

"Err... talk to your father."

"He did make plenty off of those land deals with the Drake." Nabiki nodded..

"You're not serious are you?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Nabiki said innocently.

Ranma sighed, her youngest was taking lessons from her oldest again. "You know what I mean, young lady. You're adorable, smart, and manipulative."

"Of course I am. I'm a succubus!"

"Feeling better?" Ranma asked with a little grin.

"Hey..." Nabiki blinked. "I guess so. I'm still worried about school and stuff."

"You have time. The others are still recovering," Ranma hugged.

"Yeah, Aurora and Akane –well- they've got mates to help them."

"I think you're being premature on Ucchan and Aurora," Ranma said, noting the jealousy in Nabiki's voice.

"Just because they haven't had sex yet doesn't mean they're not going to. They're not the only couple being bashful." Nabiki dryly remarked.

"Yeah," Ranma coughed. "So what about school?"

Nabiki sighed. "If you don't want me to get a pink hog just tell me."

Ranma narrowed her eyes. "Maybe later."

"Fine," Nabiki then fidgeted with her hair bows. "I can't go back to school as Nabiki Tendo. I'm also a bit too young."

"You don't want to go to high school?"

Nabiki nervously fidgeted and leaned onto her mother.

Ranma looked at her unsure daughter. Nabiki was getting better, but her confidence was still fragile.

"I do.. but junior high may be easier," Nabiki confessed.

Ranma smiled thinly. "You're not one to take the easy way. If you were I'd be talking to Yuki."

"I'm still sweet and cute," the young demon reminded.

"Sweet? You're a manipulative, devious little demon who did what she had to do to survive and hold onto herself."

Nabiki blinked. "You... sound... proud."

"Well of course I do." Ranma gave a fanged grin to her daughter. "Your little scam put Alexia just where I wanted her."

"All I did was make ensure the best mother would win." Nabiki's smirk seemed too malevolent for her makeup and hairstyle. She was then hugged by her purring mother. "Mom, I wasn't trying to be cute!"

"Oh, sorry." Ranma blushed. She then paused at the ringing sound coming out of her pants. She then pulled out a slim piece of metal and plastic. She flipped it open and scowled at the device.

Nabiki was curious as to how her mother had managed to fit the cell-phone in there. The pockets in Ranma's leather pants were largely decorative.

"Really? She's coming back on leave. Yes, I'm sure Nariko will be very happy," Ranma paused. "Jacob... you did brief her right? No, I know you'd give her a bunch of files or something, but did you actually give her any pictures? Something to drive home that her big brother's now a succubus." Ranma then listened to Jacob's explanations. "I see."

"Kodachi's coming back?" Nabiki asked with wide eyes.

Still holding her company phone to her ear, Ranma turned to Nabiki. "Yes she is. Why? You know something about her?"

"Spoiled, haughty brat. Unstable too," Nabiki stated.

"The Company really knows how to pick 'em." Ranma muttered.

"Well, I guess she's probably gotten better. WIC training did help Kasumi, after all."

"I can see Kasumi scowling at that," Ranma remarked.

"Kodachi never did blow up a science lab, though there were plenty of rumors about what she did to win that gymnastics tournament."

"Oh dear," Ranma turned back to her phone. "Jacob, you sure Kodachi can handle this? Right. I'll let her meet Nariko first then."

"Mom, talk to Nariko first," Nabiki advised. "Tatewaki did not get along with his sister."

"Good idea," Ranma said as she looked at her daughter's concerned face. "Jacob, I'm going to call back after I talk to Nariko. Okay, good." She then hung up the phone and slipped it back into her pants.

Ranma then left out the back door of the house and, with Nabiki following her, walked to the dojo. Inside she found her other kids training in their normal Lycra unitards.

"Hi Mom!" Nariko said while her sisters gave similar greetings. Ukyou and Aurora stopped their sparring and looked over at their mother.

"Is something wrong?" Nariko's mate asked. She noticed the odd expression on her mother's face too.

"Nariko... your sister is on leave and would you like to see her?"

"My sister?" Nariko blinked. "Oh yes... her." She bit her lower lip. "I sent her a letter. That's why she's coming. I also put in some photos."

"Nari-chan, you didn't put any... racy photo in it?" Ranma asked as delicately as she could.

"I wanted to but Akane advised against it," Nariko blushed.

"Really?" Ranma blinked and turned to Akane with a raised eyebrow.

"I am trying to be nice," Eclipse said. "Is that so unbelievable?"

"A little bit," Aurora noted, while Nabiki coughed.

"No, it's great that you're being a good girl," Ranma reassured.

"This is Nariko's little human sister?" Ukyou asked.

"Yes, she's a cadet with the Company," Ranma replied.

"I wonder what the Company does to it's new recruits," Ukyo said.

"Couldn't be worse than what we went though. We could have some fun," Aurora muttered with a sly gin.

"Don't you even think about starting that again," Ukyou sighed.

"Oh come on, it would be fun."

"Fun? A demoness shouldn't call the _hazing_ the Assembly of Man gives to it's new acolytes fun."

"No picking on my little sister," Nariko growled.

"Yes Nariko," Aurora said with her head slightly bowed.

"I guess you're ready. I mean you sent that letter, without telling me," Ranma said.

"Sorry Mommy, I thought you wouldn't be interested. Like when I talk to my father," Nariko softly said.

"So it's fine if she comes over today?" Ranma steeled herself. She knew her daughter was trying to be cute. Nariko only called her Mommy now when she wanted something.

A smile that was quite out of place on Nariko's face momentarily appeared before being replaced by her normally sweet expression. "Yeah, it'll be fun."

A pale man morosely looked down the aisles as he made his way through the store. He felt honored that the Master had given him this task. The Path of the Will was depending on him to memorize the layout of the building.

He stopped his cart with a confused expression and wandered into the storage section. One of the workers politely ushered him back into the store proper. The teenage girl helpfully suggested that the disheveled man check out aisle five. That was where the store kept it's selection of board games.

The pale man smiled at the young woman. He sincerely hoped that she was not working tomorrow, but that would be a Saturday. As he pretended to look through board games he replayed the prophecy in his head.

Innocence would be their lure, and with it they would capture Her. Numbers were irrelevant. If they did nothing billions would die. Compared to that, the patrons of a single toy store were...

He blinked and added a board game to his cart. They would not be insignificant. Their sacrifice would stop the greatest threat to humanity. A monster that wreathed herself in the form of an angel. She truly was a queen of lies. She was no savior.

Once again, the pale man thanked the Master for providing him with the clarity to see the truth. He also thanked the book that had revealed the truth to them all. It was of no consequence what the world thought of them. Their mission was to save humanity, not be loved by it.

Kodachi controlled her breathing as she knocked on the door. Flanking her were two operations agents that kept giving each other knowing smiles. The cadet was getting worried. Her briefing said that the... brood her sister was in was friendly enough.

However, Colonel Edwards, _the Colonel Jacob "Executor "Edwards_, himself had very sternly given a set of rules when dealing with these demons. Kodachi wondered what these demons had done to warrant such treatment. This was beyond what was normally done with Registered Non-Humans, even with those that worked as Company Freelancers.

This brood, including her former brother, had to be very valuable to the Company. Kodachi knocked again and the door opened, revealing the red-eyed demon that multiple briefings asserted was her sibling. The cadet studied the Pattern-D. The pale skin, envious proportions, and strange eyes hinted at the girl's true nature. Kodachi flinched when she noticed the expression change on the demon's face.

"Sis!" Nariko happily cried as she jumped forward and embraced the startled agent.

Kodachi's arms were pinned to her sides. As the unexpectedly warm and soft body constricted the cadet's body, her hand automatically tried to reach for her sidearm.

"Now, now sis, play nice," Nariko mischievously whispered into her sister's ear before breaking the hug. She knew all about her sister's tricks.

To the amusement of the pair of agents that escorted her, Kodachi shuddered at the contact. "So you claim to be my... sister?" she asked after quickly regaining her composure.

"Can you please come in before getting all snooty?" Nariko asked keeping her tone pleasant.

"Father's not here? I'm not surprised. You don't even live with him anymore, not like he'd want to help." Kodachi said as she entered the spacious Tendo house.

Nariko slowly turned to face her sister again. The serene innocence was gone from her face, and when she spoke it was flat and direct. "Insult father again, and you will regret it."

"What? Did he suddenly become father of the year?"

"Yes," Nariko stated. "He saved me. When no one else would help me he was there." Her voice wavered at this last part.

"How ironic." Kodachi sighed. "I screw up and get shipped off to military school, but his golden boy becomes a succubus, and suddenly father becomes perfect and supportive. Lovely. Does he still see harlots that resemble mother or does he simply bed your new mother?"

Kodachi suddenly found her legs swept out from under her. Training kicked in and she tried to keep her balance and make for her sidearm. Her gun was ripped out of her hands as she was simply knocked over. Her head slammed onto the floor jarring her vision for a second. When it refocused, she found all of her limbs pinned and a spade-ended tail hovering over her torso.

Pity marked Nariko's face as it loomed over her sister's. "You're a terrible agent."

"Whorish bitch!" Kodachi spat.

"Wonder if Red's got any beer here," Gabriel said as he walked by the fighting sisters.

"I'm not sure I want to look in that fridge," Sophie cautioned as she followed her partner to the kitchen. "Cleanup hasn't recovered many complete bodies these last few missions."

"What's going on?" Kasumi asked stopping her troops before they could open the refrigerator.

"Just some sibling rivalry, Ma'am," Gabriel replied.

"I see." Kasumi then walked over to the foyer and told the two sisters to go outside if they were going to make a mess.

Nariko nodded and then dragged her sister, who unsuccessfully tried to get her gun back, to the back yard.

Kodachi finally freed her wrist from Nariko's grip, and scowled at the redhead lounging on a loveseat on the back porch. "So you're the brood mother,"

"At least you can figure out that much," Nariko sniffed.

"Nari-chan, you said you wanted to meet your sister alone," Ranma said rising from her seat.

"First impressions are very important," Nariko agreed.

"I suppose so. When I first met Kasumi she was planning to kill me," Ranma said.

"When is father coming?" Nariko asked.

"He should be on his way," Ranma replied.

Kodachi frowned at the lack of weight in her holster. She tried to keep her face neutral, but in addition to that failing her hand flexed.

"I guess you've got a ways before graduation," Ranma noted.

Kodachi's gaze hardened. It became even colder when the redhead started walking around her with a critical eye.

"You lost your weapon. That's just shameful," Ranma said. "You're alert, that's good, but you're still too excitable."  
"Good eye, Red," Kasumi smirked as she held Kodachi's sidearm in her hands. "Our cadet here is still more in the academic part of her training. She needs more field experience."

"She does have the cold and still body language down though," Ranma laughed.

"Indeed." Kasumi then handed the gun back to Kodachi.

"You're Lieutenant Tendo aren't you, Ma-am?" Kodachi asked after holstering her weapon.

"Yes, and you should be grateful for this opportunity. Most cadet's don't get to have a nice chat with an NH. You might learn something."

"Nice? With her?" Nariko smirked.

Ranma should have expected this. She remembered another introverted succubus that got out of her shell... when around the right personalities.

"Yes cadet, nice. As in all your limbs are still attached and they're not eating your liver," Kasumi explained.

For a brief moment Kodachi wondered if this was all some twisted Company test. The older cadets had told her that the examinations got harder and more elaborate.

"Maybe Sister can be introduced to the rest of the family?" Nariko asked with a smile.

"I suppose so," Ranma allowed.

"Finally!" a voice from above said. It was followed by a scrambling noise on the roof of the porch and a pair of succubae landing on the lawn just in front of the porch.

"Yes, quite green," Aurora smiled.

"All cadets really are the same," Ukyou remarked.

"And what would you know of that?"

"Former, Assembly of Man Acolyte Hibiki, student of Father Oslo," Aurora smirked as she summoned her green aura.

Ukyou rolled her eyes.

"You've got quite the collection don't you?" Kodachi said to Ranma.

"You haven't seen half of it." Ranma then shouted at the dojo.

Kodachi blinked at the two figures that exited. She had a passing familiarity with the two youngest Tendos. "At least Akane finally came out of her prudish shell and admitted her deviancy," she said looking the toned and nearly naked succubus over.

"Deviant? You do know the basics about succubae right?" Ukyou asked. Having been both a brunette and a blonde, she could say that hair color did not influence intelligence, and while it was nice to see dense people with dark hair she wished she knew more smart people with blonde hair.

"You're still an arrogant little human, I see," Eclipse growled before hugging her mate.

"Give her a chance, guys," Nabiki said. "She can redeem herself."

"You're..." Kodachi fumbled unable to articulate her point.

"Cute? Adorable? Petite?"

"Nabiki," Kodachi corrected.

"Yes that too."  
"Nabiki never wears pink."

"She's also not under 5 feet tall, nor is the younger sister. Of course she was also not a succubus either." Nabiki's amusement was betrayed by the twinkling in her sky blue eyes.

"But you still have your quick wit," Kodachi remarked dryly.

"There's the, 'thought she was above the rules', haughty priss I loathed," Nabiki smiled.

"And are you the amoral grifter who would take the fillings form a dead man?" Kodachi asked with a similar expression.

"I'm now a predator that can seduce, drain, eat, and loot said man's body."

"Call me when she's proven herself useful," Aurora dismissed. "Come on Ucchan, you can show me some of those moves Nariko and Eclipse were teaching us."

Ukyou laughed. "Good idea," she said as she followed Aurora to the dojo.

"Remember to clean up when you're done," Ranma reminded.

"And try not to scream that loudly," Eclipse grumbled. She gave a pleading look to her mate.

Nariko moved her hand to her mate's waist and shook her head. "Sorry, you're still on no sex for two more days."

"But I've been real good to my sisters." Eclipse whined.

"You're withholding sex from Akane," Kodachi said.

"She was mean to her little sisters," Nariko explained.

"Akane wants to have sex with you, and you're saying no."

"Yeah..."

"The same Akane you lusted after... is the one who's begging you for sex."

Nariko rolled her eyes.

"Maybe you should tell her about your crush on Sunshine too?" Nabiki reminded.

"I did fall in love with Mother when I first laid eyes on her," Nariko said.

"Of course, she's a top notch seductress."

"Hey!" Ranma said.

"You did look very attractive in your Goth school girl uniform, mother," Nariko said.

"Yeah, maybe we can all wear that when we go back to school." Akane proposed. It was better than the normal uniform.

"Maybe," Ranma sighed.

Kodachi cocked her head. Interesting sounds were coming from the outbuilding that the blonde and orange haired demons had retreated to "Those two... girls. They're..."

"_Training_?" Eclipse asked, her voice full of innuendo.

"Ucchan is very attached to her partner," Ranma smiled.

"Matches the documentation on succubae," Kodachi muttered.

"Well of course it would," Nabiki remarked. "I'm surprised there isn't a boring presentation that deals with us."

"There is. It was part of the briefing."

"They show any of our fights?" Ranma asked.

"There's not much video record of you in combat. There is plenty of the aftermath though," Kasumi explained.

Kodachi looked around. The agents and demons were casual, and her sister seemed to be calming down "So... you and Akane are mates. How's that going?" she asked Nariko.

"Really good, Nariko's sweet and lethal and damn sexy," Eclipse commented. "She saved me, twice. Didn't care about the odds" She leaned onto her mate again.

"So you got what you wanted, eh, Tachi? Kodachi asked. "You're even a real warrior."

Nariko blushed.

"And you're even acceptable at being a girl. I wouldn't use that shade of eye makeup, not with that complexion at least. Don't you want to draw attention away from those bright red eyes?"

Nariko narrowed said eyes. "I would be more than willing to take cosmetics advice from you. Unlike fashion advice."

"This is regulation!"

"Maybe we should have let Aurora and Ucchan, haze her," Nabiki muttered.

"Not now, Honey," Ranma hushed. There was progress. Slight progress, but at least they were not fighting... physically.

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"News again?" Minako whined.

"I like being informed. We are here for a reason," Ami glared, not taking her eyes away from the television screen.

"I'm amazed she's not using some type of internet thing to get her news," Rei commented as she got some leftovers out of their apartment's fridge.

"That would let me watch my show," Minako grumbled.

"It's a rerun on syndication anyway," Ami sighed. "And I want some fast and local news, besides I've already got the good weblogs for the area bookmarked."

"You can always go to Janet's and watch TV at her place," Minako offered.

"Can't. Her mom is over."

Rei coughed at that comment. Last night she told Usagi about the concerns she had with all the time Ami was spending with Janet. The princess had dismissed her claims, which had just made Rei more concerned.

Ami blinked at the screen. She knew something like this would happen. It was a matter of time. "Get Usagi in here," she said in horror after finding her voice.

"What?" Minako asked.

"Get the damn Princess in here, now!" Ami shouted, while pointing to the television.

Rei looked at the television. On it was a jerky camera feed showing the outside of some large store. A newscaster was babbling something about a hostage situation. Her attention was to a large carpet that had been unfurled on the blacktop in front of the entrance. It was white with a simple golden symbol in the center. The camera angle was oblique to the carpet but it was still easy to make out.

"What's going on?" Usagi asked as Minako pushed the princess from her bedroom into the living room. As Ami directed Usagi to the television, the phone started to ring.

Rei picked it up before the second ring. "Yes Janet, we're watching the news too."

"Good, Janet knows. Rei, tell her to hang-up and get up here now. Minako, wake up Makoto too," Ami ordered as she started writing down information up.

"You can't give us orders." Rei started.

"Do it," Usagi ordered as she stared at the large golden crescent moon.

The inane chatter from the newscaster increased dramatically, but no one in the room was listening. They were transfixed by the two people that suddenly burst out of the front of the store. One was a brown-haired woman with long hair and a sundress. She was protectively carrying the other. A little girl no older than ten, who was in a green jumper.

The blue haired teen watched as the little girl and her presumed mother ran from the store and right to the white carpeting. "Oh God, that's too obvious," Ami uttered "We have to teleport, now!"

There was no time. Whomever had taken over the toy-store and used everyone inside as hostages were not skilled. Shooting the girl and her mother in the back proved challenging, for them. It was messy.

Usagi trembled as tears welled in her eyes. She had seen death before. She had watched everyone in this room die, but they were... soldiers. This was something else. A righteous coldness passed over her. The babbling of the newscaster was ignored. The response of the police was ignored, not that she could see what they were doing. She was focused on the crescent moon, now splattered with blood and other organic bits.

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"Sir, there's no response from the Silvers' apartment," agent Maya Iverson said while listening to the phone ring in her headset.

Jacob nodded as he paced in the Command and Control facility. "At least we got the brood notified. When will they arrive?"

"Seven minutes," another technician said as he consulted the display.

"Sir! There was an inter-dim spike on the Silver apartment! Forward watch confirms a matching spike at the target building," Iverson shouted. She disconnected the phone call and put her attention to the pair of agents that had first arrived on scene and were coordinating with local police. Initially the situation seemed mundane, horrible but mundane. A group of armed men took a toy store hostage and immediately called a news station which just happened to be two blocks away. The police arrived after the news crew.

"Anything else showing up on the forward scanners?" Stillwater asked.

"Just... six Pattern Silvers, Sir" Iverson said.

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The pale man stumbled back in surprise. He and two others had been assigned to guard the loading docks and storage room. His gun nearly slipped out of his sweaty palms. The Master had said their actions would summon the queen. In his foolishness, the pale man had assumed the master was not being literal. "Master! She is here!" he shouted pointing to the group of girls that had appeared in a flash.

Unsteadily he raised his weapon, and was pleased when brothers Peclet and Courant did the same. They had no illusions but they might be able to slow them down, give the Master more time to prepare.

"The Path of Will shall prevent your reign of ice," Peclet stated, his voice wavering.

Sailor Moon froze as she noticed the trio of men holding guns. A slight smile crossed Peclet's face that grew when a scream of terror rang out from deeper within the store. It was very shrill and high. Fortunately it gently quieted down instead of abruptly cutting off.

"We are more than willing to do what it takes to summon you," Courant stated.

"No more," Sailor Moon promised mostly to herself and stepped forward. Her voice became forceful and righteous. "Toy stores are for the amusement of children, not for... murdering innocents. In the name of the Moon you _will_ be punished."

After sentencing, she aimed her weapon. At this moment the trio were targets, nothing more, nothing less.

"Like you care, your ascension would have killed them anyway." Peclet aimed his weapon.

"They're just human!" Venus shouted at the same moment, but the thick beam had already erupted from Sailor Moon's kaleidoscope.

"They're monsters," Sailor Moon said as she stepped past the remains. She as about to speak again but the smell made her choke on some bile she coughed up.

"They had weapons too." Orion tightened the grip on her bladed staff. She was still slightly disoriented from the teleport. Ami said that adding her was risky, but she wanted to help.

"Princess, I'm only detecting humans and some minor magic," Mercury said as she checked the display on her visor. The comment about "reign of ice" was filed away for later. "Most of them are in the front of the store. I think those are the hostages."

"What's the plan?" Mars asked as she looked at the bloodied remains.

"They want me. I'll draw their attention while Jupiter, Venus, and Ami rescue the hostages." She turned to the other blonde. "I'm counting on you for this, Mina."

"I'll take Orion and Mars," Moon said with a little smile.

Venus nodded. Taking Mercury made sense. She could fog up the whole area, and then they could... take out the bad guys and rescue the hostages.

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Master Kronecker, founder and prophet to the Path of the Will smiled thinly as his men fell. He and his most devout members were in the tiny office that contained the few things that needed to be secured for this store. There was a safe undoubtedly full of currency, a few file cabinets, a couple desks for the laughable security of this store (who while being the first to be cleansed, were not deemed innocent enough to summon Her), and a few televisions that displayed the closed circuit security camera feed.

Unlike the false priests or those mercenaries his order was more for infiltration and research, their weapons training was secondary. It was regrettable, but his men knew no amount of training would stop Her.

He watched as the blonde fiend sheared down his men, her expression soulless and blank. To a being like her killing these men must be no more than crushing bugs. Kroneker reflected on this as he continued the incantation from the book before him.

It was an old tome, one that had been rebound and expanded several times. Discovering the book had changed his life. As he learned of the contents he had gone from a meek linguist and bibliophile to something more.

He frowned when She and her two servants made it to the second group of men. The angle was poor, but he was able to tell one of his men managed to fire first, before being cut apart by a bladed pole-arm. The other three men died screaming as they burst into flames.

Once again the queen stepped over bodies to get to her goal. The Master smiled as he gave another incantation. Her ego had been challenged, and now She would not think. She would not realize that she was being funneled right into a trap.

His eyes briefly flicked to where the hostages were being held. That screen was full off fog and the occasional flash. It was of no consequence. The master's only interest in the hostages was as tokens to summon Her. Now that She was here, they had no use, other than reducing the number of servants at Her side.

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"You! You're in charge of all this!" Sailor Moon shouted as she stepped into the room. Orion and Mars were just behind her. This was the only one she'd seen not wearing street clothes or carrying a gun. Though he might have something hidden in those black robes.

"Of course I am," Master Kronecker said as he tapped a rune on the table just above the book. The eight corners of the room glowed and encased the room in 6 panels of golden light. He nodded to the two men at his sides. "And now we save the world from your evil. You will not enslave humanity."

"Enslave?" Sailor Moon asked. That seemed rather like what the Black Moon clan talked about. "You're wrong, Crystal Tokyo's-" the blonde closed her mouth when she saw the gleeful, perverse pride on the man's face at her mentioning that name.

She stepped forward, and for the first time in a year wobbled when her heel did not land square. She briefly shook her head as a buzzing sound came and then vanished.

"Kill her," the master said to the last remaining members of the Path of the Will. Both fired their shotguns. At this range even these men did not miss.

Sailor Moon was pushed back to the doorway and hit the shimmering barrier, which neither Orion's blades nor Mars' wards or fire had penetrated. The buckshot had damaged her uniform, but it did not do much else.

Master Kronecker frowned for a split second. It was too much to hope for Her to be weakened enough to be killed right out. Fortunately, his men shot again. The queen was knocked down but She raised her improbable weapon and fired, rather she tried...

The kaleidoscope fizzled and fell out of the battered princess' hand. Her eyes hardened on these monsters. It had all been a trap. They used innocents as bait, knowing she would come to rescue them. The two minions stepped closer until they seemed loom over her. Moon put her hand to her forehead.

"Moon Tiara Action!" she screamed as she flipped the golden object at the man to the left. It hit him on an upward angle and destroyed much of his heart and neck. The head flew backwards but the body fell towards her. As blood from the decapitation rained on her, she gave the other minion a Moon Kick that broke his leg. After he fell to the ground another broke his neck.

Kronecker froze. The blood of Brother Schumann had soaked the blonde. "And the blood of the wicked shall be the bathwater for Her coronation," he quoted.

Sailor Moon was caught in the moment. Love and Justice were not mere words to her; she felt them. For all these years it was what kept her fighting; it kept her leading friends into danger.

"You're a disgrace," Moon coldly said as she stepped forward and grabbed the surprisingly light man. A blade flipped out of his voluminous sleeve.

The master chanted as he stabbed forward. Moon grunted as the buzzing filled her mind. She reacted and pushed the threat away. Kronecker hit the wall with a thud; he charged again.

This time she put her palm to his nose and didn't stop pushing when his head cracked on the concrete of the wall. His skull cracked and the master stopped moving. She did not notice this, and kept slamming the head into the wall. More bones crunched and blood splattered. She only stopped when someone gently put their hand on her shoulder.

"Stop it Usagi! It's over. It's over," Mars pleaded. As soon as the last guy was... dispatched the barrier dropped and she and Orion ran in. Mars stepped back when her princess turned to face her. Bits of hair and blood were on her white gloves, and the only clean parts of her face were the tracks her tears made.

"I failed!" Moon cried balling her hands into fists. "The bastard... " Moon looked around the charnel house the room had become. "I did this... I'm a..." she stumbled and unceremoniously vomited.

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Ranma stood in the storeroom. The scent of fresh blood filled her nostrils. She smiled, watching her children pout as agents from Forensic Pathology section investigated the bodies on the floor.

"We're too late and now we missed out on feeding," Aurora petulantly said.

"This was the Senshi's fight." Ranma then walked past the bodies and into the toy store itself. Her eyes widened and she ran over to the dazed blonde.

"Princess, are you okay?" Ranma asked, being half sarcastic with the name. She then studied the blood-soaked magical girl. "Wait... that's not your blood is it."

Sailor Moon stepped back from the sexy succubus. She wobbled and was caught by Orion, who was at her side supporting her. "Back! Monster!"

"Eh?" Ranma blinked. She had not done anything even remotely monstrous today.

"You heard the, princess," Mars warned. Usagi had a bad enough day and did not need a demon rubbing her face in it.

"No! I'm... I'm a monster!" Moon tried to fall to her knees but was held up by Orion.

"You did what you had to," Mercury reassured. She held the master's book. This was not something she wanted the Company to get, and it could have answers to what this was all about.

"I..." Moon looked down and watched as a few drops of blood fall from her ponytails and onto the tile floor. She found her chin pulled up and her eyes drawn into a pair of violet ones.

"You are not a monster. Monsters don't feel remorse for what they do," Ranma stated.

"Like you're one to talk." Mars glared.

"I think she's uniquely qualified to talk," Mercury remarked.

"I'm supposed to be a good guy! Good guys don't kill people!" Moon sobbed.

"Did you act like this in your last fight?" Ranma asked.

"That was different!" Usagi sniffed and tried to wipe her face. "Demons don't count."

Nabiki, who had quietly followed, had been watching, and had a retort ready, but decided this was Mother's job.

Ranma narrowed her eyes. "Shut your trap you spoiled bigot. You're a soldier... hell you're an officer. Act like it. What about your troops? How do they feel?"

"Lay off! Do you even know what she did!" Venus said.

"I do," Orion quietly said. "And she's sorta right."

"I'm not fit... I failed. They killed..."

Ranma's face softened. "You got here as fast as you could. You stopped them, and your girls rescued everyone else."  
"I'm supposed to protect everyone! I couldn't even bring them back!" Moon wanted to curl into a ball to escape. After the... fight, Moon had tried to heal the innocent victims, but there was no resurrection; they were gone.

"You can't save the whole world," Ranma said.

"I'm supposed to!" Moon sobbed. "Crystal Tokyo's supposed to..."

"Now isn't the time, princess." Mercury was wondering if Setsuna knew a psychiatrist. She guessed the Company had some, but they could not be trusted.

"But that's what they were here to stop!"

"It's not the first time someone tried to stop us from saving the world," Jupiter remarked.

"They thought they were saving it! From me!"

"So? None of these evil bastards think they're the bad guys." Ranma shrugged.

"Terrorists have always been romantics and idealists." Nabiki remarked. "People that believe in a pure vision, some asinine utopia that they're willing to do anything to get, because in the end that's all that matters."

Sailor Moon froze "That's Me!" she said before collapsing into a sobbing heap.

Ranma crouched down. "Did you ever kill an innocent to make this Crystal City just happen? You know, break a few eggs to make your omelet?"

"No." Moon wiped her nose, now runny with both snot and blood. "I never," she said with more strength and indignation.

"Then you're not like them. They would have rejoiced if the tables had turned."

"And you would have eaten them if it was up to you," Mars remarked. Images of the day's deaths appeared in her mind. "On second thought, that's actually pretty fitting. Maybe we should have saved one of them to give to you."

"They still got justice from a mother," Ranma smirked.

"I went too far." Moon stared off into the distance. "I know! I was influenced!"

"I'm not detect anything. The only magic here was from this thing," Mercury said as she hefted the book. It was useful being the main sensor of the Senshi, though Rei's visions could spot things her computer could not, which was important to note.

"It was all me?" Moon sighed and again tired to curl into a ball, only to be pulled back up by Orion.

"So why aren't you attacking us?" Mercury asked the succubae. "You girls don't like being insulted."

"There's also all those bodies that they're not eating," Venus commented.

"Nice one Mina," Mercury sighed.

"Eh, they're your kills." Ranma wondered exactly what Usagi had done. There had to be more than merely blasting her enemies, something traumatized her, and covered her in blood, fragrant sensual blood. The redhead shook her head. Now was not the time to let her desires get the better of her.

Ranma cleared her mind. "Look, Usagi. A hot shower will do wonders, and there's some nice agents that can drive you to where you can clean up." She looked at the other Senshi. "All of you."

"The princess might want to wallow more next to the Erector sets," Nabiki remarked.

Mars looked down the aisle to see a pair of agents in battledress uniforms. If not for the succubus wearing a parody of a Sailor Senshi uniform their presence would be disquieting.

"Come on, let's go." Ranma sighed, before gently tugging on Moon's hand. With Orion's help the two girls managed to pull the princess back to her feet.

"When we go back to civilian mode we should get cleaned. Right?" Makoto asked.

"Sure, but trust me, she'll want a real shower," Ranma said of Moon before handing her back to Orion.

The agents parted and watched as the demons and magical girls went into waiting Company vehicles.

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Inspector Richard Rebus leaned on a Toronto Police Service cruiser. He watched as a small group of commandos left the building and returned to their vehicles. He wondered what cover story the media would be told would. They be billed as Emergency Task Force TPS's version of SWAT or maybe they would be told it was a federal issue. The Emergency Response Team of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police could just as easily get the credit.

Rebus was privy to something closer to the truth. There was a "consulting firm" at work here. He did wonder how they had entered the building.

"Sick isn't it, Inspector?" Rawlings, a junior member of homicide, asked.

"There's been a rash of this sickness," Henderson muttered.

"Yeah, there's enough terrorism for everyone." Rawlings left unsaid who everyone was. There was the conventional terrorism, the one that craved to be in the news. They struck visibly and were using fear to cow resistance. Transportation infrastructure was commonly exploited, and then there was the other type... One that, amazingly, was even more frightening and brutal.

Rebus nodded. That was true, something made this special. This was more than the ETF raiding a cache of fertilizer or a holy building being used to store weapons or a ransom scam gone awry. "That crescent's at the center of it."

"Cult nuts. And the first thing they did was get the media in," Rawlings snorted.

"Terrorists do want attention, but... this seems wrong. It doesn't fit."

"Like we're going to learn anything more about this."

Rebus watched a group of young women get into a van at the loading dock. The angle was poor, and the contractor commandos had kept their distance.

Noticing his superiors interests Rawlings spoke up. "More hostages I'd guess."

"I see, and will their statements be as nonsensical as the other hostages?" Henderson asked. So far the hostages had come out in one group out the front door. Officers at the scene reported a lot of fog.

"The media will love it."

"More reports on vigilantes dressed as figure skaters? It's misdirection."

"Of course it is, Sir."

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"You're not going to see her naked," Rei stated as she bared the entrance to the Company locker room.

"It's not like I'd see anything new," Ranma looked at Usagi slowly washing herself. "I won't even be nude." She shifted into a red bathing suit. "See? Nothing naughty."

"Let her in," Usagi weakly said.

"Feeling any better?" Ranma asked as she handed a wash towel to the blonde. She looked over the nude form, and filed the sight for later.

"Yeah, nothing like a long shower after murder," Usagi sourly noted. "No funny business."

"You did what you had to do," Ranma comforted.

Usagi glared at the redhead. "That's no justification. I'm really am a monster. I'm going to destroy the world."

Ranma chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

"So you're saying you're a monster. You're a loving mother, a good friend and a good person." Ranma washed some of the blood out of Usagi's hair. "That's not much of a monster."

"Maybe, I'm not a good person then," Usagi sighed.

"That's not how its supposed to go." Ranma frowned.

"What?"  
"That was something Kasumi told me after my first human kill. It helped."  
Usagi slowly washed her face before responding. "So, something an agent used to cheer up a budding demon, you thought would work for me?"

"Well yeah."

"You don't mind killing," Usagi said coolly. "I can't become like you."

Ranma paused staring at the indignant princess.

"I'm a good guy," Usagi said. "I was a good guy."

"You still are," Ranma stated as if she were explaining something very simple.

Usagi tried to stare down the demon, but broke away. "Maybe I should go back home, I don't belong here," she whispered looking down at her feet.

"Yeah, none of us do. Deal with it. This is where the fight is." Ranma gave a thin smile. "You think you won't get problems in Japan? And what kind of hero runs away?"

"I'm not running away! I'm going somewhere where I can think and then come back."

Ranma tilted her head.

Usagi continued. "There's nothing wrong with going back to Japan to work this one out. Besides, I wanna see my family, and normal people for a while."

"Quite the luxury you're demanding," Ranma noted.

"It's not to much to ask for," Usagi's voice had gained an edge.

"Not my decision. What if they attack again? What do you know about this group? Your family could make a nice target."

"They..."

"Why not? They killed a random woman and her child just to get to you."

"What the hell am I supposed to do then?" Usagi clenched her hand over the soap. "So, it's okay for to kill humans now? I'm not like you... I don't want to think like that. I told you, I'm not like you."

Usagi's head suddenly snapped back. The sting from the slap was minor compared to the disgusted look on Ranma's face.

"You want to run away. You know how many people those guys would have killed if you were in Japan? That was their goal right? Kill until you show up."

Usagi scowled at her.

"You can't handle getting your pretty hands dirty, but you're okay with innocents dying as long as you don't see it."

"It's not like that! I wouldn't..." Usagi stepped back

"What? You're a mother. How about if someone went after your daughter?"

Usagi's back hit the wall. "I can't deal with this... I can't. Not right now." She rubbed her temples.

Ranma adjusted the shower-head so water once again sprayed over the blonde's form. "You are dealing with it. Did you think all your enemies would be inhuman?"

"Some were once human... long ago," Usagi confessed.

"Look _Princess,_ you've killed plenty of my kind."

"That was different! They were monsters out to kill innocent people! It's not like..." Usagi slid down the wall crying.

"At least your mother knew how to get the job done to save people," Ranma said crouching down to the blonde's level.

"What do you know of her?"

"Serenity took DarkStar under her wing long before you were born," Ranma explained. "I'm starting to remember now. Now that was a woman that could get things done. A real... professional."

Usagi stared. The demon's wistful expression held so much sorrow. "You're her? But..."

"Reincarnation," Ranma shrugged. "Serenity tried to help... but that just mean I was born male and human this time around too. I was _always_ DarkStar; Setsuna just changed my body back. Before you get all weepy about killing as the Moon Princess maybe you should study what your own mother did to get her kingdom"

"Are you calling Queen Serenity-" Usagi was cut off.

"A ruthless commander that killed without batting an eye?" Ranma gave a fanged grin. "Definitely. You know why your little fling with Endymion was so scandalous? In my day Earth was the last independent planet in the system, and it was being invaded by demons."

"Huh? And you're related to those invaders..."

"Naturally, my grandmother BlackSky was in charge of one of the invading Demonic Houses.

"But I was just trying to survive. Serenity –well- she had plans." Ranma let the statement hang and watched Usagi's reaction. After a few seconds of no reaction, Ranma continued. "So the Terran nobles resented that they had to be saved by the Moon Kingdom. A place that used to be a colony of theirs, but one that had grown until it had become the greater power. 'Course I didn't care about the larger politics then and still don't care now."

Usagi stared at Ranma. She did not even react to the spray of water on her nude form.

"Your mother wasn't a monster either. How is killing the one kind of monster different from another?" Ranma gently asked.

Usagi broke down again. "I don't know. I don't know! I don't want to think about this... please..."

"No. You can't avoid this. You're going to have to face this."

"How... how do you deal with this? How can anyone... deal with this?"

Ranma sighed and slide next to Usagi and started washing her hair. "Now that's a loaded question."

Usagi turned and looked pleadingly at Ranma. "Fighting... killing was bad before, but I always knew my enemies weren't human... or if they were I could purify them but... now you're saying... if humans can be monsters... and demons aren't all monsters... then was... how many have I murdered then?"

"Oh get off it. Did you ever fight anyone that wasn't doing evil stuff, hurting innocents that kind of stuff?"

"Of course not but..." Usagi paused and pulled herself back up. Her hair fell behind her in a loose fall. "Why are you being so pushy? Are you like this with your kids?"

"You need this, and your girls need this. How do you think they're handling it? Especially when their leader's so out of it she can't even bathe herself."

"So I'm just going to magically be okay with what I did?" Usagi's hands spasmed as the memory slammed into her mind.

"Not at all," Ranma said as she lathered Usagi's hair. "But you'll have to face what you did, and what it really means to be a Sailor Soldier."

Usagi looked down again.

"Stop!" Ranma growled. "You're sickening."

"What? I'm in pain here..." Usagi weakly defended.

"Big deal. You have responsibilities. You can't just put them aside because of this. People need you."

"Why are you so insulted?" Usagi asked as she stared ahead.

"Yah know, I know all about sacrifice too," Ranma glared. "Can you even comprehend what I had to give up?"

Usagi turned to look at Ranma. "I'm a mother too."

"Talk to me when you've had to give up your gender and species as the price for your daughter's well being," Ranma stated simply.

"I'm not giving up. I just need... time. Please... I need more time"

"That's not my decision," Ranma's tone became softer. "And if you take too long... you will hurt people."

"I never wanted this power, this responsibility." It was a statement of fact, not a whine.  
"Me neither." Ranma broke a slight smile.

"You know... I don't even know their names, and I couldn't even save them..."

"That's a start. I'm sure Setsuna or someone at WIC can find out for you." Ranma started to realize that waiting for Usagi to finish might have been better. The girl had far too much hair.

Ranma ran her slender fingers through the blondes hair, feeling a trace of excitement as the silky threads flowed through her hands. Ranma could smell the minute traces of blood than lingered behind. Massaging the soap further into the leader of the Senshi's scalp, Ranma smelt more slight traces of blood. She had to pause to regain her emotional equilibrium; the combination of scents was very heady.

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Father Oslo turned off the television with disgust. The media had somehow gotten the names of those involved in that sloppy and laughable operation. It had to be the Path of the Will. What that group lacked in size and resources they made up for in secrecy.

They were the one of the few groups that the Assembly of Man had not penetrated. They were the exact kind of selfless fanatics that worried Oslo. They would not appeal to reason or sense, but it looked like their dogma had finally eliminated them. If the news reports could be believed, a highly questionable proposition as those corporate mercenaries had their tentacles everywhere, the Path had lost most of its members and nearly all of it's leadership.

The loss of their man inside WIC Toronto was a difficulty. Such things were to be expected. Those mercenaries were as ruthless as they were pragmatic. That worried the priest. The Company had to feel that there was some... profit in cultivating a brood of demons.

It did not make sense. Even ignoring the moral issues, demons were not reliable or controllable. They had to be planning something worth these immense risks. None of the possibilities, Oslo could think of were pleasant.

He would have to call this in. Bishop Fortson needed to know. There was more here than just destroying a nest of demons that had corrupted two acolytes.

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"So what's the story on that book?" Minako asked. It was a couple days after the toy store and things seemed quiet... for now.

Ami looked at the assembled Senshi. Her eyes briefly narrowed at Setsuna before turning to Usagi. "I think I figured out what the book is. You'll see that sections of it are written in many, many different languages." She flipped through sections of the large tome.

Ami gently closed the book. "It's also been rebound a several times. It looks like this is a living text. One that is translated and retranslated as it's passed down. What's unique is that some passages are in their original text. My computer had some issues decoding the symbols, some of them were copied poorly, but the language clearly dates back to the Silver Millennium."

"I thought nothing survived." Minako asked.

"The Downfall and ensuing centuries destroyed almost all of the evidence, all but a few trinkets like this," Setsuna explained.

"And the only reason this book is relevant is because enterprising scholars kept translating it throughout history. It's actually fascinating. The meaning has drifted with each century, but the whole thing acts as a Rosetta Stone." Ami sighed, once again only Janet and Setsuna got what she said. "This book allowed those creeps to read Silver Millennium era texts. Things like spells."

"So that's how he put up the barrier." Usagi nodded.

"And muted your powers," Ami said. "That's probably why your healing spells didn't work. One of the sections, full of margin notes and with a few gaps has information about your crystal."

"Spells to block purification?" Rei asked.

"Essentially," Ami shrugged. She then sagged. "It's hard to tell. There's so much text here one could go mad trying to decode it all."

"Why bother with the translations then? You said there was original text." Setsuna wondered just how much sleep Ami was getting.

"Because some of the original passages were lost. Others only have fragments of the original text. However, the most important thing is the new information. Some of the translators..." Ami rubbed her eyes.

"Some of the translations had extra information," Janet interjected.

"Like what?"

"Crystal Tokyo, and passages about a reborn princess. 'And soon the queen shall return in a body of unnatural birth. Her will shall purify the wicked and innocent alike.' " Ami paused after the quotation.

"How does an old book predict stuff about me now?" Usagi asked. If those... men had been using ancient writings as their guide... then they could have been wrong.

"I have no idea. Setsuna, what do you know about the group?" Ami asked.

"My research came up with only a bit. The Path of the Will is a small secretive cult. Their leader was Carl Kronecker. He had a middling career as a rare book historian and restorer at a major university. He vanished one day, along with several books being cataloged."

Setsuna snickered. "Clearly this book was among the items he stole. From there he sprouted up at the periphery of some cults, got a small following, and then vanished. He was afraid of being watched, especially by us."

"We never heard of them," Usagi cried.

"The book paints you as a wrathful goddess. He knew what your crystal could do, and was afraid to get your attention, until the time was right of course," Ami laughed bitterly.

"Will there be any more of them?" Usagi asked. She would ask about Crystal Tokyo in private. There were new concerns about that place.

"And why didn't you see this coming?" Minako looked at Setsuna.

"I'm not omnipotent," Setsuna said tersely. Out of the action, and only doing information gathering she felt impotent and frustrated.

"So will there be anymore?" Usagi asked again. Meeting the Senshi's, _her_ Senshi's, gaze.

"They were a weak and small group, and you... eliminated almost all of them." Setsuna delicately stated. Her information was accurate on that count but...

"Still, they were just a bunch of goobers. Really, how hard is it to take some hostages?" Makoto's question matched Setsuna's fears.

"How many cults are there?" Rei asked. She was... hesitant. She was more stable than Usagi, but she needed her time alone. She did burn people to death after all. She glanced over at Janet, who seemed the most stable.

"I don't want to do that again," Janet quietly said. Rei noticed that the newest Senshi got reassuring squeezes of the hand from Makoto and Ami. Makoto made sense, after a fashion. They were both orphans, and had some bonding at that. Ami, on the other hand, well Rei had always wondered about the blue-haired girl's luck with boys.

"It's going to get worse." Ami cast a sideways glance at the book. She blinked and shook her head again.

"Are there anymore of those things floating around?" Usagi asked, while reminding herself to talk to Ami. She seemed very stressed.

"I... I don't know. It's a book. It could be copied. The book itself is mostly a copy itself so..." Ami's looked down with embarrassment.

"It's okay Ami. You did great," Usagi reassured.

"Thanks," Ami replied. She knew Usagi did not mean to sound as patronizing as she did.

"So anybody have anything else to add?" Usagi asked the assembled Senshi.

"What about the Outers?" Minako asked.

"Nothing is happening on their end. Everything seems fine."

"I talked to my daughter. She's doing okay." Usagi stated.

Rei wondered who their princess was talking to, her senshi... or herself.

"I guess this is why Sunshine's like that," Minako noted.

"Her name's Ranma," Usagi said a bit sharply.

"And why's she not here?" Makoto asked. "She is a Senshi, too. Right?"

"She would be too distracting," Usagi smiled a bit at Setsuna's shock. "Besides, I already talked with her."

"You know she'll just tell everything to those Company goons," Rei remarked.

"Or maybe Puu tells her girlfriend everything," Minako teased.

"That's enough. And don't be fooled into thinking she's their pet demon," Setsuna smirked. "Their relationship is more complex. There's also what WIC wants"

"They're comrades," Ami stated. She knew that the Company could be watching them this very moment. Setsuna assured them that the magic she was using could beat any surveillance WIC tried... but Ami was starting to lose her faith in that kind of magic.

"Ranma trusts the Company grunts," Janet added.

"They have been working together," Usagi agreed.

"What do they even want?" Rei asked. The girls turned to Setsuna who looked to their princess. The pregnant pause that followed lasted for a few moments.

"We're in over our heads," Minako finally admitted. "This isn't like before."

"There's too many sides, and we don't know who the real big enemy is," Makoto added.

"Senshi aren't supposed to be spies." Makoto's comment drew a snicker from Setsuna.

"What's so funny?" Usagi asked.

"Back in the Silver Millennium espionage was a main part of the Senshi's work."

"Flunkies for the queen," Ami dryly remarked.

"That's about right," Setsuna sighed. She then silently slid a folder to Usagi.

The blonde opened the folder and read a few lines before closing it. Ignoring the other's commentary she stared at the folder. It was not fair. "Thank you," she quietly said.

Setsuna nodded. She did not like Usagi's request. Knowing more about the pair that died was counterproductive in her eyes, but it was an order from the princess.

"I think that's it." Usagi stood and told Setsuna to follow her to her room.

"Wonder what they're going to do in there?" Minako asked.

"There are plenty of rumors about a certain Senshi being a lesbian," Rei remarked.

"I'll put this thing back in storage." As Ami got up with the book she carefully avoided eye contact with Rei.

"I'll help," Janet said as she followed Ami into the blue-haired girl's room.

In Usagi's room, Setsuna stood and looked at her princess with increasing awkwardness. Usagi was sitting on her bed and slowly reading the file that Setsuna had prepared.

Blinking away a couple tears, Usagi closed the folder and looked up at Setsuna. "They said I was going to destroy humanity. Is that true? How much does Crystal Tokyo cost?"

Setsuna closed her eyes. "That's... well it depends."

"You're evading."  
"It's the future." Setsuna frowned. "There are many ways to Crystal Tokyo, because... well... there are many possible futures."

"The great freeze?"

"You did not cause that." Setsuna promised. "That was a disaster, one that we may yet prevent."

"But they said..."

"Their book is wrong. Ami said as much. Mistranslations and deluded prophecy," Setsuna assured as she walked over to the bed.

"You better be right. Crystal Tokyo won't be founded on a lie."

Setsuna smiled. Usagi sounded like a leader now. The Senshi of Pluto refrained from reminding Usagi about the Nemesis debacle though. "Is there anything else?"  
Usagi thought for a few seconds. "There is something you should know about Ranma."

"What?"  
For the first time in several days Usagi truly smiled. "You were tricked when you gave Ranma those powers, but not by who you think."

"Pardon?"  
"Ranma always was DarkStar. Well... DarkStar reincarnated as Ranma. There was no possession."

"That means that..." Setsuna stopped in shock. "Serenity was always very fond of her," she finally admitted. Usagi was right, she (and Murdock) had been played, after a fashion, by the Queen.

"Yup, really should have looked deeper into Ranma."

"I see why Ranma made such a good replacement for..." Setsuna coughed nervously.

"It's okay, I know he's dead," Usagi said harshly.

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"What's wrong?" Nariko asked her little sister.

Aurora closed the front door. "Well, it's complicated." She looked at the other succubus. "Actually this might be right up your alley."

"Okay. Is this about school?" Nariko wondered what could make Aurora so nervous.

"Not really." Aurora smirked, but her face became more neutral. School was not something she cared for. Neither the Assembly or Alexia made her go, but her new mother...

"What then?"

Aurora shrugged and explained the situation and the solution she had come up with.

Nariko nodded, seeing why Aurora thought that this would be up her alley. "I think you should go talk to Mom. She should be out back training with Nabiki."

"Good idea," Aurora smiled. She might be able to get some training of her own put in.

Aurora made her way to the dojo. She briefly studied her mother. Part of her wanted to utter a battle cry and dive in, but she decided on something a bit more subtle.

Ranma smirked at the arrival of her daughter. The stalk Aurora did was very nice, quiet but quick. She even approached from downwind. However, demons had other senses, and Aurora had not masked her presence fully.

The brood mother appreciated Aurora's mode of attack. A fireball would be a more logical opening, but it would be very damaging, and might put Nabiki at risk. Ranma slid down and spun to intercept the attack. She grabbed her daughter's outstretched arm, and careful to avoid claws that were not extended, and deflected.

Aurora rolled back and countered with her tail to her mother's legs. When Ranma stepped back, Aurora pressed forward. She sidestepped when Ranma lunged at her, but it was a feint.

The redhead extended one of her wings and using a limb that was strong enough to lift her body off the ground hit Aurora. She fell to the ground and made a grab for her mother's leg. Ranma tapped the outstretched arm with her tail.

Aurora briefly frowned, for the rest of this match she would not be able to use that arm. She rolled up and extending her other hand managed to draw a finger across her mother's thigh.

Ranma immediately slid her knee out from under her and fell onto her daughter. Aurora caught her with a tail and her remaining arm. Ranma had responded in kind.

"Good match," Ranma laughed as she untangled herself. She then helped Aurora to her feet. "Going for a softer attack?"

"You soak up bruises, and any broken bones will just heal. Cutting you apart seemed like the best way to defeat you in close quarters," Aurora said after catching her breath.

"But you ended up just as damaged," Nabiki reminded.

"You could probably mix in some of your heavier moves too. A solid hit can give some distance. Also when you stalk... remember that your prey may have sensed you and is preparing a counter," Ranma advised. She then smiled with pride. "You did do good today."

Aurora nodded. She always knew she had the ability, and was gratified to have a teacher that could actually help hone her skills...

"So what's up?" Ranma asked as she adjusted her unitard. "Or did you just want to spar?"

. "I was thinking about my name. I want -" Aurora closed her eyes. It felt like betraying Alexia, but Alexia did not give her a choice... neither did the Assembly. It was time to see what this mother would do. "I want to change it."

"Okay. We can call the Company and have them make new paperwork."

"That's it? Don't you even want to approve what I picked?"

"Approve? Not really, but I am curious." Ranma was pretty sure that she would not go back to Ryoga.

"Misako."

"I suppose you are a saved child," Nabiki said.

"It is a lovely name," Ranma agreed.

"That's it?" Misako blinked.

"What? Did you expect my eyes to glow and do some kind of ritual?" Ranma asked.

"Uh... nope." Misako coughed.

"So, what are you using for a last name?" Nabiki asked, with a tiny smirk

"I guess Saotome's good enough." Misako shrugged.

"Anyway... why the name change?" Ranma asked.

Misako looked down. "It's just that Yuki and Eclipse..."

"You don't want to be left behind?" Ranma's question was followed by her putting an arm around Misako. For the first time the green-eyed girl did not resist the gesture.

"I still... Alexia was my mother. I still love her." Misako leaned onto her new mother.

Nabiki swallowed. She could relate. Alexia was a selfish monster, but... she was still their Mother. Having Ranma as their mother now helped things, but the feelings were still there. Of her three mothers, Alexia was the low point. Her birth mother had the most memories but they were distant, but there were similarities between her and Ranma. Both had the seemly unlimited well of affection for their children.

"She wasn't a good succubus," Misako grumbled. "If she had any smarts she would have won. She deserved her fate." She closed her eyes in shame.

"Yes, she did," Ranma simply held her daughter.

"What are your plans?" Misako asked.

Ranma blinked. "Plans? For what?"

"The future," Misako's voice dripped with incredulity.

Nabiki paused wondering why Aurora, no Misako, of all people would ask about that.

"I haven't really thought about it. Why?" Ranma asked.

"Oh, come on. Even Alexia had a plan." Misako shook her head.

"Killing Mom isn't exactly a plan," Nabiki dryly stated.

"You should know, little sis. Helping her plan was your job." Misako smirked and turned back to Mother. "Well? What are your plans?"  
Ranma ran a hand through her hair. "Well... uh... there's helping you girls."

"That's it? Nothing for when you get older?"

Ranma hugged Misako. "I never thought much about the future. Not back when I was human, and now... I'm a mother now."

"Just because you're a mom doesn't mean, you have to abandon your dreams," Nabiki said.

"Yeah, look at all the training you're doing. A whole new set of moves," Misako said.

Ranma shrugged. Her life was a mix of training, mothering, and combat. Though at the heart of it all three were ultimately the same.

"You never were one for long term planning," Nabiki said snidely.

"What about your singing Mom? That's a good hobby," Misako offered.

"Yeah, but... I like my life." Ranma wondered when she started liking her life. It was hard for her to think of life without her family, her daughters. "Well, what about you girls? What are your plans?"

"You got me, Mom," Nabiki sighed as she snuck her way under her mother's free arm.

Ranma hugged both girls. "It's school right?"

Nabiki nodded. "I'm not even sure if I should go back to High School. I am about thirteen-fourteen now. Maybe..."

"It's okay," Ranma reassured. "What about you Misa-chan?"

Misako coughed. "I've always been Ucchan's partner." She leaned forward to see if Nabiki was snickering. "She never gave up hope in... saving me. I'll follow her."

"She serious about joining them?" Ranma asked.

Misako shrugged.

"Succubus agents? Weird." Nabiki knew that the brood was close to the agents, but there was always a bit of a line between the Company and the WIC. Though it was thinner than the line between the brood and the Sailor Senshi. Nabiki blinked. "But Mom's a Senshi too isn't she?"

"Uh... yeah, I am. Why?" Ranma wondered what brought this up.

"Oh it's nothing... yet," Nabiki got an evil little smile. Mother was proof that it was possible and the leader of the Senshi had shown the level of communicability.

"Nabiki..." Ranma started.

After Nabiki explained her idea Misako and Ranma blinked. Her daughters smelled normal, but she _was_ their mother. "I am nursing you girls, maybe that energy could be transferred"

"Wait? You want us to become more like them?" Misako asked.

"You were just talking about joining the Company. Besides, we might as well beat the Senshi at their own game."

Misako smirked. "You have a point there Sis. Mom's shown that a demon can be a better leader. If we could be a better team..."

"And be better magical-girls than them," Nabiki laughed.

"Usagi's not that bad... she's just..." Ranma stopped and tried to articulate her point.

"I have no idea how someone with as much experience fighting as her could be so naïve," Misako said.

"She's getting better," Ranma stated.

Misako shrugged.

"Careful there, you and Ukyou might be the first succubus agent Senshi," Nabiki smirked.

"If 'mother's milk' works," Misako leaned onto Ranma. "At least we'll be the first agent succubae."

"Not if one of our agent friends goes first," Nabiki said.

"Nah, they've all turned Mom down," Misako replied.

"We haven't seen anyone wounded enough... eventually someone will want it."

"They are warriors," Misako mussed.

Ranma blinked and patted her girls on the head. "That would make the family bigger."

"So?" Misako and Nabiki asked.

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"Are you okay, honey?" Haruka asked her daughter.

Hotaru looked up her work and beamed happily. "Yup!" she said before going back to her work.

"Is there going to be a fight?" Michiru questioned.

"Nope!" Hotaru said as she carefully moved the leather strap.

The two elder lesbian Senshi looked at each other before looking back at their daughter. "So why are you doing this?"

Hotaru looked at her guardians as if they were slow. "You have to maintain the edge." She then returned to listening to the sound leather made against metal.

Chibi-Usa tried to keep from snickering.

"And that's why you're sharpening your glaive?" Michiru asked.

The disappointed expression returned in the Hotaru's face. "I finished sharpening half an hour ago," she carefully explained pointing to three stones. "Traditional waterstones, are softer than Western oilstones, but they don't glaze or get loaded. Though it was a pain finding a good store that had them.

"I didn't like the ara-to they had, but that was just the rough stone. Their naka-to was okay, but their shiage-to was divine," Hotaru continued as she held up the white finishing stone.

"But you're using a piece of leather." Michiru said.

Hotaru sighed. "Of course, I told you I'm not sharpening. I finished that. I'm honing, now."

"What?" Haruka asked.

Chibi-Usa put her head in her hands and started shaking. It was getting hard to contain herself.

"You ever watch a Western movie? Know whenever they showed a barbershop the barber would slide his straight razors against a leather strap?" Hotaru's tone had become that of a teacher lecturing slow students.

"Uh... yes?" Michiru asked.

"They weren't doing that because it was cool," Hotaru paused. "Well they were, those were just movies, but this is how you get a razor-edge."

"So you are sharpening then?"

"Yes, Momma I am." Hotaru sighed in defeat. "Papa do you want me to put a good edge on your sword?"

"It's a magic sword. I thought it didn't need to be sharpened," Haruka said.

Hotaru shook her head and went back to work. She started humming a little tune.

It was too much for Usa, who started laughing.

"So where did you learn to sharpen and um... hone blades?" Michiru asked.

Hotaru paused in her humming. "We're Senshi, maintaining our equipment is part of our training," she said without looking up.

"Uh... well have a good time," Michiru said.

"Yes, don't cut yourself," Haruka added. The two older girls left the room.

"You know they're talking about you?" Chibi-Usa quietly asked.

"Better they be worried about me than you." Hotaru said. She could hear her parents quietly arguing in the kitchen.

"Don't be so hard on them. They're stressed out. They find out they're being spied on and then they hear what's happening with the Inners," Usa sighed.

"I'm sorry that had to happen to your mother. First she loses... Mamoru and then she sees that," Hotaru said taking a break from her honing.

"Family tradition, the future's..." Usa raised her hand in a disheartened gesture.

"Yeah, it'll get worse."

"That's why Mom ordered us to stay in Japan. We'll be needed here," Usa flipped one of her ponytails.

Hotaru nodded. "Least your mom ordered Momma and Papa to leave those agents alone."

"We need all the allies we can get." Usa shrugged.

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"You must be happy to have your daughter back," Soun then flagged the waitress and ordered another drink.

"I suppose." Principal Kuno sighed. "She's jealous though. I should have known she's be jealous of Nariko."

Genma scowled. He wanted to make a comment, that eager halfwit was why his son... He downed the remainder of his sake. He had learned not to insult Drake's child. It was clear that both his friends had become soft, obviously because of their daughters.

"I guess I should have been more sensitive to Kodachi... but she seemed to be going down a dark path, and the Company worked so well for Kasumi." _And her issues_, the Drake did not say aloud. "She even wanted to go, was proud of it."

"Yes, it worked perfectly," Soun grumbled. "That smarmy man with his suit. He conned me out of my daughter and returned someone else."

"It's no wonder you feel so distant to your other daughters then," Drake observed as he sipped his drink.

Soun looked down. He only spoke after a fresh drink was put down in front of him. "I'm glad they're... back, but they're not the same are they?"

"At least yours are still the same gender" Drake glanced at Genma to see his reaction.

"I don't understand the... boy." Genma said before ordering another drink

"At least Kasumi and Ranma seem to be getting closer, that's good," Drake offered.

"That's not joining the houses." Genma's tone was stiff.

"I am fairly certain Kasumi would never give up her humanity." Soun wondered how it could have come to this. His family had been changed before his eyes, and he could do nothing. His daughters looked to others and went out and did Lord knows what.

"At least you have that much. I swear, it's like my son's mind was rotted by his... affliction, and his mother's not helping in the least," Genma said.

"That affliction saved the lives and souls of one of my daughter's and two of Soun's, not to mention all the others she has saved. Ranma is using your school as the base for her new style. Shouldn't that make you happy?" Drake asked.

"Ranma should be a man."

"We don't always get what we want. It's part of growing up. We have to deal with things as they are." Drake sighed. It was sad that he had to be the voice of reason.

"You are right. We cannot pine over things and how we wish them to be," Soun nodded.

"We have been idle for too long," Genma agreed.

"Yeah, you can't just sit back and hope things magically turn around. Your kids looked to you for help... and you failed them." Drake did not want to be this frank, but there was no way to sugarcoat it. "That's why they all turned to maternal figures."

"So Soun's why my son's a sappy mother?" Genma asked, the last word spat out.

"Uh... not exactly. It's more complicated than that." Drake sipped his drink and feared that it would be a long night.

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"I wonder what moronic plan our dads are hatching," Ranma asked Kasumi. The pair were sitting on the back porch of the Tendo house.

"We could tap into the audio of the surveillance team," Kasumi offered.

"Eh, not unless they're doing something really stupid –well- dangerous," Ranma corrected herself. She had gotten used to and understood the need for this level of surveillance, but she did not like it.

"Yes, we'll do that." Kasumi looked unto the darkened forest.

"Did you have a good time with Akane and Nabiki today?"

"Nabiki's worried about school," Kasumi noted.

"At least you know that yourself now," Ranma grumbled.

"I am spending time with them, I'm not like my father."

"Good, they need human contact. Especially after what Alexia did."

Kasumi nodded. She had initiated contact before, the second time should be easier. She turned to Ranma and smiled.

The redhead tilted her head. She hardly had time to catch the change in the human's scent before Kasumi was onto her. The contact was gentle, more of a caress, but abruptly ended when the officer retreated her hand.

Wordlessly, Kasumi stood and walked away.

Eyes-wide and cheeks flushed, Ranma put her hand to her breast. Despite the surprise her, the corners of her lips turned upward. Her mind flashed with the image of a nude Kasumi drenched in blood. The agent's face was neutral but her eyes were...

"You two can come out now," Ranma said to the two kids she could sense.

"You should have felt her back. Kasumi was grabbing your goods," Nariko's mate suggested.

"It was a test, Akane," Nariko said. "To see if Mom could control herself or fall into mindless lust."

"You're going by Akane now?" Ranma asked, her daughter's lack of reaction at that name, piercing her euphoric haze.

Akane shrugged. Her name did not seem that important. She had been a succubus as both Akane and Eclipse.

"What are you going to do about Kasumi?" Nariko asked.

"You should test her back," Akane offered.

"Oooh! Use your violet negligee," Nariko suggested.

"Yes, the one that Misako gave you!" Akane supposed that Misako was a good name. It was better than Aurora at least.

"Yes, I think that's a good idea," Ranma said as she stood up.

"No Mom, you should wait." Akane said. "Big Sis is expecting you now."

"Yeah, wait until after tonight's training mission." Nariko smiled evilly. "Then let her have it."

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A woman strolled down a forest path, humming a little song as she made her way. The shadows from the trees played across her form until they reached her hair where they seemed to merge with the black tresses.

Dark blue eyes sparkled in the gloom. It had taken time for word to travel. Her family was connected, but the distances were astronomical. It was a shame what had happened, a real tragedy, but the woman was prepared to make things better.

Her shoulders slumped. She promised herself to not screw up again. The woman had lived long enough to know that history repeating itself was simply another chance to get things right.

A thin smile appeared on her face. Patience was virtue that came with age, but even she found herself eager for what was about to happen. She maintained her steady pace; relatively speaking, a few more minutes was nothing.

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"Hard night sis? You look like something a demon dragged in." Nabiki said while she ate her breakfast. At least her big sister seemed to fare better than her father and Mr. Saotome, those two were still at the Drake's place dealing with their hangovers.

"Meh... coffee," Kasumi mumbled after staggering into the room

"I thought you agents are trained to last without sleep?" Misako asked half jokingly. The Assembly had plenty of rumors about the Company, most of which appeared to be true.

"It wasn't a lack of sleep that did her in." Ukyou sipped her juice.

"Got a pot of coffee made," Nabiki said as she poured some into Kasumi's black WIC mug.

Ranma snickered at the fatigued agent.

Kasumi sipped the beverage "Hmmm?"

"Oh, nothing." Ranma smiled and crossed her legs.

"I suppose I deserve what you did to me last night," Kasumi admitted. She sighed when the brood ceased eating and leaned forward with knowing smiles. "Oh knock it off. If I really had sex with your Mom, you girls would know it."

"Someone's prideful of her sexual skills," Ranma said as she sipped out of her "World's Greatest Mother" mug. Ranma knew she had let some of her power slip. Her intention was not to seduce Kasumi, but unsettle her.

"You have no room to talk, virgin," Kasumi said as she refilled her cup.

"That's me. As pure as the freshly fallen snow." The redhead laughed.

"Someone's grumpy," Nabiki remarked.

"I came back from a midnight training mission to find a succubus trying to screw my brains out. Kept me up all night."

"Now you know what it's like." Ranma said.

"Did you get any further than you did with Setsuna?" Nariko asked after looking up from her breakfast.

"Yeah, I got far enough," Ranma said.

Kasumi slowly refilled her mug again. "You'd have gotten further if you had given me a chance to breathe." Kasumi then left the room. She was starting to feel the beginnings of a good caffeine buzz.

"She's bluffing," Ranma said once Kasumi was out of earshot, and had gotten into her car and driven back to base.

"I'm sure she is, Mom," Nabiki remarked.

"Yeah, yeah," Ranma tilted her head and looked out the window to the kitchen. "Huh... that's odd," she got up and with a better view tracked a darker shadow moving amongst the shadows of the forest bordering the back yard.

"What's wrong mom?" Nabiki asked.

"Someone's coming, human... I guess." Ranma's senses were at a loss.

"I'll call the perimeter agents," Ukyou said as she walked to the phone.

Ranma nodded and motioned for her girls to get into position. She then walked to the door. The scent hit her before the figure completely emerged from the shadows. Her other senses could not detect any... power, but the smell was familiar.

"Just who the hell are you?" Ranma shouted to the shadowed figure. It was odd, as if the shadows of the forest had obediently followed the person out into the open.

The shadows retreated from the figure's body, but not her hair or dress, where they seemed to quiver. "Funny words to give family, dear DarkStar," the woman laughed, her blue eyes twinkling.

"Maybe I didn't make myself clear the first time." Ranma formed a fireball in her hand. "Who are you?"

The woman strutted forward and took Ranma's hand, snuffing out the fire. "That's no way to talk to your grandma."

"What?" Ranma asked as she pulled her hand free. "Now who are..." Ranma's voice drifted as memories started to assert themselves. She had already accessed them once, when comforting Usagi. "BlackSky?"

The woman smiled. "I see you're doing better this time around DarkStar."

Ranma blinked. "You're from before." She noticed that the person had gotten closer.

"We do live a long time, Dear," BlackSky reached out and ran her hand down Ranma's face. She frowned at the slight recoil in the young demon. "Lovely family," she said looking at the assembled broodlings.

Ranma stepped back. She could see her... grandmother, but there was no feeling. There was a familiar mundane scent, but no energy signature. It was a void, a disconcerting absence. She should be able to sense her grandmother, but there was nothing.

BlackSky sighed. "I suppose I'll need to jog your memory." Shadows grew from her inky ankle-length hair and snug black dress and danced across her form. She smirked as her power released.

Ranma's senses where overwhelmed, the _presence_ of BlackSky impacted her. She could feel the pressure and nearly tangible form of the elder succubus' power. The presence quickly retreated, dying down to a reasonable level. Instead of a void, Ranma sensed a succubus that was only a few times greater in power than her.

"Grandma?" Ranma asked.

The rest of the brood was similarly stunned. The sensations were overpowering. They knew mother and Alexia's power, but this was otherworldly. As a group they had moved further behind their mother.

BlackSky nodded and found herself being embraced by the little redhead.

"So... she's good family then?" Ukyou asked. She shrugged when instead of replying Ranma and BlackSky purred. She then pulled out her phone and alerted the perimeter agents.

"These are your girls?" BlackSky asked after putting Ranma back down onto her feet.

"Of course," Ranma said with pride as she lined up her daughters.

"Alexia mentioned you," Misako said with wonderment.

BlackSky nodded. "I had hoped that her exile would force her to mature. Instead... I'm sorry she came after you," she apologized to Ranma.

"You know about that?" Ranma asked.

"One of my daughters informed me about what happened." BlackSky shook her head. "It's a shame. Alexia was always jealous of you... I guess finding you alive... but she deserved her fate."

"I converted or killed her spawn, ripped her apart, and ate her while she was still alive."

"She deserved that. She was stupid, and used tactics... it was like she was from House Vephar," BlackSky spat

"Vephar?" Misako asked.

"Back when I was in the Silver Millennium there were two invading demon armies. One was lead by grandma over there," Ranma pointed. "The other was led by Vephar. She had the larger army. Twenty-nine legions I think, but while Grandma didn't have the numbers, she had skill."

"Yes, Vephar would have her family turn everyone they got, but you girls know how effective newborn succubae are in battle. Such a waste of our own kind," BlackSky sagged.

"Didn't you raid earth's magical universities for new blood?" Ranma asked.

"And their royal family," BlackSky smiled as she patted Ranma on the head.

"Mom's royalty?" Misako asked.

"So Mommy was a princess in her past life?" Nariko asked.

"Prince actually," BlackSky clarified.

"Not surprised at that," Akane sighed.

"Makes a strange sort of sense," Nabiki commented.

"This is why I didn't want to tell you girls this," Ranma sighed as she massaged the bridge of her nose.

"To be fair you did end up being queen of Earth," BlackSky reminded.

"Yeah, a demon ruling humanity in the middle of a demonic invasion." Ranma turned to her daughters. "This is what keeps me sane, as bad as this life gets... it can't come close to sucking nearly as bad as my last one."

"Both times you started out as a guy and ended up as a succubus Sailor Senshi," Ukyou stated.

"Yeah, but this time around I got to have kids."

"Family makes a world of difference doesn't it," Nodoka walked up and pocketed the cell phone she had just used. Surprised at the lack of combat, she reported the situation to base.

"Ah, you're her human mother," BlackSky surmised. "Must have been shocking to find your son transformed into this."

"Yes, quite shocking." Nodoka's face remained neutral. "It was more shocking to find that she was a negligent mother. I had to encourage her to take care of her young and be a good brood mother for them."

"You helped your son become this?" BlackSky asked, pointing to the leather-clad redhead.

"I was thinking about my granddaughters health," Nodoka stated.

"How reasoned," BlackSky remarked.

"I am a doctorate holding scientist," Nodoka said.

"Don't forget the Company commission," Nariko added.

"Mom, you really should introduce grandma," Nabiki whispered to Ranma.

Ranma blushed. "Yeah, grandma this is my mom, Doctor... and Major Nodoka Saotome."

"Ahh Company, so that's why you're so business-like," BlackSky smiled. "DarkStar, not only did you get involved with the Senshi again, but also with human hunters."

"Yeah, well it seems like I'm closer with the Company than with the Senshi. At least the agents get me." Ranma said.

BlackSky noticed how the human had slid next to DarkStar and was holding the girl's hand. "Please, I'm just here to see how DarkStar's doing. I'm not here to take your little girl. I'm a mother too."

"I know how succubus moms are," Nodoka's tone had thawed slightly, and she kept eye contact with the elder demon.

"Damn Alexia," BlackSky swore, but she had to smile at the way Nodoka stared her down. Not many beings, demon or otherwise were able or willing to do that.

"Would you like to come inside?" Nodoka asked.

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"Here comes the granddame of the succubae," Jacob said as he watched the feed. He stood with Stillwater on the upper level of the command and control room of the WIC base. The alarms had been switched off. They were only distracting. The revelation their sensors brought was enough to hold everyone's attention.

"This surprise could have been worse," Stillwater remarked before confirming the targeting data for the M270 battery under his command. The new Pattern D, unregistered, seemed to be amiable.

"Content?" Jacob asked a communications tech.

"Standard succubus banter sir," Maya Inversion replied as she put the microphone pickup on speaker.

Jacob nodded and listened to the conversation for a bit. He then walked back to Stillwater. "It looks like a normal family visit."

"With a power spike that went off the chart. You remember the last time we faced a demon like this," Stillwater sighed. BlackSky's unveiling had burnt out a few of the more sensitive scanners, and their backups had to be activated. The officer suspected that that was not even her full potential. She had proven able to defeat their scanners and human observers.

"This is Miss Saotome's grandmother; you know how old that would make her," Jacob replied. "Besides, we succeeded against that demon fifteen years ago."

"She was drunk on power, and the Company was lucky. We can't afford to count on that this time," Stillwater said stiffly. They also owed their survival to the... innovative strategy of – then - Captain Anderson.

"I'd be more concerned about the Heir to Serenity than this demon," Jacob reminded.

Stillwater nodded. At least with this BlackSky there was the option of fighting her. They had troopers and artillery ready. Knowing full well the slim odds, this was a scenario they had trained for. Serenity's heir on the other hand... The full potential of her power was what they were counting on. In the hands of an unstable person...

"I think we can both guess at the true purpose of the attempt on Miss Tsukino's life," Jacob stated. Many knew, or suspected, the power of Miss Tsukino and sought to control or destroy her.

"This is not the time to worry about her," Stillwater said.

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"So the Company is treating you well?" BlackSky asked as she sipped her chocolate. She had a fondness for the beverage that dated to when she first got some cocoa along with a few new family members. She remembered the excursion vaguely, it involved going to a London Chocolate House followed by a pub and a few other locations. She knew that that the warmer parts of her territory had coca cultivation for at least a few hundred years. "Lovely marshmallows, so very small," she commented.

"They just come in the packet, grandma." Ranma remarked. "Uh yeah, they're not dumb. They'd rather have me as an ally than an enemy."

BlackSky nodded approvingly. "And the Senshi?"

"Not so smart."

"But Mom has the hots for a couple of them." Nabiki smirked.

"Nabiki!"

BlackSky shook her head. "You're setting yourself up for heartbreak, dear. Those girls are too uppity for their own good."

"It's not like that! I was just teasing Pluto!" Ranma defended.

"Pluto?" BlackSky smiled in recollection. "Yes, you did enjoy teasing the one from you day."

"They're not all bad. You do owe Serenity for my return," Ranma reminded. "And Usagi's pretty nice."

BlackSky grinned as she sipped her hot chocolate; she was still fascinated by the tiny, little marshmallows. "She did keep up her end of the deal," she said after licking her lips, revealing the expected fangs.

"You let her take over earth, instead of you?" Ranma asked.

"She promised me she'd bring you back. Took her long enough," BlackSky grumbled. "So who's Usagi?"

"Queen Serenity's daughter," Ranma said.

"So that's that broad's kid. Big shoes for Usagi to fill, something her mother didn't help her with," BlackSky noted sourly.

"You have no idea."

"So are you still trying to take over the world?" Nodoka asked.

"No, that's a job for the young and idealistic succubae," BlackSky smiled fondly at her granddaughter. "Though, I suppose this Usagi is gonna try it too."

"I don't wanna take over. Too much work." Ranma said.

BlackSky smiled. "My thoughts exactly."

"Yeah, but you control a whole continent on the home plane," Misako said excitedly.

"That's more than I remember," Ranma blinked. Her own memories of the home plane were very hazy. As DarkStar she had never been there, and only heard secondhand from BlackSky

"Destroying House Vephar did add to my holdings greatly," BlackSky smiled.

"Home plane? The dimension native to demons?" Ukyou asked.

"Succubae actually," BlackSky explained.

"Legend says that the creator of our species, the first succubus, took the home plane and made it into a haven for our kind. A place where we could grow and not be enslaved by other demons. Then the home plane became full and some of us immigrated to a place with plenty of unclaimed hunting territory," Nabiki explained.

"Or were banished," BlackSky added.

"Who told you that?" Ranma asked Nabiki.

"Not everything Alexia told me was bad fashion advice or her gloating."

"So that's why you tried to take Earth back then," Nodoka stated.

"I'm a demon," BlackSky shrugged.

"So you're not going to try to takeover?" Misako asked, trying to sound hopeful.

" 'Fraid not kiddo."

"Something for the younger demons do to?" Misako rhetorically asked in thought.

BlackSky nodded and turned to Nodoka. "Do you live with your daughter?"

"Essentially, though I do often sleep in the lab," Nodoka said, noticing BlackSky's use of "your daughter" instead of "my granddaughter".

"Attached to your work?"

"Materials science, I make armor and weapons for the Company. Us humans have to use our wits and other tricks." Nodoka baited.

"Have you ever made anything for your family? Or is it just business?"

"They haven't asked yet." Nodoka frowned at her daughter and granddaughters. "Though some of them are thinking of joining."

Ukyou coughed after Misako poked her in the ribs.

"It's not that Mom," Ranma said. "It's just that normal weapons and armor aren't... not that what you make is normal... I mean it's saved..." The redhead continued to nervously babble.

She was saved by BlackSky. "Materials science... so you're good with metallurgy?" After receiving a nod, she marked off the first name on her mental list.

Nodoka wondered what the demon across from her was thinking. BlackSky was... an example of what the succubus species was capable of, controlled power and refinement. Nodoka put her hand over her daughter's hand and wondered about Ranma's future.

BlackSky smiled. The ability to read emotions came from reading body language and sensing pheromones and other cues. It was a necessary survival trait for a species that had to mimic humans enough to blend in, and one that increased with experience. The interplay between this human and... her family was fascinating. "I've never seen such pure devotion. If I didn't know better..." BlackSky paused. "No, this is a case where species doesn't matter."

Nodoka raised an eyebrow, and put her hands in front of her on the table. "Is this your roundabout way of complimenting me?"

"You're unique." BlackSky reached out and touched Nodoka's hands with her own. "Despite your species, you're a part of DarkStar's, of Ranma's, brood. Her daughters look to you. Ranma looks to you. She sleeps in your lap doesn't she?"

Nodoka pulled her hands back and hugged Ranma with one arm. "She's my daughter. I'll do whatever it takes."

"By encouraging me to accept Nariko you did save me, and my girls." Ranma quietly said. She did not want to think what her life would be like without Nariko. Ranma still wondered what would have happened during the Alexia situation if she didn't have a family to draw strength and purpose from. She did not need to wonder what would have happened to Nariko, and with other daughter's it was more a question of death of body versus corruption of soul.

"You are in good hands," BlackSky commented to Ranma. "So what are these agents like? We know your mother here, but what about the others?"

Ranma traced her hand over the lettering of her mug. There was a lot she could say. There were even more agents. "I guess there's one story that stands out, Aram Kowalski's. He wasn't an officer or anythin' like that. He was... my friend. At first he was just some anonymous guy in dark sunglasses. I then started talking to him, he was still just a guy."

The corners of the redhead's lips raised. "Things didn't really start to... change until the bank robbery." Ranma then explained how she, Aram, and Gabriel, another agent stopped the robbers. She reminisced happily on the bar scene that followed.

Misako had lowered her head. She knew where this story was going, and her own part.

Ranma's voice choked when she described the next event. A battle on a lonely stretch of road. "He did his job, probably killed more of Alexia's minions then I did. He went down fighting."

"I'm sorry, Mother," Misako weakly said, her eyes still downcast.

Ranma got up and walked across the living room and hugged her daughter. "I know you are."

"How?" Misako whimpered as she tried to bury her head onto her mother's shoulder. "I liked serving Alexia. We all did."

"She used you, made you into what she wanted. Ryoga was nothing like Aurora, and you're more than just Aurora now," Ranma reassured.

"I'm more Aurora than Ryoga," Misako reminded. "And you wouldn't have thought twice about killing either."

Ranma gently pushed Misako off of her and rotated the younger demon so they were eye to eye. "That's a lie. I had a weak and traumatized Aurora at my feet. Ucchan saved you."

Misako leaned her head back onto the brood mother. "I still helped kill your friend."

"You also helped abduct two of my daughters and several plots to steal the rest." Ranma smirked. She motioned for Akane to slide down and sat down on the couch still holding Misako. "We were invited to the funeral. It was a good ceremony I suppose," Ranma softly said.

BlackSky nodded and cataloged several things. Her daughter's unhesitating support to her children was one thing, but the approving posture of DarkStar's mother was another. Lastly came the observation that WIC seemed to understand the nature of succubae. Their species was not a uniform whole, but a collection of separate broods.

"The real part was the wake. It's funny. The Senshi think of me as a demon, a fluke, Setsuna's mistake. Most of the people at school think I'm an uptight cliquey slut. I do have a couple friends, but they don't know what I am. The agents however... they've seen me fight and I'm still encouraged to drink with them, mourn with them. They are scary secret agents, and they do some... creepy stuff, maybe that's why they can get a demon not being all evil, or something. I'm rambling." Ranma apologized.

Nodoka smiled. Her daughter could be deep, in her own inarticulate way.

"No, it makes sense," BlackSky reassured. Things were already vastly different this time. Humanity actually seemed to be mounting a defense worthy of what they had.

"So what's your story?" Nabiki asked BlackSky. "You seem pretty up to date with humans. Have anymore insights onto what's happening? Or maybe the Senshi, you were in their past too?"

"Like your mother, I was around well before the fall of the Serenity's Empire. The Senshi you know were born well after I left Earth."

"I doubt you stayed entirely in the dark. I'm guessing Serenity helped destroy Vephar's legions. A person like that you'd stay informed on." Nabiki said.

BlackSky sipped her coca and crossed off another name on her list. She liked the inquisitive spunk this one had. "I may have kept informed on a few things. We do have our ways of getting men, and women, to loosen their lips."

"Obviously," Nabiki dryly remarked. "What do you know about Serenity's kid?" she asked recalling the crying fit that Usagi had.

"She seemed to take after her father," BlackSky said a she delicately put her cup down. "Her mother, Serenity, was capable and ruthless. I respected her, until I found out the caliber of mother she was. Her daughter was spoiled, and when things counted most... the brat took her own life."

"Was it after Mamoru died the first time?" Ranma asked.

"I'm assuming that's the Earth Prince Endymion," BlackSky sighed. "That new royal family really doesn't compare to the one you came from, DarkStar."

"She's doing better now at least. This time she didn't kill herself after Mamoru died again."

"Good. Tell me, can Lady Venus bring herself to use her sword now?"

"Nope," Ukyou said.

"Figures, if Serenity's daughter kept that up the other Senshi would run out of weapons." BlackSky turned to Nabiki "So Little One, do you have other questions?"

"Not just now," Nabiki smirked.

"I'd like to know how you get your hair like that," Misako asked.

"Oh this?" BlackSky asked as she fingered a strand from the black hair that pooled around her.

"What about her makeup?" Ukyou teased.

"It's like Mom's," Misako said. "She's already teaching me about that."

"It still seems odd that you're teaching your daughters about makeup," Nodoka said.

"Misa-chan was born a guy, and anything is better than what she wore back under Alexia," Ranma shrugged. "Well maybe not what Akane was tricked into."

Akane grumbled.

"So how do you get your hair to do that?" Misako asked again, eyes gleaming with interest.

"You make it sound like there's more to it than just being long and flat black." BlackSky chuckled.

"Mom can you give me a hand in the kitchen?" Ranma asked as she got up.

"Sure Dear," Nodoka agreed as she followed her daughter.

"I'll keep the kids entertained," BlackSky said from the living room

"What is it?" Nodoka quietly asked in Japanese, as she helped Ranma brew more tea. Ranma could not be worried about BlackSky, not if she just left the demon alone with her children.

"Are you okay, Mom?" Ranma asked in the same language and volume.  
"It is shocking. To see the rest of your... family."

Ranma nodded as she fussed over a teapot. "I know my other life... but it still didn't feel quite real. It was so far in the past. I should have known she'd show up."  
"She was the only one to survive?" Nodoka asked. Ranma once told her the gist of her past life.

"Pretty much. She's a tough old-demon, but she does love her spawn. Family is everything to her. She can't hurt them." Ranma sighed. "That's why she let that tanned moron live."

"Couldn't your grandmother have... reprogrammed her?"

"She could have, but she banished her instead."

"I see."

"So what else is wrong?" Ranma asked looking up at her mother.

"Nothing." Nodoka's response was as sharp as the volume limitations could allow.

Ranma smiled slightly. Her mother could keep her cool in the face of a demon thousands of years old but not in front of her young demonic daughter. "I'm not going to leave you," Ranma whispered as she hugged her mother.

Nodoka put her arms around the smaller woman and remained silent.

"You know who helped me the most in my previous life? It wasn't my grandma. Sure she was a neat relative, but it was my mom that was there for me the most. More so than Serenity."

"I know. It's just creepy what she thinks of me," Nodoka admitted before breaking the hug.

"But she admires you," Ranma said quizzically. "She doesn't think humans are capable of being like..."

"Like a demon mother?" Nodoka asked with a contained smile.

"I did learn from you," Ranma laughed. She then looked at the serving tray. "Is there more we should talk about?"

"No, I think we're good," Nodoka said before the two women returned to the living room. The officer switched to English. "It is nice to have you over BlackSky. Given Ranma's cousin, I was getting worried about Ranma's ancestry."

"Alexia was always jealous and never did think things through," BlackSky said coldly.

"I guess she took the wrong lesson from your stories of conquest and destruction," Misako noted.

"See Misa-chan I told you reducing the amount of hairspray would clear your mind," Akane smirked.

"At least I'm trying to be nicer," Misako sniffed.

BlackSky smiled, they were lively broodlings, and she had marked off all the names from her list, save one. "You're being very quiet dear," she said to Nariko.

Nariko looked to her mother then back to BlackSky. "Yes, I am," she said.

"What's wrong, Honey?" Ranma asked moving closer to her eldest.

"I don't want to be mean." Nariko blushed. Why did she have to be the one to see that something was wrong. She steeled herself. "It feels a bit odd that Great-grandma comes right after Alexia's gone. It's not that she let Alexia roam free. Alexia's sins are her own fault, but..." Nariko looked BlackSky over. "If you really were waiting for so long and dreamed of Mom's return, why did it take you so long to come?"

BlackSky frowned. "I heard that the Senshi were back, but after a few years of them all being reincarnated and no signs of a redheaded demon among them... I'm sorry, I sort of gave up hope."

"You thought Serenity had betrayed you?" Nabiki asked.

"She turned out to be a lousy mother, what reason did I have to trust her?"

Nodoka nodded. Trust for her was entirely about how good of a mother one was. It seemed a fair way to judge someone's character. Nodoka had noticed her daughter had taken that to heart as well.

"You gave up hope," Nariko stated.

"It was several millennia of waiting, and I never did fully. Killing Alexia brought enough attention to you."

"That loser?" Ranma asked.

"Yeah, she wasn't a good mother either. So very selfish. Even other succubae from less reputable houses were wary of her," BlackSky explained.

"Would have fit right in House Vephar," Ranma grumbled, recalling Alexia's habit of using masses of young untrained succubae.

"For that, I'm quite glad you killed her in an appropriate way," BlackSky admitted.

Misako sighed. As Aurora she thought that Ranma was the aberration. That succubae were supposed to be like Alexia, but BlackSky... Misako could see which brood mother BlackSky was more like.

"So what do you like?" BlackSky gently asked Nariko.

Nariko shrugged. "I like mother's singing." There was no harm in saying that much.

BlackSky turned to Ranma and practically beamed. "You sing now?"

"It just sorta happened," Ranma blushed. "My girls like it... and Mom got me a couple books."

"Books are very handy," BlackSky nodded knowingly. "So how is your singing voice?"

"Mother's very good," Akane interjected.

"Really? You're getting me interested," BlackSky teased.

"Yeah, even Kasumi stops in to listen now and then," Nabiki said.

"Your older and still human sister, the agent?" BlackSky asked.

"That's her, but I don't think she'll ever go demon," Akane sighed.

"Some people like staying human." BlackSky knew that any real relationship her granddaughter would require her partner to become demonic.

"And some people don't get a choice," Misako muttered.

"Would you rather go back to the way you were?" Ukyou asked her... partner.

"No," Misako pouted.

"Yeah, you're only now starting to get good enough to beat you're archrival and mother," Nabiki teased.

"Mother is good at that type of stuff," Misako admitted

"The fighting style that you're teaching your spawn?" BlackSky asked. Her great-granddaughters had told her about that.

"Yeah, it's my family style adapted to succubae." Ranma's tone revealed the pride she had in the concept.

"Fascinating." BlackSky was intrigued by the stories the broodlings had told her when DarkStar and her mother were talking in the kitchen. "Our family is quite old, there might be some notes that could help you. Is there any aspect that is troubling you?"

Ranma paused and wondered why BlackSky was offering books instead of personal lessons. It might be due to limited time on BlackSky's part. "Well there's what happens when you're close in with another succubus. I mean real close, rolling on the ground close. It seems to get down to just two demons trying to tear each other apart."

As BlackSky listened, she sipped her coca – she was really enjoying the marshmallows; she knew that her gift idea would be on the right track. "That is a problem, but there are a few moves that can help."

"Yeah?" Ranma asked. "There's also teleporting. It's a real pain when your enemies can run away whenever they want or when they pop up and surprise you."

"It's a good thing you killed Alexia in the proper way then." BlackSky concentrated on the good that had come out of Alexia's rampage. It had expanded Ranma's brood, and given her an impressive maternal drive.

"Oh," Ranma blinked. "I'm not going to start tanning my skin am I?"  
"Every morning we do check you for bad makeup and fashion sense," Nariko helpfully reminded.

"Good," Ranma shrugged.

"You are what you eat, Mother," Misako said mischievously before licking one of her fangs

"Thanks Misa-chan, thanks," Ranma sarcastically, sighed.

"She has a point. You did do that evil laugh and shadow show thing after you ate Alexia," Ukyou said.

Ranma coughed nervously as she worried if it was a hint of something darker.

"That's perfectly normal for a young brood mother," BlackSky said.

"You are a demon, Dear," Nodoka added in understanding.

"Does that mean Mommy will have to practice her evil laugh now?" Nariko asked. "She didn't do to well last time."

"I was missing a lung at the time," Ranma grumbled.

"Excuses, excuses," quipped Misako.

Ranma rolled her eyes.

"Will you be staying for dinner?" Nodoka asked the houseguest.

"I'll have to stop back home for a bit, but I should be back in a few hours," BlackSky offered.

"Business?" Nodoka guessed.

BlackSky nodded. "I do have a fair-sized family to look over."

"Fair enough," Nodoka remarked. It was still mid-morning. There was plenty of time to prepare a proper early dinner.

BlackSky stood and looked at a clock mounted on the living-room wall. "I'll be back at about four."

"It'll be our pleasure," Nodoka's smile actually met her eyes.

"Yeah, uh... see you then," Ranma added.

BlackSky waved and stepped out of the room and made her way to the back porch. She then walked across the backyard and into the surrounding woods.

Nodoka called base and updated them on the situation. "Yes Sir, I think a dinner is perfectly proper, or should we not extend that courtesy to my daughter's relative?"

At the other end of the line Stillwater paused. BlackSky was being civil, provoking her was foolish, and BlackSky's granddaughter was already integrated into their operations. "There is no reason to snub her. Approved." The conversation continued but that was the only real decision for the Commander, and even that was a perfunctory one at best.

"We could use better relations with the more civilized broods," Jacob said after Stillwater closed the communication.

"Oh? I suppose it could be beneficial to have relations with Pattern D's 'over there', " Stillwater allowed as he watched the tracking on BlackSky. The slight reading she gave off on the house was quickly snuffed out and she was only being tracked by conventional means.

"That we can still see her means she doesn't care about us," Jacob remarked. "Though why would she? Her granddaughter's here and global domination's a game for the young."

Stillwater nodded and leaned back on the wall at the far end of the command room. "Miss Tsukino is about that age too."

"I had Historical Research to look into our copy of book that Pattern Silvers retrieved from the Path of the Will incident, Sir." Jacob laughed lightly. "It was a good stroke to have Miss Saotome offer our facilities for their cleanup afterwards."

"It should be a short search." Stillwater knew that the vast WIC archives had been combed for any information relating to the Pattern Silvers.

"Yes, the report is on your desk. It looks like the copy the Silvers have is more complete. Ours is just a collection of fragmentary prophecies and other nonsense."

"While theirs allowed them to do something to Pattern Silver energy," Stillwater shook his head.

"Sirs, BlackSky just vanished," Maya Iverson said.

"Investigate her last position and keep the troops deployed," Stillwater ordered, he and Jacob then went to Stillwater's office.

"This was an interesting development." Stillwater then poured two glasses of scotch.

"Of course demons like this would be immune to our scanners. BlackSky's like a black hole," Jacob sipped his drink.

Stillwater smiled slightly. "And how does one detect a black hole?"

"From the X-ray emissions they give off." Jacob shrugged.

"We talked about over reliance on our gadgetry," Stillwater leaned back in his chair. "She's not completely invisible. Though I'm sure she can get as close to that as she needs."

"But as we said, BlackSky isn't the main issue."

"Of course not. She doesn't need to fight us; we're already infiltrated by her spawn. Especially if we approve Ukyou Saotome's request."

"Furthering our alliance makes sense," Jacob shrugged.

"I now see what 'too much success' means. We wanted Miss Saotome to trust us."

"And now she's expecting us to trust her. We do constantly spy on her brood. Something she's most accepting of."

"Unlike the other Pattern Silvers." Stillwater frowned and took a sip.

" Miss Saotome may eventually prove to have ulterior machinations, but we know for a fact that Miss Meioh has several."

"That's why the Path's attack was so traumatic to them," Stillwater added.

"Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. They put doubt into Miss Tsukino's mind. She's no longer certain that she's the good guy."

"It's a good thing we don't have to worry about that," Stillwater chuckled.

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BlackSky walked down the wooded path. She carried two large leather satchels and hummed to herself. She hoped she was not too early. As she walked she could sense several humans around her. They were silent and camouflaged, they even had reduced their odor, but BlackSky could still sense them.

She was not worried. Her granddaughter trusted these humans, and they seemed respectful enough. BlackSky observed the agents out of curiosity. Even when they moved it was concise and silent. She could see why DarkStar would respect these men.

The demon stopped and turned around to see an older human leaning on a tree on the same path. "I'm guessing you're one of the higher WIC officers," BlackSky said as she doubled back. "Hmm... too old for the Jarvis one and you don't look dour enough to be Stillwater. Jacob I presume?"

"I see our reputations precede us," Jacob smiled. He wondered what Marvin would think of being called dour by an elder a few thousand years older than him. He then shrugged "But I must assure you that in person Commander Stillwater is not dour. He's more of a saturnine."

BlackSky laughed. "Yes, the stories my granddaughter told about you scaring those two young men was most amusing." BlackSky shifted her bags. "I must compliment you on the caliber of your officers. I did not expect someone in your organization to be so... enlightened about her daughter's situation."

"Major Saotome is quite the woman," Jacob agreed, as he started walking next to BlackSky. "Would you like some help carrying those?"

"Such a polite young man." BlackSky stopped walking and handed the longer of the leather bags over. "Now be careful, with this. The metal in there is a bit dangerous to humans. It's in another case but can't be too careful."

"Oh?" Jacob asked as he held the bag from the strap.

"Oh yes, DarkStar's mother seemed put out that her broodlings didn't request her services. So I brought her some new materials to work with." BlackSky had some difficulty finding the right vault to find these shards. It would take a skilled hand to work the material, especially given the dangers, but it would be a good challenge for DarkStar's mother.

"Demonic metal?" Jacob asked. "Are there actual dark powers, or does it merely facilitate normal demonic abilities?"

"I'm certainly not going to give anything dangerous to my family," BlackSky assured.

"It's effect on humans?"

"Raw it will draw energy from just about anyone; in a finished form it will need a demon wielding it to actively drain," BlackSky explained as they walked.

"Requires bonding to a specific user during processing then?"

BlackSky laughed. "Have experience with demonic weapons have you?"

"Nothing as direct as what you're proposing," Jacob allowed.

"Could you please keep it a secret? I want to surprise Ranma's mother," BlackSky said.

Jacob nodded and made a note on the number of times BlackSky referred to Major Saotome as Miss Saotome's mother.

"Will you be joining us for dinner?" BlackSky asked her blue eyes twinkling.

"Oh, I couldn't impose," Jacob ignored the alternative interpretation of that question.

"Now, now, I won't let you melt back into the shadows," the demoness said with a tiny grin. "I'm sure the doctor can add a place setting for her boss."

"Likely," Jacob allowed.

"You do want to do more than just talk to me for a couple minutes. I imagine you did a some work to setup this meeting," BlackSky smiled. She could guess the real reason for the troopers watching them. They were not there to kill her, as much as they were there to watch and make sure she could not get any information out of their officer.

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"She's back," Nabiki said looking out a back window.

"Good, that's in enough time," Nodoka said as she put down another covered serving tray.

Misako looked up from her place setting and tried to lift the cover. She found her knuckles rapped by the side of a large knife.

"I know you can smell what's in there," Nodoka said to the pouting demon, "but I would like a few surprises with this meal."

"It's okay grandma, I had to hit her a few times myself," Ukyou said as she idly held a spatula.

"Well we all know what you're making," Misako reminded. The purchase and setup of a larger griddle over the range did narrow down what the blonde demon would be cooking.

"Ucchan, Mom, you two should be amazed you kept it a secret this long. We're a hungry species," Ranma shrugged. She was also glad that the Drake was keeping an eye on her father and Soun. She did not want those two to stumble in on this.

"Well, I sent you girls out to go shopping for the proper accessories and ingredients. That pretty much confirmed what I was planning," Nodoka admitted.

"It was pretty funny when we cornered that fishmonger," Ranma said.

"He nearly fainted," Misako smirked as she resumed setting up the table.

"And he did faint when you started playing with your boobs," Nabiki reminded. She noticed that BlackSky was not arriving alone. "Hmm.. set another place. It looks like Jacob's coming too."

"I was just scratching an itch." Misako shouted as she went to the kitchen.

"Well, this should be interesting," Ranma said as she opened the door to let in their guests.

"Evening, Sir," Nodoka said, saluting.

"At ease." Jacob returned the salute. "Do you mind if I stay for dinner? Your guest was quite insistent."

"Of course, Sir," Nodoka smiled.

"What's in the bags?" Ranma asked.

"I'm glad you asked," BlackSky said with amusement.

"Presents?" Misako keenly asked.

"Why yes," BlackSky remarked

"How did you know?" Ranma asked.

"Well.. what else would she be bringing back with her?" Nabiki shrugged.

"It could be dessert," Ukyou remarked.

"But it's not; it's presents," Misako's eyes gleamed.

Nariko shook her head. "You better give it to her. Before she explodes."

Ranma watched BlackSky reach into the leather satchel she was carrying and wondered exactly what her grandmother was up to. The elder demon pulled out a small wooden box and handed it to Misako.

Misako opened it and pause, before squealing in delight. "Oh, so pretty," she said as she pulled out a pair of earrings. They were dark red stones that started to glow slightly when she slid them into her palm.

"Some kind of demonic jewelry?" Ranma asked.

"They're like yours," BlackSky explained.

"Mine?" Ranma reached up to her ears and felt the obsidian stud earrings.

Misako sighed. "Mom's like that. She hardly notices that she wears makeup all the time."

"Only because you started begging me to teach you how to wear it properly." Ranma turned to BlackSky. "So I'm wearing magical jewelry? Damn I really am a magical girl."

"You go around at night as Sailor DarkStar," Nabiki reminded.

"She eats people, that makes up for it," Misako reminded as she put on her new earrings.

"And her uniform's a lot cooler," Akane added.

"So what do these things do?" Ranma asked.

"They help you store and hold power. Like now when you don't need it," BlackSky explained.

"So Misako got fashionable batteries?" Nabiki asked, her voice tinged with jealousy.

"An experienced succubus can make her own, like your mother did," BlackSky said as she put her hand in the satchel to get Nabiki's gift.

"I did that? I thought they... you know... just came with the transformation," Ranma said.

BlackSky laughed and handed a thick leather-bound volume to Nabiki. "Here, for my great-granddaughter who was so full of questions."

"Thanks," Nabiki then frowned at the writing on the cover. "What language is this?

"Looks like Latin," Nodoka remarked. Some of the letters looked funny, but she could make out something close to:

HISTORIA SVCCVBARVM

VITA MEVM

AterCaela

"AlterCaela... that's close to BlackSky. Is this your diary?" Nodoka asked.

"My life is tied to the history of our House." BlackSky smiled. This one had real promise.

"Why do you write in Latin?" Nabiki asked as she opened the book and found more of the same language.

"We didn't originally have a written language, and a few thousand years ago we battled this group of soldiers. Their army stumbled onto us. Their writing was really handy," BlackSky explained. "Eventually it became the spoken word for my family too."

"So... you turned a Roman legion and took their language?" Nabiki asked with disbelief. She knew BlackSky was old... but this seemed ridiculous.

"They were very bright, disciplined, and had a good martial tradition. They had an architect with them too. She was a real help when rebuilding the lair and helping with our water supply," BlackSky said

"I'm guessing your architect wasn't born a woman," Nabiki remarked.

"Yup, it's in that book, chapter eleven I think," BlackSky said.

"So how do I read this? Learn Latin?"

"I don't think that's enough," Nodoka said as she tried to read some of the text in the open book. She had taken Latin in college and still had some ability with the language. "I'm amazed that it drifted as little as it did from Imperial Latin."

"Having people still alive from that first group will do that, but there's a lot of new words in there. We are demons after all,"

"So you gave me a book I couldn't read?" Nabiki asked as she closed the thick tome.

"Of course not," BlackSky frowned. "I brought reading primers too." She then pulled out a couple, thinner books, and handed them to Nabiki.

"Ahh... a dictionary?" Nabiki asked as she opened the first of the books.

BlackSky nodded.

Nabiki then opened the smallest book and blinked. She went though a couple pages to make sure. Each page had full illustrations, and varying amounts of color, red was predominant. They scenes were full of objects, animals, and succubae. Each item was labeled in the same demonic script. Each page seemed to have a specific theme, like clothing, plants, organs. At the bottom of the picture was a couple sentences, likely describing the scene.

"This... this is a children's book," Nabiki remarked.

"That little succubus in all the pictures looks cute," Nariko said.

"Yes, she's Silva succubus. A little character to make reading fun," BlackSky said.

"This is pretty... graphic," Nabiki said as she flipped to a pair of pages. The first was on hunting and the following seemed to be on dressing game.

"It is for succubae," Ranma reminded.

BlackSky nodded. "Languages are important."

"Yeah, and now all the demonic I knew from back then is useless," Ranma's tone was mostly apathetic. It was hard to remember all the languages she knew as DarkStar anyway.

"Yes, it's a pain keeping up with languages." BlackSky could sympathize. Every couple hundred years she had to brush up on her skills.

"Now you required some thought to pick a gift for." BlackSky had turned to Nariko and was pulling out another item from her satchel. She handed out a wooden cube, the size of both of Nariko's palms.

"Pretty," Nariko said as she felt the heft of the box. Five of the six sides had ivory panels that were scrimshawed. The colors used were black, blue, green, and of course red. The top was an intricate mesh of geometric and floral figures. The four carvings on the sides seemed to tell a story.

Nariko guessed that the images were cyclic. One of the sides showed a homey room. The fine paint-filled-scratches showed a detailed lair with a larder, kitchen area, entranceway, and sleeping chamber filled with furs. Detailed in the image was a nursing brood mother watching the rest of her family feed.

The next one was more graphic. It only had two succubae and they were caught in the middle of mating. Nariko blushed at the skill that had gone into rendering their forms and the thought that had gone into their positioning.

After that was a rugged mountain meadow where the same brood mother was watching as her spawn played. The last image was on a similar field, and the positioning was nearly identical too. Only now the broodlings were a bit older and their "play" was much more serious.

Red was also used more in this last image. It was present in all of them. Each individual strand of the brood mother's hair seemed to be carved and then filled with that color.

Eyeing a seam that ran around the circumference of the box, Nariko opened the thick top and smiled slightly at the melancholy, but hopeful, music that emanated from it. The music player only took up a portion of the interior, the rest of it was lined with soft velvet. Nestled on the center was a little brass key. Closing the box, Nariko inspected the surface, until she found an area of the upper portion where a carved flower could be pushed down and slide aside to reveal a keyhole, to lock and unlock the box.

Nariko smiled and put a finger over the familiar image on the lair side. "Is she?"

BlackSky nodded. "I had it built a while back. I wanted a reminder of..." BlackSky paused. "Of what might have been. It gave me some hope, but I don't need it anymore."

"You only envisioned me having three kids?" Ranma tried to ask in a joking tone. Her smile faltered as she looked over the box. Her eyes darted to BlackSky and tears formed. It had been ages, but she still cared. Ranma almost stumbled over to her grandmother and practically fell into her arms.

"It's okay. It's okay," BlackSky said cradling the purring and crying woman. "You've got a family that truly loves you right here."

Nodoka smiled thinly and moved to her daughter. BlackSky transferred the redhead over and the doctor continued comforting her.

Ranma sniffled for a bit and then composed herself. "Thanks," she said, straightening her hair.

"So why give me this?" Nariko asked, holding the box.

"You're the eldest. You're what got Ranma to accept herself," BlackSky explained.

"You picked well then," Nabiki smirked as she eyed the music box. She was a bit jealous. The book was more her style, and would be a treasure trove of information once she learned the language. On the other hand, the music box was pretty.

"Now I remember you musing about our cooking style, and I felt this was perfect," BlackSky said as she handed another book to Ukyou.

"It's a cookbook?" Ukyou asked as she flipped through the pages. The format certainly seemed to be ingredients, cooking directions, and serving information.

"Mostly family recipes. You may have to substitute for some of the meats though," BlackSky apologized.

"And I'll have to learn that crazy Latin too."

"Demonic is an important thing to know. Yes, we do speak human languages when on Earth, but all our knowledge is kept in something more accessible to us."

"At least you have a printing press," Nodoka remarked. It was clear that the books were not written by hand.

"Movable type is an old invention," BlackSky shrugged.

"So what have I got?" Akane asked. She had patiently waited, but was still eager.

"You were very excited when talking about the fire powers you've seen in battle so..." BlackSky handed yet another book over. "Pyromancy is the closest word in English."

Akane grinned and opened the book. She grumbled quietly when struck by the same demonic text.

"Way to trick my girls into learning how to read," Ranma laughed.

"Oh it's not just them," BlackSky smiled as she gave the last item in her satchel to Ranma.

Ranma opened the slim volume and flipped it. Most of the pages were full figures featuring two succubae grappling with each other. "This is either a guide to some... imaginative foreplay or instructions for close-quarter combat."

BlackSky chuckled. "My, you are a bright one."

"This is... useful," Ranma tilted the book sideways to get a better view, to try to determine the nature of the book, of course.

"I do hope it helps you with your Art," BlackSky said, clarifying the book's contents. It was a fascinating idea, and could unlock a lot of potential. BlackSky knew that it is the application of force and not the magnitude that matters. More power just meant more options.

"So what's in the other bag?" Misako asked, pointing to the leather case the Jacob had put down on an end table.

"That's for your grandma," BlackSky said before opening the other satchel. Before she could finish lifting the long box out, Ranma has put herself between it and her mother.

"What is that?" Ranma asked. The _scent_ seemed worrisome.

"It's something for her to work with." BlackSky calmly opened the large wooden case. Inside were the metal shards that seemed to be pieces of a broken sword

"My, that is a lot. It must be at least half of the fragments," Jacob noted. The sheen on the metal was distinctive.

"It can't be..." Nodoka leaned forward, making sure to keep her hands behind her back, and inspected the shards. "I'd have to run some tests." She looked to BlackSky. "Where did you get this? When?"

"What is it?" Ranma asked. "Is it some kind of broken magical sword?"

"Some kind," Nodoka remarked, noticing the soft pinkish shine the metal gave off. She knew that it was not too dangerous; it was not radioactive. Extended physical contact was very bad and inhalation of any fine particles was disastrous, but the other properties made up for the... risks.

BlackSky put the box down. "You can guess how we got it. Some people think that a magical sword will make them invincible. The fool didn't even have a decent blade. It was a mash of this and some filler alloys."

"Interesting," Nodoka said as she pulled out a pocket knife and opened it's magnifying lens. The surface was streaked with tiny veins that gave an almost laminated appearance. Nodoka knew the structure would be even more impressive under a microscope.

BlackSky noted the care that the scientist used not to touch the pieces. "You've seen shards of this before?"

"We have come across a few samples on various excavations, yes," Jacob allowed.

"Good, then you'll know what precautions to take."

"What is this stuff?" Akane asked.

"It's pieces from a magic sword," Nabiki sighed. She never thought she would be saying that seriously, but then she also never thought she would end up liking pink, being cute and with Akane as the older sister.

"So what's so special about it?" Akane smirked.

"The metal is... aligned for certain types of energy. Some mages use small pieces of it in their weapons. We're not sure, but we know it helps in some abilities, and it's not good for humans to use it." Nodoka explained.

"What does it do to humans?" Misako asked.

"Prolonged usage seems to give –well- madness, though the one cadaver we examined did have a... strange brain tumor." Nodoka frowned as she looked at the metal. "It's not radioactive, or give any emissions, unless you try to use it."

"You guys are pretty sharp," BlackSky nodded. "My family's had to deal with humans driven crazy by pieces of this thing at least half a dozen times."

"Most of the really good stuff does induce madness in humans," Jacob remarked.

"And what does exposure do to succubae?" Nodoka asked. She remembered the mission report detailing a succubus that used a spear tipped with a sample of this metal. The accompanying interrogation report said she was quite sane.

"The metal is infused with demonic energies. The demon queen that made it designed it for out kind to use and channel it," BlackSky explained.

"So why don't you use it then?" Nodoka asked.

The elder demoness shrugged. "Frankly, it's a bit beneath me. I was saving them to give to family that could use it and to give to someone that could craft it into something worthy."

"Makes sense," Nodoka allowed. As she closed the box, she glanced at Jacob. The both knew the regulations. There will be a full battery of tests. The demonic metal was the primary suspect, but everything else would be examined too. It was only prudent.

"So, we can't be corrupted by dark powers?" Ukyou suspiciously asked.

"We're already demons, Ucchan ." Misako said as she waved her spade-finned tail in front of her partner.

Akane smirked. "The only way we could get more evil would be to start wearing pink."

"Hey!" Nabiki exclaimed.

"Just because we're demonic doesn't mean we have to be evil," Ranma explained.

Nabiki blinked. "Technically..."

"So? Your oldest sister is a scary secret agent. Your grandma's an officer too. You girls all know what my friend Jarvis does for a living, and then there's Colonel Spooky over there." Ranma said pointing to Jacob.

"I'm hurt Miss Saotome." Jacob laughed. "I've been very friendly and completely honest with you."

"And that isn't a spooky thing for someone with your job?"

"That helps," Jacob nodded.

"Sir, you're showing human emotions," Nodoka said.

"Miss Saotome will have a good story the next time she goes drinking with the men then."

"I guess." Somehow, Ranma forgot that Jacob had to know all about the stories that the agents told about him.

"Daughter, I think it's time for our surprise," Nodoka reminded.

"Are we going to finally eat?" Misako asked.

"The other surprise," Nodoka said.

"Ah, yeah. That surprise," Ranma walked into the kitchen and pulled something out of a cabinet. "We were planning to give this to you before you left, but since you just gave us presents," Ranma explained after she walked back. She then handed over a binder with a small paper bag on top

"Hot chocolate, with little marshmallows!" BlackSky cried happily in a most girlish manner after looking in the paper bag. After putting the bag full of coca packets down, she inspected the binder. It was only an inch thick, but it was full of pictures slid into plastic inserts.

"Yes, we're a Japanese family," Nabiki joked, as BlackSky looked through the photographs.

"Pardon?" BlackSky asked, while looking at a grainy picture of Ranma in some Sailor Senshi's lap.

Nabiki sighed. "Just a joke about a cultural thing. Japanese families take a lot of photographs."

"This is Canada though." BlackSky turned the page and smiled at the photo of a sleepy brood. Next to that picture was one of Ranma curled up with her head on Nodoka's lap. The scientist was running her hand though her daughter's hair.

"But we're ethnically Japanese," Nabiki said, blushing with embarrassment.

"We're succubae actually," Misako corrected.

"Your girls are very photogenic," BlackSky complimented.

"I guess we can get to dinner then," Ranma shrugged. The officers and succubae went to the dining room. Instead of the head of the table, the redheaded brood mother sat at the middle of one of the long sides. Nodoka claimed the seat across from her and the broodlings took remaining spots as close to mother. Jacob and BlackSky ended up on the far ends of the table.

"I'll have to restart the griddle," Ukyou frowned as she got up. She sat back down when Nodoka entered the room with a large serving tray.

BlackSky smiled, as she looked at the delicately sliced portions. The scent of the meat was subtle, yet intoxicating. "It's raw; minimal spicing too," BlackSky sounded quite impressed. "It's fish right?"

"Yup, try some," Misako used her chopsticks to put a piece of Spanish mackerel sashimi on BlackSky's plate.

BlackSky slipped the sliver of meat into her mouth and purred with delight. "Oh my... and it's just raw, isn't it? Nothing but flesh?"

"It's surprising isn't it," Nodoka agreed. "But yes, it's only fish. It's very high grade and fresh fish that's precisely cut."

"I see," BlackSky said as she served herself more fish. The others soon followed and started eating. All seemed quite pleased with the meal, but BlackSky seemed to be getting the most pleasure.

"You don't have fish where you come from?" Ranma asked.

"Oh yes, there is some fishing in our rivers and oceans, but it's mostly smoked or salted," BlackSky explained after eating some pieces of sushi. She had eased back and was letting Ranma's daughters have more.

"That's ironic," Nabiki noted.

BlackSky smiled. "We do prefer raw meat, but food does have to be preserved." She dipped some of her salmon and then ate the piece of meat and rice.

"I must compliment you on encouraging me to come," Jacob said with a salute of his glass.

"Not worried about the food?" Ranma asked.

"It's fish."

"I guess, I'll have to cook my course then," Ukyou had some more sushi before getting up and going to the kitchen.

"Well, that sounds suspicious," Jacob said.

"Are you a Senshi this time around, too?" BlackSky asked Ranma.

"Yup, silly uniform and everything."

"I think it's cool," Akane said as she mixed more wasabi into her sauce.

"The midriff and leather is an improvement," Nabiki agreed.

"I have been thinking about that stuff," Ranma said. "Serenity passed her powers to Usagi, and Usagi's kid is a Senshi too."

"Serenity's daughter has a child?" BlackSky asked. "How good of a mother is she?"

Ranma picked at her fish before replying. "Well... she's getting better."

"Figures." BlackSky sighed. "So, what have you been thinking about?"

"Well, if Usagi's kid can be a Senshi, why can't mine?"

Jacob smiled faintly. Stillwater would certainly consider this another example of "too much success".

"It's possible," BlackSky said.

"Recent scans have detected slight Pattern anomalies in your kids," Nodoka reminded.

Ranma nodded. "I was thinking of them nursing Pattern Silver energy from me."

"Pattern Silver?" BlackSky asked then thought for a second. "Ahh I see, clever name. Yes that could work."

"We'll beat those magical girls at their own game," Misako smiled.

BlackSky smirked.

"It's a shame, Kodachi didn't come." Nariko's voice sounded depressed, but she had an amused little smile too.

"Honey, _I_ make her nervous. Who knows what great-grandma would make her do," Ranma said.

"Is that why Kasumi's not here?" Akane asked.

"She's working," Nodoka explained.

"I know, but she could have gotten off early." Ranma frowned at her plate.

"Am I that intimidating?" BlackSky innocently asked. She sniffed the air; whatever her blonde great-granddaughter was cooking smelled intriguing.

"Nah, I think it's because I tried to sleep with her last night," Ranma shrugged.

"Oh? Thinking of a mate?"

"Kasumi'd never go for that, but she teases me enough. So I thought... well..."

"You'd tease her back?" Misako offered.

"So that's why she's not here," BlackSky remarked.

"I made sure to put a Polaroid of Mom in her negligee in the photo album we gave you," Nabiki helpfully reminded.

Ranma blushed to nearly human levels of reddening. "How's it going, Ucchan?"

"Almost done," Ukyou shouted as she worked on the griddle.

"The meat she's using smells interesting," BlackSky said conspiratorially.

"I don't know what you're implying," Ranma was deadpan.

"Me neither, frankly." Jacob raised an eyebrow. "You girls haven't had a mission in a while." He also knew that the rumors of the brood bringing home snacks were largely that- rumors. The officer did suspect that Ukyou's new book would increase things.

"It works out well; the family gets food and money for doing something we'd already do," Nabiki explained.

"You're doing this while also being 'open and honest' and encouraging camaraderie between the demons and your own soldiers. It's nice to seem some intelligent demon hunters for once."

"We're pragmatic," Jacob said simply.

"Fitting euphemism," Ranma remarked. She then scowled when the others turned to her. "What, I can't use big words?"

"It is odd. How do you choose your inhuman allies?"

"There are some we have to fight, some that simply want to coexist, and others that want to fight with us."

"Some even drop in unannounced," Nabiki dryly remarked.

Ranma coughed. She had said she was sorry on that first day she and her father moved in.

"You're quite cynical for someone so young and cute," BlackSky said.

"All thanks to my second mother."

"You were sarcastic and amoral before Alexia," Akane corrected.

"And I was a revenge-obsessed fanatic." Misako's then face darkened. "Who had horrible fashion sense and wasted all of his kills."

"Okay, I'm done," Ukyou said as she entered the room. The first of the grilled batter and meat foods was put onto BlackSky's plate.

"Since you were complimenting the fish I used some in this batch," Ukyou explained as she served the others.

BlackSky nodded and began to happily eat.

"I can't believe you kept up on this," Ranma remarked as she dug in.

"Okonomiyaki was a big part of my life," Ukyou explained.

"Until you went into the Assembly to get your revenge," Misako reminded.

"I still cooked back then!"

"I know. You did have some of your spatula-themed weapons blessed."

"Yeah." Ukyou turned to BlackSky. "Well, what do you think?"

"Very complicated flavor," BlackSky said between bites. "It's kinda like something we do. Though only the batter is cooked and is used to wrap the meat and vegetables."

"That sounds more like a pita or a burrito," Ukyou said.

"Close, that book I gave you has the recipe for making them."

"Great," Ukyou said after sitting down and eating her own okonomiyaki.

"How is yours, Sir?" Nodoka asked.

"Good," Jacob said. He preferred the sushi more, but he had learned the value of diplomacy.

"What are you doing?" Ukyou asked Misako.

"Adding more fish to mine," Misako explained as she put more sashimi slices on her okonomiyaki.

Ukyou glared at her partner then went back to the others. "So what do the rest of you guys want on your next one?" After the blonde took the orders she went back into the kitchen. She was followed by Nodoka who quickly returned with more raw fish.

"I'm glad you stopped by," Ranma told her grandmother.

"I had to. I just wished I stopped by earlier," BlackSky's voice had filled with regret.

"Don't worry. It's not like Alexia would have told you until after she killed me," Ranma reassured.

BlackSky frowned before eating some salmon. "I'm sure she would have waited until she could present your body to me, and the corrupted forms of your spawn." She sighed. She had underestimated Alexia's problems; the woman was deranged. BlackSky won't make the same mistake twice; no more banishments.

"Yeah, probably," Ranma said.

"I'm quite happy to find you in good hands." BlackSky looked at Nodoka. "You're much happier in this life than your last one."

"I know," Ranma smiled. "There were some rough parts and some hard choices, but we made it."

"Do you think Serenity's daughter is ready for what's coming?" BlackSky asked.

"I honestly don't know. Sometimes they seem on the ball... but other times... it's like they're just normal girls." Ranma looked down. "You know about this doom and gloom crap too?" Ranma asked.

"Something's certainly brewing around here" BlackSky smiled encouragingly. "I know you girls can handle it."

"We'd better; it doesn't look like the Senshi can," Ranma sighed and slid back so Ukyou could serve her. "So what is brewing?"

Jacob wondered what BlackSky's answer would be. He knew why Miss Saotome never stormed into his office and demanded the whole story. She simply did not care. She was concerned with the welfare of her family, not the machinations of mages and magical girls.

"Clearly Serenity's daughter is the key. She's probably what's attracting these groups; I'd bet they want her," BlackSky ventured.

"That cult was trying to kill her to prevent her from taking over the world." Ranma shook her head. "I'm not sure they're ready for real enemies."

"They've survived this long, Ranma." Nodoka reminded. She turned to Ukyou, who had finished serving the okonomiyaki "Thank you, Dear."

BlackSky waited for the others to eat for a bit longer before going with her next question. "You mentioned this Kasumi woman. You said she wasn't willing to become your mate?"

Ranma swallowed. "Well... I haven't even done anything with her. It's too early to even date..."

"You didn't answer my question," BlackSky delicately said. "That's okay. Being turned is a big decision. Especially if you actually have a real choice and not just between demonhood and death."

"Well, it's too early. Right now we're just friends," Ranma repeated.

"Friends that tease each other," Nabiki happily added.

"Oh, a human sexually tempting a succubus? How unique." BlackSky laughed.

Ranma grumbled and returned to her food.

"I'm sorry. It's just so odd. Don't worry; I know you'll find someone," BlackSky assured.

"Uh, okay," Ranma was apprehensive at the smile her grandmother sported.

The conversation lulled as the last bits of food were consumed. The pace had slowed down and most of the food was being eaten for its novelty and flavor.

Jacob got up and went to the kitchen. He the busied himself with the coffee maker and put a teapot on the stove for coca and tea. He briefly wondered what Stillwater would be thinking of this. WIC had some experience with NH diplomacy, but never this informally.

"I do regret that the dessert isn't going to be as good as the main course," Nodoka said. Ukyou, Misako, and Nariko then took that queue to start clearing off the table and resetting the places.

"It seemed that you liked chocolate," Nodoka said returning form the kitchen. "I'm sorry to say that the cake was bought at a bakery."

After getting after-dinner beverages in order, Jacob had returned to his seat. He smirked at the pure pleasure the ancient demon queen had at something as simple as a triple-chocolate cake.

"It's alright. I did just drop in." BlackSky eyed the slice in front of her but waited for the others to be served.

"So how often are you going to come over?" Ranma asked, in-between bites.

BlackSky put another piece of the moist cake in her mouth as she considered her reply. "Not too often I'm afraid."

"Makes sense, you do have that whole empire of yours to run."

BlackSky nodded. "The cake is very good," she reassured Nodoka.

Jacob nodded in agreement. He then sipped his coffee. It was remarkable the kind of calm that could happen under a literal sword of Damocles. He knew BlackSky was bright. She had to know what would happen if she misbehaved. She would most likely survive the initial onslaught, and perhaps all subsequent ones, but her beloved granddaughter would not.

Jacob guessed it was moot anyway. BlackSky would stand aside. It seemed, she would let her clever granddaughter helm things this time. Jacob knew his policy of getting Miss Saotome's trust would have side effects. Trust was a two way street, but he was a Company officer, paranoia came with the job.

"It really has been wonderful," BlackSky said putting her fork down onto her plate.

"It's time for you to leave? Already? But you haven't even told us any stories," Misako whined.

"Oh, there's plenty of those in the book I gave your little sister."

"Maybe Mom can read us some of them," Nabiki suggested.

"Great, another language to learn," Ranma sighed.

"It's part of our heritage," Akane said after she finished her cake.

Ranma shrugged. That language came after DarkStar's time, but all the books her family had been given were written in that demonic Latin. She then got up to follow BlackSky out to the back porch.

Nodoka and Jacob held back and allowed for the succubae to hug. BlackSky hugged her great-granddaughters first. She then embraced Ranma. "I was always proud of you, DarkStar. You always get into such... complicated situations," the demoness hugged Ranma tighter as tears dribbled down her cheeks. "I'm so happy to see that this time you've gotten a better life."

Ranma simply nodded and held onto her grandmother.

After the hug, BlackSky leveled her gaze at Nodoka. "I spent this whole time thinking of advice to give you. All I could come up with was encouraging you to stay the course. You're exactly the mother that DarkStar needs.."

"She's my child," Nodoka said simply.

BlackSky smiled, and picked up her photo album and instant coca. With a final wave back to her family she walked out the front door and into the forest.

Jacob was already talking into his cell phone. He wanted to make sure as much of her departure was recorded as possible. All information on her was valuable, especially any that might lead to predicting her arrival.

"Well, now what?" Akane asked.

"There's a mess of dishes that need washing," Ranma said as she corralled her daughters to the kitchen. "Come on, with six of us, we'll get this place cleaned in no time."  
Jacob finished giving his orders. He and Nodoka were now alone on the back porch. "Yes Major?" he asked cordially.

"It's just amazing how normal of a family they can be, Sir." Nodoka adjusted her lab coat. "Though I suppose people like us aren't too good of a gauge of normality."

"You did a good job with Miss Saotome."

"Thank you, Sir. I know BlackSky encouraged you to come but it was good having you here tonight."

"This job isn't without its perks," Jacob smirked.

End Chapter 14

Author's Notes:

First chapter of the Third Arc of The Return.

Interlude Two will follow this chapter.

I'd like to thank my prereaders for helping me: Trimatter, PyroRaven, Kevin Hammel, J St C Patrick, Wray, Mondu Quiambao, and Jerry Starfire.


	16. Chapter 15 Retrograde and Remade Part 1

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Josh Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.

http://jtemple. website Temple of Ranma's Senshi as always is wanted.

Chapter 15 Retrograde and Remade Part 1

Ranma gingerly bit into her plum. Waves from the great lake rolled onto the concrete of the jetty she stood on. She absently stared out into the water. As the wind freshened, she was thankful that she hair-clipped her tresses back. A pair of bangs and a ponytail were more manageable than a full and spiked mane. The suit-skirt she wore was a bit thin though. A leather jacket would have given a bit more warmth.

She smiled and took another bite. It was for her daughters, of course. She wanted to look responsible for the meeting with the school today. It was not like there would be a problem with her family returning to school. The meeting at Furinkan was nothing, it was for the other school that Ranma wanted to make a good impression, and one that made others think that she was at least fifteen years older than she really was.

Using her free hand she pulled out the brochure to Saint Helena's Elementary School. Ranma smirked. She remembered the principal's surprise. No doubt Mrs. Susan Dietrich thought Miss Ranma Saotome was scandalously young to have a fourteen year old daughter, not to mention being unmarried. The Drake's vouching for her morality was a nice gesture, though Dietrich seemed weary and wary of her colleague.

Ranma had toyed with the idea of passing herself off as Nabiki's older sister and guardian, but dismissed it at the start. Some things would have been easier; there would be no awkward questions about her age, but for Ranma being a mother was more important than public appearances.

The demoness wondered how Dietrich would react to learning just how scandalously young she really was, or that Nabiki Saotome was her youngest. Ranma fingered the brochure. There was nothing new on it. The school was on the opposite end of the next block from Furinkan, and security would be taken care of.

The decision was Nabiki's to make. The tour gave her a taste of what that school would be like. The choice was essentially grade eight or grade nine. At either school she would stand out as bright and developed for her age. One would have her as moved ahead a couple years to be a freshmen the other would place her at the end of elementary school.

Ranma sighed. It was amazing. The last time she had been at this pier... she was still human, and _his_ life was simple. Needing a cure to a curse was nothing compared to raising a brood. At least, she had all her girls back and they were stabilized and happy.

She was never one for introspection. Living in the moment served her well as both a human and a demon. Ranma popped the plum into her mouth and sucked on the pit. She looked down at her nicely tailored clothes. Her body was hers. She had embraced her nature.

Ranma remembered being male, being human. It was a fair body, certainly better than the human girl's body she had had. Even so it was limited. Her nostalgia was short lived. She had tried to live in both worlds, tried to be both a guy and a demon mommy.

She spit out the pit and scowled at the splash it made. She had plenty of regrets, but none about the person she had become. The cost of staying male would have made her a true monster.

The brood mother smiled. Things were looking up. Sure she was in a shadowy war with unknown numbers of persons and creatures trying to kill her, her family, and her friends.

But that meant that she had friends and family. Something worth fighting for. Something she did not have in her previous life. There were still plenty of enemies, which solved any food problems for her brood.

The redhead paused. Her past reminiscing was the only reason that thought stuck out. Ranma then grinned widely. She pulled another plum out of her purse. After taking a bite she looked down at the small leather bag. After swallowing she snorted. It amused her. The mighty Ranma Saotome carried a purse full of snacks, pictures of her daughters, and even a bit of makeup (Misako had rubbed off on her the tiniest bit) and it was all natural to her.

That she was stronger and more skilled than _he_ ever was ameliorated things greatly. What Ranma put into the Art as a human paled before the efforts and accomplishments she made as a "overly affectionate demon mommy." Back then the Art was just for Ranma's use, now it was a family affair. It was integral to the brood's continued survival.

As Ranma bit into her second plum, she felt some kinship with her father. She could understand his emphasis on the art as a family legacy, and the use of joining the schools.

Despite ensuring the next generation was well versed in Anything Goes, updating the style, adding in practitioners of other styles, and even having a Tendo mated to a Saotome, Genma was still unmoved.

Ranma frowned. Her father was the least of her worries. He did not even seem to grasp the situation. Alexia was dead, but there were still enemies. The Assembly had been quiet recently, which meant that they were planning... something. Murdock seemed to have gone to ground and had gotten harder to contact.

Even the Senshi had problems. That cult, pathetic losers that they were, still shocked them. Ranma's eyes flickered at remembering Usagi's horrified and blood-splattered expression.

The brood mother smiled as a slight blush formed. There was a brief instant when she saw... potential in Usagi. Ranma sniffed the air. "So what's the word?" she asked as her fiancee slid up next to her.

"The music box and earrings have passed inspection," Kasumi put an arm around the redhead's waist and drew her a bit closer.

Ranma leaned onto the officer and bit into her plum. She accepted the need to make sure her grandmother's gifts were safe, but it still felt strange. BlackSky was family. "And the books?"

"Those are problematic to proof." Kasumi frowned. "They're being run through a full battery of scans but we're also making our own reference copies."

"Yeah, figured you guys would do that." Ranma pulled out another plum and handed it to Kasumi.

The brunette nodded and bit into the fruit.

"I don't really care." Ranma laughed. "Heck, I'd appreciate the help if you had anyone that actually spoke that crazy language."

"I'll look into it," Kasumi assured. "The major's having an interesting time analyzing that metal." She took another bite.

"Yah, that's the kind of puzzle Mom'll really enjoy," Ranma nodded and leaned her head onto the larger woman.

Kasumi swallowed some plum. "So is Nabiki going to junior high?"

"She's thinking about it. Seeing kids 'her own age' really shocked her though." Ranma remarked.

"Well, it'd be like you dealing with normal sixteen year olds," Kasumi said.

"That's not so bad."

"You spent the day easily pretending you were a mature woman in her thirties."

"Not my fault I look good this way," Ranma pouted. "And what about Sam and Naoko? They're normal."

"They don't think twice about hanging out with the gothic lesbian sluts of the school. I doubt they're very normal."

"Whatever," Ranma shrugged.

"Oh yeah, your kids are done shopping." Kasumi led Ranma away from the railing.

The redhead smiled and kept her head leaning on Kasumi. "Gonna give me any hints?"

"Oh no, I'm letting them keep the surprise."

"Not even if I offer something fun for later?" Ranma saucily offered. She still had that negligee.

"Like you'd hold out on me tonight," Kasumi smirked, as she pulled the succubus closer, who then started to purr.

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An old man leaned back on his seat. He smiled briefly at the cute stewardess and motioned for another drink. The master figured his time for pleasure could be limited. According to that briefing, his two students had become corrupt and lax.

A lesser man would consider what they did a betrayal to the master himself and everything he taught his young charges. The master knew better than his more exuberant... colleagues. Crude punishment and revenge was beneath him. Something more precise and thoughtful was required.

The master had his suspicions. The dossier given to him by that priest seemed complete. The photographs were evidence enough to the corruption of those two youths, but there had to be more.

The old man shrugged. He would find out the truth once he arrived in the city. He wanted to know the truth behind that grey-eyed priest, and why that smiling man had information on his students and the.. girls they associated with. That tidbit of information made his trip even more enticing.

The master was slightly cross; he knew where his students were already, and had a fair guess as to what was going on. The glut of information dropped in his lap was almost insulting, but he knew that earnest priest was trying to help, in his own eccentric way.

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"Are you sure?" Janet hesitantly asked. She and her companion sat in a secluded booth in the back of the club. Both had to dress up a bit to get in, but once inside they could get down to business.

"Not entirely, but only a fool would think that they had planned for everything," Ami sighed.

Janet blushed and played with the straw in her glass. "It's just... what will Usagi think? Especially about the lies and secrets."

Ami took her partner's hand in hers and smiled coldly. "I'm not worried about the Princess. She understands; it's in her nature. It's the others I'm worried about. They may not be so open minded." Her expression then thawed.

"What about Rei? She would understand us, what we're trying to do," Janet protested.

"I don't think so," Ami said with a pitying expression, as she caressed Janet's cheek. "I know her; I know how she'd react to the truth."

Janet looked down and muttered, "I think I have an idea how they'd react too."

Ami's eye lit up. "Of course you would," she then reached out and pulled the auburn haired girl closer. "That's what I like about you. You can actually use your brain."

Instead of protesting the rough treatment, Janet simply blushed and kept her lowered gaze.

"What? You wanted me to be more assertive," Ami teased.

"Everyone wanted you to be less shy and mousy." Janet admitted.

"Well they'll get that." Ami licked her lips. The other Senshi also joked about Ami's lack of romantic luck. Not that any of the others had any success. The princess did, but her prince was gone now.

"And Usagi? What about her?"

"Oh, she's our primary concern," Ami said coyly. "We have to help her, make sure she's strong enough to deal with what's coming."

"And if the others won't accept us? I mean... we're different from them."

"They don't matter." Ami kissed Janet and lingered for a few seconds. "The princess is the only important one. She trusts me, after all I'm the smart one. You know what it was like for her at the start."

Janet nodded and smiled as Ami roughly ran a hand across her body. "She was alone, and desperate for someone to help her, to confide in her." Jealousy played across Janet's features. "You were her first."

Ami squeezed her hand over a tender area, eliciting a pained cry from Janet. "Yes, I was the first of the princess' Senshi, but you will always have a special spot in her heart. I figure everything out and you..."

"I'm like an old and dear friend," Janet said dryly.

"We will be getting more help," Ami said as she looked at her watch.

Janet nodded. She had concerns about getting outside help, but Ami made a good point. Janet herself was a new Senshi, and they were only keeping things secret to protect Usagi.

"Something on your mind?" Ami asked as she idly checked the bun she put her hair up into. It was small but over time it would grow, much like other things. It was nearing the time for the late bloomers to bloom.

"I'm thinking about the new girl. At least her hair color fits," Janet smiled weakly.

The blue-haired girl raised an eyebrow. She wondered if her partner was being sarcastic or just trying to make conversation. "I always did like smart girls," Ami said while pulling Janet in close.

"Well, that's a lie," Janet laughed.

"It just took the right girl to make me realize it," Ami smirked.

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Ranma wandered down the hallway with a spring in her step. Her tail swished happily behind her and she hummed lightly. The demon stopped at the door to her room. She considered turning around and going back.

The demon licked her fangs at the flash of sensations. She understood now. It was one thing to have a hunger, it was another to satisfy it... well mostly satisfy it. She pulled her hand back from the knob; the spirit was more than willing.

The flesh however... that was tired and drained. There were limits to what she could do, and Ranma did feel satiated. In her satisfied haze, she opened the door. The darkened room suddenly illuminated and the occupants gave a shout. A quickly made banner hung on a far wall.

"Congratulations?" Ranma asked with a blink.

"For finally having sex, mom!" Akane handed the startled demon some cookies.

"Well, with someone else," Misako muttered.

"I should have known you girls would know," Ranma wearily said as she slumped onto the bed.

"Mom, you were a bit... loud," Nariko said delicately.

"That's an understatement." Ukyou closed the bedroom door.

"So how much stamina does all that Company training give her?" Misako lewdly asked. "I lost count after the first ninety minutes."

Ukyou shook her head. Sometimes it was hard to connect the bashful and bumbling Assemblyman with the saucy succubus.

"Yeah... she's good," Ranma shrugged. "Was a pain though."

"What?" Akane asked.

"She's a human. Was tempted to drain her. "

"So you used another type of sex right?" Nabiki asked.

"I think so." Ranma shrugged before stretching out her back. "It... wasn't the same. She didn't get as tired and I was still a little bit hungry."

"You do know we've got half a dozen types of intercourse right?"

"Yes Honey, Mommy figured out that sex demons have many ways to screw someone." Ranma took a bite out of the offered cookie.

"That draining one is just that. It's what we do when feeding on a human. Then you probably went to informal mating, which is below practice mating, actual mating, and impregnation sex."

"So no worries about getting pregnant," Akane joked.

"Duh, Kasumi's human. There's no chance." Misako rolled her eyes.

"And even if she was a demon there'd be no chance. Without the mating ritual there's no egg release." Nabiki explained.

"So you decoded some of grandma's diary?" Ranma asked.

"Nope," Nabiki went to the small bookshelf and pulled out one of the recently cleared books. She flipped to a page that showed Silva Succubus in various sexual positions.

Ranma studied the pictures. She had only learned a tiny bit of demonic Latin. Her mother was _gently_ encouraging her to learn as much as possible. "So that's why I let you girls have all that sex."

"It would be mean to have you be a grandma and still a virgin," Misako teased.

"Yah, can't call me that anymore Misa-chan," Ranma reminded.

"So how was it Mom?" Akane asked as she sat down next to her mother. "I always figured big sis for the dominating type."

"She does have half a foot on me," Ranma nodded. "Though once her stamina ran out..." She then licked her fangs.

"What about your horns? How rough was she with those?" Nariko noticed that Mother had her horns and tail out but not her wings.

Ranma pouted. "Timid. She didn't like touching those or my tail. Well, I guess she warmed up to them a bit."

"You mean after the time you made her scream out?" Misako smirked.

"Yeah, she didn't expect me to do that," Ranma's expression mirrored her daughter's, as she waved her tail. "She was real embarrassed after that though."

"So, no more kinky fun?" Misako asked

"Give her time, she's just a human," Ukyou cautioned.

"She was more comfortable with the lesbian stuff." Ranma pondered for a bit. "Akane, Nabiki, were there any rumors about Kasumi experimenting with girls?"

"Uh Mom, I think she was a bit young for that," Akane reminded.

"Maybe she did something during her training," Nabiki proposed as she flipped through the reading primer.

"Yeah! Some fun after lights out in an all girl's barracks!" Misako exclaimed

Ranma blinked. "Young? Wasn't she a freshman or something before she went to WIC?"

"So what made her finally let you storm her gates?" Misako asked.

"We've been getting closer and instead of jumping her in a negligee I took it slowly," Ranma said as she massaged her wrists. She was stronger than Kasumi, but it still hurt to be pinned there.

"So you let your hot body seduce the cold officer? Impressive." Ukyou nodded approvingly.

"And the best part is that it was all recorded," Nariko reminded.

"Let's watch the tape!" Misako then dove for her cell phone.

Ranma paled the slight amount that she could as her shoulders sagged.

"You forgot about the surveillance didn't you," Nabiki smirked.

"It's okay Mom. They've watched me and Akane mate plenty of times," Nariko reassured.

"I guess Kasumi'd be more embarrassed than me."

"Don't bet on it Mom. Kasumi's an agent. She knew full well her entire sex romp would be recorded," Nariko said.

"Wonder what that'll do to her standing in the Company," Misako pondered as she dialed her phone.

"She took on a sex demon at what we do best and just got a bit tired," Nabiki reminded. "Heck, I'd bet she's sitting in her bed sipping coffee and doing paperwork."

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"Morning Pops!" Ranma said giving a salute with her mug after her father entered the kitchen.

"Yeah, yeah," the older martial artist mumbled. That his _daughter_ was using a mug that proclaimed her motherhood was not noticed. She always used that mug.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did me and my fiancee keep you up?" Ranma leaned back in her chair. "That should make you happy. Houses are well on their way to being joined... at least by your definition."

"I should be happy about that - if things were different I'd be pushing you to get married." Genma said as he walked over to the stove. Pouring some hot water into a teacup he paused. "No, that's not right."

"But they're already joined?" Ranma guessed.

Genma snorted as he put a teabag in his cup. "Nope. As things are... Kasumi's the only human left."

"You're still not countin' my kids?" Ranma glared

"It's not what we planned," Genma replied evenly.

"Yah, well things don't always go the way they plan." The redhead then took a sip. Ranma was actually a bit impressed. Her father managed to meet her gaze. Though his calm state did concern her.

"And what about your fiancee?" Genma asked. "She has plans. You think she's ready to become your mate? After a simple role in the hay?"

"What? You just said you'd be pushing us to get married if I was human."

Genma sipped his tea to check it's flavor. "Foolish boy. What do you think Kasumi wants?"

"We're just having fun."

Genma smirked "You sure? First thing you said was that the houses are being joined. That's more than just having some girl for the fun of it." Genma sipped his tea. "No, it sounds like you're thinking like the girly girl that you've become."

Ranma stared. She was not a girly girl per say, but she was proud of being a mother. "I don't need relationship advice from you."

"Oh? It's a relationship, now." Genma shook his head. "Well don't say I didn't warn you."

Ranma thought for a couple seconds. "You're getting better."

Genma smiled thinly. "You know our secret technique, daughter."

"So you retreated and drank until you finally figured out that I'm a succubus mom?" Ranma shook her head. "Took you long enough."

"Stubbornness is a family trait. Something my granddaughters seem to have too." Genma said as he walked out of the room. "Oh, remember what I told you about Kasumi."

"He called them his granddaughters," Ranma smiled warmly. It was a start.

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"Okay, the metal has passed the proofing tests and the plan has met with General Anderson's approval," Jacob explained after entering Major Saotome's lab.

"Good to hear, Sir," Nodoka nodded as she put a clipboard down on her desk.

"Estimate until you have a finished product?" Jacob walked over to the sealed crate containing the metal pieces, and the original box they were given in.

"I'm still performing tests. Processing will have to be done under special conditions. The good news is that we have two and a half kilograms of material to work with."

"Interesting. You'd also have to consider what to make out of it," Jacob nodded. The outlay of new machinery could be expensive, though much of it could likely be fabricated at Willard's armaments section.

"That is the most important factor," Nodoka smiled broadly. "What of my other request, Sir?"

"It's an enticing proposal. There is some risk mind you." Jacob offered. Major Saotome had given only some preliminary specifications.

"Even if they don't join; their use of such devices would benefit us," Nodoka countered and pulled up some designs on her computer.

Jacob's eyes widened slightly at viewing the designs. "I think, that this may be quite helpful in recruiting Miss Saotome's girls."

"My grandkids will have the best I can give them," Nodoka promised.

"Minimal modification on this one," Jacob pointed to the larger of the two gun designs. "Really just making a crew-served weapon into an individual one. Kick will be an issue," he added.

"I've worked out the numbers, but I do need a girl to test it. That design I can have built within a day. Provided I have the stock weapon signed over to me so it can be modified," Nodoka explained.

Jacob nodded. On the face of it that weapon was absurd, but that was with human standards. Succubae were stronger, but more than just raw strength was needed to compensate.

"My other proposed weapon is more elaborate. ," Nodoka explained. "Fortunately I found an existing cartridge that made the design work simpler."

"Point Five-hundred Smith and Wesson? That's only in revolvers. Making a semi-auto version will be challenging," Jacob then read more of the design. "I see, basing off of that Point Four-fifty-four design our friends across the pond use."

"Oh yes, their documentation was most helpful. The Casull is an impressive cartridge, but it's over fifty years old. This S&W magnum has over eight hundred joules more energy than the Casull and tests with revolvers chambered in these rounds revealed a decrease in recoil."

Jacob smiled at the scientist's excitement. "Though building a weapon to handle such a cartridge will be a challenge."

"Semi-automatics that use Fifty Action Express, have been produced for years. Israel Military Industries is one of our vendors, and the pressure and temperature combustion performance of the Five-hundred S&W is well known." Nodoka explained.

He looked at the design. The gun was relatively unassuming. After-all both cartridges were fifty caliber, one was simply longer than the other. He sighed. On paper the weapon looked effective, especially in the right hands, but a good scientist could make anything look good. "I'll talk with Commander Stillwater, but I don't see any issues with this."

"Thank you sir." Nodoka grinned slightly.

"Unlike the HOG, you have more flexibility with frame weight," Jacob noted as he pulled up a chair. "Though that's no excuse. Good, going with a sturdy design. You're going to need that."

"Yes, it has to withstand a lot of shock and abuse. There's also a hell of a lot more moving parts in this design," Nodoka said as she took notes. It was good to get input, especially someone with Jacob's experience.

"Revolvers are endearingly simple weapons. Though reloading them right is an art," Jacob said with a hint of wistfulness. "I assume you've planned to order some revolvers chambered in five-hundred to do your own testing."

"Of course, Sir." Nodoka pulled out some more data-sheets to show. "I am surprised at how well you're taking to these. I'll admit, that these designs are pretty ludicrous."

"We live in a world where fifty caliber semi-automatic handguns are mass produced. Our organization already uses weapons that push the limits of human use. When you remove some of those limits..." Jacob shrugged. Some of what Miss Saotome and her girls could do was enviable.

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"The situation is grim, Oslo," Karol Adams stated to his superior. "The mercenaries are organized. The targets are never without an escort."

Father Oslo sighed and looked out the window of the hotel room the meeting was taking place in. "And while removing a few guards would be trivial, that would be enough to alert them all. "

"Has the Bishop committed enough men for us to fight that?" Wendell Holmes asked. The short man's hands went to the pockets of his coat.

"He feels that a war between human organizations would be counterproductive," Oslo sighed. The troop allotment for this mission had already been expanded twice.

"Awfully restrained of that man," Karol noted. Though this mission was more complicated. It was not something for a pair of half-baked acolytes. Fresh faced youths with more ability to quote nonsense than actual combat proficiency.

"What of the surveillance?" Randy Pinktree asked, wiping his glasses. "If we move forward we won't know what WIC wants with this brood."

"Have we gotten anywhere?" Oslo asked flatly.

"No. Our contacts in the government and police are, of course, in the dark. Even that mercenary we had feeding us information was clueless." Randy shrugged. "It makes sense. They're going to keep the reason for this brood a secret."

"Whatever reason it is, it can't be good."

Karol nodded. Like all higher Assemblymen he knew that the religious trappings were just that. It was a front to cover the real purpose of their organization. In a way they were like those mercenaries. Though WIC used a for-profit corporation to cover a small army for hire.

The Assembly's rhetoric covered something simpler. Demons, abominations, and any traitorous humans that consorted with them were to be eliminated. Karol knew that was the failing of the Path of the Will. Their means were not questionable, only their goals. In the service of saving the world nothing was unacceptable. Of course Karol still used the traditional imagery to lead his troops. That was how things were done.

"So the Bishop decided to just kill the entire brood?" Randy asked.

Oslo nodded.

"This would not be the first time someone tried to breed a force of unholy monsters," Karol stated as he fingered one of his blessed weapons.

"There's already six of them," Randy reminded. "We have a man advantage over them, but just the demons."

Karol kept his face neutral. Each of them had a team of acolytes. Karol could vouch for his dozen men but was not sure about the other squads. They were above the overly eager par that served for the Assembly.

"You're worried? Worried that over forty Assembly Acolytes led by four fully ordained Assemblymen won't hold up against half a dozen demons." Oslo cracked a smile.

Karol stared at his boss. It was vaguely insulting to get this kind of bolster but Oslo was a fan for dramatics. He frowned. "We all agree to the dangers involved, but proceeding incautiously is not wise."

Oslo looked out at the window again. "You're right Karol." His face gave the impression that it warmed. "Our goal is to avenge those two acolytes that we lost, but there is more. We cannot allow these mercenaries to practice this blasphemy."

Karol held his tongue, and simply nodded. The Assembly's pride had been wounded by losing the acolytes but whatever the Company was doing with these demons it could not be good.

"What of other groups?" Randy asked. "Even the small fry are crawling out of the woodwork."

"Let the small fry come," Wendell smirked. "They are nothing more than stumbling buffoons that happen to steal the odd tome."

Leaning back, Karol suppressed another sigh. Wendell was average in how much he talked. He just happened to punctuate his silent periods with rants.

Wendell continued. "Even the 'greater organizations' are accounted for. Those papist whores are a joke, and the Soviet group is a unit without a nation."

It was too much for Karol. "That's not true. After the KGB dissolved they became the Seventh Directorate in the FSB."

Oslo cleared his throat. "That is enough. The plan will be set with minimal interference. Our goal is not to have an open conflict with those mercenaries."

_Yet,_ Karol mentally added. He was doubtful that WIC would let them wipe out this brood without retaliation. Even if they failed there would be reprisals. That was how the Company worked.

He internally shrugged. There was nothing he could do now. Once he spent a few more years toting the company line and mouthing the rituals promotion to an influential position would be in his grasp. Actual information and strategic plans would be within his grasp.

He just had to keep toting the line and mouthing the words. That's what everyone else did. Having this mission under his belt would help too. The Bishop had given special attention to exacting revenge on this group of demons.

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Sailor DarkStar paced in front of her daughters. The demons were assembled in the dojo and were silently watching their mother. Ranma stopped and carefully inspected her brood. They looked fine, and the _scent_ was... it was a good start. "I guess this is good enough."

"We're wearing the uniforms," Nariko said as she fluffed a bow.

"They're just costumes," Nabiki said with a little smirk. Looking cute was influencing and scary was intimidating, but a combination of the two worked even better.

"Mom wants to show up those magical girls," Misako laughed. "We already fight better than them, why not out do their uniforms and powers too?"

"Can't we just fight in normal clothes?" Ukyou asked.

"Oh no, I have to deal with a stupid miniskirt and bikini top. It's time you girls did too."

"We just have the uniforms; we don't have any of the powers." Akane said, then upon reflection added "Yet."

Nabiki, who had been helping mother and grandmother translate some passages in great-grandmother's diary, coughed.

Ranma smiled sinisterly, which, given her species, was remarkably easy. "Oh, I've got a plan around that. After nursing on me you girls have got a good base."

Ukyou raised an eyebrow. "You're not just going to tap into this planet's... well whatever it is that gives you your Senshi powers, and dump it onto us?"

"It sounds safer than the stuff the Assembly did to us," Misako shrugged.

"If this succeeds, it is going to make Setsuna very upset, Mother." Nariko said with a bit too much innocence in her voice.

"Imagine that," Ranma said flatly. Then she concentrated for a moment her eyes blooming with their customary violet light and the various obsidian gems she wore hummed with the discharge of stored energy. "Form around me," the redhead ordered. The broodlings moved into a circular formation with their mother at the center.

As per their instructions the surveillance agents activated secondary recording devices and readied their backup scanners, just in case anything overloaded.

BlackSky's advice only addressed the forced empowering of broodlings by a mother. The details of Pattern Silver energy was not addressed, but that was the type of energy Ranma had been absorbing and processing for months, most of which was sent right to her spawn during their nightly nursing.

Ranma consciously tapped into that flow and did what came naturally to her. Shadows erupted from her body and wavered around the room. They were edged in violet and silver but when they hit one of the other demons their coloration... shifted.

Like their mother the primary color matched their eyes: Nariko red, Misako green, Ukyou orange, Nabiki sky blue, and Akane, being the exception, had dark blue instead of brown.

As the silver edging strengthened the shadows became less mother's and more attached to each broodling. The flow of energy continued and each shuddered as their bodies acted as conduits. From Mother to daughter to ground and back to mother again.

The circuit broke when the illumination from Ranma's eyes guttered out and she slumped down to her knees. The demon groaned and rubbed her forehead. A splitting headache had formed from the root of one horn straight to the other.

"Mommy!" Nariko cried as she knelt down. The rest of the brood followed .

"I'm fine; I'm fine." Ranma said as she clutched her head. "Just have a splitting headache."

"Sounds like you blew a fuse," Misako surmised.

"Very funny," Ranma groaned. "So do you feel any different?" she asked as she pulled herself back up.

"Other than being quite full, nothing much," Ukyou shrugged.

"What did you expect: flashy transformation sequences?" Akane asked before looking at her fingerless gloves. The leather did look a bit nicer. "It's not like Mom does that."

"Yeah, I just shift into my new uniform," Ranma shook her head and inhaled to clear her senses. She then paused to sniff the air.

"No, you've got flames, and purple, black, and red ribbons in there, very scary and cute," Misako corrected. "Remember that first real fight of ours."

Ranma drooped. "I'd hoped you didn't remember that." She then resumed her sensing. "Well, I'm sure the sensors will confirm it-"

"If you haven't fried them all," Nabiki reminded.

"Yes, yes, but I can smell a lot more Pattern Silver in you girls."

"So we're at risk of making lame speeches and having silly trigger phrases like Aurora Demonic Power Makeup?" Misako froze and waited for the inevitable sparkly flash.

"You're already in Senshi form," Ukyou sighed.

Akane continued looking at her hands. It was true that Mother did not have an activation phrase but there was something that she did have... The blue-haired succubus concentrated and felt the words enter her mind. "Solar Eclipse Ignite!" Her shouting was accompanied by her flicking her wrist forward. The motion elongated the shadows of her fingers unnaturally... right towards the shadow of the wall in front of her which then flashed brightly before exploding into irregular splinters.

"Oh... that's neat." Akane smiled at her hand.

"What was that?" Ranma asked. "That wasn't what I thought it was?"

"Moving shadows?" Ukyou asked. "Yeah that was it."

"And immediately just before the wall exploded. Though, she was pointing at the wall too," Misako looked down at her own claws contemplatively.

"That is handy," Ranma nodded. "Not much fire or explosion, but a good start."

"Call in Grandma! I want her to see it," Akane begged.

"She can hear you," Ranma reminded.

"Have my girls found some fun things?" Nodoka asked. She had stepped away from the dojo during the process. They had no idea what energies like that would do to a human.

Ranma nodded with a little smile. She knew training and natural ability would pay off, but not like this.

"See!" Akane then proudly said her attack phrase and flicked out a shadow. It curved and stopped in the middle of the floor, where it exploded weakly, igniting the mat.

"It's okay honey," Ranma said hugging Akane. "You just need more practice. It took me months to get the DarkStar Burst."

Akane nodded and leaned onto her mother.

"I think I've got one," Nabiki focused and a bead of sweat formed on her forehead. She whispered as a handful of very small crystals formed in her cupped hands. The crystals then shot off and embedded themselves into a beam. The holes they made were only noticeable by the trace of frost that formed. A split second after there was a loud creak followed by an intense and compact explosion around the beam.

"Now that has potential," Ranma noted with a raised eyebrow.

Nabiki smiled. Her attack might have a stupid name, but she could whisper it. Mother also proved that an attack with a stupid name could be devastating.

"Yeah, how accurate can you get that? Could it go through a shield or armor?" Ukyou asked.

"I don't know," Nabiki blushed.

"Can you show us again?" Nodoka asked.

Nabiki nodded and then repeated the incantation.

Nodoka watched the impalement and explosion. "It's definitely cryogenic, and then rapidly sublimates and expands, looks highly flammable so it blows up."

"So what is it?" Nabiki asked.

"Well, it is ice. Most of the alkanes have a solid form if you get them cold enough. They also need compression, but it looks like a crystal too. It definitely warrants examination."

"Do you think it's like the napalm we make?"

"Possibly, though it has to be made at a radically different temperature and pressure. It does count as a red four on the NFPA 704." Nodoka noticed the blank looks. "That's a measure of how dangerous a chemical is. It's a diamond with a red, blue, and yellow sections. A four for the red means it will rapidly or completely vaporize at normal atmospheric pressure and temperature, or is readily dispersed in air and will burn readily. Also has a flashpoint below 23°C. Probably has a high reactivity, yellow, value too."

"So it'll ignite at room temperature?" Nabiki paused. "Couldn't it just be oxygen? That's very flammable," the short succubus noted.

"You're a species that can make orbs of complex hydrocarbons at will," Nodoka shrugged. "This is not too unusual."

"It is tiring though," Nabiki pouted

"It takes a lot of energy to compress and freeze." Nodoka paused. "It's kind of like a thermobaric weapon. The sublimation and decompression causes a rapid vaporization which is then ignited. We'll need more tests of course."

"A thermobaric, really?" Misako asked. Her training at the Assembly had been thorough on armaments.

"It's got real potential," Ranma repeated. She made a note to start Nabiki on speed training. All that time to cup her hands and form the ice was a huge liability in the fast pace of succubus combat. Ranma turned to her other daughters.

"I got nothin'," Ukyou shrugged. She frowned; she could feel the excitement in her sisters but that did not translate into her own neat ways of making stuff explode.

"Words just came to my head," Akane explained.

"What about you, Misako?" Nabiki asked. Maybe "Alexia's spawn" had a leg up on it.

Nariko smiled to herself and watched the conversation. She gave her finger a discrete little snap and her eyes twinkled at the little sparks that formed.

"Well, I guess... I don't feel anything new," Misako looked at Ukyou and shrugged. She blinked and warily flared her aura.

"That's not new," Ukyou said eyeing the green flames that danced around her mate's form.

"Yeah, I always was good at this," Misako flexed her aura. She could now feel something new, something hungry. She ran up and pounced at her Mother.

Ranma activated her own aura and dodged her daughter's attack Her eyes narrowed when she felt a sucking sensation at the point where the auras contacted. "Oh, I though you girls said you were full." Ranma smirked. "Well if you want more you just had to ask, dear."

Misako's eyes widened at the burst in power and was shoved down. "Hey!" She sprung back up and found that her aura was still trying to consume her mother's.

"I don't think this is going to work on me, Misa-chan." Ranma noted. "Cute attack though."

"Oh?" Misako pouted.

"We're built to drain mother. That whole ceremony took advantage of that." Nabiki noted.

"What about you Nari-chan?" Ranma asked eyeing her eldest.

"I... I think we'll have to go outside," Nariko coughed.

"It's nice to see one of you girls realized that smashing up the dojo wasn't the best idea," Ranma remarked as the brood walked outside after Nariko.

"I just know the phrase for it," Nariko said as she shook her arms. "I don't know what it'll do." Nariko closed her eyes and shouted "Lighting Devastation!" while pointing with her left hand. An arc of lightning appeared to spring from her hand and slam into a tree at the edge of the woods. The wood splintered and burned nearly to the center and almost knocked the tree over.

"Lightning Devastation? Hmm," Nabiki commented.

"Yeah, it's almost as bad as Icicle Parade," Ukyou smirked.

Nabiki glared cutely.

"It's no worse than Mom's attack phrase," Misako shrugged.

Ranma nodded. "Very nice Nari-chan."

Nariko blushed and dusted off her hands. "Thanks, it's not too controlled. I think I need... maybe more focus."

"It doesn't act like normal lightning," Nodoka commented. "But a conductor could help. We'll perform some tests at base."

Ranma saw Ukyou hanging back near the door to the dojo. Noticing the blonde's face she slipped next to her. "Still not feeling anything?" Ranma asked putting an arm around Ukyou.

"Nope," Ukyou sighed. She looked to see Mother's compassionate and insufferably understanding face. "I'm sorry I didn't get magically get powers like the rest. I'm the dud and I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Ranma blinked.

"It doesn't mater what I'd do, you'll always love me and you won't get mad at me. You can't." Ukyou glared.

Ranma put a hand onto Ukyou's head. "That's not quite true. I'd be mad if you did use your powers."

Ukyou blinked and looked into her mother's violet eyes. "You knew. You knew exactly what we'd get."

"Did I? How observant of you." Ranma laughed.

"So what the heck is my power?"

"One that you can't use here."

"Oh, so what is it? And how did you know all this?" Ukyou asked.

Ranma shrugged. "You can figure that out."

Ukyou glared at her teasing mother. "If anyone knew it would be you. You did give us a huge jolt of Silver energy. So what do you mean I can't use it now?"

Ranma smiled.

"I can't just blow up a tree or a rock? What do I need to use it on someone? So... I'd need a mind to affect. Some kinda psychic power?"

"You know we're not psychic. Though we can affect people, make them uncomfortable."

"Uncomfortable? Like how you made that traitor feel?" Ukyou smirked.

"Something like that." Ranma hugged Ukyou. "You'll have a pain practicing it, but I think you'll like it."

"As long as there's more to it than just that." Ukyou returned the embrace. "Wait... these aren't just normal succubus powers? I mean auras, shadows, making stuff explode, and messing with people's heads."

"I'm sure grandma could do all that stuff. She's no Senshi," Ranma shrugged.

"She's older than dirt."

"So you girls got a shortcut to it. Though I don't think BlackSky's used lightning as an attack since the Silver Millennium." Ranma reminded herself to read more of grandma's diary.

"I'm sure it'll come up during story time... eventually."

"You're going to insist that I read you guys a chapter a night aren't you," Ranma sighed. Her Demonic was nowhere near that good, and Silva's pronunciation guide was a real pain.

"I'll just have Nariko and Nabiki help me bug you." Ukyou smirked.

"Yeah, yeah," Ranma relented. She would have to talk to her mother again.

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"When do you think Sunshine and her gang will be back?" Rod Ferris asked.

Hikaru Gosunkugi sighed at his acquaintance's titter. "It is odd that they're all out sick. Also rumors that Akane's sister has transferred out."

"Oh?" Rod asked sounding apathetic.

Hikaru remained neutral. Rod had a habit of pretending to have a short attention span. It was irritating, but less so than the reaction calling him on it produced. "So, got any other book recommendations?"

"You finished Elegant Universe already?" Rod laughed, though his eyes carried a different sort of amusement. He looked at his handsome reflection in his locker's mirror.

"Oh, so nothing more exotic?" Gosunkugi needled further. The rules were simple. The details of their hobby were not to be discussed at school. After the attack on the school, the cameras were even more prevalent and undoubtedly coupled with microphones.

Rod laughed as he combed his hair. "Well, maybe I have something to give you. I know you like macabre history."

"Oh, well that's good." Gosunkugi felt a weight fall onto his chest. His hobby required him to work with all types of unsavory people. The paranoid lunatics were the easiest. All you had to do with them was agree with their delusions, which was easy for Hikaru.

He knew just about how right such men could be. The militant cultists were best avoided. Dying or killing for the glory of some intergalactic, insane, and disinterested cuttlefish did not sound like a good plan.

The last group was what Hikaru belonged to. The academics, the explorers, the researchers, the archeologists, the linguists, they all read the grimoires, studied the artifacts, and searched ancient temples for the most simple of reasons. They were there.

On the other hand, at least the madmen and cultists were honest, Hikaru found the "hobbyist" type the most suspicious. It was a rare person that actually studied pre-human tomes just to get a handle on earth's real history. The "hobbyists" all had something to hide.

"Despite her absence Sunny has inspired other girls," Rod amiably babbled.

"I suppose so," Gosunkugi tried to shrug. He liked the gothic look, of course Sunshine and her friends wore it in a way that was actually scary. Unlike most other girls that dressed that way to be shocking and have an effect... it was natural for Sunshine. Having deathly pale skin naturally, instead of resorting to white pancake makeup, was a sure sign.

After reflection Hikaru supposed that Rod was talking about more than just the normal gothic poseurs. "Did some other girls change their skin tone?"

"Oh nothing as dramatic as Akane's change, well... there is a hair change." Rod allowed.

"Who dyed their hair?" Gosunkugi asked just to keep the conversation moving.

Rod laughed. "I said there wasn't anything dramatic. It's just that the Mizuno girl's started to grow her hair out, her friend Janet too."

"What's the big deal with that? Isn't it normal for girls to change their hairstyles?"

"That's what everyone assumes," Rod idly remarked.

Hikaru shrugged. "That's girls for you."

"Yeah it is," Rod laughed. "Well I've got some recommendations, perhaps your book club will like them too."

"They normally do," Hikaru admitted. A "hobbyist" had to network and most found small groups that had some degree of association.

"Just be careful. We've recently seen how the wrong book can tear apart a club." Rod inappropriately laughed before walking off.

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"I have some bad news," Setsuna told the assembled Senshi. They were in the apartment that the inners lived in.

"You found another branch of that cult?" Usagi hesitantly asked.

"No, I think that group is done for." Setsuna noticed her princess' reaction and wished she could have phrased it better.

"Then what?" Rei asked. Getting regular briefings from Pluto had made her a bit less mysterious and controlling.

"DarkStar's spawn are now Sailor Senshi," Setsuna rubbed the bridge of her nose with her fingers.

"That's not possible. Right?" Makoto asked. "I mean what planets would they all be?"

"Why exactly is that bad?" Minako asked. She could have sworn there was a tinge of jealousy in Setsuna's voice.

"I'm not a planet," Janet said, from her place on the couch

"And what planet is Usagi's daughter... or Usagi?" Ami asked rhetorically.

"So if Usagi's kid can be a Senshi then Sunshine's can be too?" Rei asked.  
"I can see why you wanted to tell us this," Ami nodded as she activated her computer. It was not bad and not unexpected, but it was useful to know.

"What's the big deal?" Makoto asked. "They were already a team of girls with magical powers."

"They're gonna have to wear uniforms like ours," Minako said as she walked to the kitchen. "Well... probably not; look at how Sunny dresses."

Ami sighed. They were just teenagers; that explained it, but it did not justify it. They were Senshi, warriors, they had to start acting like it. "Yeah, they were already organized and dedicated. How many years did it take us to start working as a team, a competent team?"

"We're not just soldiers. We can't be like WIC and do this all the time." Minako replied after sipping her water.

"Why not?" Janet asked.

"Sunshine and her kids still attend school, and they train every day. Not just in their dojo, they do everything. The company is more than happy to give them grounds and equipment to train on. Look at how close those groups are, and it's not just the officers, the enlisted men are chummy with the brood," Ami said.

"Makes sense that macho soldiers would like aggressive and sexy women," Rei muttered.

Ami nodded. "Exactly. Doesn't it strike you as odd that an organization like WIC has put so much effort in courting demons that only just now became Senshi... instead of the human team? The team that's got more experience at saving the world."

Janet looked around; she knew the answer to that question. Ami had to too. Setsuna probably, but would anyone actually point it out?

"They got more response from the brood. Sunny's mom does work for them," Makoto shrugged.

"And she's sleeping with an agent too," Minako wistfully added. "While we're just sitting in this apartment."

"Oh-kay, ignoring Mina's desire to have a buzz-cut secret agent do her, we still have issues." Setsuna smirked at the blushes her statement caused.

Ami smiled. Later on, Setsuna's perceptiveness might be a problem, but for now it was a breath of fresh air. "Yes, Sunshine is building alliances and accepting help. Do you girls know what Sunny's mom does?"

"Advanced materials, but mostly works in armor," Setsuna recalled.

"How much armor do her girls need?" Ami asked.

Minako paused and switched her glass between hands. "Well our uniforms protect well enough, and if they're Senshi too now..."

"Let's just say I don't think all her effort will be going into demon armor." Ami hung her head.

"What's wrong?" Usagi asked. "We like Ranma and her girls. They're on our side."

"They spend every day honing their edge. They train their bodies, they practice working as a team, and I bet they're getting equipment specially built for them." Ami gave a little laugh. "Oh yes, we've been at this longer, and in a few months they've outclassed us. They're serious."

"Our magical attacks are still stronger," Rei corrected.

"A sharpshooter can knock out a mortar crew," Janet asserted.

"Raw magical powers is only useful if you can hit your enemy." Ami clarified, while holding back her exasperation. Janet could get this, why not the others? "That's another thing. WIC works by finding ways to defeat more powerful opponents."

"The potential synergy is beautiful and terrifying," Janet agreed.

"Now that's just melodramatic," Setsuna sighed.

"I'm glad they're on our side. I really am." Ami shook her head. Things could get really troubling.

Usagi watched the argument silently.

"Then why are you worried about all their training and stuff?" Minako asked.

"They're preparing. They don't want to get caught off guard by some stupid cult with an old magic book and a few guns," Ami glared.

"We still won."

"Only because the princess could still fight even after her powers were blocked." Ami rubbed the bridge of her nose again. "There could easily be more copies of this book, and what if someone competent used the information inside it?"

"Ami's right, we can't rely on being lucky and hope that our enemies no matter how powerful they are, will always be stupid," Setsuna said.

"What do you want us to do?" Minako asked.

"Train." Ami wondered if they were being thick out of inexperience or fear.

"Even more practice would be good," Usagi reluctantly admitted. It had been... hard to practice, especially wearing that uniform. It looked and smelled clean, but she swore she could still feel the blood.

"We should ask to work with the brood," Ami proposed.

"But you just lectured us about how scary and dedicated they are," Minako nearly spilled her glass.

"Exactly, we swallow our pride and learn from them." Ami glared at the reluctant and incepting faces. "What?

"We've been training," Rei corrected. "Ever since that hostage thing."

"I wouldn't call that training," Ami coolly countered. "We just shoot off some attacks and call it done."

"What do you propose?" Setsuna asked. The ragged look about Ami was concerning her.

"We get serious; we train like the Senshi of old. Serenity didn't take over the solar system by having part time warriors."

Setsuna raised an eyebrow.

"You want us to be like Sunny and her brood?" Minako was not sure what to think of that. It seemed like too much work. They were not trained like the brood was.

Usagi frowned.

"Not exactly I hope. They're not exactly good guys," Rei sighed.

"I don't think it's wise to compare the things they've done versus what we've done," Ami sighed.

"I just don't think we should emulate a group that's new to being magical girls, heck they're even new at being demons." Rei's glare softened. It was time for the olive branch. "Yes, let's get better at our powers. We're due for another transformation upgrade anyway. We should train, but we'll do it our way."

Ami refrained form rubbing the bridge of her nose. They were willing to die for their princess. That was as easy as being defeated in battle one single sacrifice, but the effort and constant daily sacrifice that was required now... that was too much for them.

She smiled at the comforting hand Janet put on her leg. Such displays were risky, but Ami would rather have Janet's support. Leaning back, Ami collected herself. She would keep her cool; she could win this argument, intelligence was on her side after all.

"Maybe you've been spending too much time with that book?" Makoto asked, noticing Janet's hand. "You've been up and out late a lot."

"Someone has to figure out what was done to Usagi and how to keep it from happening again."

"When did you become such a hawk?" Minako asked. "You're not this... aggressive."

"I'm not." Ami narrowed here eyes. "I've just been piecing things together. This is not what we're used to. Look at Setsuna; she's got some idea what's going on, and it terrifies her. She just doesn't know how to break it all to us."

Rei turned to Setsuna and for a brief moment caught fear in the older woman's eyes. "What are you holding back?"

Setsuna looked past Rei to Ami. "Nothing. I've told the princess everything."

"Really now?" Rei's voice was highly skeptical.

"Huh?" Usagi asked. "You didn't tell me much."

"I told you everything I found out about that cult," Setsuna corrected.

"Not that, the actual point to all this. What's going on here? And don't just blame Murdock." Rei added.

Ami looked to the phone, and waited for it to ring. She smirked, it probably was stupid to assume Murdock would call, the timing would be too good, too dramatic, too... narrative, even for him.

"We should train more," Usagi allowed.

"And concentrate in what will give us the most improvement. We've got more magical power than the demons. I mean they're new. We can use that, right?" Minako asked.

"That is true. They don't have much in the way of Senshi powers," Setsuna reluctantly admitted.

"So we concentrate on our magic. We'll build up our advantage," Minako offered.

Ami forced herself to not groan. "No, that's a horrible idea. Don't even try to compare us to them. And we've got enough heavy attacks. We need to learn how to use what we've already got."

"I think increasing the tempo of our training is good, and some of Ami's ideas should be used," Setsuna said while giving Ami a supportive look.

"That makes sense," Usagi allowed, once she saw some approving nods.

Ami's brow furrowed. This was not even a bad decision; it was indecision wrapped up in a consensus. "No! That's not enough. Don't you realize we're running out of time? You think if we screw up this time the world'll reset or we'll get resurrected?"

"Please calm down," Janet said putting her left on Ami's shoulder. She found she had to actually keep her blue-haired partner from rising.

"Ami... please," Usagi tried to sooth.

"I'm sorry princess, but I'm afraid we're going to fail you... again" Ami stopped trying to stand up and closed her eyes. "I can't let that happen."

"We're all dedicated to the Princess, Ami." Minako reminded.

"Dedication is not enough," Ami said flatly.

Janet felt a chill creep up her left arm. She had to act now. "Weren't you going to help me with my homework?" she asked, knowing full well that it was an obvious excuse. She hoped that someone else would figure that out too.

After a moment, Rei spoke up. "Yeah, I said I would be calling my grandfather," she said with a knowing smile.

"Yeah, I'll help you," Ami's voice was stiff as she stood up and left the room under Janet's escort.

Makoto waited until half a minute after the door had closed. "I think that book is getting to her."

"That's not all," Rei dryly remarked.

"Don't say that, Janet's been really helpful, and it's good that Ami has a friend she can relate too."

"Yeah, like peas in a pod," Minako chuckled. "Always going out looking for guys."

Setsuna blinked. Sometimes it was very hard to get a read on Minako. The blonde was either incredibly clueless or being dryly humorous.

"I'm worried about her," Makoto confessed as she stood up.

"Her getting aggressive?" Minako shrugged. Ami being more assertive seemed to be a good thing. She was being more social and independent. Ami's romantic history was almost as bad as Makoto's and she deserved someone who could make her happy.

Makoto looked out the apartment window. She scanned the vehicles in the parking lots below. Even counting only trucks and vans there were still dozens. "She's not being aggressive. No, she's being... cold, logical. Overreacting yes, but in her own way."

"Exuberantly pragmatic?" Setsuna offered.

"I'm going to talk with Ranma. At least we can get closer to those allies," Usagi rubbed her forehead and turned to Rei. "Have you been getting any visions or dreams?"

"Nothing... nothing substantial," Rei coughed.

Usagi nodded, then turned to Setsuna. "Find a shrine. Work out the details with Rei. And I want you to check Ami's findings with your own on that group. I'll ask Ranma what the Company found out about them too." Usagi raised an eyebrow at the startled Senshi. "What? I've been thinking about this for a while."

"Yeah, no problem," Setsuna promised.

"Good." Usagi then started thinking on the best way to approach Ranma.

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"There you are," Ranma said as she slid up next to her fiancee in the corridors of the Company base.

"Yes," Kasumi stiffened as Ranma put her hand onto her butt. She reflexively moved the demon's hand to her hip. "How are things going with the Major?"

"I told you about our trip to the range this morning right?" Ranma asked as they walked.

Kasumi nodded. It was hard to forget post coitus that involved firearms. "I really hate that I had to miss that."

"Oh it was something else," Ranma's eyes twinkled. "It was just one design, and there were a few flaws. It's still got funny balance, especially after you fire it."

"So she's tinkering with the design?"

"Kinda. Misako and Ukyou are in the lab with one of her assistants, Agent Ayanami. She's a nice girl."

"So what's the Major up to?" Kasumi asked as they made their way to the commissary.

Ranma turned and smiled. "She figured out what to do with Grandma's gift."

"Oh dear," Kasumi let the redhead's hand move back down to her ass as they entered the commissary's queue. The looks from the other agents and officers was still novel.

"It'll take a while to make. Mom doesn't have the machinery here," Ranma said as she looked over the various soups and stews.

"The Company does have machine shops that can make armaments," Kasumi noted while taking a turkey and rye sandwich.

"Well right now, Mom's working with someone in Michigan or Maine, maybe Manitoba. Someplace starting with an M, but..."

"Slivers and dust from machining it can be very dangerous." Kasumi laughed. "So it's a chance for Major Saotome to expand her lab."

Ranma nodded. "Today's weapon was simple enough for the Major to build herself?" Kasumi asked as they walked to a table where Kasumi's team was already eating.

"It was just a modification," Ranma shrugged and sat down. She then looked at the four other agents. "You were there Steven, what did you think?"

"It's big," Agent Deschain said controlling his voice. His eyes darted to the lieutenant and then to the demon sitting next to her. "If controlled, it could be very effective."

Ranma nodded. Aram's... replacement seemed to be fitting in well, if a bit standoffish. He was good with demolitions, though. "Don't worry, Misako took a shine to it."

"Ma'am, Red, I must say you two make a good couple," Deschain smiled.

Kasumi coughed. Less from the comment, than Ranma moving her hand back to her butt.

"There aren't many secrets in a place like this," Sophie ironically said.

Ranma smirked. Before she could start her meal, the cell-phone in her coat pocket began to ring. She answered and asked who was calling.

"Oh hi, Usagi. How are you holding up?" Ranma said into her phone.

"How did Usagi get that number?" Sophie asked.

Ranma covered the microphone "I gave it to her a few days after the toy store thing."

Sophie nodded.

"So what're yah calling about?" Ranma asked Usagi.

"Well... I... it's kind of embarrassing," Usagi's voice was hesitant.

"Oh?" Ranma's interest raised.

"Are you free tomorrow?"

"Well, sure." Ranma blushed slightly as she was struck with the image of Kasumi and Usagi. Both were nude and blood-soaked.

"Uh Ranma? Hello?"

"What? I said I could go." Ranma tried to push the vision down.

"I was asking you if tomorrow at the mall would be good," Usagi repeated.

"Sure, I'm free on Sunday, around one?"

"Okay, see you at that leather shop you like." Usagi teased.

"What do you want to talk about?"

Usagi paused. "I think we should start working together. We're both leaders of Senshi."

"That's true. So Setsuna filled you in on my little project?"

"Five new Senshi was going to attract attention, Sunny. Well bye bye."

"Yeah, bye." Ranma then hung up. She shook her head at the phone.

"Meeting with Usagi?" Kasumi asked.

"Yup, mall tomorrow." Ranma shook her head and started eating her soup. "I guess."

"Should be fun. A pair of teenage girls enjoying the mall."

Ranma glared. "You're going to pay for that."

"Oh my, I got a succubus angry at me." Kasumi laughed.

Gabriel concentrated on his lunch. The lieutenant flirting was surreal enough, but her teasing a sex demon was just over the top. Though it was cute how Red blushed from all the attention.

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The predator crept along the forest. She was at home among the underbrush and branches. It seemed as if the dusk-borne shadows were deliberately aiding her concealment. The chatter being broadcast into her headset was mercifully brief. They knew she had locked onto the scent. They would only tell her new information. They understood. They understood the hunt.

A thin smile formed as she got close enough to make out the figure of the intruder. Her quarry was being cautious but it was not fair. She knew of only one group of humans that could even hope to out-track a succubus, and they were _her_ allies.

Someone was foolish enough to intrude on her home. She had planned a quiet night, but this was an interesting change of pace. Normally she would be more direct but this time caution seemed more prudent.

The demon's movement slowed when she noticed the human look towards her. She was downwind enough to capture the scent, and that gave her pause. _Well, their scanners were right, she's a Senshi too. _Ranma gave a mental laugh. It figured. There were plenty of new Senshi, herself and her kids included.

As she crept closer she got a clearer look at the intruder. The scent was proof enough, but it was satisfying to see the same hairstyle. The pleated skirt, bows, and those particular swords were new however.

She paused and watched as the Amazon made her way forward. Her skills were fair enough. She could creep well, but several things were working against her.

The first was that the pattern Silver output had tripped the scanners before she got remotely close to the house. The second was a seemingly gross underestimation of her intended target.

Ranma slid back a few paces to keep the same distance between them. Shampoo knew she was a demon. That fit in well with her mission. Killing a demon was even better than killing a mere outsider woman.

The redhead entertained the idea of ending things here and now. If Shampoo was smart she would know she was being tracked and have something planned. In all their previous meetings Shampoo had been alone, though that did not mean that Shampoo had to be alone this time.

Ranma quietly summoned a small DarkStar burst. Holding the orb she considered her options. It would be easy, but she still had questions. Her eyes scanned the uniform Shampoo wore.

The outfit was standard human Senshi. There were the long gloves, silly collar, tiara, and knee-high boots. Her eyes went back to the boots. In place of a planetary symbol there was a pattern of dots. She had only seen one other Senshi with boots marked like that.

Ranma made her decision and darkened the orb until it was almost dead. She then released it so that it went perpendicular to the line between Shampoo and herself for a dozen yards before crashing into a stump

"I know you're out there, demon!" Shampoo shouted in passable Japanese and roughly the stump's direction as she unsheathed a pair of swords that began to brightly glow.

Ranma suppressed a groan. She made a natural Senshi. The brood mother let a bit more of her power leak out. This would be over quick. The next part was still a challenge for her. She waited.

Shampoo brandished her weapons and strode forward. She had not planned to strike tonight, but would not let some demon intimidate her. This time the advantage would hers.

The succubus slid back and considered things. That she was a Senshi complicated things, and the type of Senshi complicated them even more.

Shampoo could sense the dark presence. She could also feel it retreat with every step forward she took. "Stop hiding from me! The darkness will not save you!"

Ranma let herself chuckle. The irony was too much.

Shampoo hesitated as malevolent laughter grew all around her. Her swords tried to banish the darkness, but it still felt oppressive, like an inky oozing weight.

"How about a deal?" Ranma asked in a bored tone. "You tell me how you got these neat powers, and I'll turn you over to some nice men that probably won't dissect you."

"Your threats don't scare me!" Shampoo stepped forward again.

Ranma laughed. That was ludicrous. People like her did not need to threaten.

"Laugh all you want. You're the one being pushed back." Shampoo paused her swords seemed to be just a bit dimmer.

Ranma kept her silence. Shampoo was a talker, and a bit better at her Japanese than the last time they met.

Shampoo hesitated as she recalled what she had been told earlier. The demon-girl was not alone. "You won't trick me, demon! I know your plan."

"Oh?" Ranma dryly asked. She sighed and strode forward.

Shampoo watched a figure wreathed in shadows suddenly appear to her left. She slid into position and held her flickering swords up.

"Interesting design," Ranma remarked. The familiarity was more interesting than the workmanship.

Shampoo watched as the dread demon diverged from the darkness. "You're..."

"As much a Senshi as you are," Sailor DarkStar smiled brightly.

Shampoo glared, but held her ground.

Ranma nodded. "That's good. Fights aren't for mindless banter, and you don't want to give me any extra advantage," she explained as she paid special attention to the pattern on the top of Shampoo's boots. It had to be a constellation, and she could find out which one later.

"Why aren't you attacking?" Shampoo asked as she kept her swords up.

Ranma shook her head. It was a wonder that the Amazons had lasted as long as they did. On the other hand, that the girl did not simply charge in with her shiny swords, did point favorably to her self preservation.

Shampoo concentrated and her swords stopped flickering. The meager light they cast did little to push back the darkness but it was a start.

Ranma tilted her head and walked around the Amazon. A plan formed and was executed. "You really should calm down, Dear," Ranma purred

Shampoo automatically flicked her swords down at the succubus that seemed to appear at her side. She gasped in surprise and then horror as the demon invaded her personal space. The overpowering... presence caused her grip to loosen for a split second, but it was enough.

Ranma flicked the weapons out of the loose hands. She could feel her shadows enveloping the nervous girl. "I know your kind, you're not afraid to die." She laughed and licked her fangs. "But that's not nearly the worst thing I could do to you."

Shampoo stiffened in shock, until the demon wrapped herself around the Amazon. The contact should have been repulsive, it should have been unnatural, especially what the monster was doing with her tail. As Shampoo looked into those hungry violet eyes, her will wilted. With a sudden source of strength she freed a hand and swung it up and at the demon's head.

Shampoo felt the grip on her give way and leapt out of the demon's clutches. Immediately after she landed she turned and started to run. Thanking her magically enhanced abilities she put as much distance between herself and the demon. She was stupid; she did not intend to make... contact with the demon.

"You want us to pick her up, Red?" an agent asked via Ranma's headset.

"No, we're going see where she leads us," Ranma replied as she started the chase.

"Nice work on the seduction scheme," the agent complimented.

"It was nothing. I just gave her an escape route and she took it," Ranma then put her full attention to following her prey. At first it was not a hard trail to follow, Shampoo was going for speed not concealment. Her path was in the direction of the city.

Ranma paused when the pattern silver signature suddenly vanished. She smirked as her own clothing shifted into a purple Lycra unitard that did not look out of place on a young woman out for a run.

Shampoo was smart enough to realize that her Senshi powers made her trivial to track. Ranma sighed, the scent had gotten a bit colder, especially since she was now relying on her nose instead of a magical signature.

"Did you lose her?" the agent asked via headset, once Ranma had stopped at a street corner.

"Not really, but I think it's better to warn someone now." Ranma then cursed to herself. She had gotten cocky. Shampoo should have been captured right in the woods. Though that might have warned whoever had recruited her.

"It's because she's a constellation Senshi?"

"Yup, I'm going to need a pickup, and any photos of her."

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Ami looked up from her notes. "Are you doing okay?"

"Yes," Rei said with a slight shake of the head.

"I'm just not sure it would work well. This isn't your fire," Ami looked back down to the translations.

Rei smiled. "I know, that's why it took a while for it to accept me."

"I see," Ami looked back to the door. "You think anything will come from that informant of Setsuna's? She ran out of here right after getting that phone call. Really shocked the priest she smooth talked into letting you do this."

"Nope." Rei was torn between telling Ami to be quiet and letting her talk. This was the most civil and calm that Ami had been in a while. Rei supposed her trying to get a vision helped. Ami was no longer alone, no longer the only _serious_ Senshi.

"Yeah, it sounded like some cultist fan boy, but if he has information..." Ami shrugged.

"You're really worried about this aren't you?" Rei pushed the wood around a bit on the fire.

Ami looked down and organized her papers. "I'm afraid."

"We've faced worse before." Rei blinked. She thought she felt something... a flicker of shadow that did not belong.

"No, we haven't."

Rei stopped. "How... how can you be sure?" she asked deliberately.

"It's just a feeling," Ami rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I can see why Setsuna's so frayed. The deeper I go into this-" she waved at the papers and books she had brought with her. "The more I realize that we're not good enough."

Rei kept her eyes on the fire. "You don't think that WIC and those demons-"

Ami's grim laughter cut deeply into Rei. "No, the princess will prevail, but she can't carry us. We can't fail her again," Ami said this with no fire or bolster. She was now stating fact.

"We won't," Rei assured. Her voice grew distant as the flames started to change.

Ami held her reply, and smiled slightly. Rei's visions were something Ami could not predict. They might greatly assist her plans or be a hindrance. This way she would be the first to hear what Rei had seen. She would also be the first Rei would talk to about the vision.

Keeping an eye on Rei, Ami organized her papers and put them back into her bag. She then quietly waited. In the scheme of things a few minutes was not much of a wait. Especially given what might be at stake.

Rei's hands went to her shoulders and she started shivering. Before she could fall forward Ami ran in and pulled her back. "Rei, what happened?" Ami asked after making sure she was breathing and absent of visible injuries.

The maiden's eyes opened and locked onto the dark shape that loomed over her. "Get back!" Rei cried and watched as the shadow retreated and the air chilled. She then blinked and realized who was over her.

"Bad vision, then" Ami said in that strange, matter of fact, voice.

"She was cold, very cold." Rei mumbled.

"Who?" Ami gingerly asked, kneeling closer to her.

Rei breathed a few times as she tried to get her bearings. She remembered the blackness, a piercing chill that seemed to cut through anything. "I've seen our enemy."

Ami motioned for Rei to continue.

"There were shadows, but they didn't move, frozen. All I could see was a throne, it was crystal. The princess- Usagi- she was on it," Rei shivered at the irises on the blonde. "Her eyes were wrong. All wrong. No color, no color anywhere. But then the throne... I don't know. It moved over her... and she smiled."

"Over her?" Ami tilted her head. She had to remember everything. Quick thinking was critical for this to work.

"It formed-" Rei looked into Ami's somehow expectant eyes. After a hesitation she decided to tell Ami, she deserved it. "- hands. I think. Then the Mistress showed up."

"Mistress?" Ami asked savoring the sound of the title.

"It was terrible. She wasn't human. All cold... She wants Usagi. That's what we have to deal with. She's the one after Usagi" Rei shivered again.

Ami grabbed Rei's shoulders "What did she look like?"

"I..."

"Tell me! It's important."

Rei felt another chill and looked into Ami's worried eyes. "She was tall... I think. She was shapely, but it was the beauty of a statue. She wasn't nude, but it wasn't clothing. It was a parody of decency." Rei shuddered. "Prongs and bits poked and shaped and exposed everything. Her eyes... I don't know. She wasn't human. I don't know, it was all washed out. No color."

Ami withdrew her hands and sat down next to Rei. "I'm sorry. I was afraid. The book..." She shook her head, things did not match up exactly, but visions were not literal things.

Rei's eyes widened. "There's someone in that book? Like what I said?

Ami shrugged. "There's a whole section full of sorcerers and necromancers. The... mistress you described, she sounds familiar. Is there anything else?"

"That sounds like someone in the book? That's great." Rei brightened. At least something came from this. "Well, her hair... it was up. There was also a crown or a tiara. Not like ours. It was silver, I think. There were no gems on it, though. None."

"Really?" Ami bit her lip. "That's not right at all."

"So it's not the dark sorceress you were thinking of?" Rei's shoulders sagged.

"Not necessarily."

"Yeah, no reason she couldn't have changed her crown in the meantime. So who do you think it is?"

"Maybe," Ami said as she pulled out some copies form the book.

"I uh... can't read this." Rei said looking at the foreign symbols.

"It's a list of contemporaries of Serenity."

"Mages from the Silver Millennium," Rei said looking at Ami instead of the paper.

"Earlier than that. One of them sounds kind of like your Mistress," Ami cracked an embarrassed smile. "It was the armor. Some of these people had some very odd stuff."

"So who is she?"

"There isn't much other than a description of herself and how she dressed, but she did help Serenity, or at least they worked together. She was big on enchanting artifacts. Her personality could also match what you mentioned; apparently she was a very dour woman."

"What happened to her?"

Ami shrugged. "She and some other explorers from around the same time as that DarkStar stuff, give or take a decade, went out on a trip beyond the solar system. Contact was lost. Nothing was found."

Rei looked at the passage that Ami pointed at. The text was gibberish to her so Rei simply nodded. "What was her name?"

Ami paused and ran her finger over the text. A wicked little smile formed. "You're right. Her name and title roughly translate as Mistress Lyra."

Rei shivered. "Do you know what this means?"

"What?"

"We finally have a name. We know who's controlling Murdock, who's pulling all the strings. Everything. And we owe you," Rei smiled.

"You had the vision," Ami reminded.

"But your research told us who it was. This is all your doing."

Ami blushed. "So what makes you think Lyra is doing this?"

"It makes sense. You have this powerful mage that goes out, and who knows what happens to her. Maybe she's corrupted or possessed or maybe just drifting for thousands of years left her bitter. But she comes back, and who knows what she knows."

"So she then works from the shadows... why bring us to Canada?"

"Why was Beryl's base on Antarctica?" Rei shrugged. "We don't know the details, but we know what she wants."

Ami smiled. "Usagi."

"We need to call the others. The have to know this." Rei's enthusiasm damped the few qualms and questions that remained.

"Yes, they'll be thrilled that you figured out who's behind all this." Ami remarked. Things were definitely looking up.

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Usagi sighed into her textbook. Ami was right; she felt like she was wasting her time. At least Rei was doing something productive. Setsuna had found a temple that might do the trick for her.

The blonde's worrying was interrupted by a knocking at the window. She stared at the image of an inverted succubus. Usagi concentrated on the mass of crimson hair that fell down from her pale face. It took effort to keep her gaze from rising to see the redhead's chest, and how it was pressed against the glass.

"You gonna let me in?" Ranma asked from the other side of the window.

"But... how?"

Ranma sighed and spread her wings a bit.

"Oh, of course," Usagi blushed. Given the visual distraction, the walk to the window was made with great difficulty.

"Thanks," Ranma said after the window was opened and she flipped into the room. She then raised an eyebrow at Usagi and where she was looking. "Yeah... they're called boobs."

"I'm sorry," Usagi blushed. "I'm just not used... to. I mean it's not every

night a succubus visits me in the night."

Ranma laughed.

"So what's wrong?" Usagi asked. Luna had just wandered out of the apartment with Artemis. She had guessed the little snoopers were going to spy on their neighbors.

"That's prompt."

"Well, we're meeting tomorrow, so it's something that can't wait until then, and you're not calling so it's a big secret. There's also the climbing into my window." Usagi explained.

"Very good," Ranma's face then darkened. "It's about Janet. Something's wrong with her," Ranma said as she handed some photographs to Usagi.

"But, this is some other girl. She's a Senshi too?" the blonde asked while inspecting the print-outs.

"Sailor Virgo." Ranma pointed to the constellation pattern on Shampoo's boots. The agents had been quite helpful on that.

"What does this have to do with Janet?"

"She's not here is she?"

"No... It's just me and Minako and Makoto. Rei's with Setsuna and Ami at a temple trying to do a fire reading."

Ranma thought for a second. "Maybe we should talk in the living room. Those two might be a help."

The two exited Usagi's room to hearty applause. Usagi glared at the clapping Minako and the sniggering Makoto.

"We didn't do anything!" Usagi cried.

"Oh? Why else does a succubus visit a nubile princess?" Makoto teased.

Ranma shrugged. She already had a girl, but it was amusing to watch Usagi blush. Minako's appraising looks were also interesting. "No, we didn't do anything," Ranma allowed a hint of disappointment to enter her voice.

"So you didn't come over for some fun?" Minako sighed.

"I'm worried about one of your friends." Ranma motioned for Usagi to pass the photos around.

"So? It's another constellation Senshi," Makoto shrugged.

"Yeah, looks like Janet got another friend." Minako did notice the new Senshi's assets.

"I find it pretty odd that a girl that was trying to kill me suddenly turns up as a new Senshi, complete with magic swords." Ranma remembered the agents grousing at the swords vanishing at about the same time Shampoo detransformed.

"What are you saying?" Usagi asked.

"Sailor Virgo is someone from my past, but I've got no idea who Sailor Orion was. Do any of you know her?"

"Of course. She's Janet." Minako said.

"No... I mean did any of you know her as someone else? Or maybe get an odd feeling from her?"

"I'm pretty sure she and Ami are more than just friends," Makoto allowed. "But no. Janet's a nice girl."

"So you just accepted her because she's wearing the right uniform?"

"We accept you," Usagi reminded.

"Okay, fair enough." Ranma shrugged.

"Besides, half the time we fight a new enemy we get some more Senshi," Minako sighed. At least Usagi got Senshi allies within the first few weeks of her fight. Minako had to wait for months before she met another magical girl.

"So there's nothing wrong with Janet? Perfectly normal?"

"Yes, if anything she's been a calming influence," Usagi said. That part was familiar. Janet was not the first friend of hers who was like that.

"She's been great at keeping Ami from stressing out," Minako added, though a part of her wondered how often Ami would yell and throw fits before Janet came around.

"So you rushed over here because you were being spied on by a Senshi of the same type as Janet?" Makoto's tone was dry.

"You at least should know about Virgo, but I just wonder about Janet." Ranma slumped down in a chair in the living room. "Not a bad place you got here."

"So are all demons this paranoid?" Minako joked.

"Just the living ones." Ranma smiled toothily.

"It's not just demons that are paranoid," Usagi quietly said.

"Yeah, Ami and Setsuna are pretty out there too." Makoto's voice sounded worried, at least to Ranma.

"And Ami trusts Janet. So Janet has to be okay."

"Ami also thought we weren't worthy of being Senshi." Minako reminded as she got a glass of water. "Heck, she wanted us to train under you." The blonde pointed at Ranma.

The demon thought for a second. "She's right. You girls do need some real training."

"Not you too," Minako sighed.

"Yeah, you girls have been sitting in here watching TV. Guess what my girls have been doing this whole time?" Ranma asked

"Having sex?" Minako ventured.

"Waiting on a rooftop, ready to attack?" Makoto guessed.

"Not bad," Ranma admitted.

"Training in your dojo," Usagi said.

Ranma brightened and nodded. "In between working on their reading, too."

"Reading?"

"Training isn't all practicing to fight." Ranma paused. "Maybe I should just wait for the other girls to come back."

Makoto nodded. "Makes sense, ask Ami about Janet. She would know more about her. Those two are very close.

"So why are you so worried about Janet?" Usagi carefully asked.

"Well. Virgo's from my past. I know her. Now she's not exactly a friend, but still. I knew her before all this Senshi mess." Ranma shrugged. "I was wondering if the same was for your Janet. It's not like Janet was from the Silver Millennium."

"Neither were you," Minako stated. She then froze at Ranma's glare. "Right. DarkStar and all that."

"So you think that... what.. Janet's from our past too?" Makoto was confused.

"Maybe. Seems odd that Shampoo just stumbled into those powers. How much do you know about how Janet got hers?"

"She had a dream and woke up with her transformation item," Minako said.

Ranma shrugged. She sniffed the air and smiled a bit. Someone then knocked at the door. Minako ambled over, checked the peephole, and then happily opened the door.

"Great news," Rei beamed as she and Ami entered the apartment.

"It's not that big," Ami cautioned. Everyone but Janet and Setsuna were there, which made sense. Setsuna was still running down that lead, and Janet had her own task for tonight. She then noticed DarkStar and gave a slight nod.

Rei blinked in surprise at the succubus. It was unsettling to see her lounging in their living room. At least she was not too close to the princess.

"You got a vision?" Usagi asked as Rei sat down with an assured smile.

"Yup, we figured out what WIC and the demons couldn't."

"Really?" Ranma asked, giving a measured look to Ami. "So what did you find? The big bad guy that's pulling all the strings?" The redhead noticed Rei's souring expression. "Sorry, I'm actually sincere. I want to know what's going on just as much as you guys."

Rei eased back from her glare. "Well, it was all Ami. Her research made it so we could decode the vision."

Ami looked down and blushed.

"What did you see? Who's behind it?" Minako asked.

"Mistress Lyra," Rei said.

Usagi stayed silent. That name meant nothing to her, but it was comforting to give the enemy a name. It was more tangible.

"Never heard of her," Minako said.

Ranma paused and looked down. The name was a bit familiar.

"Have you heard of her?" Rei asked the demon. "She's from about your time."

"Maybe. I think she worked with the Wraith Raiders. Dunno what exactly."

"Wraith Raiders?" Minako asked.

"Nickname for Royal Reconnaissance Commandos. When Queen Serenity needed someplace invaded they went in first. Disabled protection wards, took out command posts, set up teleport portals, everything to make way for the main force. They were called wraith because of their uniforms," Ami explained.

"They were invisible?" Minako asked.

"No." Ranma sighed slightly. "They just had good camouflage. They didn't have shinny metal armor or big bright bows. They blended in." Ranma was slightly impressed with Ami. "So you've been reading up on what the Serenity from my time was like?"

"A bit."

"So Mistress Lyra was involved in Serenity's military too?" Rei asked.

"It makes sense," Ami allowed. "She enchanted stuff. Weapons count. I'll have do to more research to see exactly what she did."

Usagi was silent. She knew her mother had to have had an army, the Senshi could not do everything, but it still sounded odd.

"So why do you think this egghead magical enchantress is behind everything?" Ranma asked.

"I saw her. She had Usagi on a throne... and she..." Rei shuddered. "She wants to control you Usagi."

Ami nodded.

"Why?" Usagi asked. Once again some woman had come into her life and was hurting people, to get to her.

"Well there were Beryl and Nehellenia. Maybe Lrya had a falling out with Queen Serenity. There's also the Black Moon family going after you," Minako proposed.

"Maybe that's why Lyra left the solar system." Rei nodded. "That explains it. Mistress Lyra was last seen on an expedition out of the solar system."

"Is this normal for you guys?" Ranma asked. "Single madwoman villain from the past out for revenge."

"Nah, most are dark gods out to destroy or enslave earth," Minako explained ever so nonchalantly.

"Mistress Lyra was probably corrupted by something out in deep space, and is now finally back for her revenge." Rei said.

"You're reaching on all this. You think some woman from only a vision is behind everything? Mamoru's death, my activation, Murdock, those cult guys. Everything?" Ranma skeptically asked.

"Everything," Rei nodded.

"Is she behind the constellation Senshi too?" Ranma somewhat sarcastically inquired, carefully watching Rei and Ami's faces.

"What? Activate Janet's powers? I guess, but why?" Rei leaned forward. It was annoying how the redhead avoided looking at Rei while they talked. "Why are you here anyway?"

"I've got some information too. Something a bit more... tangible" Ranma slid the photos of Sailor Virgo over.

"There's more than one constellation Senshi." Usagi sighed.

"So there's another constellation Senshi. Isn't that a good thing?" Rei asked.

"Ranma knew this Senshi before she got her powers," Minako said.

"I think she was given her powers to get revenge on me, and that got me thinking about the other constellation Senshi." Ranma reclined into her chair and watched Rei's and Ami's reaction.

Usagi walked over to Ami. "Do you know where Janet is?"

"Pardon?" Ami asked.

"We know you're close to her. It's okay," Usagi said reassuringly.

Ami coughed nervously. She did not want to betray Janet, but she had no choice. "Janet just said she was out with an old friend."

"At around the same time Virgo is scouting around my house." Ranma noticed Ami's poised demeanor crack or at least appear to.

"It can't be that. She would have told me. I'd know if she was with other Senshi." Ami's shoulders sagged.

"Look, we don't know anything for sure. Janet's probably not related to this Virgo person," Makoto said.

Ranma's observing was interrupted by her phone vibrating. She opened it and listened.

"It's all just a big coincidence then?" Rei sarcastically asked. "I wouldn't be surprised if Virgo is another agent of Mistress Lyra. Right Ami?"

"There is a constellation Lyra, but there's also a constellation for everything else." Ami sighed. "I'll have to do more research on her."

Ranma quietly spoke into her phone. "Glad to know. Just keep watching for now." She hung up and looked at the Senshi. "Janet just came in. Unfortunately, she was alone, no purple-haired friend with her."

Ami nodded. She expected no less from DarkStar.

"You've got people spying on the building?" Usagi asked.

"There was a chance Virgo could show up here." Ranma played with the recline feature in the chair she was sitting in. "You guys and Janet do live in this building."

"So now what?"

"You're asking me? I don't think you'd want me to _talk_ to Janet."

"Don't you think of touching her," Ami growled, before regaining her composure.

"You're a sick demon," Rei agreed.

"And that's why." Ranma gave up trying to make the chair recline. "Usagi, just call her up here."

"Uh sure." Usagi wandered over to the kitchen phone.

"So what do you think of this Lyra stuff? Any information from the Company" Makoto asked.

"It all fits together, just fell into your lap, and it makes perfect sense to you guys." Ranma appraised. "So, I'm calling bullshit on it."

Rei grumbled about smug demons.

"Hey, Makoto wanted my gut feeling. Sure, be on watch for this Lyra chick., you know, if you get more proof about her. Ami seems to know plenty about her," Ranma smiled at the Senshi of Mercury. "I'm sure she can whip up a Lyra detector or something."

"I'll have to see. I need to find more about her," Ami stated.

"Of course, though it's odd that a sciency person like you would be so attached to this Lyra idea. My mom's a lot more skeptical, especially about supernatural crap, like visions."

Ami twitched. The subtle but direct jabs were getting bothersome but at least the other girls did not seem understand them. "I merely took what I could from Rei's vision. I trust her sight. We all do."

"But... doesn't your mom work for WIC?" Minako asked in confusion. "Knows for a fact that the supernatural exists."

Ranma shrugged. "More reason not to trust it."

"So if Lyra's not behind all this then how do you explain my vision? I saw Usagi frozen to a throne, and there as an inhuman woman next to her." Rei countered.

"I dunno. Sounds like a lot of ways to read that one. Probably right that someone's after Usagi."

"And it's Mistress Lyra, Ami identified her," Rei countered.

"I see."

Usagi hung up the phone. "Janet's coming up," she shouted towards the living room.

"How'd she sound?" Ami asked.

"Oddly relieved," Usagi admitted. "Like she was hoping I'd call."

Ranma smirked.

"That doesn't prove anything." Ami said. There was a knock on the door and Ami's face became worried.

"That'd be her," Usagi walked towards the door.

Janet rushed through the door and closed it behind herself. Ranma's eyes focused on the girl and began to glow.

"Thanks for calling me up," Janet said as she leaned on the door. "Mom was like a woman possessed when I got home."

"Possessed?" Usagi asked tilting her head while looking at Janet's hair. Ranma's earlier questions echoed in her mind.

"Yeah, she was talking about my bad luck with boys. I think she wants to set me up on a date." Janet smiled at Ami before looking back to Usagi. "You really saved me there."

Ranma shook her head. How could the others not see that there was something going on between those two.

Usagi blinked. "I saved you from your mother." Her voice was hollow. "This wasn't the first time was it?"

Janet looked at the blonde. "I suppose there was the time in the office building," she said carefully.

"No that wasn't it."

Ami jumped in while Usagi pondered. "Do you know any other constellation Senshi?"

"There's others? Like me?"

"Oh yes." Ranma rose from her recliner. She then handed the photographs over.

"It's another Senshi. Looks like Virgo maybe." Janet evaluated.

"Very good," Ranma smiled. "I knew you'd have met her. Now I'd recommend you play nice."

"What?" Janet paled and backed away. "I just know what her constellation looks like. After I became Orion I studied them. I thought there would be others."

"Paranoid demon," Rei remarked.

"She has Shampoo's scent on her," Ranma stated. "It's fresh. She was with her today."

Janet froze.

"We're supposed to trust your nose?" Rei asked. "When was the last time you saw her?"

"A while back, I was a new demon, but you don't forget the scent of someone trying to hunt you," Ranma said as she stared down Janet.

Usagi sighed. "I did save you before, Janet. It was from your mother, but it was a different mother." Her voice was sad and drained. "Instead of a doctor she was a jeweler."

"Are you saying Sunshine's right?" Ami asked.

Usagi slowly nodded.

"Yes, she is." Janet stood up to her full height. "Usagi's saved me before lots of times. In fact, saving me was her first act as a Senshi."

"Oh God." Usagi shuddered. "Why?"

"So I was right. Who is she then?" Ranma asked.

Janet smirked. "Naru."

"The hair color does match," Minako noted. "But your face is different. Why you?"

Janet, formerly Naru, laughed. "Osaka Naru worshiped Sailor Moon, and was Usagi's closest friend that wasn't a Senshi."

Usagi's voice rose. "Why turn you... what's the point."

"To get close to you," Ami glared at Janet. "Your former best friend was made into a new Senshi. You'd feel strangely close to this new girl. We'd all welcome her."

"Some moreso than others," Rei reminded.

Ami spun around to face Rei. "Silence," she commanded. "You have no idea how I feel about this."

Rei wilted before Ami's venomous gaze. "Sorry..." She looked to Ranma, who was still watching the... traitor. "Looks like we're both right," Rei laughed bitterly. "Virgo and Orion are both spies."

"I kept telling you girls that you weren't good enough," Ami complained. "Look at this. Spies in our midst and it takes one of them being some aggressive moron with more balls than brains for you to figure it out."

"Calm down," Minako tried to comfort. "I know you're feeling betrayed by Janet."

"Why should I be? She was competent. In the end it took DarkStar to reveal her role in all this."

"I'm sorry Ami." Janet kept her hands at her sides.

"So you're working for Mistress Lyra?" Rei asked.

Janet stayed silent.

"Fine, the Princess will just purify you and then you'll tell us everything."

Ranma smacked her hand into her forehead.

"It won't work?" Usagi worriedly asked. She wanted to save Naru.

"I'm just frustrated. I mean I'm used to dealing with pros, and this is amateur hour."

"You don't think it would work?" Ami asked, interested.

"How smart is Mistress Lyra?"

"Very. She did all that work for Serenity."

"So she knows about Serenity's powers."

"Yeah."

"And the purification powers can be blocked. Even goobers with a magical book can do that."  
For a split second, Ami smiled thinly before switching to a puzzled frown. "I'm afraid she's right. Even if you could purify her... Naru might not have any memories of being Janet."

"Yeah, that's what happens with people who are possessed by youma," Minako agreed.

"Are you girls gonna stand around and gab while I watch her?" Ranma inquired. "Unless you want to give her a chance to escape."

"Well, what are we going to do?" Minako asked.

"I'm sure Ami has an idea," Ranma graciously offered.

"Well, I have been working on a way to defeat the interference the Path gave," Ami admitted.

"So there's a way to save Naru?" Usagi's spirits rose.

"Aww, there's the ever-hopeful Usagi I knew." Janet smiled.

"So... you know how that power blocking thingy works?" Ranma idly flicked a finger closer to Janet and was pleased to see Ami flinch.

"Of course, you can't defeat something without knowing how it works."

"Then you'll just have to come up with something to get Naru all better." Ranma smiled warmly at Ami. "First you decode that magic book, then you help Rei with her vision, and now you'll try to cure Naru. I wonder if your teammates truly appreciate all you've done for them."

Ami responded with her own warm smile. "It's hard work. I'm even trying to get them to train more, like you and your daughters."

"Thanks, I try my best." Ranma said with false modestly. "So once Naru's dealt with, you've gotta get Virgo. Though I know the real Shampoo, obsessive jerk."

"Yes, it seems that way," Ami agreed

"What's with you two? Why are you having thinly-veiled super-villain banter? I understand Sunny, she's a secret agent demon, but why you Ami? Are you working with Naru too?" Minako jokingly asked.

Ami froze then tried to offer a weak smile.

"That's mean," Usagi chastised.

"Oh come on Ami, you can't handle that?" Ranma walked closer to her. "Maybe you're not up to this sinister spy work."

"Quiet you." Ami blinked and sighed. "Don't say that Minako. It's hurtful."

Ranma shook her head.

"So what's going on?" Makoto asked. "Ami's corrupted by Mistress Lyra too?"

"Makes sense. Ami gets seduced by Naru and then turned. Oh how sinister." Minako mock swooned.

"And that's why Naru was made all brainy. Perfect trap for Ami to fall into."

Ami's eye twitched.

"It's somehow worse when they're competent isn't it?" Ranma quietly asked.

"If I do something a tad... mean to them you won't get in my way?" Ami whispered back.

"What are you talking about?" Rei asked, noticing the hushed voices.

Ranma smirked and gave a curt nod.

"I'll tell you what's going on, Rei." Ami glowered. "I had a good thing going, but no, you girls had to figure it out."

"You know, if you'd have kept a better leash on Shampoo, you could have used that Lyra nonsense for weeks." Ranma said.

"Wait... so they're not working for Lyra?" Rei asked.

Ami rolled her eyes. "I'd just found out about this Shampoo bimbo." She then smirked. "And yes, I did plan on having fun with this for at least a month. Rei focused on the one 'mastermind' behind it all so fast I nearly pissed myself to keep from laughing."

"You tricked me?" Rei angrily asked.

"Of course," Ami chuckled. "I told you girls you weren't ready. You didn't notice a conspiracy right under your noses."

"We thought you and Janet.. er Naru... were sleeping together," Minako said.

"She has a point," Janet agreed.

"Ami... how could you?" Usagi asked, sadly. First Janet and now Ami; she was too in shock to really understand what was going on.

"It's all for you," Ami promised.

"So you're evil now? Corrupted like Chibi-Usa and Hotaru were?" Rei asked narrowing her eyes.

Ami smiled thinly. "Maybe I'll just show you." She closed her eyes and a column of blue light and ice shards sprung up around her. They then coalesced around her nude form. Her hair lengthened and save for a pair of strands that framed her face, it was now all up in a large, high bun. On her forehead a silver tiara formed. Unlike a normal senshi one its bottom was horizontal and it had a raised center. Instead of jewelry, it was set with a large gem-cut piece of ice.

She had black lipstick, eyeliner, and grey eyeshadow. Silver stud earrings were in her ears and a dark-blue choker was around her neck. She wore thigh high black stockings, that were oddly garter-less, and blue pumps with a low heel. Dark blue, elbow-length, leather gloves adorned her hands.

The main part of the uniform she wore was technically a Sailor Senshi uniform, or at least it had many of the components. The was a bow over a chest piece and a pleated skirt.

The materials and design were very different however. Her skirt was made out of segments of shimmering ice, and her top was simply a corset. Leather, it was the same dark blue as her gloves and shoes. Unlike most corsets the ties and lacing used to tighten were in the front. The bow on her chest was used to tie off the top of the light blue ribbon. At the bottom the ribbon wrapped around either side of her waist and was tied into the uniform's back bow

The corseted woman then snapped her fingers and summoned two long items. She then unfolded them to reveal a pair of dark blue tessen. "Does that answer your question?" Mercury asked coldly as she moved the two war fans.

Rei's stammering response was interrupted by clapping.

"Now that's just some quality work," Ranma appraised. "Good use of ribbons, leather, corset, and that skirt. Sure it's very vain, but it works on you."

"Someone already did the leather battle bikini," Mercury complimented.

"Is it me or did her bust size go up?" Minako asked.

"I think it's just the corset," Makoto asked. She was amazed. One of their own could get turned evil, again, and Minako would talk about their assets. Makoto wanted to forget the conversations about Mistress Nine's buttocks. Then again, Ami seemed to once again confirm that with evil powers came a complimentary boob job.

Rei used the opportunity to turn into her Senshi form. Once she was Sailor Mars she immediately readied an attack. "Mars flame-"

Mercury sighed and aimed her tessen. "Cold snap!" she said, flipping the fans closed at Sailor Mars. A pair of bands of ice flew out and froze around Mar's arms and legs immobilizing them. Unbalanced, she wobbled on her heels before falling over and landing in a painful heap.

"Now you girls should stay quiet and pay attention. You might learn something from the big kids," Mercury advised.

"Bitch, I'll stop you!" Mars screamed.

"What did I say about quiet?" Mercury shook her head and snapped her fans twice again, forming an ice barrier over Rei's mouth and causing the two bands around her arms and legs to merge into one, hogtieing the Senshi.

"And yes Minako, they are bigger, and no it's not from being evil," Mercury laughed, and snapped her fans at Minako and Makoto. She then leaned over the immobilized blonde. "And don't you dare start talking about my ass or I'll tell Hotaru those things you said about her."

Usagi shivered as she watched Minako and Makoto get bound. She then looked on as Mercury bent over and felt a chill on her. It was invasive and sudden, like a cold hand groping her. "Ami..."

"Yeah, nice job," Ranma said as she walked over to the struggling Senshi. "The ice negates their powers?"

"Of course, Rei'd just burn through it otherwise." Mercury smiled. At least someone other than Orion appreciated what she did.

"Course you'd know how to control ice. Otherwise your skirt'd melt. Shame."

"Can't you do something Ranma?" Usagi pleaded.

Ranma looked at Janet and Mercury. "Not if you want them in one piece. I reckon I could beat her tricks " She then shifted into her true form and smirked as her power flowed out, and stretched her wings before folding them back

Mercury held her gaze. The demon was really something else. The demon's violet eyes were not threatening or challenging. A creature like DarkStar did not need to make threats.

"You don't need to worry about me," Mercury promised, folding her fans and bowing to the demon.

"Really now?"

"You have my word. Neither me nor my people will harm you or your family," Mercury swore.

"Say I don't believe you? That you won't keep your word." Ranma idly inquired.

"Then you'll kill me. Quite painfully and savagely, I'd guess."

Usagi looked down at her struggling whimpering friends. "Free them at once!" she whined, demandingly.

Mercury's expression was pained. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Princess."

"Don't forget about Shampoo," Ranma reminded.

"Oh, I'm quite cross at her," Mercury said as she knelt down beside Rei, who was trying to break her bonds by rolling into a table corner with them. She reached out and froze the ice manacles to the table and floor. She laughed at the futile hatred in Mars' eyes. Mercury got up and looked at Ranma meeting her gaze. "I'm going to make Virgo wish she hadn't escaped your clutches tonight."

"Good."

"Ranma, how can you say that?" Usagi cried. "And Ami how can you do all this? We're friends!"

Mercury walked over and embraced her princess. "I'm doing this all for you," she repeated in a whisper into Usagi's ear. "And really why is everyone getting so jumpy? Biggest thing that's happened is some bimbo forgetting her place and pissing off a horde of demons."

Mars struggled against her bonds and tried to growl. Minako and Makoto watched from their places frozen on the floor.

Moving her head to look down at the prone girls, Mercury laughed. "Oh that's right, I'm a servant of the master mind behind it all. I'm sure I'm somehow responsible for a school full of youma as well."

"Ami... I'm confused." Usagi escaped from the hug and looked at her... friend. "What's happened to you?"

"I'm finally able to be myself."

"But... the evil?" Usagi hesitated.

"Do you sense dark energy on me?"

Usagi looked down.

"Probably not, given how much Red over there's pumping out," Janet pointed out. "Look Usagi. Newly turned evil people don't normally swear not to hurt a family, promise to help, and then give a loving hug."

"Help?" Usagi asked. She was even more unsure what to think about Janet.

"You're getting ahead of the game," Mercury gently chastised. "Yes, we're going to help you. You're still our princess, and there are still people who want to kill you."

"This is nice and all, I mean. I like the honorable, classy sinister-type person." Ranma's smile turned serious. "Don't disappoint me, but there is one thing I'm wondering about. Who turned Naru into Janet? After all she's the one that 'opened your eyes'."

Janet laughed as she idly scratched her ear. "I'm afraid I can't answer that question just yet. You and I have a couple things in common, and that's one of them."

Noticing the gesture and decoding the likely meaning, Ranma shook her head in bemusement. Those two were pretty paranoid, and of Murdock of all people.

"What's going on?" Usagi asked.

Ranma sighed. "This whole plot's part of some trick, like the scheme that got me made."

"Yes, an enterprising and improvisational buffoon has taken a great interest in you." Mercury smirked. "It's one of the few things Setsuna's right about, but for the wrong reasons." She looked Ranma. "I've got a question. What happened to the moon cats? I'd expected to have to freeze those morons, but I'm not sensing them here."

"Why would I know anything about missing cats?" Ranma innocently asked. She was interested to know Ami could sense life-forms now.

"Oh, I think you'd want to know about their presence." Mercury shrugged.

"Fair enough," Ranma said. That Ami seemed to know about the neko-ken could mean an intimate knowledge of Ranma's past. Maybe Murdock really was involved with these two.

"So where are they?" Mercury repeated

"Still on the roof I'd imagine. Found them when we landed." Ranma smiled. "Nabiki and Nariko were ecstatic. They just picked them up and started petting."

"I'd imagine they don't get to pet many kitties now."

Ranma shrugged.

"So that thing behind your house. Is it a real dojo or just your brood's playroom?"

Ranma growled.

Mercury smirked. So the demon was not totally unflappable.

"You'd complimented me on my training methods earlier."

"Yes, your Senshi may be the youngest, but they're the best. Of course when the competition is like this..." Mercury pointed to the bound girls on the floor.

"Well you've got a ways to go with yours too," Ranma reminded.

Mercury nodded. "I didn't want it to go this way, but I'm doing to make the most of it."

"I guess that's that," Janet sighed.

"Oh," Mercury smiled sweetly as she and Janet were about to leave. "I'd find someone to teach you girls some more self control. I'd hate to imagine what would happen if someone trapped them using a simple binding spell."

"Didn't that happen back when you guys were fighting Beryl, like all the time?" Janet asked.

"Yes it did, but it takes a long time for some people to learn." Mercury turned to Ranma. "Oh can you have your agent friends let us pass? I don't want there to be any trouble with them either."

"Same promise to them as my family."

"Of course. You'd just kill me. Sure it'd be slow, but not as slow as the scientific dissection they'd do."

Ranma chuckled.

Usagi noticed that they were going and that she had still done nothing. "Ami..."

"Yes?" Mercury noticed the worried fear in Usagi's eyes. "I won't do anything to make you feel shameful. You can count on that."

Usagi gathered her wits. "Don't worry Ami, I'll save you." She knew that if she tried to transform she would be encased in ice like the others, now was not the time.

"Of course you will, my princess," Mercury smiled warmly as she and Janet left through the door. "You always do, but this time I'm going to save you first."

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"So there's problems with the Senshi?" Stillwater asked Jacob.

"Yes Sir, it turns out that Mercury and Orion are double agents of some type," Jacob explained as he leaned back in a chair in Stillwater's office.

"Yes, the images of her new uniform were interesting." Stillwater sipped his drink.

Jacob smirked, and shook his head. "We need to know what she'll do, and what Miss Tsukino will do in response."

"How much of a threat is this new Mercury to our plans?" Stillwater asked.

"It depends. She is certainly well-informed. She's a major part of their intelligence wing. She does all their on-site scanning and much of their research."

"It's safe to assume she also has a lot of insider information."

Jacob nodded. "What do you think, Miss Saotome?"

Ranma lowered her glass, after she choked on the first taste she resolved to sip. The burn was something to watch out for. "She's the biggest threat to her fellow Senshi. Though I think that's kind of the point."

"Oh?" Jacob asked with a hint of amusement.

"Well, she immediately promised to avoid attacking my family and the Company." Ranma sipped her drink. She was new to scotch, and it was... interesting.

"And if she's lying?" Stillwater asked.

"Then we kill her," Ranma said simply.

"I don't think Usagi would approve." Jacob proposed.

"So? I'm not going to put my kids at risk just to please her, and you shouldn't do the same with your men." Ranma sipped her drink again. This time finding the warming more pleasing. "Besides, she knows we're pros, that's why she respects us."

"She was pushing the Senshi to be more serious, before she snapped," Jacob said.

Ranma laughed. "Oh that's still her plan. Heck, before she left she told them how to avoid her binding attack."

"All a training mission?" Stillwater skeptically asked.

"This is a bit too dramatic for that." Jacob agreed.

"Why? They're used to their teammates turning evil, and now Ami can _force_ them to train. Otherwise she'll beat them horribly." Ranma took a contemplative drink. "Eh, she'll still beat them horribly, but she's the kind of threat that's personal and very offensive to them."

"Offensive," Jacob stated.

"Oh yeah, the hate and hurt on their faces was damn clear. Ami played them, betrayed them, and tricked them. It was dumb luck that she got exposed." Ranma shook her head. "Personally I think she could have wormed her way out. She didn't have to do the dramatic 'coming out as evil'."

"Why'd she do it then?"

"She was sick of playing nice." Ranma shrugged. "She finally got fed up with working on the inside. Hell, she cleared it with me right before she did it."

"And now she's free," Jacob laughed and took a sip.

"It's not just a desperate and unorthodox training plan. Someone transformed the Osaka girl," Stillwater reminded them.

"Has the Japan branch found anything out, Sir?" Jacob asked after a drink.

"It looks like Osaka Naru and her Mother moved. Shop was legally sold and they left the country. They're still at it."

"Yeah, someone set this all up," Ranma agreed. "Janet hinted that it was Murdock. Which I guess makes sense. Setsuna thinks he did the same thing with me."

"Why?" Jacob asked.

Ranma shrugged. "Usagi."

"Fitting, first use a sex demon as a replacement for her boyfriend, and then use her former best friend. This makes Mercury more of a risk." Jacob evaluated.

"So she's still a risk. Especially if she gets to Usagi." Stillwater scratched his goatee.

"That depends. Is there still influence? Is she a free agent?"

Ranma sipped from her glass. "I don't know. We'll have to watch her."

"Of course. Maybe there's even a Mistress Lyra." Jacob joked.

Stillwater smirked. "That's fitting misdirection."

"So, that's it about Ami?" Ranma asked as she ran a finger over the rim of her glass.

"Did Miss Tsukino give you any advice, orders?" Jacob asked.

"She told me not to turn or kill her." Ranma laughed. "So I'm not going out of my way to hunt her down, unless she gets dumb."

"You're assuming she's going to be smart about this?" Jacob asked.

"She wants her princess to be stronger." Ranma sipped her scotch. "She's got a big ego. She really likes being smart and liked showing off her powers. Getting herself killed isn't part of her plan."

"She plans to live. Become the right hand to Miss Tsukino," Jacob stated.

"Which is nice for anyone controlling her," Stillwater added.

"So I'm not worried about her. It's those girls that should worry," Ranma shook her head. "They have no idea what they're in for. It's easy to underestimate Usagi. Just look at her, but when pushed into a corner she's tenacious. She won't give up."

"And Mercury would know this." Jacob stated.

"Yes, the Senshi face someone who won't underestimate Usagi. Ami knows her princess' mettle, I think she plans to use that to her advantage."

"We'll keep an eye on them and her," Jacob assured Ranma. Mercury might be the catalyst needed to temper the Pattern Silvers for what was ahead or it could get them all killed or corrupted.

"There's also the projects Major Saotome proposed." Stillwater reminded.

"Oh, I know you're letting her make those guns. Is there more?" Ranma put her empty glass down.

Stillwater gave a curt nod. "Yes. Her report was most convincing on the need for isolated machinery to work the demonic metal."

"Good, I'm sure the girls will be very happy when it's done." Ranma pulled out one of the ice cubes from her glass and sucked on it.

"No questions about us once again yielding to your needs?" Jacob slyly asked.

Ranma shrugged and crunched the ice. "Now, now, you guys are just as interested in new weapons as my kids are."

Jacob smiled.

Ranma leaned back in her chair. "So how did your inspection go? You guys gonna keep your jobs?"

"Pardon?"

"There was that strange officer. He was asking everyone questions, especially about that traitor stuff. Jarvis said he was sent by the General. Guessin' that's your boss. You guys doing stuff you're not supposed to here?" Ranma winked.

Stillwater laughed, and motioned for Jacob to explain.

"Major Koster is an aide to the General Anderson, and yes he was checking up on this operation. Our working with you warranted special attention, to make sure we're following procedures." Jacob took a leisurely sip.

"Anderson eh?" Ranma thought. "That's the guy that trained you two right?"

Jacob and Stillwater exchanged a glance. "Yes, he was our commander when we were young officers. Still is now," Jacob said.

"So he knows you two, and he still sent a lackey to look around." Ranma laughed.

"Can't be too careful," Stillwater said.

Ranma smirked. "The paranoia just keeps going don't it?"

"Yes, but the base passed inspection. Major Koster even complimented you and your girls in his report," Jacob said.

"Good for him."

"He did not even bat an eye at your rescue proposal." Jacob wondered if the General was slipping or had finally gained a sense of humor.

Ranma paused. "Oh that idea. Huh, cool then."

"We'll have to work out the list."

"Shouldn't be too long. Not too many people would want it."

Jacob gave a sympathetic nod. "What about your tastes? I would think you'd be selective as to who you'd save."

"I've got a pretty good idea who would say yes." Ranma sighed and thought about her fiancee. "And of those I don't have a problem; I'd rather they stayed alive and fighting with us. Maybe I should ask the candidates myself."

Ranma looked up at the two officers. "No dry commentary?"

"It's a good idea," Jacob admitted. "You, or one of our daughters, would be the one doing this. I would insist that one of us be there for the interview. I suppose we'd start with Lieutenant Tendo."

"No need," Ranma crossly said.

Stillwater's face remained neutral.

Jacob's eyes widened nearly-concealed surprise. "Really? This is only for those that would be dead otherwise."

"I know." Ranma sighed. "I'd like to think that it's because of the daughter thing, but it might not be that. If she's strong enough... she could be..." The redhead sighed again and put an ice cube in her mouth.

Unsure of what to do Jacob offered to refill her glass.

Ranma waved off the bottle. "I guess that's that."

"There is the matter of Misako and Ukyou," Jacob said

"There going to be any problems for them?"

"We'll have to see how they take to the training. Things will be different for them."

"Oh?"

"Their training under you and their previous experience will cover a lot of ground. It's really gauging their skills and seeing what they need more of." Jacob allowed. In many ways WIC was more flexible with its NH applicants.

"That's good. You shouldn't waste their time, and don't waste your men's time too. Don't pull agents away from their jobs just to baby-sit them."

"I find it remarkable that Miss Ukyou kept her interest, even after being turned," Stillwater finished his own drink.

"Miss Misako following her makes perfect sense. Those two have always been partners."

"She always liked you guys, and she wanted to be more use than just a defector." Ranma shrugged. Ukyou was a demon Senshi and already worked with WIC. There was no need for her to formally join, but that's what she wanted to do.

"And your youngest? Is she ready for school on Monday?"

"Nabiki seems ready," Ranma stretched her legs. "I'm also worried about Misa-chan. She's been out of school for a long time; Ucchan will be there for her though."

"They don't have to be in school, you know." Jacob's voice carried an offer.

"I think it's good for them to interact with normal people, least some of the time, and I guess the work's good, more well-rounded." Ranma was tempted however. During the last couple weeks she had been able to get more done, but that was out of necessity. Her girls needed a breather and time to recover.

"That's good, we're going to need you and your girls in top shape," Jacob said.

"I know." Ranma looked at the far wall, her eyes distant. Things were coming. Anyone with heightened senses or good intelligence could see that. Ami certainly could.

End ch15

Author's Notes:

The interlude got pushed further back, but that's okay.

I'd like to thank my pre-readers. They're the ones that made sure this story was readable.

Acey, Trimatter, PyroRaven, Questara, Solara, Kevin Hammel, J St C Patrick, Pale Wolf, Wray, and Jerry Starfire.

I'm gonna repeat myself. I really apriate everything you guys have done. My prereaders are a tireless group that go through my stuff on their own to make it better. It's just amazing, and I don't think I can thank you enough. The rest of you that review; thank you too. It's great to hear more from you guys. To get a reading of my performance and what you guys think of all this.

I can't express how much it means to me. Thank you all.


	17. Chapter 16 Retrograde and Remade Part 2

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Josh Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.

http://jtemple. website Temple of Ranma's Senshi as always is wanted.

Chapter 16 Retrograde and Remade Part 2

"Did you know about Ami and Naru?" Usagi carefully asked.

"Well, no not as such," Setsuna demurred, she made sure to keep her eyes on the road. Last night she had returned from an unproductive interview to find four irate and shocked Senshi. Setsuna was shocked herself once the situation was explained to her.

"You didn't find anything odd about their secret meetings, all the time they spent with each other?" Usagi stretched in the passenger seat of the Dodge Charger.

"None of you saw anything too odd about it. You just thought they were sneaking off to study, try to date boys, and finally date each other." Setsuna glowered. It was a wonderful cover. A lesbian relationship nicely explained Janet and Ami being secretive and any nervousness when questioned about their nighttime activities.

"You're supposed to know better than us. We're just teenagers."

"I was cautious about Janet, but I cleared her, and she was an exemplary Senshi. You and the rest liked her, and Ami said she was clean."

"That's because she was Naru." Usagi sighed sadly. "Damn Murdock! First he kills my boyfriend and then he corrupts my friends. Look at what he did to Naru and Ami."

"We're going to find him. He will be punished." Setsuna promised. They had all been violated. Getting Ami was quite the coup.

"So, how did you miss this?" Usagi asked again.

Setsuna hesitated before speaking. "I watched Janet at the start, checked her out. Reviewed it when Ami and Janet started to bond. There was nothing. Janet was clean. She seemed as legitimate as the rest of you." She sighed. "I can't watch everyone."

"How'd he do this then? How do we get them back?"

"Murdock is patient, remember that. He had Naru living as Janet at least as far back as Mamoru's death, and then think of the months that Naru was among us. Slow and deliberate."

"Why? Wasn't DarkStar his first plan?"

"This might have been his backup, or maybe Sailor DarkStar was just misdirection. Some flash to draw attention from the real culprit."

"So how do we get them back?"

Setsuna smiled weakly. "That's your department. You're the best at saving and healing people."

"I just..." Usagi stared out the window at the passing buildings. "At least with Ami I know I can reach her. It's not as bad as when the others went bad."

"That's actually worse," Setsuna corrected.

"But she still cares for me. She doesn't hate me."

"Do you really want the affection of a dark Senshi?" Setsuna asked.

Usagi's mind briefly flashed to Mercury and Ranma with herself in the middle.

"Princess?"

"Huh?" A blush crept up on Usagi's face as she cleared her head.

"Ami's dangerous. Naru by her own admission was turned by Murdock, and Naru then got to Ami. They want you."

"It won't work. Ami won't be some puppet," Usagi promised.

"I wasn't there last night, but you were." Setsuna slowed to a stop at a red light. She looked around with some nervousness. "Were those the actions of the Ami you know?"

"Well, Ami always complained about my schoolwork or being late, and recently she'd been harping about our training." Usagi laughed bitterly.

"It's different now. You shouldn't be alone any of you." Setsuna sighed. It was good advice, but Ami had proven it ineffective last night, though they were surprised. It was troubling. If they had followed Ami's advice they would have been training and maybe the girls would be getting more skilled.

All under Ami's guidance of course. Ami could do research and come up with the best plans, maybe even a few magical spells to help unlock the next stage of their Senshi powers. Setsuna shook her head; it was paranoid, but it made sense. If Ami was going to corrupt and control the Senshi from the inside, the guise of training did the job.

"At least you've warmed up to Ranma," Usagi allowed.

"I'm approving of this meeting because you've been too distant from her. Ranma's made her own friends and alliances and is self-sufficient."

"Is that bad?"

Setsuna shifted gears and changed lanes before responding. "It shows good initiative. She can be a powerful ally, but remember last night. You said Ami and her were very chummy."

"Ranma is a demon, and they didn't try to fight each other."

"Yes." Setsuna noticed Usagi's incomprehension. "Take it this way. Do you want Mercury to get closer to Ranma? What if she convinces Ranma that you are weak and you do need to be trained?"

Usagi looked down. "She already thinks that about us. She called us amateurs."

Setsuna snorted. "Even though you've been doing this longer, saved the world more times, and faced hardships she can't even begin to understand."

Usagi slumped further into her seat. "That's what makes Ami so hard. She was with me since the start. She knows we've gotten much better but..."

"But nothing. Ami's been manipulated ever since Janet showed up. You can't trust what she says."

"It's not that simple." Usagi felt the anxiety from last night return. "Ami's made sure of that."

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"I just think that Nabiki should make her own decision," Ranma said to her fiancee as the two window-shopped.

"All I'm saying is that she can handle high school. Her mind's the same, by treating her like the youngest you're _making_ her the youngest," Kasumi explained.

"She _is_ the youngest. Alexia turned her last," Ranma pointedly stated.

"Yes, but she needs to recover. Encouraging this juvenile cutesiness, it's not Nabiki."

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "It's not the Nabiki you remember, but it's who she is now."

"Akane came back."

The redhead stared at the dark blue leather gown on display. "Her age wasn't reduced and if anything she's more aggressive."

"And there were lesbian rumors back when she was human too," Kasumi deadpanned.

"Must run in the family," Ranma gave Kasumi's butt a playful touch before wrapping her arm around the taller woman's waist. "And don't think I'm mad, I really like that you're getting interested in our girls."

Kasumi looked down and mulled over the demon's last two words. "Yes, I do care about my sisters," she clarified.

"I've been working with Ukyou to find out what her Senshi powers are." Ranma leaned onto the taller woman.

"Any luck?" Kasumi asked, surprised at the increased weight Ranma was putting on her.

"Maybe, it's odd. Something keeps her from using it in practice. I know it's there. She knows it too, but she won't cast it."

"How are the others shaping up?"

Ranma shrugged. "Getting more accuracy and speed. Nariko's got some control issues."

"I noticed. She's still burning more than one tree."

Ranma nodded. "And Nabiki's really tires her out, but it does use a lot to cast."

"Worried about this Mizuno thing?"

"Nope." Ranma then nuzzled her head onto Kasumi's side and chest.

Blushing Kasumi coughed, but after finding that ineffective at dislodging the demon, she sighed. "Why not?"

"I don't think she's a threat to me," Ranma murmured.

"Don't you have a plan?" Kasumi decided to put a hand around the redhead's shoulder. At least then they would not be so lopsided.

"Yeah, slowly getting you used to public displays of affection."

Kasumi sniffed and turned her head.

"Women," Ranma muttered.

"Oh don't play that card." Kasumi taunted. "Who's the one wearing pants instead of a dress? We won't even discuss hairstyles, makeup or jewelry."

"I wear pants."

"That aren't shiny sprayed-on leather?"

"I've gotta look good."

"You're a succubus," Kasumi quietly said. "You'd look good in anything."

Ranma laughed. "So you think Usagi'll blow me off? Is she even gonna bother coming?"

Kasumi maintained a straight face and wondered if she was reading too much into what Ranma had just said. "Observation teams did see Setsuna pick her up not too long ago."

"Mercury could already have attacked and taken them," Ranma walked over to the next display for the store and looked at a selection of leather boots.

"Possible, we don't know what kind of style Mizuno will use." Kasumi looked at the shiny glass.

"I'm curious. She has a lot of options for 'evil schemes'." Ranma's smile increased slightly.

"They're here," Kasumi tried to pull herself away.

"Spotted their reflection?" Ranma released her hold on the officer's waist to slide herself up against Setsuna, who had just walked up on the pair. "Oh nice Usagi," she purred as she eyed the blonde. "You brought a friend."

"Don't you have a girlfriend now?" Setsuna eyed the short demon inches from her.

"Oh her, she's cool." Ranma cooed.

"Yeah, got the suit and dark sunglasses and everything." Kasumi flatly said.

Usagi tilted her head. "That's not a suit. Sure the blouse and pants count, but your jacket is too casual, and your glasses are on your head."

Kasumi sighed. "Not all secret agents wear black suits, trench coats and fedoras or slinky dresses."

"Your girlfriend does," Setsuna said while staring at Ranma.

Ranma winked. "Come on, have a taste, you know you want to."

"I think you're more effective when you're not so blatant," Kasumi commented wryly.

"Yeah, that's how I got you." Ranma winked at her, and then turned to Usagi. "So what do you want to talk about? You set this meeting up before the Ami and Janet stuff."

"Naru," Usagi forcefully corrected.

"Sorry," Ranma's eyes flicked to Setsuna's harsh gaze before returning to the blonde. "So what do you want to talk about?"

"Maybe... we should... private?" Usagi's stumbling sequence of words appeared to end in a question.

"Uh, let's try the store," Ranma said.

Usagi's eyes caught the skimpy black leather gown on display. "Yeah..."

Before entering Ranma turned to Kasumi. "I'm sure you and Setsy can have some fun."

"Don't worry, I'll be safe with Ranma," Usagi assured.

"Uh... right," Setsuna said to the retreating Senshi. "So, how is it, being mated to Ranma?" she then asked Kasumi.

"We're not mates," Lieutenant Tendo firmly said.

"Oh," Setsuna coughed and looked ahead. She never could relate to common soldier; they were too practical. Lords and ladies, especially those with hereditary military titles, were so much easier to handle.

Kasumi kept watch and made sure her earpiece was working. Whiz-kids like Meiou were nothing but trouble. They loved overcomplicated plans that showed how clever they were.

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"Well?" Ranma asked as she tried on a set of gloves.

"I think we need to work together." Usagi flinched, expecting the demon to laugh her off.

"I'm listening," Ranma said in an apathetic tone that made Usagi flex her hands in frustration.

"We should work together. You've got a team of Senshi, I've got a team of Senshi," Usagi quietly explained.

"Yours is smaller now. Got any plans to fix that?" Ranma slipped the gloves off and then looked at another pair.

Usagi's eyes hardened. "I'm going to free them and punish Murdock."

"That's a goal, but I asked you about plans." Ranma picked up another set of gloves and sighed. "Really, metal studs in gloves. That'll chafe and look really dumb."

"Yeah, that is stupid." Usagi frowned. "Anyway, that is my plan."

Ranma rubbed the bridge of her nose. "No... you need more than that. You just can't count on stumbling onto the enemy or waiting for them to find you."

"It's worked before, and we've managed to find enemy bases before." Usagi's voice became despondent. "Of course Ami was a big help on that stuff; we can't count on her now."

"Sure you can," Ranma chuckled. "Ami seemed plenty sharp last night."

"She knew we needed her," Usagi looked to Ranma.

"At least you still have Setsuna," Ranma mirthfully offered.

Usagi became quiet and watched as Ranma tried on some boots. "It's all because of you," the blonde said.

Ranma looked up from the shin-high motorcycle boots. "Oh? Ain't my fault. You guys would have eventually figured it out." She started unbuckling the boots. "Or not."

"You're wrong," Usagi's voice had once again hardened.

Ranma looked up.

"We wouldn't have figured it out. You saw it. Setsuna's paranoia's to the outside, and the rest of us rely on Ami."

Ranma shrugged.

"Ami could have strung us along on that Mistress Lyra scheme. Rei still thinks Ami's being controlled by Lyra." Usagi's voice became frantic. "Don't you see? If you hadn't seen Virgo..."

"Ami would still be your _friend_, and you would be spending today figuring out how to fight a nonexistent enemy," Ranma said without making eye contact as she slipped the boots off. "I'd expect Ami to carefully and steadily draw you girls in. Maybe into an ambush where you could be neutralized, maybe just corrupted over time, or maybe even take all of you out while you sleep."

Usagi shivered. "She was our roommate. She would often sneak in late at night. We were used to it. You saved us all." Her voice was hardly a whisper.

"I was just following a lead. Minako was the one that connected Ami to a super villain." Ranma put her own boots back on. "And it was Ami who said 'Hell with this' and revealed herself."

"Well, thank you anyway." Usagi hesitated. Overcoming the fear and indecision, she then gently hugged the startled demon. The blonde expected an apprehensive response, not an enthused and engaged one.

Adding her arms to the hug, Ranma eased into Usagi's embrace. She was on the brink of purring when she got interrupted.

"Awww, that's adorable," a taunting voice behind Usagi said.

Ranma's eyes widened. "I didn't expect you here." She then smirked. "And you brought your friend too."

Usagi froze. The voice did not sound like Ami or Naru. The blonde turned her head and saw only a Japanese brunette and a Caucasian blonde with short hair.

"Hi Sam! Hey Naoko!" Ranma enthusiastically greeted while she still hugged Usagi. "You girls finally get the courage to shop here?"

Naoko blushed. "Uh, no. We were just walking past when we noticed your old girlfriend standing next to Akane's older sister."

"Old girlfriend?" Usagi asked, before she pulled her arms back and escaped the hug.

Ranma laughed. "There's this rumor that Setsuna stood me up on a few dates or something."

"Yes, poor Sunny had her delicate heart torn from her chest." Sam said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Figuratively of course," Naoko added.

Sam appraised her pale friend. "I'd imagine it's the other way when it comes to literally though."

Ranma blushed.

Usagi blinked. "No... Setsuna never dated Sunshine. She's dating Kasumi."

"Kasumi? Nice going." Sam gave Ranma a friendly nudge. "I never knew she was into the lipstick lesbians."

Sam laughed. "Why not? You've seen Akane and her new girlfriend."

"Yeah, I guess the Tendo's really like sweet, gentle, and feminine Goth girls."

"I thought I was brooding and dark," Ranma pouted.

"Oh no, you're cuddly and sensitive." Sam eyed Ranma's leather skirt. "You just dress like the main squeeze to a Hell's Angel."

"Oh careful. You don't want to get Kasumi mad," Naoko teased.

"Now, now, she's very nice."

"Makes sense that you'd like strong women," Sam appraised. "She seemed stern and a bit scary."

"So when are you going back to school?" Naoko asked.

"You still have those family issues?" Sam added.

Ranma looked down. "No my... cousin's... gone."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. Did she at least die peacefully."

"Nope." Ranma tried very hard and managed to conceal her smirk.

"Are you okay, Sunny?" Naoko put her hand to Ranma's shoulder, and drew her friend into a hug. Sam quickly joined.

"Yeah, but it hit some of the family pretty hard. We're only now... ready."

"Will you be back into school tomorrow?" Sam asked after the hug finished.

Ranma nodded.

"What about Nabiki? I know it was a family thing, as she was out too." Sam noticed that Nariko was out too, but that made some sense. The Kunos were close to both the Saotomes and Tendos.

"She's transferred. Different school."

"The same one that Tatewaki transferred too?" Sam asked with a hint of skepticism.

"Uh, I think so." Ranma hated lying to her fiends, especially when they were poor lies.

"So how are you doing?" Naoko asked Usagi, purposefully ignoring Ranma's questionable statements.

"Well... I..." Usagi was at a loss. How come a predatory brood mother could relate to these girls, but someone as straightforward as a magical princess could not?

"One of her friends is being a real pain." Ranma verbally stepped in. "There's also some problems with another old friend of Usagi's. She really feels betrayed by the whole thing."

"Mind if we ask who?" Sam inquired.

"I can trust you two on this?"

"Of course," Sam said, not bothering to hide her hurt.

"Sorry," Ranma looked to Usagi who gave a vague motion that might have been consent. "It's Ami. Ami Mizuno."

Naoko thought for a bit while Sam looked at something that was suspiciously similar to a whip. "It's about Janet too, isn't it?"

"Naoko, you can't think every essentially inseparable pair of girls that are friends is a lesbian couple. That's how rumors start," Sam reprimanded. "I'll admit, if they were lesbians I wouldn't be shocked at all."

Usagi blinked.

Sam turned her attention back to Ranma. "We should really hang out more."

"You and all your Gothy friends," Naoko teased.

"Sure, we could go to a bar or a club. I'd be fun." Ranma gave a saucy smile. She noticed the amused blushes on her friends and recalled exactly what she said.. "Oh! It! I meant to say "It" would be fun!"

"I'm sure you would be fun," Sam teased.

"Maybe we should pick something out for you girls to wear?" Ranma asked with a blush. "This is the perfect store for making an impression."

"I bet Ami shops here now too," Usagi muttered.

Ranma laughed. "This is a classy place," she said as she looked through the leather bikini tops.

"You could get us into a bar?" Naoko asked.

"Sure. It's easy." Ranma held up the bikini. The metal chains connecting the cups and providing straps seemed far too gaudy.

"Hmm, okay." Sam assumed that Sunshine got in using her charms and her "mature" physique.

"Do you wanna come too?" Naoko asked a dejected looking Usagi.

"I, well, I've got to get things straightened out with Ami first."

Naoko shrugged.

"Sorry to hear that, maybe next time," Sam said.

"What about our thing?" Usagi asked Ranma, irritation entering her depressed voice.

"Oh yeah, I'll help you with Ami when you want," Ranma said as she picked out a set of leather pants and handed them to an embarrassed Naoko. "Just remember the kind of help that I'll give."

"Er, yeah." Usagi hesitated. "I just, I need to save her." She looked at Ranma's two friends. "From herself."

Naoko looked at Usagi with an unreadable expression on her face for a brief moment. "If you say so."

Sam leaned in close and whispered into Ranma's ear. "I think you should help her," she looked at her fellow blonde briefly. "She's in a sorry state, just help her. I'll find something risque for Naoko to wear while you do it."

Ranma nodded and lead Usagi to the opposite side of the store.

"They know?" Usagi asked.

Ranma rolled her eyes. "They know that you want my advice, and that it's something private. Look you actually need a plan." She held up her hand, cutting Usagi off. "And I don't mean wishing to free them. How long has Ami been on your team?"

"She was the first, before her-" Usagi's voice turned maudlin. "- it was just Naru. Then more Senshi came, and we drifted apart."

"Then Ami knows _exactly_ how you fight." Ranma looked into Usagi's eyes. "You've got to take the fight to her, you have to be proactive." The redhead paused to recall the last word.

"You mean hunt her down?"

Ranma smiled. "I knew you could figure it out. Setsuna has her sources and the Company can help some. Track her down by whatever means you can."

"Maybe Rei can get a vision on her," Usagi pondered.

"And this time Ami won't be there to interpret it for you."

"What about fights?"

Ranma paused. She was not sure what to make about Usagi's tone. It was still depressed, but seemed somehow expectant. "Those are chances to beat her, but she knows what you can do, and she has that book."

"Maybe I should take out Murdock first. Break the control." Usagi's hands clenched.

"Looks like the princess has some anger in her after all." Ranma smirked. "And that's a great idea. Take him out and the rest would be easier."

Usagi looked up and for a few seconds they were clear and decisive. "You know what he did to me, to you. He uses people, destroys their lives, warps their minds and bodies, kills them. He will be punished," she echoed her words but this time with decisive conviction.

"Sometimes you really are your mother's daughter."

Usagi's gaze softened. "I know. I'm afraid."

"Really? Why?" Ranma stretched. "Things are going to be difficult. Accept that and move on. Getting all worried will just waste time, time you can spend doing stuff."

"I know Ami's not wasting her time." Usagi laughed bitterly. "Not then and not now."

"Then you should make sure your girls don't waste their time." Ranma then looked to see Naoko trying to get Sam a bright red PVC cat-suit. "That thing won't fit her."

"I'm sorry I'm boring you," Usagi grumbled.

"Well do you have anything new to say?" Ranma turned back to the blonde. "I like this assertive side you're starting to show. Hell, you are their commander, act like it."

Usagi nodded slowly. "Well, I should go. Setsuna wants to talk with the others. I'll tell them my plan then. Thanks for the help." She gave the demoness a quick hug before leaving the store and reuniting with Setsuna.

"You're welcome," Ranma said as she watched the two Senshi leave. She wagered it would take more to get Usagi to really learn, but she was starting to come around. Ranma shrugged and returned to her friends.

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"And here's where Silva explains the parts of the succubus body," Nodoka said to the sleepy succubae who lounged around her. The succubus reading primer had a cute picture of Silva succubus pointing to a diagram of another succubus who had various parts of her body labeled. Nodoka ran through the list of bodyparts: cornu, caput, mamae, arma, cubitum, secus, femur, crus, and pes.

"Are you sure that's the right pronunciation?" Nabiki asked as she nuzzled her grandmother's shoulder.

"I took some Latin in university and the start of this book has a pretty good pronunciation guide." Nodoka shrugged. "But you really can't learn to pronounce a language from books. At least you'll learn to recognize the symbols and be able to read."

"That will let us read the books Great-grandma gave us," Ukyou said. She then nudged Misako who had started to doze off.

The green-eyed succubus mumbled sleepily and tried to put her attention back to the book.

"There will be a quiz when we're done," Nodoka reminded.

Misako pouted.

"At least it's not grammar, well today." Akane corrected herself.

Nariko's red eyes perked up.

"But I thought you two wanted to be proper succubae?" Nabiki innocently asked Akane and Misako. "Learning our family's language and culture is a big part of that."

"That's right," Nodoka beamed as she turned to the next page. She was interrupted before she could read the text that accompanied Silva standing with a larger and older-looking demoness.

"Hi Mom!" Nariko happily greeted.

Ranma froze and studied the tableau. Her mother was in the middle of a pile of succubae as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The redhead smirked, stripped, sat down, and slid in. Moving off Nodoka's side to allow Ranma in, Akane then put her head on her mother's lap.

"How was the meeting?" Nodoka asked, as she hugged her daughter hello.

"Pretty good really." Ranma stretched her arms. "There might actually be some hope for Usagi - she was kinda decisive. Plus Sam and Naoko showed up, so I got to help them shop."

"They pick out anything fun?" Akane asked.

"Nothing too wild I'm afraid, but it should look fun when they go out with us."

"We're going out?" Misako's eyes twinkled. She had not visited a good club in a while. "When?"

"Dunno, we can talk to them at school. Work out the details. Maybe the Red Turtle. Though that place can be a bit too mellow."

"Not on Wednesdays and Fridays. They have live music those days. Ayanami says some of the acts are pretty good." Nodoka said.

"Neat, that could work then."

"What about me?" Nabiki asked.

"What? You'll come of course."

"Uh Mom, look at me. I don't think I'll pass as nineteen as easily as the rest of you," Nabiki dryly reminded.

"So? You've done the bar thing before with Alexia."

"Don't remind me," Nabiki frowned.

"Sorry Honey," Ranma reached over to comfort her. "I was just trying to say it's not something to worry about."

"Well, what about Naoko and Sam? They knew me from before, and I'm not like Akane. I can't just be explained away by becoming a Goth-lesbian-punk-girl."

"Yeah, you're more of a Gothic-Lolita-pink-lace-lesbian," Akane evaluated.

"Gee, thanks sis."

"Well, you're about half a foot shorter, have a much more youthful face and a more slender physique, save for your breasts. There's also how you dress and carry yourself now." Ranma shrugged. "People will see a resemblance, but no one would think you're Nabiki."

"I am Nabiki."

"You know what I mean," Ranma could tell the hurt in her daughter's voice was feigned. "You're still Yuki too. Your Senshi name is Sailor Yuki. Your fashion style is like hers and you're trying to give me the puppy-dog eyes while making your lower lip quiver."

"Our saccharine succubus mom is supposed to submit to saturated sweetness," Nabiki remarked.

Ranma crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You're as bad as Nari-chan, you know?"

"Given that she's the reason you're the Mom you are today, that's a compliment."

"Cute," Ranma's resistance crumbled and she scooped Nabiki in close, displacing Akane to her side.

"We'll figure out something for Sam and Naoko." Ranma put her arms around Nabiki. "Though, I think they're pretty on the ball. They knew that Ami and Janet were together."

"We should really find them ourselves." Misako proposed as she snuggled onto Ukyou's chest.

"You just want to see her corset in person," the blonde accused her mate.

"Yup!"

"I'm amazed that a human Senshi could actually come up with a uniform that wasn't a fashion disaster. Though all that ice over her crotch and ass can't be fun."

"You mean her secus and pyga?" Nabiki teased.

"She probably likes the cold," Ranma said as she slid more from her mother's side to her front.

"Should we go back to the book?" Nodoka asked as she patted her daughter on the head, careful to avoid her horns.

Despite this, Ranma still purred and nuzzled her head. The motion caused Nodoka's bra to get out of position.

"Sure, I think we're ready," Nabiki said.

"Yeah," Nariko agreed as she slid in behind Nodoka.

"Okay." As Nodoka reopened the book and flipped to the next page she found herself easing backwards. She then paused. "Nari-chan dear, can you please move your tail. The tickling is distracting."

"Sorry," Nariko blushed and adjusted herself.

"It's fine," Nodoka tried to adjust her bra but found her daughter's head in the way.

"I can unhook it for you?" Nariko helpfully offered. "Or give you a nice backrub?"

Nodoka considered. This morning had been full of stressful hassles. Acquiring the necessary machining equipment had been a pain. "Yes, that would be nice." She smiled as Nariko went to work, and then resumed the reading.

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"Mistress," Orion gently interrupted the blue-haired Senshi, with her head bowed.

"Yes?" Mercury said looking up from the display next to her. She then waved for Orion to rise to her full height.

"It's about the meeting between the Princess and DarkStar," Orion said.

"You weren't spotted."

Orion was not sure whether her Mistress had asked a question or made a statement. "Not that I know," she said, opting for the safe response.

Mercury's eyes darted back to the display. She then typed in a few commands and leaned back in her, modest, throne. "You placed the probe before they had arrived."

"Yes," Orion eyed the comfortable and unadorned high-backed chair. She had expected a more foreboding structure, but upon reflection Orion reevaluated her view. Mistress Mercury would never be one to rely on some piece of furniture to prove her status. Similarly her hair was up in a simple bun, and her jewelry was Spartan silver with ice gems.

"It's an interesting challenge," Mercury mused. "How to make devices that are invisible to Setsuna's meddling and to those human... observers."

"There's also the demons and their senses," Orion respectfully added. This time it was easy to bug. Mercury knew about the meeting and its location ahead of time.

Mercury smiled thinly. "Yes, we must not forget them. So what do you think of their conversation?"

"The Princess aims to forge an alliance. I think she's resolved to take action against us." Orion said carefully. She had seen what her Mistress was capable of, but knew that a sycophantic evaluation would not be wise.

Mercury laughed and re-crossed her legs. She idly adjusted the skirting to her dark blue silk evening dress. "Interesting. She's making a plan, good. I would be very disappointed in the Princess if she just sat back and took it."

Orion studied her mistress. She swore that today's corset was a bit tighter, but more important was the bust increase. Her eyes slid over to the statuary next to the throne. Unsurprisingly, the detail was amazing.

Mercury started tapping her manicured nails with deliberate impatience. "Are you enjoying your view?"

"Oh yes Mistress," Orion blushed and bowed.

"I appreciate it, but don't be too servile." Mercury snickered. "So the Princess aims to fight? Good. I want her to learn from this."

"I would assume you'd want the Princess to move into her chambers here sooner rather than later," Orion stated. The townhouse they were currently inhabiting, generously funded by their backer, had ample room for all the Senshi.

"If things had gone better last night she would have moved in here within a fortnight." Mercury glowered. Her original plan was to leverage the Mistress Lyra _threat_ to get them to move into this newly acquired place.

Convincing Setsuna to make the purchase would have been the hard part, but Mercury was sure that the others would find this place irresistible. Once the Senshi were moved in she could have initiated the next phase. Mercury sighed. Things would not be that easy. She thanked her foresight in making contingency plans.

"The Princess will be living here soon enough," Mercury promised.

"She is the most sympathetic to our cause," Orion laughed.

"Maybe not," Mercury said as she looked at her display again. "Maybe the Princess's new ally would be more open to us." She turned to the statue and smiled.

"I think DarkStar would approve," Orion remarked. Virgo did make a good objet d'art. The icy glaze that kept the presentation in position added a new layer to the piece.

"Are you sure?" Mercury frowned. "She prefers more... visceral punishments." She stood up and walked the short distance, her heels clicking on the floor.

"Visceral?" Orion asked, puzzling over the term's use. "She does like organs and is a more emotional and instinctual creature."

Mercury smiled thinly. "That and her enemies have the pleasure of being eviscerated as they're being eaten, of course."

"Of course," Orion agreed.

She caressed the frozen cheek and smirked at the smoldering eyes. "I am not nearly so exuberant or emotional in my desires. Physical pain is only part of it, and it would be such a shame to ruin these nice hardwood floors."

"I think DarkStar would understand that," Orion ventured as she walked closer to her mistress.

"I suppose," Mercury looked Virgo up and down, her eyes lingering on Virgo's chest. She smirked. "Have you learned your lesson?" she asked the purple-haired statue.

Virgo tried with all her will to escape the icy prison. Physical strength proved ineffective, and her powers had been controlled by Mercury. Her face could not even change its position. She was stuck in an alluring pout.

Mercury put a gloved hand to her lip in thought. "If not, I suppose I can start freezing your limbs. Would that make things clear enough for you?"

"Would you like to resume training or have dinner?" Orion asked, turning away from the icy statue.

"Well, Virgo is currently indisposed, and will be for a while," Mercury frowned. Virgo was a good trainer and a fair cook too.

"We could train with the caster. I had just finished testing the room's shielding," Orion offered. Before she planted the bug she had been working in that basement room. "There won't be any magical leakage."

"While it was nice of our benefactor to furnish us with that facility, I am disappointed by the capabilities it had," Ami said as she smiled inwardly. Just a few short months ago the caster was nearly impossible, and now...

"We did just finish upgrading the caster's power," Orion reminded.

"Yes," Mercury turned to Orion. "Are you sure about the shielding?"

"Planning to go all out tonight?" Orion asked with a smirk. "And yes, it's checked out and ready."

"Good, I don't want anybody to sniff out my efforts," Mercury laughed.

"Would you like dinner before hand? I could cook if you desire."

Mercury gave a noncommittal shrug.

"At least the wine cellar is well stocked," Orion weakly offered.

"And how are your skills as a sommelier?" Mercury asked.

"A what?" Orion delicately asked.

Mercury contained her disappointment. "You should have been able to figure that out via context."

"I'm sorry Mistress," Orion tried to kneel down but found herself being held up. She looked to see Mercury's cold features gently thaw.

"Thank you," Orion said as she fell onto Mercury's cold, but loving, embrace.

Mercury pulled Orion back to her feet, and kissed her. "I am eternally thankful for the changes you brought within me. Never forget that."

"I won't," Orion said with a secret smile.

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"Hello, my name's Nabiki Saotome," the girl dressed in her Saint Helena uniform introduced herself to her new classmates.

"Maybe you could tell us more about yourself?" Miss Agnew asked the eager and young student.

"I'm the youngest of five sisters." Nabiki paused and wondered how exactly to play this. Glancing at the bored students before her, she made her decision. "My favorite color's pink. I'm studying my family history now. Many mark my mother as a monster. Mainly malevolent misfits that must meet their maker."

"Clever wordplay," Miss Agnew pleasantly offered. Her new student's transcripts indicated a very bright and driven student.

Nabiki smiled. Fun was definitely the better way to go. "Thank you. I think I'll find this experience informative."

"Uh, that's very nice." Miss Agnew hesitated. She was reminded by "Village of the Damned" Those children were pale and gifted too. She pointed an empty seat for Nabiki to take.

The powder-blue-haired girl sat down and opened her backpack. She closed her eyes and briefly smiled at the bare connection. Mother was trying her best and actually managed to connect to her. Nabiki's thoughts on how long her mom could keep it up were interrupted however.

"Wow, you're pretty dolled up," A girl with her hair in a ponytail to the side remarked.

Nabiki looked over her thin, frameless, and nonfunctional reading glasses. The girl would be pretty, if not for the overdone eyeliner. "I like pink and am cute. What's your excuse?"

"_Your_ makeup makes you look fourteen," the girl shot back.

"I am," Nabiki then gave an adorable smile. "And I suppose you're really the malodorous corpse of a prostitute that serviced circus folk."

The overly made-up girl's face reddened in anger and she prepared a retort, but there was something about the innocent face that was... upsetting.

Nabiki smirked inwardly and turned her attention to the teacher. Maybe this could be fun.

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"You guys like being back in school?" Naoko asked Sunshine and her... friends

"Things feel a bit more normal," Nariko admitted as she picked at her lunch.

"I can see that," Sam stated. Their table had suddenly gotten much fuller. She turned to the new addition to the group. She was apparently another cousin or something to Sunshine. Though she was awfully familiar with Sunny's other cousin Ukyou. "What do you think Misako?"

"The uniforms aren't bad, I guess." Misako frowned. At least they were not jumpers.

"I still think we should all wear ones like... Sunny's old uniform," Akane grumbled.

"I don't know about that," Ranma shrugged.

"There's enough of us now to make a good set."

"You know that old uniform of mine still has a skirt," Ranma reminded.

"Better than this one," Akane said fingering the hem of hers.

Naoko looked over to the table that Sunshine's other acquaintances sat at. The decreased number was not unexpected. She and Sam did learn about the falling out yesterday, but it did remind her. "Huh, so anyone know what happen to Ami and Janet? They're not in school today."

"Nope." Ranma then went back to her food. She concentrated to sense Nabiki. Despite the distance the connection remained strong.

"Must be related to their fight with Usagi," Sam guessed.

"Yeah, probably that."

"So uniforms then?" Misako asked.

"We could vote on it," Nariko offered.

"What about you guys?" Ukyou asked Naoko and Sam. "You want darker uniforms with fishnets? I'm sure we can make something in your size."

Naoko blushed while Sam was contemplative.

Ranma looked at the others. "I don't even think we need a vote. I mean do any of you want the normal uniform?"

Naoko sipped her juice. "Well, maybe not every day."

"Oh that's not part of the fun," Sam pouted.

"I er... I guess," Naoko pulled back from the others slightly. "So any idea on us going out?"

"There's the Red Turtle; they'll have some live music on Wednesday," Ranma offered.

"You've been there?" Sam asked.

"What's it like?" Naoko inquired.

"Nice, mellow. I've never been there when they have music, but if it's bad we can do something else." Ranma went back to her lunch.

"And don't worry about the age thing," Ukyou added.

"Especially if you wear anything Sunny helped you buy," Nariko reminded.

"That reminds me," Ranma pushed around some of her lunch. "Someone else will be coming with us."

"Another cousin of yours?" Sam asked.

"Uh yeah," Ranma coughed.

"You'll like Yuki-chan," Misako assured.

"I'm sure she'll be great; she's a part of your family," Sam said as she looked at each of the pale girls in turn.

"Thanks," Ranma said blushing with pride.

Naoko nodded in agreement. She vaguely wondered why this new friend of Ranma's was not in school, but she let it slide. There were plenty of reasons: Yuki doesn't live around here, she goes to a different school, or the like. Regardless, she trusted Sunshine.

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Nabiki frowned as she walked down the hall. This was not fun. "Yes, I am developed," she said to a boy. "You know, if you want to be lewd you might as well give a good shot at it."

"What?" the short-haired boy asked. "You're just a big bimbo."

Nabiki sighed. "You impotent little moron. That doesn't make any sense. I'm clearly smarter than all of you and I'm not big; I'm short."

"Girly little brain," he sniffed and walked off.

"That's actually better, though not an insult," Nabiki yelled to his retreating back. She growled and resumed walking down the hallway.

"Are you alright?" Miss Agnew asked after approaching the pale girl. She felt apprehensive, but it was part of the job.

Nabiki looked up to the teacher. "Yes."

"Are you sure? I've seen your performance today."

"Performance?" Nabiki idly played with the pair of the bows in her hair.

Miss Agnew felt that something was amiss. She remained silent as her student moved from her hair to checking her too cute makeup.

"Yes, your performance. You're a brilliant student, but you're not good at making friends." Miss Agnew explained.

Nabiki put away her compact. "I'm not that interested in making friends with children like this."

"Aren't you younger than the other students?"

"Disappointing isn't it," Nabiki sighed.

Miss Agnew shivered slightly. "Yes, that is bad, but the class work will get better."

"I doubt it." Nabiki then noticed the hurt on her teacher's face. "You're a fine teacher, but..." She shrugged.

"You've been advanced a year already," Miss Agnew cautioned. "Maybe you need to grow your social skills some, keep a bit of pace with your academic ones."

"That would make the fools around me even more insufferable," Nabiki replied.

Miss Agnew frowned. "Are you sure? That's awfully cynical of an attitude. You sound almost like a teacher."

Nabiki laughed. She was sure _Yuki_ would have been happy here. Accommodatingly cute was a great way to make friends, but Mother had to be supportive and nurture her dreams. "I guess we just have to make the most of our situation."

"So you'll try to be less brash with your classmates?" Miss Agnew asked as they neared the front doors.

"Not exactly," Nabiki opened the doors and noticed her ride.

Miss Agnew frowned at the pair of people leaning on an idling van that Nabiki ran to. The male one was casually nondescript. He had short black hair and wore clothes that made him look like any white collar drone. The dark sunglasses and stance added a bit too much "forced coolness" for Agnew's tastes.

The other person waiting was something else. She looked like a biker babe that had settled down enough to have kids and a permanent address. The woman's sinfully teased crimson tresses induced pangs of envy in the teacher. The way the leather pants, coat, and silk blouse hung from the woman's body caused another pang.

Agnew then watched the redhead happily scoop up Nabiki and pull the younger girl off her feet. After the warm embrace, Nabiki and her mother, it had to be a mother, went into the van. The relation was obvious, both had the same complexion, and Agnew could see where Nabiki got her assets from.

The nondescript man lingered just long enough to give Miss Agnew a funny salute with his thumb and pointer finger connected, held over his eye, and then tipped foreword and out.

It was only after he had slipped into the front passenger seat of the van and it had driven off that Agnew realized something. The redhead who had easily lifted Nabiki off her feet was almost the exact same height as her daughter.

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"So you're not so sure about that school?" Ranma asked her daughter. She and Nabiki were at the kitchen table. On the ride home, Nabiki had explained her day.

"Well maybe," Nabiki looked down at her Saint Helena uniform. "I don't know if high school would be that much better."

"Oh?"

"Well, I'm not sure things will be better if I'm a freshmen. Then the ages will be even more apparent, but they will be older."

"And high schoolers are supposed to be tragically jaded and sarcastic," Ranma sweetly reminded.

"Thanks Mom," Nabiki laughed. "It was a bit of a shock, I didn't think it would be so..." She shook her head. "I'm just too damn cute."

Misako had entered the room and poured herself some juice. "Sure you don't want to go to high school just because the stock's a bit more mature?"

Ranma turned to Misako. "What did I say about draining horny teenage boys?"

"That it's way too easy and none of those pathetic meat-bags are worthy to touch the glorious flesh of someone from this family?"

"Close enough. Interesting choice of words too." She said with deliberate delicateness.

Misako stood very still. "Yes, Mother." She said slowly as she replaced the juice bottle.

Nabiki saw her sister falter and stepped in. "It's not like she's calling all humans meat-bags. Just those ones at school."

Misako coughed. "Yes, the humans we work with are great people." She stepped from her mother.

"Yes, they are," Ranma continued, seemingly ignoring her daughter's fear. "But those boys at school, they're just teenagers. It's their nature."

"Yes, you're right." Misako said before quickly leaving the room.

"That was mean," Nabiki quietly and told her mother.

"Was it?" Ranma shrugged. "So you'll be changing the type of fools you have to deal with." She shook her head. There was a slight buzzing in the back of her head. It faded and she dismissed it.

"But I'll be with my big sisters, and you."

"I know." Ranma knew that it would be more secure too. Nabiki would not be alone. The surveillance teams would also be consolidated. "It's your choice." She frowned the sensation had returned.

Nabiki looked down. "I think I'll know by tomorrow. I mean, I kind of want to fit in more, and what if moving doesn't help?"

"That sounds fine, Honey," Ranma reassured as her phone started to ring.

Ranma answered and was rewarded by a concerned voice. "Ma'am?"

"Yes, Maya?" Ranma asked, recognizing the voice.

"We just detected a warm body in the dojo. Are you doing any teleport training?" Agent Maya Iverson asked.

"No," Ranma said her voice growing cold. Akane and Ukyou were going to train in a few minutes but there was nothing now. "Any pattern?"

"No, nothing. Maybe human."

Ranma stood up. "Nabiki bring the others down. It looks like we have another trespasser." She then put her head back to the phone. "Maya any idea how this happened?" Ranma asked as she unfolded her senses.

"There was some electrical interference. We're getting more information," Maya apologized. "Do you want support?"

"Have them on standby," Ranma focused on the dojo and picked out its occupant. It was human, but... She was reminded of the Senshi or Assemblymen. Both were modified human, but this person was... different, and he was staying in the same spot.

Ranma shrugged and casually walked over to the dojo. She slid the door open and prepared herself. What she found was a diminutive old man standing in front of the shrine. His hands were clasped behind his back and he looked like he was in an art gallery.

"You wouldn't happen to be a relative of mine?" Ranma asked in jest as shadows started to build and pool around her.

"I was really worried. I was afraid my lousy students would be lousy teachers, but here's their dojo and it's full of such... fascinating smells. You girls have been very busy in here." The man slowly turned to face her. He froze with an amazed look.

"You taught my father? Soun too? Oh dear," Ranma sighed. Even if this coot were telling the truth things could be a pain.

"I see Nodoka's influence," the old man noted, appraisingly.

"And the horns?" Ranma asked walking over to him. "You have no idea how dumb you've been."

"Oh?" He looked the woman over. "Well you only live once," he blurred and pounced at Ranma. He made contact with the demoness and just before he could get a grope in felt a hand slide between him and her chest. There was a flash of pain and he released and bounded away.

His robe had a series of horizontal slashes that had blood oozing through in a few spots. "Still worth it."

Ranma blinked. "You... you tried to drain me? What?"

"I like pretty ladies," the old man shrugged.

"Succubae drain human males, not the other way around," Ranma lectured watching him carefully.

"You're not going to keep an old man from having his fun." He then sobbed.

"Fun?" Ranma asked.

"You want us to bring in the old guys?" Ukyou shouted from the back door to the house.

"Uh, sure," Ranma said rubbing her chest with one hand.

"Oh good, so they are home," the old man laughed. He then watched as five smirking women in a box formation led his two students into the dojo. He felt that he had died and gone to... well someplace that had very nice women who were no doubt amenable to an old man's simple wishes.

"Explain," Ranma ordered pointing to the old man.

"You're looking well, Master," Genma said as he used a move Ranma immediately recognized: The Crouch of the Wild Tiger.

"Yes, it's good to see you Master Happosai," Soun said, entering a similarly submissive position.

"So, he really is your teacher?" Ranma asked.

"He is the founder and grandmaster of our school," Genma said.

"At least the new generation seems better," Happosai noted.

"Was he always... into breasts?" Ranma asked

"The Master is a virile man and enjoys the pleasures of the flesh," Soun said, hedging his words.

"Meaning?" Ranma asked impatiently as she looked at her father's teacher.

"He likes to grope women and take their underwear. He had an impressive collection," Genma admitted.

"That's no doubt moth-ridden, thanks to you," Happosai grumbled.

"So, he's a grizzled martial arts master, that likes a quick fondle and a souvenir?"

"Don't you try to ruin my fun."

"Uh, I've got a grandma who invaded Earth with a demonic army. If you get your kicks by having some hardly even dirty fun. I ain't gonna care."

"Oh you've made me so happy!" Happosai beamed.

"Course if you touch my kids, there won't even be any bones left." Ranma smiled warmly.

"Kids?" Happosai asked.

"Yes, they're mine. What's it too you?"

The old man pulled out a pipe. "That explains the scents and ki in here. It's all related and so very strong."

"So what? You just dropping in?"

"Well, I had to escape that little cave-in that those two -" the old man pointed to Genma and Soun. "- setup. It took a few years, but I managed."

Ranma smirked. "You actually tried to kill your master, Pops?" She laughed. "Figures you wouldn't make sure the body was good and dead."

"Pitiful isn't it?" Happosai agreed. "They got me drunk enough to pass out. They could have ended me then, but they didn't have the stone to do it themselves."

"So they just left you to die in a cave," Misako surmised.

Happosai looked forlornly at the green-eyed demonesses. "You sure they're your kids?"

"Yes, their age from birth is... I mean I turned them, well turned them to my brood." Ranma coughed. "They're mine."

Happosai waved it off. "I know about succubae. It's only natural given my hobby." He grinned lecherously. "I remember that Genma had a son for one."

"Yeah, well things changed."

"And now you're a sexy succubus."

"This must be some kinda dream for you right?" Ranma asked.

Happosai paused. "Well, you don't mind the bras. You're not weak like your father. Killer body that's oh so snuggly. Kids that at least seem competent. It's getting there."

He then walked over to the corner of the dojo and tugged at a large sack. After nearly minute of rummaging he then bounded to Ranma. "Here," he said handing a violet object over.

The redhead held the bra up. It was silk and was a bit overwrought in its lace detailing. "Not bad, it's the right size. Good eye on that."

Happosai looked contemplative. "So you're a demon, and you do martial arts."

"Yeah, had to modify the school." Ranma said with pride. "New balance, extra limbs, flying, and that stuff."

"I'd like to see that. So are you going to try it on?" Happosai asked leeringly.

Ranma shrugged and slipped out of her shirt and pulled off her bra. She smirked at the old man's reaction and quickly pulled on the new one. "Geeze, they're just boobs. Chill out."

"Oh you've made an old man so very happy," he sobbed. Noticing Ranma's old bra, Happosai ran up to it. "Such silky bliss," he said, rubbing the undergarment to his face.

"Wow, you really are a dirty old man," Ranma said fascinated and amused. The draining was interesting; it was like he _learned_ some demonic biology. She then smirked when the summoned clothing started to disintegrate.

"No!" Happosai cried as the bra started to dissolve. He tried to hold onto it, but the garment decayed, eventually becoming insubstantial wisps. "Why did you do that?" he asked pitifully.

"It's just how things work." Clothing summoned by a succubus tended to fade when separated from its creator. Though the rate of decay can be controlled.

"Does it happen with all your clothes?"

Ranma smiled evilly.

"Oh that just sucks," Happosai pouted. "I hope your girls aren't as plainly dressed as you."

Misako smiled. "Finally, someone who agrees with me."

"I'm not that fond of frilly stuff," Ranma said crossing her arms over he chest.

"Yes, you're more of a sexy functional," Happosai said appraisingly. "So what's are these modified moves like?"

"That a challenge?" Ranma asked, shifting into her violet Lycra unitard.

"Oh I like spunk," Happosai smirked.

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The first thing Major Saotome noticed was the jagged hole in the dojo's roof. It was above the front entrance and quite large. Nodoka then caught a glimpse of the sparring. The thermal visuals from base did not do it justice.

She silently watched as two figures danced around each other. Fast, predatory grace defined her daughter's powerful moves, but her diminutive opponent was even nimbler. The small figure was even more difficult to track. Nodoka also noticed four of her granddaughters were also watching.

He noticed Nodoka's presence and bounded over to her. "Hi No-chan. Long time no see."

Ranma used the opportunity and tried to grapple him to the ground, but he wormed out of her grip.

"Attacking while my back was turned," Happosai shook his head.

Ranma smirked, and wiped her brow.

"Nice touch that." Happosai turned back to Nodoka. "You've got a good kid. Spirited, but she's not too respectful of her elders."

"Groping old goat," Ranma grumbled as she caught her breath. "You still kept goin' after my boobs."

"You were free to stop me," Happosai smirked.

"I see you haven't changed much," Nodoka remarked.

Happosai smiled broadly. "So what's with the soldier getup? You with these other guys?"

"Yes, I wanted to find my daughter and they offered to help," Nodoka explained. There was also the pride of her work, knowing how it helped agents, but there was no need to tell him that.

"Ranma was a girl that long ago?"

"Nope." Ranma adjusted her unitard.

"So Genma did take you on that training trip," Happosai remarked. He looked the sweaty succubus over. "Didn't do to badly with that at least."

Ranma beamed. "You're not to shabby yourself. Been a long time since I sparred like that."

"You were holding back, though," Happosai remarked.

"Yeah, I didn't use my claws, tail spines, or fireballs. Would be a shame to shorten the fun," Ranma smiled toothily.

"Fun? You call me hitting you mercilessly as you lumbered around fun?"

"Feh, it wasn't that bad."

"You were sent flying through the roof," Happosai remarked.

"So? I came right back."

Happosai nodded. "It is handy having a student that won't get worn down, not like that pair of idiots."

"I have tea," Nariko said as she walked up to the dojo carrying a tray.

"Ranma's a very serious student," Nodoka said.

"Yes it shows. She's a lot like you," Happosai blurred and then latched onto her chest. "Oh I've missed this, such-" He was cut off as a pair of red beams hit his body and knocked him off.

"I know you're happy to see grandma, but it's impolite to be grabby," Nariko gently chastised as she put down the tea set. She idly rubbed her eyes.

"Thank you Nari-chan," Nodoka complimented.

"That's great, Honey," Ranma said hugging her daughter. "How long have you been able to do this?"

Nariko blushed. "Just now. I wanted to stop him from touching Grandma."

Happosai shook his head and pulled himself back to his feet. "Ouch... why didn't you use that on me?" he asked Ranma as he patted the burn marks on his clothes.

"Because my eyebeams would burn right through you," Ranma smiled at Nariko. "We'll have to strengthen up your own beams, Honey."

"Fine, ruin all my fun," Happosai pouted.

Ranma rolled her eyes. "Oh please we're not a bunch of prudes."

"I wouldn't want to be touched by a wrinkled old man," Akane commented.

Ranma tilted her head. "You know Happi, I think Akane volunteered for the next sparring match."

Happosai smirked. "I like the way you think, Red."

"Training shouldn't be a cakewalk. So you decided to track Genma down? What'd you do, find out where Drake was living?"

"Not exactly," Happosai said as he sized up Akane.

"Mom?" Akane asked.

"You'll be fine," Ranma waved a hand. "So how did you find us?"

"It was weird. I was enjoying the generous donations of some very lovely ladies when a gaijin priest sat down next to me." Happosai smiled fondly.

"Priest?" Nodoka asked.

Ranma coughed.

"We got to talking and it turns out he was a friend of The Drake. Crazy third wheel to my idiot students."

"And of course he knew where to find the Drake," Ranma sighed. How predictable.

"And where Soun lived too, funny guy. Was really loose for a priest." Happosai shrugged.

"Pardon?" Nodoka then exchanged a glance with Ranma.

"Describe him," Ranma asked.

"Average enough guy. Grey eyes I guess. Fidgeted a bit. You know, just a guy." Happosai paused.

"Nothing more specific?"

"I don't pay attention to guys. Not my thing," Happosai shrugged.

"He give a name?" Ranma asked guessing who it was.

"Minister Prembrose."

"First name Murdock by any chance?"

"He didn't give it, but maybe."

"We have some pictures of Murdock you can look at," Nodoka offered.

"It's probably him," Ranma sighed. "So why would he do that?"

Happosai gave a measured look. "He wanted me here. That's obvious. So you know this guy? What's his deal?"

"He's just some mook that likes causin' trouble," Ranma explained.

"We believe, he is trying to orchestrate events," Nodoka said.

"Take over the world, dark conspiracies, back room dealings," Ranma's tone was disdainful and bored.

"Aren't you a demon that's working with some sort of secret military thing?" Happosai asked.

"I've got a good thing with them."

"Now who to train," Happosai pondered. "My lousy students or your kids?"

"You never did properly greet them," Ranma smirked.

"And they haven't left yet," Nodoka helpfully added. "They're still in the den drinking."

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"I can't believe there wasn't anything in Ami's room," Makoto said as she looked at the cold beverages.

"What, you expect her to have an 'I heart Mistress Lyra' poster in her room?" Rei asked as she looked around the convenience store. She saw the two blondes over by the frozen foods aisle looking morose.

"There could have been some notes or plans," Makoto defended.

"Why? She kept everything on her computer," Rei pulled a bottle of pop out. "I'm disappointed that Janet's mom didn't have any info."

"What? Setsuna talked to her. Doctor Fraiser thinks her daughter is at space camp or something out in Colorado," Makoto frowned.

"Clearly, they got to her, messed with her mind," Rei scowled.

"Had to have. Janet couldn't have been around for what, couple of years?"

"But Doc Fraiser thought she adopted Janet a long time ago," Rei smirked. "We still have to watch her. Janet's mom is either a patsy or another minion."

"That's not a nice thing to say about my mom," Orion lazily remarked as she entered from the back hallway that led to the bathrooms. She held her double-bladed staff with one end resting on her shoulder.

"Traitor!" Rei shouted as she immediately transformed.

Makoto turned to the front and was dismayed and unsurprised to see Virgo and Mercury walk in through the front door.

"Don't give me a reason to punish you again," Mercury icily said to Virgo. The former Amazon angrily nodded and turned towards the blondes.

"What's this a costume contest?" the half-stoned clerk asked. The flashy lights were a shock.

"Something like that," Mercury smirked as she stood in front of him.

He smiled vaguely. "You're sure to win dressed like that."

"Thank you," Mercury said and snapped her fingers in front of his face.

"Huh?," the clerk mumbled as he collapsed to the ground.

"You monster!" Rei accused.

Mercury sighed and turned to the Senshi. "Only one of you had the sense to transform?"

"So this is Virgo?" Minako asked. She looked between Virgo's ample chest and Mercury's corseted bosom contemplatively.

Mercury raised an eyebrow.

"I'm going to save you," Usagi's face as stern and she grabbed for her broach.

"Let's see," Mercury smirked as she sauntered over to the blondes.

There was a pair of flashes and Venus stepped in between Mercury and her Princess. Mercury smiled thinly as she rapped a folded tessen against Venus' head. The blonde dodged but was then attacked by Virgo.

"Should have summoned your sword," Mercury laughed

"No!" Jupiter shouted as tried to jump over to Moon.

Orion slipped her staff between Jupiter's legs and then twisted it. The brunette tumbled to the ground and her left leg was sliced when Orion pulled her staff out.

"Don't kill her," Mercury ordered Virgo. "I have plans for Venus."

"Yes Mistress," Virgo sighed.

"You can stop this," Mercury stepped closer to her princess.

Moon narrowed her eyes. "Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss." The brilliant flash bloomed enveloped Mercury and then died down.

"Tingly," Mercury laughed and adjusted her corset. "I'm not some phage, but it's good to see you had the stone to at least try."

"You save the princess, I'll take care of Naru," Jupiter said as she stood back up. The bleeding from her cut had slowed down.

Mars nodded and took aim. "Mars Flame Sniper!" She then ran down the aisle.

Mercury twisted and flipped open a fan and intercepted the burning arrow. The other tessen she pointed towards the floor at the head of the aisle.

Mars ignored that her attack missed and put her heel down... and lost her footing. The patch of ice was thin but large enough. Slamming into the counter at the front of the store Mars groaned in pain.

"Girls who wear high heels to a fight should watch where they walk," Mercury sermonized. She turned to see Virgo dodging around Venus' chain.

"Quit playing with her, and just knock her out." Mercury ordered.

Virgo nodded and caught the end of the Love Me chain with one sword and then used the flat of the other to knock out Venus's left foot. Pulling the chain, Virgo toppled the unbalanced Senshi and proceeded to chain her up.

"This is all a game to you, you sick bitch," Mars growled as she stood back up, careful to avoid the ice patch.

"No, this is deadly serious to me." For the first time Mercury sounded genuinely insulted.

Mars snarled and tried to shoot another arrow. Blocking with her tessen, Mercury closed in. She flipped her fans over and launched a barrage of icicles at Mars. The black-haired Senshi shrieked as thin icicles punctured her arms.

"Rei!" Jupiter and Moon cried. Jupiter then yelped when Orion trusted forward with her staff.

Orion's smirk died when Jupiter fired a blast at her. Orion dodged on the inside and spun the staff around and hit Jupiter on the head just under the blades. She leaned over Jupiter with a slight smirk. "Learn to fight in close."

Jupiter's left hand shot up and grabbed Orion's neck while her right held the staff away. "Same for you," she said as she squeezed Orion's neck.

Orion struggled and pulled her neck out of the grip, but Jupiter responded by holding her staff with two hands. Orion kept her face neutral as the two struggled over the long, bladed weapon.

Jupiter leveraged the staff over the shorter girl and pressed her against the wall. Orion growled and tried to kick the brunette but Jupiter easily evaded. "Forgot that I'm actually a martial artist."

"Oh I didn't," Orion smirked. "I was just stalling."

Jupiter frowned and then twisted away and jumped when Virgo charged her with a pair of swords.

"Damn your goons," Mars said as she pulled some of the icicles out of her arms.

"At least mine can act like a team," Mercury smirked as she iced the ground under Mars' feet.

Mars jumped up and landed on the counter. "Nice try." The weakened surface creaked and broke apart in a cloud of ice and frost. Mars fell into a heap with the passed out clerk.

"I thought so," Mercury smirked. It was satisfying to see a plan come together.

Mars swore and clawed her way over the broken counter. She landed on the iced tile carefully and took a step forward, or tried to. She looked down to see the ice creeping over her heels. Swearing again she slipped out of her shoes and landed on some clear tile.

Mercury frowned at the bare feet. "Why didn't you just flash your power? You control fire."

Rage contorting her face, Mars glared. Flames sprung up around her gloves and she charged forward.

"Excellent," Mercury said as she blocked the flaming fists with her tessen. Behind her smirk she wondered. The fans would hold up; they were designed to take much more than this.

"Damn you!" Mars punched down and connected with Mercury's ice skirt, shattering some of the frozen pleats. Mars could have sworn she saw fear in the traitor's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by bored disdain.

"Dirty," Mercury noted, inwardly relieved that the armor of her skirt absorbed the blow. "Feels good doesn't it?" she smarmily asked. Getting Mars mad was easy, and it negated her advantages. Rei's attacks were accurate and quick, at range. Close quarters was another issue.

"Shut up," Rei hissed, as she blindly dove forward.

Unsummoning her tessen, Mercury reached out and grabbed Mars' hands and for a few seconds ice and fire battled. Steam started to billow through the room. The ice crystal on Mercury's tiara flared, and the steam died down, as did the flames. Mars tried to pull out when the crystalline water started to creep up her arms.

Mars' eyes and arms flared and the ice shattered. "I won't go down that easily."

"Good," Mercury smirked unpleasantly. Inwardly her mind raced, Rei was putting up more of a fight than she predicted. Her smirk grew into an evil grin as she recalled Virgo's lessons.

Mars grinned as the flames strengthened, she then nearly stumbled as Mercury suddenly pulled her in closer. Mars' confusion was short lived as Mercury suddenly rammed her knee into Mar's chin.

Mars fell to the ground in a groaning heap. Still laughing, Mercury looked down at her broken skirt. "Easily enough fixed," she said as her skirt grew back to its full size. She also stepped back discretely.

"You bitch," Mars swore as she pulled herself back up and her flames sprung back.

Mercury smiled as she recalled her tessen. She spread the fans and flicked two arcs of icicles at Mars. "It's just a few puncture wounds," Mercury remarked to the fallen Mars.

Mars got up, and felt the shards of ice start to melt. Several large splashes of watery blood fell to the ground. After shouting out, she clasped her hands and a lance of fire burst out.

Mercury twisted her tessen in front of her; the sheets of ice composing them expanding to shield her from the blast. Immediately after it died down she lunged forward.

Mars was knocked full to the ground and found the edge of a spread fan pushed to her neck. Mars gasped and tried to rip the tessen away.

"Naughty Rei," Mercury mocked as she used the other tessen as a bludgeon. She shook some blood off the end of the fan. "Least your thick head was good enough for something."

"What did you do?" Moon demanded as she marched forward.

Mercury looked down at the unconscious woman. "Don't worry, it's not that bad. I know what I'm doing." She smiled coldly.

Moon looked around. Minako was tied up. Rei was knocked out and Makoto was down with multiple sharp implements pressing into her chest and neck. "You think you've won?" she asked, her voice depressed and angered.

"I'd hardly call defeating girls like this a victory." Mercury sighed.

"You haven't beaten me yet," Moon stepped forward.

Mercury laughed. "That's not how it works. No, the villain takes out all the princess's guards and then when it's darkest she wins." She leaned in close and whispered. "And I'm sorry Princess, but this isn't even close to darkest."

Moon pulled back and gasped. "You are a monster."

"Monster?" Mercury smiled widely. "Do you want that? It'll speed things up. One word and Orion and Virgo will plunge their blades into Makoto."

"No..."

"And don't think you could bring her back. You couldn't bring Mamoru back. You couldn't bring the woman and child the Will killed. You won't bring Makoto back."

"What's wrong with you! You have to fight this! This isn't you!" Usagi pleaded.

"You're right. That isn't me." Mercury paced over to Mars. "I could kill her too. Be so easy, too easy."

The corseted Senshi chuckled and then walked to Venus. "Bondage does suit her," she said kneeling down.

"Gonna threaten to kill her too?" Moon asked.

"Oh no, I have plans for Minako." Mercury laughed. "You've all forgotten her potential. Shame."

"No."

"What?" Mercury asked.

"No." Moon's eyes focused on Mercury's. "You won't take her. This ends now."

Mercury clenched her teeth.

"I want my friend back," Moon stated. "And I won't let you hurt them."

"Really now?" Mercury's smirk was short lived as a kick caught the crouching girl in the chin.

"Moon Kick!" Moon shouted as Mercury flew back and crashed into a few shelves of bread.

Mercury shook he head and looked at the vengeful blonde. "You hit me," she said wiping some blood off her lips. "Wonderful."

"Even though I've ended up fighting enemies alone, it's the love of my friends that keeps me going," Moon said as she confidently strode forward.

"You don't have to be alone," Mercury said as she stood up. Her eyes briefly darted around to make sure that Virgo and Orion were covering Makoto and that Rei and Minako were still out of action.

"Stop." Moon ordered.

Mercury's eyes immediately returned to the princess.

"You're going to stop your madness. I'm your Princess and you will not defy me." Moon balled her hands.

"That's how you're gonna play it?" Mercury asked through her teeth.

Moon glared at the spilled blood and hurt friends. "Yes. I'll do whatever it takes."

"Just like me," Mercury laughed. "So do you want me to leave?"

"You're not going to let me try and purify you?" Usagi inquired.

"Like it'll work the second time," Mercury rolled her eyes. "I've got things to do, Virgo, grab Minako when we leave. Orion destroy the security tapes from the back room."

"You're not taking Minako." Moon's voice was forceful and her body hummed with power.

Mercury narrowed her eyes. "Fine be that way." She wandered towards the back of the store.

While Orion covered, Virgo forcefully rolled Makoto over and stepped back so Mercury could hogtie her with ice. "Orion, I still want you to take care of those tapes now."

Orion nodded and broke into the back room.

"I'm going to defeat you," Moon promised as Mercury returned to the front of the store.

"Of course you will." Mercury stepped over Mars, careful not to get any blood on her heels. "I wouldn't expect any less from you."

"You're not a monster, I'm gonna save you," Moon pulled her hands up and after saying the magic words a beam of purifying magic flared out and hit Mercury square in the chest.

Mercury cleared her throat. "Are you done?"

Moon's arms fell to her sides. It was easier when Mercury was being violent, egotistical, and prideful. When she showed pity, it was hard.

Mercury stepped in and hugged the depressed Princess. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you have people worthy of you." Her hand slipped just inside Moon's skirt and caressed the area where thigh became butt.

"Huh?" Moon asked as her body blushed at the physical contact.

"Come with me," Mercury whispered. "I promise you'll like it."

Moon's eye widened. She gasped and tried to squirm away. "Let go of me," she asked her voice hardly a whisper.

Mercury kept holding her. "Are you sure?"

"Got the tapes, Mistress," Orion said as she and Virgo came to the front of the store.

"Last chance." Mercury offered as she largely succeeded at smiling warmly.

Despite her blush, Usagi looked serious. "No."

Mercury ended the embrace. "Maybe later then." She smirked at Venus' fearful expression. "Let's go girls."

As the trio made their way to the door, Moon took half a step forward. She hesitated and then stepped backwards. The last she heard from Mercury was her thanking Virgo for her work. The blonde then fell to the floor and with twitching fingers managed to call Setsuna on her communicator.

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"These are great uniforms," Sam remarked as she adjusted the black blouse to her new uniform. She smiled at her reflection.

"I think the fishnets may be a bit much," Naoko said, looking at herself in the mirror.

Ranma left the stall and took a sink next to her friends.

"Thanks for the uniforms, Sunny," Sam complimented.

"Yeah, it's great that you could make them so quick," Naoko added.

"It was nothing, the others helped." Ranma looked up as she washed her hands. It did feel nice to be back in this uniform.

"Did Nabiki help?" Sam playfully asked.

Ranma blinked. After her second day at Saint Helena Nabiki had made up her mind. The redhead smiled at her friends. "Nabiki Saotome, Misako's little sister or Nabiki Tendo, Akane's big sister?"

Naoko laughed. "I don't see Nabiki Tendo ever helping sew some skirts."

"Now little Yuki-chan. She'd do it." Sam evaluated.

"It's also great to see a brainiac that's not some meek eager to please pushover."

"Definite improvement in Nabikis," Naoko remarked. "She's half Tendo's size, and half the smirking con artist."

"Though the pink is a bit much," Sam considered.

"I think it works for her. She is fourteen."

"You don't find her odd?" Ranma asked. Nabiki had said no one would be able to connect Nabiki Tendo with Nabiki Saotome. Ranma's suggestion that she go as Nabiki

"Oh she's strange, but so what? Normal people are boring." Sam pulled out a compact and touched up her makeup.

"Shame Tendo already left, we never got to see how she would react to 'Yuki-chan'." Naoko smiled. Misako's pet name for her little sister was cute. Though the circle that could use it was even smaller than the people who could call Sunshine Sunny. So far only Sunshine or Misako had called her Yuki, but it was only the first day.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Like Tendo would care about some cute and smart girl with the same first name as her. She didn't care about Nabiki Sato."

"What do you think Sunny?" Naoko closed her compact.

"Of course I like Nabiki. She's family."

"Yes you do dote over your cousins." Naoko smiled.

"Heck, you dote over all your friends." Sam put on some lipstick. "You're like a mom to all of us."

Ranma blushed. "Thanks guys."

"So you looking forward to going out tonight?" Sam asked as they left the bathroom.

"Of course," Ranma smiled.

"We should get back to class," Naoko reminded.

"We've got time. It's still lunch period." Sam smiled at the shocked looks at their uniforms. That was still a blast.

"Wanna go back to the table?" Naoko asked.

"Sure, eight girls dressed like this at one table's bound to make quite the scene"

"Yes," Ranma stuck her tongue out. "We found that out just a few minutes ago. People were whispering all around us."

Sam smiled toothily. "Well, let's give them an encore."

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"This is nice," Naoko said from a corner booth to the Red Turtle. She sipped her beer. She was pleased to find that she was not the only one nursing their drink. At every other party she went to the kids would drink themselves stupid.

"But what happened to the music?" Sam asked.

"Ukyou's asking the bartender," Ranma said as she looked at her beer. Part of her wanted a Scotch but she did not want to tempt the others with hard liquor.

"Good dresses, you two," Misako complimented.

"Thanks, Sunny picked them out for us," Sam blushed. Leather did feel a bit odd but the black dress did look good on her.

"Sunny has good fashion sense," Nabiki smirked.

"And you look much older," Naoko tried to compliment.

Nabiki sipped her pop. "It's easy when you normally go for the cute and pink look."

"There's still pink trim on that cheongsam," Sam pointed out.

"I think removing her hair ribbons does more to make her look older," Akane remarked as she snuggled onto Nariko.

"Yeah, she could even pass for sixteen, maybe seventeen." Sam then looked down to her beer in thought.

"Oh no, I'm not that old," Nabiki blushed. "Sunny was the one to get me in."

"Yeah, she just talked to those coworkers of Kasumi's," Naoko said.

"How's things going with Kasumi?" Sam asked the girl she knew as Sunshine.

"Great," Ranma said a bit dreamily. "She's very strong, decisive, and really good in bed."

"Heh, of course you'd think of that," Sam said. Under her gruff exterior, Sunshine really was a soft and sensitive girl.

"So yeah there's no band tonight," Ukyou sighed as she slid back into the booth. "The drummer found out that the bass player was sleeping with his girlfriend, the lead singer."

"Isn't tonight's band the Discount Auto Parts?" Sam asked.

"Yeah."

"Well the bass player's a girl too."

"So?" Misako asked.

Sam chuckled. "Right, forgot that you're all lesbians."

"You don't know that I'm one," Nabiki pouted.

"Well the rest your family..." Naoko countered.

Nabiki laughed. "I guess that's a requirement of wearing the special uniform."

Naoko looked to Sam and blushed.

"So there's no music?" Sam sighed.

"Sunny could sing," Nariko offered.

Ranma's eyes widened. "Well, I'm not that good." She hesitated; it did move the subject away from her family.

"Yes you are; you sing all the time," Ukyou teased. "Ever since Auntie Saotome got you that book and then those tapes."

"They've got a karaoke machine." Misako added. "So it'll be easy."

"Yeah, do it Sunny!" Akane added.

Ranma's face valiantly tried to pale.

"You know you want to," Misako smirked.

"I'm not gonna get out of this?" Ranma looked to see that even the off-duty agents in the bar were, subtly of course, watching.

As one the girls smirked.

"Fine," Ranma sighed and motioned for the girls to let her out of the booth.

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Inspector Rebus sat at his desk. It was late but he had switched shifts with Rawlings. He looked up from the papers and photographs to see his partner standing above him.

"Something wrong, Rich?" Inspector Henderson asked. "Last night's case?"

"Yeah, It's that convenience store... fight," Rebus shrugged.

"Damn strange. There was ice and blood. We know at least two women had been hurt, but there wasn't enough for a mortal injury."

"And the clerk said there was a mess of girls in funny skirts and bows attacking some other girls. 'Course he was stoned out of his mind and passed out," Rebus grumbled as he got up and walked to the coffee machine.

"The security tapes were fried, but nothing was stolen." Henderson followed. "And some of the items were burnt."

"Don't forget that dent in the floor. Looks like something was bashed with a hammer. We're checking to see if any women went missing yesterday, but I'm not holding my breath." Rebus cringed at the poor quality coffee, at least it had caffeine.

"What? You think this is related to those rumors of skirted vigilante-girls?"

Rebus laughed. "I thought that stuff was misdirection. Maybe I still do." He sipped some more of the awful, warm beverage. "But the police weren't the first ones on scene."

"You mean those consulting guys? They arrived with forensics." Despite his better judgment Henderson poured himself a cup.

"Sure. Still it's odd that an anti-terrorism consultant group helping our department's Emergency Task Force would be at a nominally simple convenience store robbery."

"I thought Willard International Consulting was helping the RMCP's Emergency Response Team."

"My mistake." Inspector Rebus put down his mug. "You have to admit. Something's odd about that fight. All that ice, passed out clerk, nonsense about girls in corsets and ice, blood, fire damage, and nosey company."

"Things are getting strange," Henderson agreed.

Rebus nodded. "We'll keep at it. Someone had to have seen something, or someone will show up missing. We've got blood samples to match."

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Setsuna opened the door to the bar and immediately heard a seductive siren's call. Unconsciously smiling, she entered. An agent by the door nodded as she walked past. It was then that Setsuna caught full view of the singer.

From the tiny raised stage, the leather-clad redhead gave a saucy wink to the visitor. Setsuna stared at the singing succubus. "Wow, she can really hit the low notes."

"She's a natural," Maya Iverson remarked from the bar, next to Setsuna.

Setsuna raised an eyebrow at the agent and turned back to the stage. The smile grew and she could almost feel the sounds vibrating in her chest. For such a small woman, the redhead really knew how to project her voice.

Ranma finished her song and bowed to the applauding bar. She blushed at the calls for an encore, which did not entirely come from the her friends' table. "I'll be back for another song in a few minutes," she said into her microphone. She sauntered off the table and went straight to Setsuna.

"You like what you heard?" Ranma smiled suggestively.

"Should have known you'd have been able to sing like that," Setsuna shook her head.

Ranma smirked. "So what do you want? I wanna get back to my friends."

"Have you seen Ami or any of her minions?" Setsuna asked after ordering a martini.

"Not since the day Ami freaked out. I did hear about the convenience store thing." Ranma winced. "They really got stomped. Mostly because of those 'minions' as you call them."

"Yes, Mercury is good at leveraging her resources and knowledge."

"Of course, Shampoo's probably a better marital artist than all of you combined, tenacious too. Then there's Janet, bright girl."

"Troubling," Setsuna gulped down nearly half of her drink.

"That's an understatement, from what Usagi told me they would switch off. Janet would do the magical deflection while Shampoo would be the muscle."

Setsuna nodded.

"So are you digging for info or just giving it away?" Ranma looked at her watch pointedly.

Setsuna glared and finished off her drink. "Look, if Ami approaches you, don't help her. Call us."

"Oh, you actually got a plan for her?" Ranma asked, chuckling.

"Oddly enough, she was obeying Usagi's orders at the end. Maybe we can use that." Setsuna then ordered another drink.

"Yeah, Ami hasn't found a way to work around that," Ranma shook her head. "Careful, Usagi sounded pretty tempted by her offer."

Setsuna glared. "I have hope for our Princess."

"She was the only one that got a hit in." Ranma nodded. "But that's not enough, the other's aren't enough either. At least you seem to know that."

"Yes." Setsuna sipped her refilled glass. "In a way I'm glad Mercury did this to them. Now they'll take it seriously."

Ranma blinked. "That's blunt."

"We're beyond banal pleasantries," Setsuna put her glass down and left her tip.

"Good luck I guess," Ranma looked to the stage again.

"Oh? You don't want Ami to win?"

"Usagi'll make the right choice." Ranma smirked. "Or not."

Setsuna shook her head and walked out of the bar.

"That was your old girlfriend, right? What was that about?" Sam asked after easing up next to her friend.

Ranma shrugged. "She was just asking me about Ami."

"She knows Ami too? Strange."

"Nah, she's in charge of the exchange group."

"Okay," Sam was impressed that excuse might even be real, not that it mattered "So gonna go back to your singing?"

Ranma looked at the expectant friends and agents. "Yeah, I guess so." She then sauntered her way back to the stage.

"So what do you think of her ass?" Naoko asked when Sam returned to the booth.

"Shhh, Sunny's started." Sam then smiled and watched her friend begin to sing. "And it's quite nice, she's a lucky girl, Kasumi too."

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During the walk through the corridors, Kodachi steeled herself. She then exited the building and walked across the grass to the range. She grumbled at the sight. It was somehow wrong, for non-agents to get such latitude.

She knew the Company would employ NH contractors but this seemed to be taking things too far. She caught herself. Colonel Edwards and Commander Stillwater were overseeing this project. They knew what they were doing.

"Yes, Cadet?" Major Saotome asked when Kodachi got close enough. The officer then handed what had to be a custom handgun to one of the broodlings.

"I just want to speak with my sister, Ma'am." Kodachi automatically saluted and waited for Nodoka to return.

"That's fine." Nodoka saluted back and resumed talking with Ukyou.

Nariko walked to Kodachi. "Yes, sister?"

Kodachi frowned at the harshness in the last word. "I'm sorry about that. I shouldn't have been like that with you."

"No you shouldn't," Nariko replied flatly.

Kodachi shifted her feet. "So, how's things with you?"

"Fine, Grandma's been making some very interesting things," Nariko looked over her shoulder.

Kodachi was distracted by seeing Misako fire what should be a crew-served weapon at her shoulder.

"Sister?" Nariko coughed over the noise.

"Uh, yes, well I wanted to tell you that I'm going back to my training."

"That should help make you into a proper agent," Nariko wryly remarked.

Kodachi glared.

"Good then," Nariko laughed.

"So that's it?" Kodachi asked.

"Not quite," Nariko smirked and pounced.

Kodachi stepped back but was still caught in a strong hug.

"When you can stop flinching like this, we'll be better," Nariko whispered into Kodachi's ear.

Kodachi nodded and with considerable concentration wrapped her arms around her sister. "You haven't really changed. You're still the type of person to toss severed heads at frightened people."

"This time they're not just from fish," Nariko smirked. She had already apologized to Akane for doing that, and it was really funny.

Kodachi sniffed and broke out of the hug. "I suppose that's it."

Nariko rolled her eyes. "Well, you're trying to be more pleasant."

Kodachi looked over to see Captain Jarvis stride over to Ranma. The two conversed briefly.

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"Really? So what are they doing?" Ranma asked.

"We don't know. So far we've only picked up one pattern spike," Jarvis shrugged.

"And they're too far out of range to get more info?" Ranma bit her lip.

"The Assembly either screwed up or they're trying to get our attention."

"So, just giving me a heads up?"

Jarvis smirked. "The Commander's sending a helicopter to investigate."

"And I bet there'll be room." Ranma turned to Nodoka. "Hey Mom, what do you say to a field test of your guns?"

"Can we?" Misako enthusiastically asked as she cradled her gun. She relished the chance to show it off to her former comrades.

"So you're asking to be sent off to fight an unknown amount of Assemblymen?" Nodoka asked as she inspected the gun that Ukyou had just fired.

"It's recon. We'll see what's going on before doing anything," Ranma suggested.

"I'll inform the Commander," Jarvis pulled out a phone. "You take your girls and get ready by the warming helicopter." He said before talking to Stillwater.

"I guess these are ready to go." Nodoka opened a second storage case and handed a holster, some magazines, and a set of belts to Ukyou.

"Oooo... Leather nice," Ukyou appraised as she shifted into her Senshi uniform and slipped on the gun belt. At least she had some edge, especially since she had no idea what her Senshi powers were.

"What about me?" Misako pouted.

Nodoka smiled and handed a pair of ammunition boxes over.

"You don't go halfway," Kodachi noted with a tinge of jealousy.

"Accessories are easy," Nodoka shrugged.

"You can go," Jarvis said as he closed his phone.

"Right, let's go girls," Ranma ordered.

Kodachi watched the demons run off to the helicopter. She looked to the two officers and sighed. She walked back to the building. She had thirty minutes before the flight back to the Operations Centre.

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"Starting to see something," Ensign Lindemann said from the co-pilot's seat of the helicopter. "Yes, display's showing a smattering of Pattern A, about five klicks out ."

Ranma nodded to the sound coming into her headset.

"Slowing down approach," Lieutenant Hilbert, the pilot, stated.

"We're getting more of them, looks like a couple squads. Levels are murky." Lindemann pause. "We've got a bloom! It's two klicks out."

Hilbert's eyes widened. "Shit!" he swore as a small smoke trail shot up from the forest below. He jerked on the cyclic and pitched the helicopter up.

"Releasing countermeasures." Lindemann released flares and chaff. "Base we're under attack by AOM forces." The missile was evaded but then a bright yellow beam came up from the ground.

The source of the beam moved to try to connect with the helicopter. It was then joined by a second beam that reached up and just missed the cockpit. Another pair of missiles shot up as well. The helicopter twisted to evade but was hit in the transmission case. The titanium armor quickly burned through. The two missiles hit chaff and exploded, but a bit too close to the helicopter.

"Can you get us down safe?" Ranma shouted.

Hilbert worked at the controls. "Transmission's shot Ma'am. It's not good. I think I can get this thing down with no power, though." Within the right domain of velocity and altitude a helicopter can glide and land with some survivability. The decent turns the unpowered rotor blades which generate enough lift to slow the fall to what can be safe levels. The turning of the main rotor also turns the tail rotor which maintains stability. The line bounding this domain was affectionately known as the "Curve of Death".

"We're sitting ducks," Lindemann said as the attacks continued. The ability to evade dramatically fell with the helicopter.

"It's time for that thing we trained for!" Ranma shouted.

Hilbert shuddered. There was not even a clearing below; it was all forest. He sighed and unhooked his harness. Lindemann followed.

Ranma grabbed the door gunner next to her. "Nariko take the pilot. Misako take the co-pilot. Akane other gunner."

The sextet of succubae jumped out of the helicopter. Initially their wings were folded back, allowing them to fall faster than the rotor-gliding helicopter. Once they had fallen enough the succubae extended their wings and pulled out and away.

Ranma gritted her teeth as she rolled away from a yellow beam and increased her descent. The brood had practiced this maneuver before, but not under live fire. She hit the ground and maintained enough balance to not drop Morrison. The agent gasped and landed on the HOG that he had been clutching to his chest.

Ranma could feel all her spawn but her thoughts were interrupted by hearing the helicopter lumbering down to the ground. She hit the ground over Morrison and felt the impact in the distance.

The agent and the succubus rose. Ranma tapped his shoulder and pointed to the right. The two crept through the forest. Shortly, the redhead looked over to see Nabiki and Ukyou silently move towards her. Ranma's expression turned predatory when she heard gunfire and explosions to the east.

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Sailor Aurora smiled happily as she depressed the trigger on her Individual Grenade Machine Gun. A MK 19 crew served weapon modified to be shoulder fired, the weapon was too ungainly for a human to use, but Misako did not have that problem.

A series of 40mm high explosive dual purpose grenades made short work of the flanking group of acolytes.

"Shit," Lindemann whispered as he held his sidearm. He managed to shoot the first Assemblyman in the head but the rest... He gasped as he put some weight on his broken ankle.

Misako slapped him on the back before getting up. "Sorry about the landing," she blushed. Mother was going to yell at her for being sloppy.

Lindemann nodded.

"Thanks for ruining our surprise," Nariko hissed from what seemed like Misako's ear.

"You see anyone?" Misako asked.

"Some dumb kid," Nariko frowned. "Pulled a gun on Hilbert." She shrugged.

Hilbert paused as he took position to the rear of the group and looked to the South. As soon as the acolyte started to raise his weapon, Nariko was on him. It was gruesome but efficient. "I see Akane and Stevenson!" he said quietly.

He crouched down and ran over to the limping pair. Misako had followed, holding up her monstrous weapon.

Akane frowned and handed the nearly unconscious Stevenson over to the officer. She growled as pain shot up her damaged foot.

"Bad landing?" Misako asked.

Akane nodded. She avoided the missile well enough, nearly hit a tree, and then went into the ground. "His arm's bad, I dunno about the rest."

"I should have guessed you were this easy to find," Ranma smirked. She did a headcount and was relieved with the result. "Anyone raise base?"

"I did," Lindemann whispered. "I'll tell them we got everyone."

Ranma nodded as she looked at Akane's leg. "It's okay dear," she said before yanking her foot. There was a loud crack followed by a flood of Ranma's energy that was readily absorbed.

"So far we've seen some scouts. It's gonna get worse," Hilbert shook his head. It was insane, but the training worked. He could smell the burning wreckage.

"Misako, stay with these guys, give them some cover," Ranma ordered.

Frowning, Misako nodded.

Hilbert boggled at the covering fire that offered. "We'll make sure no one gets in behind you," he promised.

"I getting better," Stevenson groggily said He winced when Morrison looked at his arm.

"Try to go around them, a bit to the North-west," Hilbert advised.

Ranma smiled. More distance between them would be better. She motioned to the rest of her spawn and they slid into the forest gloom. "That's good, we'll have to fan out and do a full sweep anyway."

"Lucky guys," Misako smirked as she extended her senses and began to unfold her aura.

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Wendell Holmes held his dagger-like blades out but he hesitated; a tiny demon in a pastel uniform of some kind stepped out into his vision. His hesitation came not out of any reluctance to kill a young girl, but from caution that came with experience.

He looked her over and checked with his senses and concluded that she was no great threat. A blue aurora formed over him as he ran to attack her. His men would hold back, until the other demons that were certainly out there attacked.

Nabiki smirked and snapped her hands together. The mocking look on the Assemblyman's face was worth waiting for. "Icicle Parade."

Wendell laughed and put his right arm up to block the ice barrage. He screamed when some of the shards punctured through his aura. The number penetrating grew tremendously after the first shards exploded. His right arm hung uselessly at his side, nothing more than a broken, bleeding mass of meat. Aura flaring even brighter, he pushed forward with the blade in his remaining hand.

Nabiki dodged back and parried the blow with her claws. Getting inside the weapon, she pushed it aside and slammed the her other hand into his neck.

Wendell's head snapped back and he tried to slash with his rather short sword again. The tiny demon's attacks railed uselessly against his shield. He stepped forward and found his footing taken away.

He was then flipped over and hit the ground. Glaring at the succubus standing over him, he stabbed forward with his sword. It solidly stabbed somewhere in the demon and he felt assured of his victory.

Wendell's acolytes' attentions were drawn by a series of fireballs. The men hesitated. Wendell's face reddened. "I can handle this little girl! Go after them!" he shouted to the men as they turned and started shooting at the other demon.

Thanks to their cover the fireballs from the demon failed to hit them and the sustained fire from their guns kept her from getting too close. They were missing her but it was enough to keep her from nearing. Most of the demon's attacks were close range.

Hearing his men engage the demon trying to flank them, Wendell hastened to end this fight. He made a stab for what he knew to be a vital area. Swearing as the blade hit her, Nabiki sidestepped and managed to keep the wound from getting deep. Wendell smiled, but his satisfaction was short lived as she repeated those stupid words.

"Icicle Parade!" A blast of frozen flammables shot forward. Few of the shards actually made it though his shield, and into his head, but not many were needed.

Nabiki arched her back and her eyes flared as she dodged a handful of shots. Some of the Acolytes had noticed what had happened to their leader, and were starting to fire on her. She slid out her claws and leapt toward the acolytes who were still engaged in a firefight. The three within ten feet of where she landed were doomed.

The rest of the squad were further out and until now had focused their attention on the other demon, but now there was another threat... One took a shot and hit a teammate who was being eviscerated. He swore at the interference and tried to shoot the bulky gun again but a blue and white fireball ended his efforts.

His partner was a bit more clearheaded and took careful aim. Unfortunately, that caused him to miss a group of shadows slide up and make contact with the one cast by his gun. However he did not miss it when the weapon exploded in his hands.

Akane glared and adjusted her shadows to the next target.

Aura flaring, Nabiki stepped back and dodged under a burst of gunfire. She concentrated and launched a pair of fireballs. She shook her head and slit the throats of the writhing flame-consumed bodies.

"You shouldn't have gone out like that," Akane admonished after impaling the last acolyte with her tail.

"Yeah," Nabiki agreed as she cracked open Holmes' chest. She then sliced out his heart and tossed half of it to Akane.

Akane thoughtfully chewed the organ as she sniffed the air. "Not bad. Shame we don't have time to sample more." At least their uniforms worked well enough in combat, even if the leather mini-skirts were too girly.

"I'm guessing this fool was the one that sent those scouts out." Nabiki shrugged. She then spoke into her headset. "Got one of the Priests, and a smattering of goons. Pretty good eating."

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"We're ready," Ukyou quietly groused.

Nariko shrugged. They had to wait for everyone to be in position. Simultaneous attacks would minimize the potential for reinforcements. She could sense something ahead but was not sure. They eased their way further and stopped. She smiled thinly at the group of acolytes.

"Mortars," Ukyou whispered as she pointed. She radioed in her ready status, and thankfully only had to wait a bit before getting the order. She then moved her finger to a man that wore better armor than the others.

Nariko shook her head at the stupidity. It was not just the armor, but the choice of heavy weapons. The terrain was all wrong, and seemed ineffective at fast, highly mobile targets. Maybe it could would work better against a swarm of minion-grade demons. Shrugging, she circled around and kept an eye on the formation. She sniffed and approached an idle sentry. Before his lifeless and heartless body could hit the ground, she concentrated and shouted: "Lightning Devastation". Several electric arcs came from her hands and hit the closer of the two mortar crews.

Several of the rounds exploded, which further mangled the corpses that were once the crew. The other mortar group was far enough to escape the explosion. They changed the position of the small tube and started firing. The loader from that crew started to raise his shotgun...

Ukyou drew her weapon, and took careful aim with the enlarged semi-automatic. It was a bit clunky but Grandma was not taking any chances with the .500 Smith and Wesson round. The blonde easily and messily killed the two men at the mortar.

Ukyou moved her aim to their leader but as soon as Nariko attacked he had dived down behind a hillock. There was a brief pause and she then looked to see a squad of acolytes approach her while running between trees and trying to use cover. She smirked; it looked like he had called in some backup.

Her smirk died when she saw a yellow beam fire from behind the hillock. She spotted the priest using some kind of staff as covering fire. Heartened, the acolytes carefully went forward. Father Holmes could not hit the demoness, but his fire kept her from coming out into the open.

Ukyou swore, the bastard was too concealed and too far away to hit. Besides she had more immediate targets. Trying to flank her, the acolytes moved in; their assault weapons were raised. She could smell the fear and hatred in them... she then realized that there was more. She could smell more of their minds. She could touch them.

The squad shuddered and hesitated in their advance. It was enough. From their varied positions, they shot at her but they were far too low and off their mark. Ukyou's firing was precise and devastating; she gasped, panicking that many people was exhausting.

She then advanced on the two remaining personnel. Idly reloading she looked at the shivering acolyte. The man gasped and as he looked at the approaching demon and reached for one of his grenades. Immediately reacting, Ukyou pulled iron and shot him between the eyes.

"Foul monster!" The other one used the opportunity to take a shot. He hit Ukyou just under her left shoulder and then he got shot in the neck and then the stomach. Screaming in pain, the blonde lunged onto him and began to feed as she dug into her shoulder to pull out the bullet. She growled as the wound painfully healed closed.

She stood back up and smiled at the sight of Nariko gleefully frying her assemblymen. Ukyou frowned and looked at the two bodies as she released the empty magazine and reloaded. At least Franklin died quickly, he was not too bad of a guy. Hamilton on the other hand... She felt she should have shot him in the crotch first.

Ukyou mumbled something about pinching jerks that did not know the meaning of 'not interested' when she spotted the priest. Father Karol Adams had emerged from the hillock

"Hello Ukyou," the short and solid man greeted her with a forcefully calm face. He cradled a wooden staff in his arms. He had called for more support and Oslo promised it, he just needed to stall her. More men would come.

Ukyou smirked and spit out some blood and gristle so she could talk. "Still being Oslo's whipping boy I see."

Karol sighed as he looked at the corpses. "You had such promise: clever enough to realize the truth yet smart enough to keep your mouth shut about it."

"I defected as a human," Ukyou reminded as her grip strengthened on her gun. Father Adams was one of the less fanatical and more approachable

"Exactly," Karol shrugged. That was his entire point. It was a shame, the Assembly needed more people like Ukyou, not faithful dolts like Wendell. Karol flipped his staff over and the prongs at the end began to glow. A thick yellow beam burst from the tip and he tried to steer it towards the blonde.

Concentrating her fearsome aura, Ukyou went to the ground, under the beam. She aimed and took a shot. Karol reacted and turned the staff so the large bullet hit the middle. After it smashed through the weapon, there was a blue flash of the slowed bullet impacting with his shield.

"Not so sure about your aura?" Ukyou taunted.

"What about yours? I'm no weak fearful acolyte," Karol dropped the lower half of the staff and fired again from the prongs, it was thinner and not as bright.

Ukyou tried to dodge but the yellow beam hit her side, fortunately it ricocheted off of her flaming aura. Aside from knocking her down the only damage was that the left side of her back bow had been torn.

"Lightning Devastation!" Nariko shouted. Bolts of electricity scattered over the Assemblyman's shield and she pounced.

Karol turned and fired a shot from his staff. It hit the center of her body, sending the succubus tumbling. "Looks like my men actually slowed you down," he commented noticing the handful bullet holes and slices in her uniform. There was a lot of blood too, but he had no idea how much of it was hers.

There was a pair of shots and Karol felt his back get torn open. His wounds healing, he spun around. He had a feeling about her gun, and since it had penetrated his shield and his armor...

Nariko immediately popped back up and launched a fireball. It burst harmlessly on his shield, but her attention was on the ragged wounds on his back.

Ukyou grimaced and aimed at the prongs at the end of the truncated staff. The wood and metal weapon exploded nicely, but as she fired again he had closed the range.

Karol dropped the broken pieces and flicked his wrists drawing out a pair of short blades from his sleeves. The edges glowed and he jabbed forward. His right blade was blocked by Ukyou's claws while his left was parried by the edge of her gun.

As the blade started to cut into the slide of the gun, Karol pushed forward. He twisted his right arm and tried to jab it into the succubus. A tail tried to cut his legs out but bounced off his aura.

"Lightning Devastation!" Nariko shouted. Karol's aura flickered and she fired a pair of eyebeams into wounds that had been healing rapidly.

Karol tried to twist out and get to the side; so he would not be sandwiched between a pair of demons. He lifted his left hand off the gun and jabbed the dagger forward. Ukyou rotated ninety decrees and rammed the gun forward. It met resistance on the blue aura just over his head, until she depressed the trigger.

"Regenerate from that," Ukyou said as she pushed the headless corpse to the ground. "Thanks, Nari-chan," she gasped kneeling down over the body.

"Just save me some liver," Nariko said, a smile gracing her bloodied face.

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Ranma eased forward. She could sense an assemblyman and could smell the rest of his goons. She looked forward and saw a small foxhole with a pair manning a machine-gun. There were two more similar positions that made a rough perimeter. She guessed that this was some kind of redoubt: a place for the Assembly to retreat to. The redhead checked and told her girls that she was in place and that they could start their attacks.

She concentrated and silently released a pair of DarkStar bursts at the two far foxholes. The gunner manning the center one had his heart cut out by a pair of eyebeams. As the spheres killed the other two crews Ranma flew in and slaughtered the gunner's partner.

Before she could get up and move forward she saw a pair of men with tubes rise slightly and fire. A pair of rockets shot out and raced towards Ranma. She concentrated and the unexploded DarkStar bursts raced in and intercepted the missiles.

Once the explosion died down Ranma looked to see another pair of rockets launch at her. She flicked her hands out and hoped that they were cheap munitions. With beyond split second precision and taking care to not touch the nosecones, she grabbed the rockets at their midsection and knocked them aside.

One of the missiles spiraled about and flopped onto the ground, exploding. The other, despite Ranma's efforts, detonated a few feet away from her. More shrapnel went towards her enemies, but her aura still spiked as some of it hit.

The closer pair had already reloaded their rockets but the demoness was too close. Ranma grabbed one of the men by his neck and launch tube. Only twenty feet away, his partner swiveled his aim and shot at them.

As the rocket launched, Ranma manhandled the bleeding acolyte so his body was between her and his partner. She threw him right into the rocket's trajectory as her aura bloomed in violet shadows.

The acolyte had dropped his launch tube and taken a few paces back. Four men ran up to him confused and fearful. Streamers of intestine and gore littered the trees and ground.

As they fired at the demon she released a pair of orbs before running to the side. Some of the squad went to the ground, two others scattered. Both of the pair that ran were followed by the orbs, which rapidly closed the distance.

Ranma smiled at the pleasure the energy the kills gave her and rushed into the three men who had held their ground. She kept her aura and shadows up. Men with automatic weapons were more of a threat to her than rockets. She could take out a handful of attacks, but a concentrated and sustained volley of fire would be troubling.

"Shoot it!" A lanky man shouted from the distance as he ran to the battle. Father Oslo was dismayed at how fast the demon worked. In the few short minutes it took to relieve himself, the slaughter of his men had begun. It was sad what a full bladder cost.

The demon pounced while they fired. The missile-man, who was still hugging the ground, was easily taken with her tail. The closer of the two who remained was unceremoniously gutted while the other was fried with a more conventional fireball.

"Damn," Ranma swore as she felt her aura perforate and the ribs on her left side shatter. She growled as the healing began. Lung wounds were not fun. She pulled herself back up, only to drop right back to the ground to dodge a yellow energy beam.

Oslo groaned. His men had ample chances to fire on the monster, especially when she was distracted by slaughtering the outermost barriers. "At least they managed to do some damage," he hissed.

"Treat your men like bait and that's all they'll be," Ranma said as she fired a DarkStar Burst at the man while retreating behind a tree.

Oslo took aim with his staff and swore when the black and violet orb bobbed down and avoided the beam. Concentrating on the sphere, he did not see the pair of violet beams that glanced the pronged end of his staff, which then blew apart weakly and died down in intensity. He stole a glance and realized that all his men were dead. He radioed his other teams for reinforcements, and the reliable Pinktree said he was coming. The longer the fight lasted the better his odds got; he was the one getting reinforcements.

The priest tossed the inert staff to the ground and immediately grabbed a pair of long blades that were slung under his coat. He held the blades up at ninety degrees with each other, vertical and horizontal, and intercepted the DarkStar burst. The shards failed to slice though the shield generated between the two blades

Oslo shifted to the side and stabbed forward against the attacking demon. Ranma dodged under the blades and closed in. She growled when he stepped back and parried her claws.

He leaned forward and slashed at her while Ranma went down and grabbed him by his the knee and yanked him over. While Oslo tumbled backwards he tried to slash at her waist but was parried by her tail, which was nicked on its left fin.

As Ranma sidestepped the tumbling man, she grabbed his left, wrist breaking, it and flicked his sword away. Oslo stabbed forward with his other hand. Ranma freed up both her hands. The end of the blade was caught between her claws, which sliced the sword apart when it was yanked form her grip.

Oslo dropped the handle and shot a blade out from within his sleeve. Before he could throw the knife it was plucked from his hand and tossed aside. Ranma sighed and blocked a punch sloppily thrown from his broken left hand.

Pulling himself up, Oslo kicked high and found his leg captured by her claws. The aura prevented him from being sliced apart, but not from having his knee broken. Trying to step back, Oslo pulled out a grenade which was shot out of his hand by a pair of eyebeams.

"Already seen that trick," Ranma remarked. Flipping out another set of blades, Oslo charged forward and was easily dodged. She frowned, he was nimble, but not enough.

When he started an incantation, Ranma readied herself. Reaching into his coat, Oslo smirked and produced an array of blades, one held between each finger. They were then flicked out and jabbed into the succubus. Ranma twisted and was shocked to find that all the flying blades adjusted their trajectory and had still hit her. She groaned and slumped back.

Oslo chuckled as the succubus coughed up blood, and curled up. He smirked, his aim was still good. "You got me worried for a bit there, but there's now two blessed blades where your heart should be. Not to mention the others piercing the rest of your body," he said as he pulled out another set of longer blades. He was relieved to see that the chemicals coating the surface of the blades was retarding her regeneration.

To his surprise, the succubus jerkily rose and ripped the blades out of her body. She darkly smiled as blood oozed out of the numerous wounds. It was clear that there was little pressure in her major arteries. Oslo reacted and launched another barrage that was then blocked by the blades she held. "Don't group me with those other weak succubae you kill," she gasped as the shadows around her grew. She then tossed the blades she held and tried to stab them into Oslo's body.

Dodging the attack so that only two of the blades hit him, Oslo stared as black and violet fluid started to pulsate within her chest cavity. The demoness gasped and ran in and slashed at him. Her hair bounced up and seemed to hang before slowly falling back down. The aura gave a bit of brief resistance but was easily overcome. Oslo tried to stab forward but found his wrist grabbed and broken for a second time. Ranma sighed and extended her claws and crushed through his aura. She felt her body grow distant, but focused on the battle. Already her circulatory system was trying to repair itself.

Screaming, Oslo drew his sliced up right hand back. When his aura flickered, Ranma smiled. She reached out and nearly touching his body, fired a DarkStar Burst. The orb shattered onto his aura which blanked out. Shards sliced through his armor and exploded in his abdomen.

Oslo lurched forward and stabbed with a blade held in his good hand. The clumsy effort was blocked and ripped away. Ranma was disappointed: he was not even pulling out the blades.

Gasping, Oslo stepped back. He could still heal, and she was damaged too. Careful to protect his left arm, he made a grab for another grenade. The demon attacked but his body and shield blocked her. After pulling the pin, he tossed the grenade and was dismayed to find it kicked away in midair. The split second he spent watching it sail across the forests was enough, and he soon found his left arm sliced off at the elbow. Oslo extended his neck and bit the grip of one of the blades stuck high in his chest. Straining, he pulled it out and charged at Ranma.

"Oh please," Ranma sighed as she grabbed his head with one hand, his shoulder with the other and twisted. Ranma chuckled darkly. His heartbeat was still strong. She pushed the body down and began to feed. As her body cooled down she almost slumped. Her chest was in dire need of healing, fortunately she had plenty of energy and food.

The shadows in the forest grew long as she chewed and drained.

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Father Randy Pinktree ran through the forest. He sensed his comrade's fates and knew what he had to do. Before he could get to Oslo, the man was killed. After feeling that, he took his men and looped around the forest. Getting his men out was more important. He could catch hell from the Bishop, but he did not care. He did not even care about the risk of dealing with the Inquisitorial branch. Avoiding the three groups of demons, he then switched direction to head south. Surrender did not even enter his mind; his men would never accept it, and neither would he.

It was all a mess. Oslo had assured them that these demons were too young and too small in number to be a risk, especially when they were outnumbered ten to one. Their plan was simple, taking out the helicopter was the hard part. Mopping up the demons was supposed to be easy. The problems started when the spotters started being picked off. It got worse when the fighting started.

His thoughts were interrupted by an explosion that blew apart the men on his right flank. Pinktree ducked down and motioned for his missile crew to the front. As that happened he eased back and made for his blades.

A steady stream of explosions pounded the ground, this time it was more towards the center of his men, who, in the panic of their flight, had made the mistake of bunching up. One of his rocket teams was cut down in the barrage. His men scrambled back.

"There's a whole Company platoon there," one of the acolytes at the front shouted as he tried to drag back a wounded man. There was a large hole in his chest.

Pinktree swore, he had hoped to wheel around the company reinforcements. His eyes widened when he noticed a dull green aura shoot out and envelope the two scouts. They screamed and slumped over. Unlike Oslo, he did not intend to use his men as bait.

Randy turned away from the shriveling bodies to see a shadowy and winged figure raise an enormous gun. "Percy take her out!" he shouted to his remaining missile-man.

Before Acolyte Percival Blank could fire he was shot in the head by a tight grouping of 7.62 mm bullets. Randy shouted for his men to get down as another volley came at them.

Ordering his remaining men forward, Randy glowered at how things had gone. Things were supposed to be easy. The enemy was not supposed to counterattack, not right away.

Misako stepped back and fired at the still distant men. She smirked, the fools just kept getting closer. She knew the Assembly, they hardly ever fought... professionals, so they felt the need to think like them.

The remaining acolytes did make good use of cover and advanced in a pretty good leapfrog maneuver, but they completely missed the slight concavity in the wooded hill they were climbing up.

Only two of the WIC agents had HOGs but combined with Misako's beast the sum of heavy weapons fire was a fine hammer for the kill zone. After a couple bursts from the men on her flanks the firing stopped and Misako advanced. She unfolded her aura and the green tendrils spread, seeking those that were still alive.

Randy's men screamed even louder before gurgling and finally falling silent. Gazing at the crumbled and desiccated bodies, he flared his shield and retreated. He pulled back and found some cover. He considered his options: fight or retreat.

The Bishop had to know. The demons were much stronger than expected. Randy sighed and listened for the approaching monster. Retreating could be tricky, the bishop would likely punish him for his failure.

"Come out," Misako taunted as she fired her gun a couple of times.

Randy threw a grenade, but its range was nothing compared to those the demon was using

Misako caught a glimpse of him and laughed. "Hey Father Pinktree! I've got a question," she bellowed. "There are two types of Assemblyman. Those that believe the stupid shit and the cynical bastards just do it to advance."

"There's also the poor fools that go into the Inquisition branch."

"Don't tell me Porter got his _promotion_?" Misako snickered. "He always was a special kind of useful idiot."

Despite himself Randy darkly laughed." I always took you for a true believer, Hibiki!"

Misako chuckled. "I got better. What about you?"

Randy got up and ran to a different bit of cover. He knew Misako was playing with him, but he could use it.

"Come on, I've got a bet with Ukyou." Misako eased forward. "She's more of the cynical type, but she has a point. It's not like you guys would be dumb enough to actually believe that stuff right?"

Randy shivered. She had a point. The Assembly had all the theological expertise of a delicatessen.

Misako knew this was getting tiresome, and mother did stress the importance of minimizing banter with your enemy... even if the enemy was an old teacher. She took aim and fired a barrage at him and immediately rushed.

Disappointingly, Randy had a huge gash in his left leg. There were wounds on his face and torso but they were not affecting his mobility. He hopped up and brandished a blade.

"Want me to wait for you to regenerate that?" Misako sincerely asked.

Randy looked back and then down at his leg. He threw a few long knifes, which surprisingly almost hit. "No, it might as well end now." He defiantly glared and was subsequently shot. Misako widened her eyes at the jump Pinktree made; he evaded enough of the blast radius to live.

"You're getting cocky, you always did," Randy gasped, now that both his legs were hideously damaged.

"Yes sir," Misako nodded solemnly as her aura unfolded. "Thanks for the last lesson." The green waves shot out and started to envelop him. Weakened legs failed and the body was sucked dry. The orange haired succubus stood over the desiccated body and set it ablaze. After it was reduced to ash, she returned back to the agents.

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"Hi Mom!" Akane beamed when she sensed her mother striding forward. She then blinked. "Wow... new look?"

"I like it," Nabiki complimented. She watched the redheaded demoness stride out of the shadows, or try to. The shadows seemed to hang about her, especially around her hair. The succubus' hair was now a very rich and deep shade of red and fell to her butt in a very full bodied and almost animated wave. Her tresses seemed to move to conflicting eddies of wind and force.

"Huh?" Ranma asked.

"It looks like you were at the salon," Nabiki dryly said. There was a lot of blood on Mother, but that was expected.

Ranma pulled back some of her hair and was surprised at the length and shine. "Well, that's almost worth the damage," she said as she fluffed her hair.

Nabiki smiled. "I called the other groups. And they're done. It's now cleanup," she said wiping some blood off her chin.

"Looks like you girls are done here." The proud mother looked over the cleaned bodies. "Let's get Ukyou and Nariko." The trio carefully walked through the forest until they found a dead body that was surprisingly whole.

"Don't," Ukyou said to Akane who was eyeing the corpse. "Franklin was okay," she sighed an pointed to another body. "You can eat him. He was a prick."

Nariko looked at Akane and frowned. "Where're your manners?"

Akane blinked.

"We're not savage monsters," Nariko waggled a finger disapprovingly. "We have more class than that."

Ukyou rolled her eyes. "Yes, she insisted that we eat neatly." After pausing to look at her mother's hair, she shrugged- she had come to expect stuff like that from Mother.

"I like your hair," Nariko said as they walked back to where the brood left Misako and the agents.

'Thanks," Ranma smiled.

"Cute powerup."

"Yes I see that," Ukyou smirked. "So her powerup was better hair?"

Ranma laughed as they walked. "Girls, I'm not a video game."

"Least, I'll have plenty of meat for those recipes, right Mom?" Ukyou asked. Many of the recipes in BlackSky's cookbook required... exotic ingredients.

"Uh, sure. We'll just have to make sure Dr. Tofu doesn't want any specimens of his own.," Ranma shrugged.

"Nice," Akane smiled.

"Mom!" Misako said as she bounded over, her gun slung across her back.

"Well, you're happy," Ranma said as she hugged her.

Misako happily nuzzled her. She thought about Pinktree and frowned briefly.

Ranma laughed at her girls' energy and waved to the group of agents that had congregated.

"Good to see you girls," Lieutenant Hilbert said as he sipped some water. He shook his head at the gore that covered the girls.

"Impressive work," Captain Jarvis said as he came up a hill that Misako had used for an ambush.

"How's the perimeter?" Ranma asked as she sipped from an offered canteen.

"A couple of acolytes may have escaped before we came, but it's secure now."

Ranma shrugged. "How's Stevenson?"

"He's resting in an APC. Medic thinks he'll be okay." Jarvis shook his head. The results were impressive, but he had come to expect this level of performance.

"Any other AOM on the scanners?" Ranma tried to dust some of the blood from her chest.

Jarvis smirked and deliberately looked past Ranma. "Nope. They could have planned something, but our reinforcements only took out a handful people trying to flee. We tried to capture some, but those few we got close to killed themselves instead. Guess they were afraid we'd feed them to you."

"Yeah, you'd have thought they would have helped their own men." Ranma smirked sarcastically. She had seen first hand the kind of teamwork the Assembly had.

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"What did you do?" Kasumi asked as she hosed off her fiance. Both were behind the house. The brood was driven straight back home. She let the others go in and shower inside the house, but the redheaded mom was far too messy.

"Some guy exploded right next to me," Ranma said as she scrubbed down her nude body.

"You should have cleaned up at base, instead of coming over here first." Kasumi admonished.

Ranma shrugged.

"You also got hit in the heart," Nodoka noted from the deck. She was examining Ukyou's gun. The damage to the slide was a pain, but that part could be replaced. Right now she was more interested in the prototype's overall performance and wear.

"Yeah, yeah," Ranma sighed and turned so her hair could be washed. "Hope the guys on cleanup are gonna be okay."

"You helped get most of the bodies," Kasumi stated. She was off duty and by the time she had been alerted, there was just mop up.

"I meant the helicopter. It'll be a pain to get the wreckage," Ranma shivered at the chill.

"Expensive too," Nodoka put down Ukyou's gun and then slid Misako's monster closer. "The Assembly made a huge mistake." She smiled at the large case on the deck. A very exuberant batch of broodlings had given it to her. There were more at base. Nodoka would normally get all the captured weapons from a fight like this, but the personal touch was really nice. And those staffs the Assembly used should be fascinating.

Ranma laughed. "Losing fifty-one men will do that." The count was impressive, not just in her girl's proficiency, but how scattered the Assembly was. Looking down she shrugged. It was a shame, but those idiots attacked her family and friends.

"There's another thing," Kasumi smirked. "They just gave the Company a reason."

"Good," Ranma smiled darkly and took the offered towel. She then brushed a few snarls out of her hair.

Nodoka smiled her daughter's new style was quite lovely. "You two going to have fun?"

Kasumi nodded as Ranma nuzzled the taller teen.

"Have fun you two," Nodoka smiled. She called the agents in the APC to help her load the weapons. Her daughter would not be the only one with a busy night.

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Ranma happily draped herself over Kasumi's chest and purred while her tail happily swished back and forth. Kasumi wiped some sweat off of her forehead and then massaged the succubus. "So you split up and attacked at once?" She asked the redhead

Not wanting to talk, the demoness simply nodded.

"You divided your forces, but you hampered their ability to reinforce and counter attack." Kasumi pondered as she held the demon.

Ranma nuzzled Kasumi's chest. "That's about right."

"Misako worked well with the guys. I'm surprised." Kasumi then kissed the succubus.

Purring Ranma continued and then broke off. "They fought well. She likes them, especially Morrison."

Kasumi blinked. "Because he killed that minion with his knife."

Ranma nodded. "That and he signed up for the D program."

"Oh?" Kasumi asked, flatly. Establishing a procedure like that was logical but disturbing.

Ranma laughed. "Yeah, Misako thinks he'd make a great succubus."

"So do you," Kasumi noted. No longer stroking Ranma.

"Yeah, I respect him, that's why I let him in." Ranma's voice was distant.

"He's a good guy," Kasumi allowed.

"Have you made your decision?" Ranma asked, pulling her head off Kasumi's chest.

Kasumi looked to the ceiling for a long moment, and the demon began to fidget during the awkward silence. "No."

"Well..."

"Going to go back to your kids?" Kasumi asked with deliberate casualness.

Ranma eased out of Kasumi's bed. "Yeah I should," she leaned over and kissed her fiancee. With a perplexed glance she slipped out of the room.

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Genma noticed Ranma enter the kitchen. His child seemed distant. "Did things go alright last night?"

"You know what we did," Ranma grumped as she poured some juice in her "World's Greatest Mother" mug.

"You seemed happy enough after the... fight," Genma shuddered. The master was training him, but he saw the happy succubae arrive home.

"Hmm?" Ranma asked.

The older martial artist's eyes flickered around the room. Happosai's return had heightened his danger sense. He could almost see the irritation roll off of the redhead. "It happened after you and your fiance..."

"Had wild sex? What of it? She's my mate." Ranma glared at her father. She carefully lowered her mug to the table, and started looking in the cabinet for some breakfast.

Genma sighed and steeled himself. She was just like her mother. She was at her maddest when she was controlled and calm. "Daughter... please, just don't... Don't make the same mistake I did."

Ranma spun around and stared at her father. "Daughter?" she asked with confusion.

Genma stepped back, eyeing the door. "I'm sorry."

"What got you?" she asked, picking up her mug again.

Genma looked around, and then quietly whispered. "The Master."

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Old man Happosai?"

"Don't say his name!" Genma's eyes widened and he looked about to bolt to the door.

"Good morning!" Happosai said as he bounded into the room and landed on Ranma's chest.

"Says you," Ranma sighed and sipped her drink.

"Now this is a student," Happosai said as he fondled her breasts. He then allowed himself to be swatted aside.

"Yah had your fun," Ranma half heartedly grumbled.

"Aww, but I just want to see how my lovely gifts fit on you," the diminutive old man's eyes started to tear up and his lip quivered.

"The bra and panties fit great," Ranma rolled her eyes. "And Kasumi really liked the black negligee you got me."

"Yes I heard," Happosai gave a saucy grin. "Though are you always so morose at the end?"

"It's none of your business," Ranma sniffed. "We're just having fun."

"Yeah, casual sex should be easy for a succubus," Happosai lit his pipe. "But is it casual?"

"Yeah, the Master's right." Genma blinked.

"See? Even this bumbling oaf figured it out. And his marriage fell apart." Happosai knowingly puffed on the long pipe.

"Things are fine, we're still casual enough," Ranma shook her head and left out the back door and headed to the dojo.

"There might be hope for you yet," Happosai said to Genma.

Genma tried to ease his way out of the room.

Happosai seemed to not notice. "Well, your daughter and her spawn are going to have the dojo. Guess I'll have to teach you the old fashioned way." He slapped Genma on the back. "Come on! It's half an hour past sunrise! The day's a wasting."

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Without a pause in her singing, Ranma caught the motion Morrison made. The agent was sitting at the bar and had a cell phone in his ear. Ranma smirked. Like a few others in the bar, the new woman did not look away from the singing seductress. Ranma flashed a sultry smile at the visitor and added in a saucy wink. Almost ruining the song, she suppressed laughter at the newcomer's uncomfortable fidgeting.

After finishing her set, Ranma slid off of the tiny stage and eased up to the wayward Senshi. "You've got a lot of guts waltzing in here," Ranma then ordered a drink. "Your mistress give you the night off?" she mockingly asked while sipping.

Mercury narrowed her eyes and tried to keep from blushing.

"Oh, lighten up. You had to know you'd have been watched."

"Yes, you actually keep competent security," Mercury stated. She knew how exposed she was. It was a public place, but it was controlled by Ranma and her Company allies.

"So why are you here?" Ranma asked as she motioned for Mercury to sit in a secluded corner booth.

"I heard about this great redheaded singer who was dominating karaoke night," Mercury idly stated.

"The Red Turtle doesn't do karaoke on Friday, you should know that, Akumi," Ranma sipped at her scotch and ordered one for the blue-haired girl.

Mercury watched the waitress leave. "Akumi? Cute." Shoving Aku into her name was not quite the impression she wanted to give, but it was a lot better than Dark Mercury.

"It fits... and you're dressed adorably," Ranma smiled at Mercury's glare.

"Figures." Mercury should have expected that a succubus would find her commanding black, with blue accent, evening dress adorable. "And is my hair cute too?"

"It's no pigtails, but there's something to be said for the elegance of a nice bun." Ranma ran a hand through her own teased, fluffed, and spiked mane.

"We can't all look like eighties hair band members," Mercury dryly remarked. She looked at the liquor placed before her. She was fairly sure that the succubus' hair was longer and fuller, but that was not too unexpected.

"I'm not the one in a nice corset." Ranma smirked. "Don't be a pansy, drink up. You sneak into a bar looking classy, you gotta do something with it."

"And you're a mother," Mercury shook her head

"And you're supposed to be some evil and dread Mistress to a powerful queen." Ranma sighed. "So what do you want?"

Mercury sniffed her Scotch. She coughed after trying to drink some of it down.

Ranma smiled thinly. "Warm isn't it?"

Mercury nodded. "I'm asking about your plans for... Usagi," she said as she played with her glass.

Ranma sipped her drink and studied Mercury's face. It was clear and controlled but fear still radiated from her. "Oh I dunno." Ranma smiled warmly at the memory of Usagi's bloody visage. The princess had potential. That hug was really good too.

Mercury glared.

"Well, what do you plan to do with her?" Ranma asked as she put her glass down. "You're a bit too cold to be a consort," she teased. The redhead grinned at the other girl's narrowed eyes. "You're taking this far too seriously."

Blinking, Mercury took another sip. "I serve the Princess. We need to be worthy of her."

Ranma sniffed her drink. It was not as good as what Stillwater had, but it did the job. "And that you had the perfect little honey-pot to encourage your... blooming was just a happy coincidence?"

"Yes, that was helpful." Mercury smirked. "So what are your plans for her?"

Ranma scratched her neck. "Nothing much. It's not like I have some despicable agenda in all this."

"Right," Mercury chuckled. There was no way Ranma could have just fallen into the network of alliances that she had.

"So where's your minions? Didn't want to bring them to such a risque show?" Ranma teased.

"They're training," Mercury said flatly. "Virgo is a useful asset but..."

"You need to keep her on a short leash." Ranma offered.

"She's still learning what it means to be a Senshi, one of my Senshi," Mercury emphasized.

"Don't have that problem with Orion," Ranma took another sip. "No, she taught you."

"Well, having a lover that understands you completely is good, don't you agree?" Mercury pointedly asked.

"Yeah," Ranma absently noted. "So you're already dressing darkly and doing the new makeup and such, standard teenage rebellion. What next? Tattoos?

Despite herself, Mercury blushed ever so slightly.

"Ah ha! So what did you get? Mark your territory? Or maybe a more even exchange."

"It's personal," Mercury said, demurely.

Ranma laughed. "I didn't see anything on your battle uniform, but I would expect you to be discrete and elegant."

"That a compliment?"

"Sure why not," Ranma shrugged.

Mercury frowned.

"What? Were you expecting more cloak and dagger? We are in a dark bar with plenty of armed men and demons about."

"And we are discussing massive conspiracies over drinks," Mercury added with a ghost of a smile.

"That's the spirit!" Ranma stretched her shoulders. "I mean what's the point of having it and not have fun with it."

Mercury paused. "You're encouraging me?"

"You look like you've got potential," Ranma smirked.

Behind her slight smile Mercury's mind raced. DarkStar was really quite cunning and she exuded a casual and almost bumbling sense. Mercury could see why so many could make the mistake of underestimating her.

"Attempting to discern my nefarious machinations regarding you, are we?" Ranma asked, recalling some of the words her youngest daughter used.

"Not at all." Mercury said carefully.

"This is exactly what I mean. You're starting to get there, but anyone with training can read your emotions plain as day." Ranma leaned closer to Ami. "You're still green. Some experience will help you."

Mercury stared into the demon's violet eyes. She pulled herself back.

Ranma sniffed at the slight spike in fear. "Oh come on. If I really thought you were a threat I wouldn't be chatting with you. You know that."

"You don't play with your food." Mercury flatly stated.

Ranma ran a finger over the rim of her glass

"I heard what happened two nights ago." Mercury said, in almost a whisper.

The redhead cocked her head; there was something else in her voice. "You're jealous?"

"Shouldn't I be? You're the real deal, got the full dark aura, squad of dedicated and trained Senshi, connections, and plenty of experience. You took out an army of trained demon hunters."

"It was more like a platoon and they were prepared to fight minion grade demons."

Mercury gritted her teeth. The humility was the annoying part.

"Temper." Ranma noted. "You're not the first brooding, dark-power-using teenage girl I've seen."

"You don't think I've been brainwashed and manipulated?" Mercury flatly asked.

"I've dealt with that too," Ranma shrugged. "No big deal."

"Too mellow," Mercury muttered.

"No one respects a jittery and anxious dark mistress." Ranma leaned back and sipped. "From what I hear you kept yourself together in that little fight of yours."

"They were less incompetent than I feared."

"I suppose that's good," Ranma allowed.

"So, you're suggesting that I keep my cool? Like that time? That would match with me being the proactive one. I'm the one determining the tempo of events."

"Of course that means you have to make the first move every time." Ranma's eyes glowed slightly.

Staring into those eyes, Mercury froze. She suddenly imagined the demon sweeping across the booth with her claws out. Mercury knew she could parry the first blow, but not whatever came next. The demon would immediately follow up with any number of varied attacks.

"Something wrong?" Ranma idly asked as she flicked a bit of lint off of her dress.

"No," Mercury stated, as she managed to keep from shivering.

"It worked?" Ranma's face brightened. "So how was it?" the succubus excitedly asked.

Mercury's face blanked. "You..."

"Yeah, demons can put out fear. Now Ucchan's got a great knack for it, but... it's easier to make someone already frightened of you scared-shitless. These little tricks would never work on a Company officer."

"You're toying with me." Mercury grumbled. "No, you're training."

"Everything is training," Ranma stated. "You hid it pretty well. Didn't even try to fight back or pull a weapon."

Mercury smiled thinly and raised her glass. "You would never warn someone just before attacking. It'd be sudden, brutal, and vicious."

"Bright girl," Ranma laughed.

"One has to watch for the slightest sign." Mercury surmised.

"Pretty much."

The blue-haired girl's eyes scanned about the bar. "So how's things been going with your lesbian lover?"

"She's not a lesbian." Ranma stated.

"Right," Mercury smirked. "Me neither."

"You used to be straight."

"I guess it is different with succubae, with being all female, but you do seem to have that effect on other women."

"Like the Princess?" Ranma mirthfully asked.

Once again, Mercury attempted to forestall a blush.

"Has she always had an eye for the ladies?"

"You've already got a fiancee," Mercury pointed before taking another drink.

Ranma frowned slightly. "Just teasing. It's not like she'd be interested anyway."

"Yes, she's still waiting for her prince to return," Mercury frustratingly said.

"So you feel better?" Ranma asked. "I'll tell you. It took some guts."

"To walk into a bar and chat with a lounge singer?" Mercury asked. "Look, I don't want there to be any bad blood between us."

"You mean you don't want me to interfere with your plans for the Senshi." Ranma mirthfully surmised.

Mercury finished her drink. "You haven't so far. You were right there at the start. You could have ended it then and there, but you let me go."

"Makes you think doesn't it?" Ranma asked as she finished her own drink.

"You have your own plans, and I'm a part of them."

Ranma laughed. "I'm just a single mom doing her best."

Mercury stood up. "It was pleasant talking with you. Thanks for the drink."

"My pleasure," Ranma nodded. "Oh, don't do anything too rash, kid. I don't think you want to push Usagi to the edge."

"Don't worry I know exactly what I'm doing," Mercury laughed gently and turned around. She walked out of the bar and passed an orange-haired demon who simply glared amusingly at her.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take care of her?" Misako asked as she slid into the booth with her Mother.

Ranma smiled. Misako's concern for her was cute. "Nah, we'll let the Company track her." the redhead crunched an ice cube.

"She's arrogant, Mother. It'll be her downfall," Misako evaluated.

"Maybe, but I think she's trying to overcome that."

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"What's wrong?" Ranma calmly asked when she entered Kasumi's room. There was nothing obvious, but the atmosphere felt dampened emotionally. Something was amiss.

Kasumi inhaled slightly raggedly and stood up.

The redhead noticed the object on the night-stand and eased over to Kasumi. "Did you have a bad day at work?" she asked hugging the officer.

Kasumi hesitated but put her hands on the demon's shoulders, and gently pushed her away so they were face to face.

Furrowing her brow, Ranma paused; something was definitely up. Kasumi only took her gun off when they were about to have sex, and she did not look like she was anywhere near the mood for that. "What happened?"

"I didn't have work tonight." Kasumi looked at her fiance briefly.

"Then why did you lie?" Ranma pulled her arms away and stared more closely at Kasumi's face. "You could have told me that you didn't want to listen to me sing."

"This is too much," Kasumi closed her eyes.

"What?" Ranma's tone was confused.

"We're not seeing eye to eye on this."

"Yeah, you keep looking away from me, and not explaining things. This isn't how mates are supposed to talk," Ranma grumbled.

"There! That's what I mean," Kasumi bitterly laughed.

"What? We're engaged."

Kasumi backed to the nightstand and looked at her sidearm, and focused her mind. "I don't know how to say this."

"What?" Ranma asked; the shadows around her starting to frantically shift.

Kasumi kept her back to the redhead. "This isn't working out. You want more than I can give."

At those words, Ranma's heart froze for a moment before it resumed beating. She swallowed hard. "Go on."

"You want a mate, someone to help raise your daughters."

"They're your sisters, too."

Kasumi's shoulders sagged and she turned and sat on the edge of her bed. "Exactly. I can't become their mother. It's..." She stared at the wall. She felt selfish, but that was the truth. She was all that was left, her father was ineffectual and could not face the reality of events. The Company brass did not care either way. She had no guide.

Ranma froze. "So..."

Kasumi turned to face Ranma. "I didn't mean to... Well, I meant to have sex with you. We had fun as a couple, but I can't be the mate you want. I'm sorry." Her voice had the careful modulation and pace of a practiced delivery.

"We'll try to be casual again, I can-" Ranma's tone carried an undertone of desperation.

Kasumi cut her off. "No, you can't. You're a sappy demon Mommy. You don't do casual."

Ranma stared; she could not think of anything to say that would refute that.

Staring at her hands Kasumi collected herself. "I know you'd try. You'd keep it just physical." She smiled. "But it would just hurt you. Your heart would break every time we had sex, everytime you wanted to connect to me, but couldn't out of fear of losing what little relationship you had."

"How, nice of you," Ranma half-cried; she paused to keep her emotions under control. "I guess... it's good that you don't want to string me along."

"I'm sorry." Kasumi kept staring at her hands. "I should have ended this earlier."

"Yes, you should have," Ranma stepped back and looked at the door.

"Sorry," Kasumi repeated.

Staring at Kasumi, Ranma stepped out of the room. Once in the hallway she looked at her, and the brood's, bedroom and then at the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs she looked into the living room to find her father sitting alone. He was drinking from a glass and was not surprised to see her emotional state.

Genma looked up. "I'm sorry, daughter."

Ranma controlled her hurt and forced a smile. "You warned me, Pops. You tried."

"Go back to your girls. They'll cheer you up," Genma advised.

Ranma looked up from her own sorrow and saw her father for who he truly was: a misguided, greedy, and lazy man, but he was not a monster. He was a sad man. "I..."

"Or maybe you need to talk to your mother." Genma sighed. That was a chasm he could never cross. He wanted to help her, but he had no idea how to comfort her or express it, but he knew someone who did.

"Thanks," Ranma smiled weakly. "If my girls wake up, tell them I just went to see Mom."

Genma nodded and looked back to his bottle.

"Good luck with the Master," Ranma pulled out a phone and called up an escort. She was in no mood to fly.

Shortly, a group of Company vans arrived Ranma eased into one. Thankfully the agent sitting next to her did not try to make small talk. Ranma supposed they already knew, she forgot that her shadowy glower made her even more unapproachable.

The van pulled into the underground garage above the WIC base and Ranma stepped out. She silently walked through the security checkpoints and made her way to the elevators.

Ranma leaned on the back of the elevator and closed her eye as it descended into the earth. The doors opened and she meandered through the corridors. She followed the route without thought.

The door to the lab was open and Nodoka looked up from the monitor as soon as she heard footsteps. While superfluous, it was positive that Genma had called himself. The scientist got up and before she could cross the room was embraced by her daughter.

"Kasumi?" Nodoka gently asked the sobbing redhead.

Ranma nodded and leaned into her mother's embrace.

"It'll be okay," Nodoka said as she eased the succubus back to a couch on the side of the lab. They sat down and Ranma immediately rested her head on Nodoka. She held the succubus and gently rocked her. Nodoka hugged her daughter tighter. Looking at a brush on the table, she ran a hand through Ranma's deep and luscious hair.

After hearing her daughter's crying lessen, Nodoka picked up the brush and went to work. She was surprised to find the hair... responding to the brushing. Almost expectantly, it moved into the brushing. Nodoka smiled and resumed the strokes.

End ch16

I'd like to thank my pre-readers. They're the ones that made sure this story was readable. Trimatter, DGC, Questara, Solara, Kevin Hammel, J St C Patrick, Pale Wolf, Wray, and Jerry Starfire.

Special thank Tri for his tenacity in improving the fight scenes (the man was like a bulldog and did not let me be complacent or "phone in" sub par scenes) and to J St C Patrick for giving this his full attention even though he was very, very busy at work.

DGC(PyroRaven) deserves special attention too. He's _always_ been there and the time he puts into my work and tweaking dialog and giving ideas cannot be understated.

Thanks to all of you for putting in the time and effort in this for me. I'm humbled by the effort leveled towards a hobby of mine.

Its wonderful to have a group like you guys. You've been helping me fix my work for years and I want to repeat how much that means to me. Means a lot to have that level of trust with my ideas and the time you put into helping them.

To my main readers thank you guys for your reviewing. I've always preferred quality over quantity and your comments simply are the best. It's a great gauge for how the story is going and finding mistakes.


	18. Interlude 2:  Girl Talk

Girl Talk

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Josh Temple and Trimatter

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at our fanfiction websites.

Other website Temple of Ranma's Senshi Seifuku

C&C as always is wanted.

Yes this is another co-writer project between both Sunny and Trimatter. That should be all the warning you need.

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Ranma's bare feet padded along the wooden floor as she danced in a kata, one that she used to help clear her mind when she was troubled. She found great comfort in the familiar movements of the art, like a child with a favorite stuffed animal or blanket would. Whenever something bothered, disturbed, or just preoccupied her mind, she had found solace in the complex forms of the art.

The only problem was that it wasn't working this time.

_"Damn it, why in the hell did I do something so stupid?"_ She groused to herself. _"The past was dead and gone... then Nabiki had to spot me and bring it all back."_

Stopping her exercise, she glanced at a clock that rested on a low bookshelf. Sighing heavily, she wiped the sweat from her brow._ "I have five and a half hours to decide whether or not I'm going,"_ she mentally noted. _"Damn, I wish Tenchi could be here right _

Standing and trying to sort through her mixed emotions turned into a battle between keeping a promise and letting go of the past. Shaking her head, Ranma returned to the kata only to stop a short time later. She looked out the window into the darkness of early morning.

"It's no good," she concluded. "I can't stop thinking about what to do." She cocked her head to one side and made a contemplative smirk on her face. "I'll think I'll go for a walk."

Transforming into her Senshi form gently as to not alarm Tenchi, who could sense her now for some reason, she summoned her sword and paused. "_"Where to go? Hmmm... doesn't matter, as long as it's daylight." _

With a shrug of her shoulders, Ranma - now Sailor Sun - sliced a long line into the air, reached in with the tip of the sword, and randomly picked a nearby universe. It was something she had only done a few times, mostly driven out of curiosity as to what was there in the multitude of different universes. Also the excitement of going to a completely alien universe and what might be found there was like opening a Christmas present – she never knew what she was going to find.

Ranma consciously picked a universe not too far removed from her own. She didn't want to deal with anything too weird because she needed to think. And right now an alien, yet familiar, setting would do the trick.

She used to do that with the myriad of small cafes and tea houses in the surrounding area, but lately it was harder to get privacy since the news of her pregnancy got out among her many friends. Ranma needed to think and "baby clothes shopping" was not going to solve the problem of her past coming up and smacking her in the face. She could have picked any point in the world to go to, but it was just as easy to move between dimensions as it was to move from one point to the next, so why not?

Poking her head slightly through the newly made opening, she looked around to make sure that the coast was clear. Ranma did not really need to do that for her powerful senses had already told her that it was safe, but it was a force of habit that she could not break. She looked around the new world - and smiled.

_"An alley," _she mused to herself with a slight smirk. _"It's always an alley."_

Stepping completely through, her form wavered as her Senshi uniform changed into a nice, ordinary blue skirt while her top changed into a pale pink, button-up shirt. She was still in her Senshi form, but it was now disguised from the eyes of anyone who looked at her. Even though she never had any problems when she went "exploring", Ranma didn't want to take any chances - especially in her condition.

Walking out of the alleyway into the bright sun, the first thing she realized that she wasn't in Japan._ "Hmmm... well, all the better. I didn't want to see anyone I might even vaguely know anyway,"_ she thought flippantly. _"This is not too far removed from my home universe, so I should be able to find some decent tea somewhere."_

-------

"Yeah, what do you want?" Ranma asked as she looked up from her breakfast in the Company commissary. She had been discussing _things_ with her mother. It had been a depressing morning. Ironically, her father was one of the people trying to warn her about the problems with Kasumi. It seemed that she was the only one to not see it coming. Ranma took some comfort in her father's tacit acceptance of her and his earnest, albeit clumsy,attempts to help.

"We've got a favor to ask you," Colonel Jacob Edwards stated as he sat down next to her. He noticed the demon's tear-stained face. This breakup could be troubling, but he knew both parties were professionals. That would mitigate things.

The demon eyed the officer. Part of her expected the other shoe to drop; that they would finally ask for something she would not do. "What?" She looked over to see her mother stiffen.

"Twenty minutes ago we detected a spike in Hamilton." Jacob said, talking about the small city to the south of Toronto and at the Southern end of lake Ontario.

"What kind, Sir?" Major Saotome asked as she removed an arm from around her daughter.

"It was a teleport. Pattern Silver. More powerful than normal."

"What's the big deal? Setsuna can do that, and so can Usagi with her friends." Ranma was still alert. Jacob's presence for what looked like a minor thing meant something.

"The Tokyo section just reported in and all of the Pattern Silvers are accounted for."

"You're thinking it's another Virgo? Or is Mercury setting a trap like the Assembly's?" Ranma asked.

"That sounds a bit beneath her. She's not likely to sacrifice Virgo quite yet," Jacob said with no indication of humor.

Nodoka paused wondering if her boss had tried to crack a joke, which seemed as unlikely as him cracking a smile.

"But we have to consider the possibility," Jacob continued.

"Doesn't sound like her style anyway," Ranma shook her head. "They're just rebelling. Look at them, they're dressing in black and getting tattoos. Classic teenager. So, what do you want me to do?"

"If it's a new Senshi. We'd like you to be our greeter," Jacob smiled.

"Yeah... I don't know if some unknown magical girl would react best to a demon."

"You're better than one of us."

"Not sending backup with me?"

"Of course, I am." Jacob clarified. "But you'll do the talking, one magical girl to another."

"So we've got some unknown Pattern Silver. What's her strength?"

"That's why we're sending you. Our scanners... the first spike, though brief, was powerful," Jacob continued in a more serious tone.

Ranma sat and digested that tidbit for a moment. Something that big coming through and she missed it. Being busy trying to deal with breaking up with Kasumi did that.

"After the initial spike, the power faded to a more sane level. Then we had a helicopter try and get closer and triangulate the Silver's location, but it faded by then." Jacob knew that Hilbert would be flying cautiously. "Now, unlike your Grandma, this visitor didn't break anything, but BlackSky can mask herself completely." He then went on to give a description of the recorded harmonics.

"I suppose the analysis on BlackSky's signature paid off," Nodoka proposed. Though she did remember that BlackSky's arrival was undetected and she only melted those scanners when she showed off to Ranma.

"Lovely," Ranma sighed. "So she could be anything. What about my kids?"

"That's up to you. Though I feel a gaggle of demonic spawn might upset her. "

"And if she's hostile?"

"Then you can blow off some steam."

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "You're not worried about my emotional state?"

"No. I thought work would help distract your mind." Jacob's tone was its normal flat self, but a hint of something else slipped out.

Ranma shook her head at the agent's sympathy. "Just as long as Kasumi's not on my backup detail."

"Of course."

"Have a helicopter on the base ready for my kids," Ranma said as she pulled out her Company cell phone.

"What about the Inners?"

Ranma paused. She remembered Usagi soaked with her victim's blood and vengeance in her eyes. The memory then shifted to the hug with that sad blonde in the leather shop. "No... Usagi's got too much on her hands right now. Not with Ami and all."

"Fine. Your helicopter's on the roof. You'll rendezvous with a team of plainclothes agents and a detachment of battle-dress troopers, that were already dispatched."

"Do they have a lock on the Senshi's location?" Ranma asked as she got up.

"A general area," Jacob confessed.

Ranma nodded.

"Good luck Dear. Remember she might just be lost, confused, and new to this."

"If she is, I'll send her right over to the inners. Unless she'd rather work with professionals," Ranma grinned.

"The Silver must have powered down after she teleported." Jacob added as they walked to the elevator bank.

"I can find her easily enough." Ranma stepped into the elevator. After passing out of security and entering the main lobby of the Toronto Trust tower she was then led to another elevator that took her to the roof and the waiting WIC Blackhawk.

-------

When she first strolled along the streets, Ranma thought she was in the United States, but that was quickly proven wrong as she spied some signs in French as well as English dotted here and there. Curious, she investigated discreetly and discovered herself to be in Hamilton, Canada. Not only was she in a different universe and a different part of the globe than she was used to, Ranma found herself in the past relative to her universe; six years in the past to be exact. Satisfied where on the globe and when she was, she made her way to the first place that looked like it might have some decent tea.

Seating herself near the large window, Ranma relaxed and took in the atmosphere of the coffee house. She watched as people walked by, some hurrying, others more casual in their pace and smiled at the wonder of it all. Smiling at the server who brought a steaming cup of tea to her table, Ranma fished out a handful of change to pay. _"Heh - good thing I can use my senses to find spare change that others drop_," she mused. _"It's best to pay for everything using the local currency."_

Seeing that the tea was literally steaming hot, she placed it aside to cool a bit and returned to watching the world go by. It was quiet and she was the only person in the cafe at this time of the morning and that was fine with her.

_"What to do, what to do?" _She pondered. _"One part of me says 'screw it' and another part says 'give them a chance'. Gah, I thought I was over all this."_

------------

During the ride Ranma made another short call to Nariko and got another briefing, but the majority of the time was spent brooding. The redhead did not even really notice that this was the first time she had been in a helicopter since the forest fight. Part of her was relieved that there were just the two pilots in addition to herself in the vehicle. She did not think she was asking too much of a commitment from Kasumi. They were engaged after all. She had not even asked or suggested that Kasumi change. Ranma knew Kasumi's stance on that.

It was disheartening. For both her sisters Kasumi chose demonhood over death. That Ranma could not understand Kasumi's decision made things worse. Almost as worse was when Ranma started crying about how her mate was leaving her. Kasumi did not react well to that word's use. Ranma was relieved when the helicopter safely landed on a hospital helipad in Hamilton. WIC was making sure to keep the helicopter at a distance from the area where the suspected Silver was. Anything to distract her from the breakup.

"Jarvis?" Ranma asked as she jumped off the helicopter. She looked the agent over. "Well, it's nice to know you can wear something other than your uniform."

"This practically is a uniform," Jarvis said as he fingered his button-down shirt. Business casual was the standard dress for plainclothes agents. "And you're impeccably dressed as always. We're not exactly sure where the Silver is, but the rough bearings we got put her somewhere-"

"Don't tell me," Ranma said as she closed her eyes and expanded her senses. There was a faint trace of... something, but a trace was all she needed. "She's that way," the demon stated pointing to the South-west.

"Want a lift? It is daylight."

"Sure, but only to just a few blocks near her. It'll give you guys a chance to do your thing too."

"Fair enough." Jarvis nodded. The two walked to the waiting van. "How are you holding up, Red?" he asked after the van had pulled away from the hospital and traveled several blocks.

"Wow, news travels fast," Ranma grumbled as she watched buildings pass by.

"Especially among secret agents."

"Yeah, I'm okay. I guess... I dunno. I thought she was..."

"What? The One? Don't kid me, I saw you two. You were a couple but never an item."

"Let's just do this," Ranma stated flatly. She ordered the van to stop. They were close enough.

"Right," Jarvis relented. He closed the sliding door after she got out and the van drove off.

Ranma shook her head and started walking down the sidewalk. It was a brisk day. She wore a jacket but more to fit in and for style than out of any need. The scent she followed was definitely that of a Pattern Silver, but not any that Ranma knew. It was definitely a new Senshi.

She quickly closed in on the location, and soon enough only a large window separated her from her quarry. Before entering, Ranma called in her status. She knew the agents would want to start to set up.

-------------

Scrunching her mouth up in thought, Ranma didn't bother to note the customers as they entered and left the shop, jiggling the bell that hung over the door. Pondering the problem of revisiting her past like she promised or moving on with her life. Ranma sat, pondered, and took an occasional sip of her now much cooled tea. Ranma knew that you could only be angry so long before letting it go, but six years was a long time... but maybe not long enough.

Ranma was literally in a universe where no one knew her, so she was not expecting anything to intrude into her thoughts or for anyone to bother her. That's why she was surprised when someone addressed her.

----------

Ranma smiled as she entered the coffee and tea shop. At least a bunch of agents dressed like yuppies would not stand out here. They would fit in well with... well... the cafe was currently empty of patrons save one.

She studied the lone woman. She had bright red hair that was long and loose and, although sitting, it was obvious that she was a couple inches taller than Ranma. She looked to be in her early twenties and was dressed in a pale, light pink button-up shirt with a blue thigh-length skirt. It was something that Nariko or Nabiki would wear... or try to get their mom to wear.

Ranma smiled. An outfit like that would look good on her, but it was not her style. She went back to looking over the Senshi. There was an odd sensation from her - Ranma could not shake it. She seemed to be in deep troubled thought.

With a shrug Ranma went for it. This was the Senshi, and she looked preoccupied with something.

"Visiting or lost?" She asked, sliding in front of the woman's view. She was leaning towards lost.

As the Senshi paused and looked at Ranma, the demon made her own observations. Her senses confirmed that this was a Sailor Senshi, but not much on power levels. The Senshi was clearly masking her abilities, and doing it well enough. Ranma was reminded of her grandmother. Though BlackSky could do more than merely mask her power. BlackSky could conceal any indication that she was even masking anything.

---------

"Visiting or lost?"

Shaken from her thoughts, Ranma looked up at a - biker chick? The woman who spoke stood over her wearing leather - nothing but leather. Leather bodice, leather jacket, elbow length leather fingerless gloves, leather thigh-high boots, and a short leather skirt - all of it form-fitting like a second skin. Ranma wondered how many cows had gone into creating the outfit.

Of the woman herself, she had alabaster skin, deep red hair, purple eyes that were penetrating, and for a second what looked like horns or something appeared on her head. When Ranma looked again she saw that it was just a trick of the light on the teased shape of the strange woman's hair. Ranma's eyes widened at the hair. It was a rich and full mass that tumbled down and had a character all it's own.

The strange woman stared down at the still seated Ranma as if trying to bore into her. What made Ranma feel slightly ill-at-ease was that the leather-clad woman seemed vaguely familiar

"Excuse me?" Ranma asked cautiously, masking her surprise at being caught off guard. "I think you have the wrong person."

The standing woman then gracefully slid into the chair off to Ranma's right and looked into Ranma's eyes, almost as if she were trying to find something. She then leaned forward slightly and sniffed the air. She then cocked her head to one side, never breaking eye contact with Ranma, and seemed confused by something.

"No mistake," the leather-dressed woman said in a voice that was slightly musical. "You're not from around here."

Ranma blink-blinked at the strange woman. In the back of her head, alarms were going off. Her ever-present tactical thinking was already devising several defensive measures as well as escape routes, plus she had subconsciously raised the level of her shielding. Something was very wrong with her table companion.

-----------

"Excuse me?" The Senshi asked. Her face masked her surprise, but her scent gave it away. "I think you have the wrong person."

Ranma sat down and took a more detailed look. There was something familiar about the Senshi's _scent_ too. Not her power, per say but something more basic. Something fundamental. She was human, or as human as a Pattern Silver could be. Ranma made eye contact and kept it; she wanted to show respect. This Senshi had to have some power, but more importantly she had to have skill. The scale of both quantities was completely unknown.

"No mistake," Ranma lilted. "You're not from around here."

Ranma noted the Senshi's blinking. She was surprised? Did she think she could set off every detector within fifty miles and no one would notice? A new Senshi showing up was pretty obvious. Again Ranma thought of her grandmother. BlackSky teleported from another plane. Maybe this Senshi really was lost.

"I'm just passing through," the Senshi stated, in an almost embarrassed tone. "This is my first time through here."

Ranma leaned back and smiled triumphantly. She was right. Before she could ask her questions her companion spoke.

"You're a demon," the Senshi said in a measured voice.

Ranma blinked. It looked like the Senshi was making observations of her own.

---------

"I'm just passing through," Ranma admitted evenly as information was being fed into her consciousness about the nature of the biker-chick seated next to her. The findings were alarming. "This is my first time through here."

As if picking up on the changing mood of the redhead, the biker-chick leaned away and smiled in a most disarming way - revealing her extra long canines. This action had the effect of making the alarm bells in Ranma's head blare louder as she stared at what she knew was some type of demon. The tactical part of her mind kicked in as she developed several different attack options and raised the level of her shielding even more.

"You're a demon," Ranma stated flatly.

-----------

Both women were wrapped in a blanket of silence as each seemed to size up the other.

"Yes," the demon agreed in a tone that was better suited to a comment about the weather. "That all you can see about me?" she asked, almost disappointed.

The redhead paused and looked over the biker-demon again. It was true that she was not making any threatening moves, but there was something else. Something unsettling.

"I guess we'll start simple," the leather-clad demon began. "Who are you, why are you here, what Senshi are you?"

The redhead's skin turned almost as pale as her demonic companion's at being discovered. "How did you know?" Behind the eyes of the redhead, senses started to feed additional information that was gleaned from the demon. Patterns within patterns, ones that were very familiar and alien mixed together.

"My god... you're a Senshi too," the redhead said as she tried to wrap her mind around the idea of a demonic senshi. The redhead's eyes seemed to burrow into the demon's as if looking for something of their own.

"Isn't being a Senshi supposed to be a good thing?" the demon seemed genuinely confused.

The redhead's skin turned even paler before a mask of fear crossed her features. It was obvious that she recalled something unpleasant - very unpleasant. She suddenly slid back in her chair slightly, the demon also moved back slightly as she sensed the other's power-up; it was shielded but directed at her as a definite warning. It was almost overwhelming. "Stay back!" The redhead said firmly.

The demon sighed. "I told them I wasn't the best choice for this mission. Some random Senshi might not react well to a demon. Especially a pregnant Senshi. A mother's drive to protect is an amazing force." She seemed to speak from experience. She also hoped that her words would at least calm the other woman a bit.

"You know?" The redhead's eyes narrowed as she maintained her guard.

"One mother can spot it easily enough in another," the demon noted absently. She frowned. "I guess you're not going to answer. Least you're being civil." She then ordered some tea of her own.

"So are you, I've never heard of demons being well-mannered," the redhead replied somewhat evenly.

"You've never met my eldest." The demon smiled fondly. "She's such a sweet and gentle girl."

"Sweet and gentle?" The redhead repeated. "In a demon?"

The demon's piercing gaze returned. "Is that a problem?" She asked sharply, hurt in her voice. "I guess you wouldn't think our kind was capable of that."

The redhead wore a look of confusion for a second. She was visibly wrestling with some internal thoughts before her face changed to a neutral expression. "You're insulted?" The redhead commented softly.

"Of course." The demon snorted. "You're a bigot. Maybe to you we're all the same," the demon spat.

A weird sort of stalemate rose and fell just as quickly. The redhead's shoulders sagged a bit as she came out of her defensive stance and relaxed a bit.

"I'm... er, sorry? I've never really met a demon, not a real one," the redhead offered with a slight bow to the demon next to her. "But all the demons that my friends had to face were more interested in stealing heart crystals or people's life energy than being civil. I'm sorry if I assumed wrong."

An uncomfortable quietness fell between the two for a brief moment.

"Our reputation does precede us," the demon admitted and relaxed. "Can you at least tell me your name?"

The human redhead cocked her head slightly and shrugged her shoulders. "My name is Ranma. I'm pleased to meet you."

The demon blinked once. Twice. Three times. "Ranma?"

The redhead who claimed the name Ranma looked back at the demon. "Yes. That's my name. Er, what's yours?"

The demon smirked, then giggled a giggle that was pleasant to the ears. "You're not going to believe me, but my name is Ranma."

----------

After hearing the giggling demon use her own name, Ranma's brain when into overdrive. _"That's why she seemed so familiar!"_ Her mind howled. _"She's me! Well, a version of me... that is, this universe's version of me."_

It was at that point that the demon named Ranma leaned toward the redheaded Ranma and took a deep sniff. _"Why is she sniffing me like that?" _Ranma thought self-consciously. _"I bathed this morning." _

Human-Ranma was slightly taken aback by being sniffed at again and as discreetly as she could smelled herself to see if she was malodorous. Finding nothing, she mused that maybe it was just something demons did. Sensing an awkward silence building, demon-Ranma felt the need to break it before it began.

"Your smell... your underlying smell, is just like mine," The demon-Ranma said. "You weren't kidding when you said you were Ranma."

_"She was smelling me out - literally,"_ human-Ranma mentally concluded. She swallowed a bit before nervously asking, "So... what are you a Senshi of?"

"I'm Sailor DarkStar," demon-Ranma quietly replied. "You?"

"Sailor Sun," human-Ranma replied, with a note of pride.

"Oh... that's ironic," DarkStar laughed.

"What?" Sun asked.

"I go to school under the name Sunshine." DarkStar replied.

"I - see," Sun said with some hesitant sympathy in her voice. "Er, why did you pick that as an alias?"

"Don't ask. It was the Drake's idea," DarkStar dismissed.

Sun blinked a few times before speaking. "Okay."

"It's okay. It could be worse, somehow," DarkStar sighed. "So, back to my first question, vacation or lost? Does it have to do with your baby? If you're running from something, we can help."

"Thanks, but I'm okay. I was just visiting." Sun assured. She studied the demon. DarkStar's concern seemed genuine. Sun then remembered something DarkStar had let slip. "You're a mother too?"

DarkStar's face brightened. "Yes, I have five daughters."

Sun looked over her doppelganger's frame. She noticed the curves that were hugged by the tight leather outfit and for some reason wondered how Ryoko would look in it. There seemed to be advantages to having a demonic body. "Five kids?"

DarkStar paused to thank the waitress who served her tea. She nodded affirmatively while taking a sip of her drink. "I have a seventeen year old, three sixteen year olds, and one that's now fourteen."

Sun looked the demon over again and found that it was hard to tell her exact age. That was common enough Sun knew girls in college that could pass for junior high. "Er, how old are you?"

"In this life... sixteen," DarkStar answered while placing her cup on the coaster. "But a couple records have me around thirty." She paused and regarded Sun a moment. "So is this your first child?" DarkStar asked as she smiled warmly and sipped at her tea.

Sun blinked at the eager inquisitiveness and paused at the thought of five teenage daughters before answering. The strangeness in DarkStar's age was noted for later. "Yes, this is my first," She replied, happy that things were still civil, but things seemed to be getting stranger and stranger. In spite of the more relaxed attitude that fell between the two, Sun still maintained some of her defenses.

Sun wondered if DarkStar was doing something similar. She could sense the demonic energies her double was giving off but had no idea if they were hostile or normal. DarkStar was maintaining an engaged posture, especially with the near constant eye contact.

DarkStar nodded. "You'll love being a mother. It changes everything, but it's worth it." She paused and took another sip of her drink. "So... if you're not lost, why are you here?"

Sun fidgeted uncomfortably. "I wanted some privacy, to think things over."

DarkStar's eyes suddenly narrowed. "It's not about your baby is it? Is something wrong?"

"What?" Sun was again shocked to see the concern and empathy on the demon's face. "No, no... the baby's fine. I'm worried about something else."

"Good. Sorry, I was just worried that you might be thinking of something... drastic." DarkStar bowed her head.

Another bout of silence revisited the pair as each seem to size up their thoughts.

"I was just trying to decide if I did a stupid thing or not," Sun said. "I said that I would... meet some people and I think I've pretty much decided not to. They're not worth it."

DarkStar cocked her head in curiosity. This was not unnoticed by Sun.

"A few days ago I ran into someone from my past that I'd rather not have," Sun clarified. "For some stupid reason I told her to get everyone from... my past together. I'm supposed to meet them in," Sun glanced at her watch, "four and a half hours, but I think I'll just forget it."

"Why is this a problem?"

Ranma looked down on the table top. She fidgeted and swallowed. "These are the people that... basically stabbed me in the back six years ago. The only reason why I even thought of going was because Nabiki said my mother missed me - but now - I don't know now if I should have believed her."

"Your mother?" DarkStar asked, puzzled. "What's she do? Sell you off to Genma?"

"Worse. She gave me up to... Genma," Sun spat the name out like a curse word. "Then I come to find that if I didn't return as a man among men she would kill me."

DarkStar looked at the young woman seated next to her. "Man among men?"

Sun looked up at the demon and shrugged her shoulders.

"You started out as a guy too?" DarkStar asked.

Sun nodded, then stopped and looked at DarkStar. "You too?" DarkStar nodded, taking another sip of her drink. "I guess it just runs in the universes," Sun quipped. Both Ranmas giggled at the small joke that seemed to break the ice slightly between them. Each settled more comfortably into their chairs.

"So... what's this about your mother?" DarkStar asked curiously.

Sun sighed. "It's like... stupid Genma, he made mom a promise that if I didn't turn out to be a man among men, we would both kill ourselves."

Sun watched the demon closely as she thought over what was said. In spite of the differences there were somethings that were eerily similar to herself. It made her feel creepy in an excited way. DarkStar gave Sun a gentle look and smiled. "Come on, your mother wouldn't do that, not make you kill yourself."

Sun sighed and nodded. "Yeah, she would... well she can't anymore. I'm not a Saotome - haven't been one for years," Sun explained. "The only time I saw her I was a girl at the time and she didn't know it was me. Anytime anyone even suggested that I was unmanly, she would pull out that damn sword of hers and wave it around."

"She was serious, and a sword?" DarkStar asked with surprise.

Sun nodded as she took a calming sip of her tea. "Yes - she was," she said placing her cup down. "She seemed nice enough, but what kind of mother holds their child - especially a five year old - to something like that?" Sun grabbed at her tea and took another calming drink. "Well, since I'm not a Saotome anymore, she could take that suicide pact and shove it."

DarkStar sat there and quietly pondered the other Ranma's plight. Her own mother had made mistakes like that, and DarkStar had failed Nariko in an even more damaging way...

The pause also gave Sun the opportunity to collect herself a bit - this was obviously an emotionally charged subject.

"Well, you're no longer a Saotome so she can't do anything to you," DarkStar pointed out. "Why let it get to you?"

Sun sat in silence for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders.

DarkStar sighed and took Sun's hands in hers. Sun found the touch surprisingly warm. "You said something about a Nabiki saying something about your mother missing you?" DarkStar asked.

"Yeah..." Sun said softly. "But knowing the middle Tendo, she'd think of this as a cruel joke to pull or just to make money from. Bitch."

DarkStar looked puzzled, but did not immediately say anything. She gave Sun a gentle squeeze of the hand. "Nabiki Tendo? You have one too? I know she... well I mean, my - Nabiki wouldn't."

Sun sighed again as her shoulders sagged. "I don't know really anymore," she admitted. "If this was six years ago I would say: Yes she would, in a heartbeat. But now? I really don't know." Then she added softly, "She really did seemed changed, though."

"Well, your mother can't touch you, and Nabiki - your Nabiki - can't hurt you," DarkStar said. "So why don't you go? You have nothing to lose and you might gain something."

"That's not the point!" Sun shot out, gripping DarkStar's hands a little firmer, but not painfully, with her own. "A mother is supposed to put the well-being of her child over hers or anyone else's. She failed. I might not have my child in my arms yet, but I already know that I will be dead and cold in the ground before anything gets between me and my child."

DarkStar smiled in approval. This one will make a good mother.

"From what I see here, you'll make a wonderful mother, " DarkStar said, echoing her thoughts. "So you're here to work out some personal problems?"

"Yeah, I guess you can put it that way," Sun said softly as she looked out the window.

"Why here? I mean, why bother crossing universes?" DarkStar could accept crossing plans of existence to visit family, but not just to find a quiet place to think.

Sun shrugged her shoulders. "Coming here is just as easy as crossing the street for me," she replied. "Also it's kind of exciting - I was hoping to take my mind off things for a bit before really thinking about it. Back home all my friends would want to do is talk about the baby and I wouldn't get anywhere with my problem."

DarkStar seemed to weigh that. She hadn't detected anything but honesty, a guarded honesty, but honesty none-the-less. DarkStar nodded. "So what do you know about your mother?" She asked, picking up the conversation.

Sun leaned back in her chair and pondered a moment before her face hardened. "My mother is a sword wielding psycho with an unhealthy fixation on manliness." She paused and looked out the window again. "She can go to hell for all I care."

DarkStar studied the human version of herself; in spite of the differences, she picked up on the underlying problem. "You know, I was just as scared about seeing my mother as you are. Especially since she's a demon hunter, but... I'm glad I did."

"I'm not scared," Sun defended herself. "There may be a lot of stuff that scares me and this is not one of them."

DarkStar gave Sun a measured look as she sipped at her drink. "You're lying."

Sun looked at DarkStar with wide eyes before narrowing them. "I am not!" She said defiantly. "Nabiki said that she wanted to see me curse or no, but knowing Nabiki..."

"You're afraid of rejection," DarkStar said pointedly. "It's written all over your face."

Sun looked at the tabletop between them, but remained silent.

"Look," DarkStar said while taking Sun's hands once again into her own, "Rejection - it happens, but if you don't risk anything..."

Sun still examined the tabletop and let the demon massage her hands. After a brief moment, she sighed heavily. Looking up she noticed a pain in DarkStar's eyes that wasn't there before. "The voice of experience?" She quipped with a half-sad tone in her voice.

It was DarkStar's turn to study the table top. "Yeah. Actually it is," she said sadly. "I just... just broke up with my fiancee." Technically, it was Kasumi that did the breaking up.

Sun opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She tried again with success. "I'm so sorry," she said sympathetically. "Here I am telling you my problems and here you are in pain too."

"Thanks," DarkStar said with a sniffle and a brave smile. "I thought that she was the one, you know?... she didn't... she... didn't want to lose her humanity. I didn't even ask her for that, but she got... scared." Tears started to leak from the corners of the brokenhearted demon's eyes.

Sun slid off her chair and squatted next to the still seated demon and embraced her. The demon stiffened in surprise at the physical contact but then went with the hug. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Sun repeated while hugging her with one hand and handing DarkStar paper napkins with the other. DarkStar accepted and began using them.

"I thought she was the one, you know?" DarkStar repeated through bouts of sniffles. "I mean I was good enough to be a mother to her sisters, but... but..." DarkStar fell into another bout of tears, burying her face in a mass of napkins. Sun began rocking the distraught girl gently.

"I guess I was good for a lay... but not for a commitment," the crying demon mewled into Sun's shoulder. Sun drew DarkStar further into the hug and continued to rock her gently and rubbing her back. Being unsure of what to say in this situation, she remained quiet. The two stayed like that for a long moment before DarkStar came back to herself. "Sorry," she said wiping her eyes with a damp napkin.

"Are you going to be okay?" Sun asked as she gently untangled herself from DarkStar's embrace. It was... odd. One moment this demon seemed to be the jaded voice of experience, and the next she was crying her heart out.

"It's okay," DarkStar said with declining sniffling. She smiled at the other redhead. "Thank you. I needed that. I normally cry on my Mom's shoulder. Actually, that's what I was doing before I came down here. She's helped me though my... changes."

"It's good that she... understands," Sun allowed while a tinge of jealousy and depression formed within her.

"My mom's been great though. She's been such a help. She helped me realize what my responsibilities were." She paused and cocked her head, wearing a crooked smile. "If you want... I could... call my mother. I think she would like to meet you."

"Sure, I'd like to meet your mom," Sun said while handing off more napkins to the emotional demon. "I wish I was sure about mine... Maybe yours could help me with my problem."

DarkStar smiled widely, but thinly. "Just a sec," she said as she reached somewhere, pulled out and flipped open her phone then casually punched a button. "Hello?" Pause. "Everything's fine. No. Yes. I was just talking about Kasumi - say, could you have my mom come over?" Pause. "No, but I think she'll want to meet our wayward Senshi." Pause. "Right." She then folded her phone and replaced it in a jacket pocket.

"She's coming? But... you just met me." Sun felt honored but apprehensive. A bit of hope bloomed within her. After all, if this Nodoka can accept this Ranma, why not her Nodoka?

DarkStar "Should I be concerned? You're a Senshi, you're me, and you're a good mother. You won't be the strangest person she's met," DarkStar sipped her tea again. She let her ancient demon queen of a grandmother meet Nodoka, this alternate her would be fine too.

"You said she's a demon hunter? What kind?" Sun then noted that the demon's eye makeup was pristine again.

"She works for Willard International Consulting. They act like a scary secret organization. Sunglasses, black helicopters, all that stuff." DarkStar laughed as she caught the eye of a pair of young professionals at a nearby table. "But they're really good guys. They fight monsters and such. Dang professional at it too. They... care."

"Do you work for them, too?"

"Yeah, I fight with them, and they've been a big help with my family." DarkStar's smile turned bittersweet. She sighed and looked at the table.

"So what does she do?" Sun asked quickly changing the subject.

"She's the head of the Toronto base's Science and Technology section. Mostly she does armor and weapons. Making them lighter, stronger that sort of thing. Lots of composites, stuff I don't understand." DarkStar avoided mentioning any current projects of her mother's.

A surprised smile formed on Sun's face. "She's a research scientist?"

DarkStar paused in recollection. "I guess so. She got her doctorate in materials science before joining WIC."

Sun blinked at the overload of information before renewing her smile. "I just got my degree in chemistry," she said. "I was thinking about going for a doctorate, but," she paused and rubbed her stomach, "life had other plans for me."

"Yeah," DarkStar said absently. "A year ago I never thought I'd be where I am today."

Sun gave a nod. "I hear that - hell, six years ago I'd never imagined I'd be happily married - much less to a guy."

"How did that come about? I mean you starting as a guy and ending up a girl?"

"Difficult," Sun said flatly. "I was cursed...

"Jusenkyo?" DarkStar interjected quizzically.

Sun nodded and continued. "Then I lost a fight and got stuck as a girl and disowned by Genma."

DarkStar blinked at the human version of herself. She could almost see her father doing that. The way he looked at her, when she had first accepted being a mother... "You mean he disowned you because you got stuck?"

Sun shook her head. "Not really," she admitted. "Because I wouldn't marry Soun to 'join the schools'."

DarkStar frowned. The more she heard about Sun's Genma the less she liked. "Marry Soun?" She repeated with a shake of her head. She would rather marry the Drake. He was a much better parent. "Okay, but how does that explain how you ended up like you are?"

Sun looked at the tabletop for an extended moment, lost in thought. "I - I have no idea how long, but I was living on the streets for a very long time... a lot of things can change when you're hungry all the time and digging through dumpsters for something to eat."

DarkStar easily read from Sun's face that there was still more to this story.

"A lot of things change... things that you take for granted. Hell," Sun continued while looking up with a dismissive a wave of her hand, "I was so desperate at one point I seriously thought about..." her voice faded into nothing. She remained quiet for a few heartbeats, her gaze returning to the tabletop. "I even thought of selling myself," she said barely above a whisper. "All so I could just have something decent to eat. That's how far I sank."

"But you didn't?" It was shameful, but DarkStar knew _exactly_ what she would have done in that situation, and was pleased that her alternate was capable of a... nobler path.

Sun shook her head. "No. If wasn't for Granny finding me when she did, I just might have," she explained. "Hell, if it wasn't for her I'd probably be dead."

"Granny?" DarkStar questioned, thinking about BlackSky.

"Yeah," Sun smiled. "She wasn't my real Granny, but she was more family to me than my own family had ever been. She took me in, cleaned me up, gave me a job, and finally saw me adopted me into her clan."

"She sounds like a wonderful person," DarkStar commented as she took another sip of her drink, emptying it this time.

"She was," Sun agreed, the meaning of her words clear. "In fact," she patted her lower abdomen, " if this is a girl, I already have a name picked out for her."

"Keeping the sex a secret?" DarkStar asked with a smile.

Sun nodded with a smile of her own. "Yup, I want to be surprised."

"I know I love my children," DarkStar said. "Everything else seems so unimportant compared to them."

Sun leaned forward. "You wouldn't happen to have any pictures, would you?"

DarkStar smiled and reached somewhere in her incredibly tight outfit and pulled out a hefty photo wallet.

------

Across the room, sipping a coffee and pretending to read a newspaper, agent Morrison watched over the two women. "What are those two doing now?" he asked his partner, a young women seated beside him.

Agent Andrea Lytle glanced over her laptop's screen. "It looks like Sunny is showing pictures of her kids again," she commented quietly.

"I wondered if she is going to show the one with Nariko and Akane with the whip cream and-" he was interrupted by a loud burst of giggles from the two Ranma's.

"I would take that as a yes," his table-mate deadpanned, while pretending to work a spreadsheet.

--------

"Oh my god, they're adorable," Sun exclaimed gleefully. "You must have your hands full at times."

DarkStar beamed at the compliment. "Yes, they're still very young," she said as she looked at the picture of her family.

Sun studied the photograph. One face in particular stood out, a familiar one among others that were slightly less familiar. "Is that... your mom?" she asked pointing to a lab coat-wearing older woman who stood behind her daughter with a smile.

"Yes, that's my mom. She wanted a family picture for the longest time," DarkStar said as she pulled out a couple more pictures.

Sun's attention went from Nodoka to the others in the photo. Some of them looked familiar, but it had to be a coincidence. "Umm... what are your kids names?" she delicately asked.

"Akane, Nariko, Ukyou, Misako, and Nabiki," DarkStar explained pointing to each of the girls.

That creepy disconnect feeling returned to Sun. She now knew who her counterpart had just broken up with, though that meant that... Her eyes went back to the two demons who were once her fiancee's. "Were... were they always demons?" Sun asked, knowing the answer.

DarkStar looked at the still image of her daughters. "No. They were human, but they got turned." The demon's shoulders sagged. "It started with saving one person's life... and then it snowballed."

"Turning saved their lives?" Sun asked. That fit with the demon's earlier comments.

"When I turn someone, their body is remade. Side effect is that it heals mortal wounds," DarkStar said before ordering another cup of tea.

"And since you turned them, you became their mother? That makes sense. I guess." Sun's eyes returned to the photo, changing like that... at death's door had to be traumatic, but they looked happy.

DarkStar's frowned and looked at her photos. One was a picture of Nariko happily holding a test in one hand and an arm around her mother with the other. "I wish I had been able to see it that quickly. I... I didn't know what I was, what my daughter was..." DarkStar's eyes started to tear. "And it hurt her."

Sun didn't know exactly what was happened to DarkStar's daughter, but she did understand that whatever it was, was not good. Sun found herself hugging and comforting a sniffling, emotionally-charged demon again. The napkin dispenser got another workout.

----------

"They're hugging again," Morrison commented as he turned the page of his newspaper. He reminded himself to find something to give Red, It was the least he could do: he owed her. "I guess they're getting along. What do you think they're talking about?"

Andrea lifted a cup of hot, black coffee to her lips and paused as she typed a few words into her laptop and looked at the responding feed. "Looks like plain old girl talk to me."

Morrison cocked his head toward his partner while keeping the two Senshi within his peripheral vision. "Girl talk? Are you sure?"

Andrea looked at her partner through half-lidded eyes. "Men," she snorted before returning to her laptop.

---------

"If I only knew then what I know now," DarkStar sobbed a bit as Sun continued to hold her. "Nariko is special... because of... my cocky mistake."

Sun nodded absently as she held and stroked the demon's back. She understood the price of being cocky. "It couldn't have been that bad," she said as she held DarkStar. "If your Genma is anything like mine-"

"You don't understand," DarkStar interrupted, wailing into Sun's shoulder. "What I did was worse than anything Pops ever did to me."

"You seem like a good person, I don't think-"

"I pushed her away," DarkStar said into Sun's shoulder. "I didn't know and I didn't understand and I didn't want her, so I pushed my child away onto her father... and it hurt her."

"But if you didn't know and really understand what was going on," Sun said, trying to comfort the distraught demon. "It seems to me you're doing the best you can to make right your mistake, so don't beat yourself up for it."

"But... but," DarkStar started, before relaxing more into Sun's embrace. Calming herself somewhat, she began again. "Before Nariko... I... was in denial. I kept pretending I was still human, still male. That wouldn't last. I see humans and I know what I can do to them. It's so easy. They're so fragile... and I know how good it feels." Her mind flashed to the fight against the Assembly.

DarkStar looked Sun in the eyes. She was not ready to tell Sun that experience had proved much of this. That she had happily torn into humans and feasted on them as they screamed. They were evil, and monsters in their own right, but... she had still fed and would continue to feed.

"There was once a time that I wondered if I was human," Sun whispered gently into DarkStar's ear. "Knowing that you were created in a lab - turned into a weapon."

The two broke apart with their arms still around one another. Both gazed into each others eyes and found as they found an understanding. "There's nothing like being turned into a weapon of mass destruction - being a weapon of mass destruction - that makes you question your humanity."

"At least it's still just a question for you. I know the answer." DarkStar sighed, as she looked at her companion. "You were created?" DarkStar asked in a voice filled with curiosity.

"I was -," Sun paused in thought for the right word, "- turned into a weapon. I was a human before the Techo-mages got a hold of me. Afterward, it was training, honing my powers for the time that I might be called upon."

DarkStar continued to look into Sun's eyes. "Wow, it's almost like you are - were more inhuman than me," DarkStar said while wiping stray tears from her eyes. "Sure I'm a demon, but you... you were made to be a thing. Man that sucks."

The two shared a quiet moment as their emotions ran down. Re-seating herself back into her chair, Sun studied her demonic twin. "I got over that. My husband helps." A smile crept across her face. "When I'm with Tenchi, I know I'm human. No doubts."

"You're lucky," DarkStar said sadly. "I thought I found a mate, but..." she ended with a even sadder sigh.

Sun took up DarkStar's hands into hers. "You'll find someone!" she said in a positive tone. "I'm sure of it. It always happens when you least expect it and you have so much to offer."

DarkStar gave a weak smile. She was a single mother demon still in high school with five children. "Thanks. I... I thought Kasumi was the one. But she... well I can't blame her. She's the last human among the Tendo sisters."

Gently squeezing DarkStar's hands, Sun smiler re-assuredly. "Don't worry, you'll find someone. Trust me."

DarkStar tilted her head so that she was looking at their joined hands. "Yeah. If things get too bad, I can just ask - well -Jarvis or some other agent." She sighed depressively. "One of them would be willing to take one for the Company."

Sun opened her mouth in shock at the casualness with which DarkStar seem to take her love life. She swallowed hard before speaking. "What about love?"

DarkStar sighed heavily. "Love is easy for my kind... and it would keep me sane. I hope it doesn't come to that, but... sometimes life forces things on you."

"I know what you mean about life," Sun replies while nodding. "I know I never asked for any of this, but still... shouldn't love count for something?"

"Yes," DarkStar admitted. "But... I-I've had hopes," she added sadly. In many ways a mating of convenience would be easier. Biology would take care of the details.

Sun squeezed DarkStar's hands. "Don't give up then," Sun implored. "So what if it didn't work out between you and Kasumi? Is there anyone else that you are interested in? I'm sure there has to be someone that's caught your eye."

DarkStar looked uncomfortable. "Yeah. But it's even a longer shot than-"

"There you are," a voice called out. "How is everything?"

Both Ranmas looked up at the newcomer. She was very familiar to both of them.

"Hi Mom," DarkStar said with a smile. "Everything's fine. We were talking about - stuff."

"I see," the older redhead said with a warm smile while eyeing the human-Ranma. "And who do we have here? Our wayward Senshi?"

"Um, Mom, I'd like to introduce you to... Ranma," DarkStar said a little nervously. "Er, Ranma this is my mom. Um, Mom, Ranma's from somewhere else."

"So I gathered," Nodoka said dryly still maintaining her warm smile as she slid into the seat between the redheads and addressed Sun. "So, you're just visiting?" she asked with the intention of quickly breaking the ice.

DarkStar and Sun looked and each other, then back at the older woman before bursting into a fit of giggles.

---------

Morrison cleared his throat slowly. "Look alive, Andrea," he said out of the corner of his mouth. "It must be more serious than we thought, look who just showed up."

Andrea paused in her typing and stretched, using it as cover to scan the room.

"Major Saotome brought some reinforcements," Andrea said as she made like she was looking over some papers by her laptop. "It may be nothing... I mean the Major's S&T not Operations. They're getting together like old friends. Stay alert, though - it may be nothing, but we can't afford to get too comfortable now."

Morrison grunted a positive response while pretending to work the crossword. Their job was just to watch and provide support if things went bad.

----------

Major Saotome raised an eyebrow as she sat down. "You seem in better spirits dear," she said, putting her hand on her daughters.

"I've been getting some... perspective." DarkStar allowed. "This is a me that's from another universe or something."

"That could explain the variance in the inter-dim signal we detected," Nodoka mused as she appraised the other Senshi. The scans that WIC had taken and were still taking confirmed her Pattern, if not her power. She was clearly masking her full power and doing it quite well.

"That's how you found me," Sun thought aloud. "You picked up my space fold... Hmmm... Washu did say that I could be tracked through primitive technology. I guess yours was primitive enough, er - no offense."

"None taken," Nodoka said, brightly. To her being able to be seen by "primitive" technology was a major oversight. It was like making a plane invisible to radar and then not bothering masking its thermal output or giving it a concealing paint job. "So I take it you were surprised?"

Sun nodded. "Yes. It's not that often that anyone can find me."

"Really?" a much interested Nodoka asked. She was interested in gathering any information on this new Senshi.

"Er, when they made me, I was designed to be invisible to every form of detection," Sun explained, "But what they didn't do was to bother to test that against, er - 'cruder instruments of detection'. So while I'm invisible to 'more modern' scanners, more primitive ones can pick me up on a wide-scale."

Nodoka nodded in understanding. "It's usually the things that are considered unimportant that cause trouble later on."

"It's also arrogant." DarkStar sourly noted. "Though, those mages or whatever _were_ playing god."

"In combat, teleportation is a frightening ability," Nodoka noted. Which was why it was an ability she hoped her daughter and granddaughters would figure out.

"It's not really teleportation," Sun clarified. "I don't like doing that - it makes me a little dizzy."

Nodoka cocked her head. "Then what would you call it?"

"Folding space," Sun answered plainly. "I create a slit in space/time, find a another point in space where I want to go to, fold the ends together, and then pass through."

DarkStar thought on Sun's words with a frown on her face. After a brief moment she asked, "Isn't that the same as teleportation?"

Sun looked at her other self and cocked her head and reconsidered. "Well, I guess it could be," she admitted before shrugging her shoulders and addressing Nodoka. "So you're Ranma's mom? I'm Ranma Masaki, I'm pleased to met you."

"I'm Dr. Nodoka Saotome, and I'm also pleased you met you as well," Nodoka answered. She declined to give her military title. That might spook the girl. "I understand that you are having family problems?"

Sun blinked at the older woman. "Er, how do you know about that?"

DarkStar looked puzzled at Sun for a moment, before her eyes widened. "Oh yeah, we're being monitored. You understand, we didn't know if you were a friendly or not."

Sun nodded. "I... see. I guess that's understandable, er - I guess. After all, you know nothing about me."

The conversation lulled as a waitress came up to the table. Ranma took the time to study DarkStar's mother. She was dressed in a nice pair of khakis, blouse, and light jacket and was not carrying the family honor blade with her. Though it was hidden by the jacket, Sun detected the handgun that Nodoka was carrying.

Nodoka absently nodded to Sun's statement as she placed her order with the waitress. "You two want anything to eat? I hadn't really eaten much for breakfast."

"I'll take a slice of pie," DarkStar said. "I didn't eat much this morning and I'm starting to feel it."

The waitress wrote the order down and looked expectedly at Sun. "I'm fine," she said. "I ate."

The waitress departed with a nod and Nodoka continued where they left off. "Masaki? Your husband's name?"

Sun nodded with enthusiasm.

"How nice. My daughter wants a mate," Nodoka said while eyeing DarkStar. "You have any pictures?"

DarkStar's eyes widened in irritation. Her mother could still sometimes find ways to embarrass her.

Sun blinked at the question. Not seeing anything wrong with the request and since DarkStar shared hers, she fished around in her subspace pocket for a small photo wallet. To the others at the table, it was as if Sun reached into thin air and extracted the light blue photo album. Sun looked at it and frowned for a brief second, before shrugging her shoulders. She flipped to the first page. "This was our wedding," she said as she handed the small book to DarkStar.

"Wow," DarkStar commented as she leaned toward Nodoka so she could see as well. "A western ceremony. You made a beautiful bride." Both DarkStar and her mother looked at the group picture and noted the familiar faces of the Senshi.

"Thank you," Sun said with a slight blush. "That's my husband, Tenchi, the girl next to me is my sister, the one next to her is Ryoko," Sun's tone changed with the mention of the name, adding an affection to it, "then there's Usagi, Ami,... you probably recognize the rest."

The two Saotome women nodded as they began flipping through the book. "Tenchi is a handsome young man," Nodoka commented as they continued to flip through the book. Though a professional, she found it fascinating to be seeing so many faces that she knew at a event that happened universes away.

DarkStar stopped flipping and lingered over a photo. Nodoka raised an eyebrow, looked at Sun, then back at the picture. DarkStar then rotated the book and mimicked the elder Saotome's motions, looking between Sun and the picture that they were looking at.

This did not go unnoticed by Sun. "What?" she asked.

DarkStar smiled as Nodoka addressed the redhead. "You are very flexible," she said in a approving manner, "and you seem to enjoy Shibari very much."

Sun looked confused for a moment, then her eyes widened. The blue album! With the wedding _and_ honeymoon pictures! "Eeep!" she embarrassingly exclaimed as she made a grab for the book in DarkStar's hands. DarkStar clutched the small book protectively to her chest.

"Hey! I'm getting ideas here," DarkStar said somewhat defensively. She then looked down for a quick peek and whispered, "Very interesting ideas."

Sun's face turned as red as her hair. "Hee, hee, hee," she giggled uncomfortably. "I grabbed the wrong one," she explained. "I meant to show you the red one. Hee, hee, hee... Can I have those back, er - please?"

Sun should have known better than to carry that around... but it was exciting, fun and kinky at the same the time.

"Don't worry about it," Nodoka reassured. "Ranma, my daughter that is, is a succubus. There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"A succ-?" Sun began. Part of her thought that might be what DarkStar was, but still... "Err.. Um, I'm not quite sure what that means." Sun did not want to make another faux pause.

"That means she's a sex demon," Nodoka explained while DarkStar carefully examined Sun's honeymoon pictures. "She literally thrives on this, so there is not much that can surprise her." Reading BlackSky's books to the brood had been quite informative on the nature of that species.

"How'd you get your ankles that far back...," DarkStar muttered absently as she paid special attention to one photo. "... and tied that way too..."

Sun's face flushed.

"So what about your mother?" Nodoka asked, distracting Sun from her current predicament. "You really should see her."

"I know," Sun lamented. "But what if Nabiki lied to me? What if she... hates me."

"You're her child, why should she hate you?" Nodoka asked as DarkStar shifted in her chair, ignoring the two other women.

"Because I'm a girl and pregnant," Sun explained. "That's about as unmanly as you can get."

"Unmanly?" Nodoka questioned. She paused to thank the waitress who placed a slice of pie in front of her and her daughter, who was now jotting some notes down a napkin. Sun notice this and sweatdropped. "This-" Nodoka continued while motioning to DarkStar, "-isn't very manly."

"Hey!" DarkStar said indignantly. She gave a pretty little pout directed at her mother as she handed the embarrassing photographs back to Sun while pocketing her own notes.

"Well, I'd like to think that she has changed," Sun said as she quickly stuffed the photo album back into her subspace pocket. "I guess I'm just getting cold feet."

"Understandable," Nodoka said after she swallowed a bite of food. "When was the last time you saw her?"

Sun thought a moment. "I haven't seen her in about six years, but she didn't know it was me... so its been... sixteen - seventeen years for her."

"So you really have no idea how she is today?" Nodoka asked pointedly.

Sun shook her head in admittance. "Only what Nabiki has told me."

"So spy on her," Nodoka suggested as she dug into her pie. "Figure out what she does, how she treats other people. That way you're not going in blind."

"Umm... Mom," DarkStar stressed.

"I can't do that! She's my mom!" Sun objected to Nodoka's idea.

"Why not?" Nodoka countered with a wave of her fork. "You're her daughter."

Sun opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She then sighed heavily. "It doesn't matter," she said. "I've only got," she glanced at her watch, "three hours. I wouldn't have any time to spy on her even if I wanted too."

"Give just her the benefit of the doubt then," DarkStar suggested.

"It's just that- what kind of mother abandons her child?" Sun asked. She was dismayed and embarrassed to find both Nodoka and DarkStar sadly raise their hands. "Oh yeah..." Sun sighed. "Sorry... about... that..."

"And it's not like your mom locked and disowned you. How could she if she never knew who you were?" DarkStar suggested.

"Yeah, you're right. Setsuna was the one who arranged for me to get locked," Sun admitted, "and a lot of other... stuff too..."

"What?" DarkStar's brow furrowed. "She's not that evil. Sure, she made me a demon, but that was because of her incompetence. She wanted me human."

"Well, it was because I had to be totally female and accept who I really was, otherwise I couldn't access my Senshi powers. It was also an emergency at the time," Sun explained. "Setsuna had to break me from my current life to re-awaken me. It pretty much killed who I was, but brought back who I am. She did what she felt was necessary."

Sun notice that her table mates were very quiet, with a glance she was looking upon their horrified faces. "What?"

"So she just thought the ends would justify the means? How... monstrous." Nodoka shook her head.

"It wasn't that- okay, it was that bad at first, but I'm now who I was meant to be, what I should have been in the first place," Sun said. "Besides, I forgave her."

"You forgave someone that destroyed your life to turn you into a weapon?" Nodoka was aghast.

"It's okay, Mom," DarkStar said with a bit of sarcasm. "Ranma spent a long time living on the streets but eventually she made her own life, so it worked out in the end. So who cares about the means?" she added her voice now dripping with sarcasm

"That's a simplification." Sun glared.

"I see... let me see if I understand all of this correctly," Nodoka said while setting her empty plate aside and looking at Sun with firm eyes. "Setsuna arranged to lock you as a girl and thereby leading to you being disowned by your father."

Sun looked at the older woman briefly before nodding.

"Then you spend lord-knows-how-long living on the streets, barely living just above the level of an animal," Nodoka continued unrelentedly. "Destroyed the life you had, just so she could have you back - as a weapon..."

Sun looked uncomfortable and showed it by shifting around in her seat.

"... and after basically making your life hell, breaking you and remaking you into what she needed - you forgave her?"

Sun sat, biting her lip and looking like she rather be anywhere but there. "Well... yeah... basically... kinda...," she finally said. "But... umm... it's... more complicated... it's... umm..."

"You forgave Setsuna for her transgressions, yet you can't forgive your own mother." Nodoka interrupted Sun's stammering while taking a sip of her coffee.

Sun's mouth dropped open as she was rendered speechless by the stinging words of the older Saotome woman. As she mentally grappled, trying to find a way out of the corner she found herself in, DarkStar reached over with a dainty hand and casually closed Sun's mouth with a gentle snap.

"Your capacity for forgiveness is... odd," Nodoka finished with more than a hint of disapproval.

"That's different," Sun finally said in a weakly defensive tone. "It's not that simple! My mother abandoned me! Sure Setsuna ruined the life I had, but I can't hate her... if... I did... if I did..."

"You would have to kill her?" Nodoka asked over the rim of her raised cup.

Sun was quiet for what seemed like a long moment before nodding weakly. She had seen first hand what hate, especially self righteous hate, could do and how dangerous it was. Hate was not an emotion to be taken lightly.

"I don't want to hate." She said as the top of the table seemed very interesting at the moment. "I saw... I've seen what hate can do... to someone like me."

The succubus nervously ran her tongue over her teeth. Among other things, Alexia had given DarkStar her fill of hate, both Alexia's and her own.

The two Saotome women's curiosity was aroused, but they both to set it aside to concentrate on the matter at hand. "So, are you going to give your mother at least the chance for forgiveness?" Nodoka asked.

Sun sighed and her shoulders sagged slightly. "Yes. Yes, I will," she said lowly. "You're right," she sighed out in defeat. "If I can forgive Setsuna for what she did to me, I should at least give my mom the chance."

Nodoka smiled warmly at the younger woman.

"And remember, " DarkStar added. "Even if it doesn't work out, you have friends and family of your own to fall back on. You're not alone."

Sun looked across the table at her new... friends? She smiled in amusement at the thought and nodded. "You're right," she agreed. "I'm just being a coward about it. I'll go and see her."

"Good for you," Nodoka chimed as DarkStar smiled broadly.

The three women sat in companionable silence for a minute, gazing outside and watching the world go by. The sun was higher in the sky and was now streaming in through a skylight as well as the windows brightening the interior of the cafe. Each woman was lost in her own thoughts.

"So, Ranma tells me you're a scientist," Sun said breaking the silence before it became awkward. "What do you do?"

If Nodoka was alarmed or suspicious of the question, she did not show it. Instead, she was prepared to answer such things in broad terms. "When Genma disappeared with Ranma, I joined WIC. This was all after I got my Doctorate in Materials Science," she said in a conversational tone. "I do research into developing armor and weapons."

"What school did you go to?" Sun asked, propping her head up with her arm braced against the table. She was fascinated with this version of her mother. The officer was clearly intelligent, articulate, and very accepting of her demonic daughter. There was also a grim and pragmatic aspect to her. Sun was reminded of a play she read in college. Not only was Nodoka aware of the Sword of Damocles, but she seemed to know exactly how thin the thread holding it up was.

"Tokyo University," Nodoka answered.

Sun smiled broadened. "Tokyo U?" she said merrily. "I just graduated from there not long ago. I got my degree with a major in chemistry."

"Really now?" Nodoka said in a somewhat delightful tone. "How marvelous, how did you do?"

"Well, I like to say I was the top of my class, but I made a few mistakes here and there and ended up fifth in my class in my major," Sun replied. "You know what was really cool? I was - well with my powers, I was able to see the chemical interactions on a molecular level. It was so cool!"

Nodoka smiled as she finished taking a sip of coffee. "One of the things I'm finding pleasure in is the challenge of making materials that resist energy claws." She was also designing demon-specific weapons both bladed and ranged, but her guest need not know that.

DarkStar's eyes started to glaze over as boredom started to set in. She would be more interested if her mother was talking about weapons for her daughters, that was always interesting . The brood mother idly wondered if she could get that photo album back from Sun.

"Energy claws?" Sun mused aloud. "Unfortunately, the only way to have matter that's resistant to energy is to either have it dense enough," Sun paused as she thought over the problem more, "or if the atomic binding between the molecules is being reinforced by another energy field."

"Look at it from a logistics standpoint," Nodoka said thoughtfully. "Armor that is dense enough to resist energy claws would be too heavy to carry. You could rely on an energy field to make lighter armor as strong as heavier ones, but - well... batteries are finite and it wouldn't do to have dead batteries in a combat situation." And WIC troopers carried enough electronic equipment already.

DarkStar's boredom was complete as she stared off into space, looking out into the street through the window, but not really seeing anything. The two older women continued to "talk shop".

"If the armor has to resist the energy blades and has to be light enough to be carried, then you have to go with some type of reinforcing field," Sun countered. "True, there is the power supply situation, but-"

"That's for total resistance," Nodoka interrupted; she was clearly enjoying the conversation. "You are overlooking dissipation. You can have the right refraction and have it weaken the field. The trick isn't to block the energy, but to make it lose coherence."

"Like how a bullet-proof vest dissipates the energy of a bullet," Sun said, grasping at what Nodoka was getting at. She blinked and looked at Nodoka. "Wow. Against an energy weapon? I mean - wow, that is a challenge." Sun then turned to the spaced out DarkStar. "What do you think?"

DarkStar blinked a few times before coming back to the here and now. "Um... I'm just a line grunt?" She blinked a few more times. "Mom's stuff is great though. Saves a lot of agent's lives."

Sun blinked at DarkStar. "I take you're not majoring in chemistry."

DarkStar shook her head. "I have to get out of high school first."

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Sun said. "This is six years in the past - that is your universe is six years behind mine."

DarkStar shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really understand the science behind it, but Ucchan does like those guns you made for her, and Misa practically sleeps with hers." Which was a bit of a problem given that the IGMG weighed about a hundred pounds in total, and that the brood slept as one group.

Sun looked between DarkStar and Nodoka. "You can magically enhance your guns?"

"Just the ammunition," Nodoka said while motioning to the waitress for more coffee. She was a bit disappointed that this girl immediately thought to magic for enhancement. There were other ways, did not their talk about armor just show that?

"When I was first awakened, the Senshi infused some of their power into ordinary guns," Sun mentioned casually. "It turned them into real demon stoppers."

"Yeah," DarkStar agreed while rubbing her chest and side. "Anti-demon weapons are... effective."

Sun noted this and decided to change the subject slightly. "So, are you going to go to university and follow in your mother's footsteps?"

DarkStar looked into her older near-twin's eyes. "No... I'd rather... find someone and settle down."

Sun cocked her head, not quite understanding.

"It's okay," Nodoka said while patting her daughter's hand. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to be a... homemaker."

Sun realized what was meant and smiled. "You know, I never thought about it, but I'm heading that way myself. Not that I'm complaining."

"My kids are everything to me," DarkStar said with conviction. "I still do my freelance work. Hmmm... I could train agents more regularly."

"Don't forget your singing," Nodoka reminded.

"Mom... that's just a hobby," DarkStar countered. "It's not serious."

"Singing? Oooo... I love to sing," Sun added happily. "Every weekend my husband and I still hit the karoke bar. You?"

"Uh... I usually do a couple sets, a night or two a week at the 'Red Turtle', " DarkStar answered. "Um, that's an agent and succubus bar."

"That's cool," Sun said. "I don't go out as much as I used to. Since I got married I've, er, that is, I've been doing other things," she finished with a slight blush.

"Yes... I'm now single. Unfortunately," DarkStar sadly said.

Sun looked at Nodoka and back at DarkStar, who was starting to fall into a funk. Looking back at Nodoka, it was as if an unplanned plot was being hatched between the two.

"Maybe there is something we can do," Sun ventured. " I mean, surely you have someone in mind. There was that long shot you mentioned."

"If not," Nodoka interjected, "I could compile a list of candidates."

"Oooo... who? Who?" Sun asked eagerly.

"Just no Jarvis, Mom," DarkStar said with a cringe. "He's a good guy, a great friend, but... I mean he... I think he wants to be a succubus."

"But don't you want someone who will accept you for who you are?" Sun asked.

"Well, yeah," DarkStar uncomfortably said. "That's a big part of it. But he's kinda... kinda of that ilk - I mean given his job."

"His job?" Sun queried.

"His job is information extraction and command," DarkStar answered with a chill in her voice. "I can respect his reasons for wanting to get rid of his humanity though..."

"Er, I don't think I quite understand, but if you're not comfortable with him, then he's a no-go," Sun said agreeably. "But you were saying something before your mom showed up."

DarkStar shifted under the gaze of her table mates. She sighed. "Umm... Usagi... but that's too much of a long shot. I need someone who can accept me and... eventually... is willing to give up their humanity."

"Usagi?" Sun said with surprise. "Ol' meatball-head?" she added with an affectionate smile. "But what about Mamoru?"

"He died," DarkStar shrugged. "His death was what awakened me in the first place. It was the start of all this mess. I was the backup."

"Oh," Sun blinked. That changed things. "Well, she's a good person in my world. Strong-willed, too."

DarkStar was clearly distracted and softly thinking aloud. "The way she handled those cultists... ," she whispered. "She was covered in blood and her eyes... in that moment I saw..." her voice trailed off as she looked at the table top.

Nodoka leaned toward her daughter. "Have you talked to her?"

Blinking as her mother's question registered, she cleared her throat. "Um, not since the mall."

The two women studied the demon as she appeared lost in thought again. The talk of being covered in blood was a bit disturbing, but the emotions that were betrayed in the demon's behavior were unmistakable. "Man, you have it bad," Sun said. "Have you at least asked her for a date?"

"No... no not yet. I was... Kasumi," DarkStar sadly said. "And she's dealing with Ami right now." She let a bitter chuckle escape. "Who would have thought Janet, well.. Naru, and Ami would turn evil?"

"Ami? Evil?" Sun said, surprise clearly in her voice.

DarkStar chuckled again with very little humor in it. "Putting on a black corset and beating up the Senshi – well that ain't much when there's a squad of demonic Senshi." She raised her eyes to meet Sun's. "Usagi wants me to hold back - she doesn't want Ami to be turned by me... or killed... nor Naru neither. She wants to save them herself."

Sun took DarkStar's hands into her own and gave then a sympathetic squeeze. "I won't pretend to understand what's going on, but if you care about Usagi, you should be there for her. You seem to have someone in your corner," the last said while sharing a look at Nodoka. "You can be there for Usagi like that."

"I'm trying to help her, I've dealt with stuff like this before," DarkStar sighed out. "But she's... You know who Naru is? It turns out that Usagi best friend from before... well she was taken and changed. Changed into a girl that fell in love with Ami."

"Oh my!" Sun exclaimed. "Ami must feel terrible."

Nodoka was well versed in the situation between Ami and the other scouts, so remained silent. She instead used the time to study the interaction between the two Ranmas. They were oddly complementary.

"She would if she wasn't so enamored with being a dark Mercury," DarkStar continued with another dark chuckle. "Of course... Sailor Dark Mercury is nothing compared to Sailor DarkStar."

"Power is seductive," Sun said in a lost voice. "That's something I can tell you for certain." The tone in Sun's voice called to DarkStar and Nodoka. "It's almost like a living thing that worms into heart and soul." Sun paused a moment. "I know about power. I hope Ami walks away from it... she won't regret it."

"Yeah... you see... Ami was brainwashed," DarkStar corrected. "She wasn't seduced by power. She was seduced by something more... well... powerful, love."

The two women sat, hands still joined, pondering the problems that faced them. Nodoka sat and marveled on how different and how much alike the two were.

"So...," Sun said breaking the silence, "back on the subject. When are you going to make a move on Usagi?"

"I can't go too fast," DarkStar said. "I don't want her to think it's my powers seducing her. It has to be real."

"But you haven't told her how you feel?" Nodoka asked, rejoining the conversation.

"No," DarkStar answered. "Of course not. I had... I thought I had Kasumi... and, that is, I'm a demon and she's... she's..."

"You need to tell her," Sun said. All this talking had finally taken its toll and she motioned toward the waitress. "You at least owe her that much."

"I can't tell her," DarkStar complained, "I'm just getting over Kasumi, Usagi has her hands full with Ami and Naru, and-"

"You're scared," Sun interrupted.

"I'm not scared," DarkStar defensively said.

Sun gave DarkStar a smirk as she sipped her just served tea. "You're lying."

DarkStar looked at Sun with slight surprise before giving her a pretty pout. Nodoka laughed and clapped her hands with glee as her daughter started to blush at the unwelcome attention.

Sun giggled lightly and looked at Nodoka with mischief in her eyes. "You know maybe we should take matters into our own hands."

"Yes," Nodoka mirthfully said. "It would probably be very beneficial for my daughter to move on with her life."

DarkStar was dismayed at what was unfolding before her. It was like watching a horrible accident in slow motion - one that you were powerless to prevent. It had to be a bad dream.

Sun stood up, nearly spilling some of her tea as she did. DarkStar was surprised and further dismayed as her mother mimicked Sun's actions.

"It's Ranma's -"

" - and Nodoka's: -"

" - Operation: Get Sunny a date!"

The two standing women howled in laughter, drawing curious looks from everyone in the cafe, civilians and agents alike. As the laughter died down the two women were facing an empty chair that once housed DarkStar. Blinking, they looked at one another and then back at the vacant chair just in time to see DarkStar's head poke up from under the tabletop.

"Scary...," she whimpered, her eyes shifting between her mother and the other redhead.

----------

"I wonder what that was all about," commented Morrison as he looked at the trio of women cackling in laughter.

Andrea smiled. "I think they're working on Red's love life."

Morrison shook his head. He'd never understand women. Through his shirt, He idly fingered the "D" stamped into his dog tags, knowing his luck he might get a chance to understand...

----------

"Sit back down, Honey," Nodoka said with laughter still in her voice. "We were just having fun."

"It's too far fetched," DarkStar sighed as she reclaimed her seat. "I mean... she's the Moon Princess. Line of Serenity, and I'm a demon." She dropped and looked at the table.

"If you have feelings for her... it doesn't matter," Sun reassured.

DarkStar looked her in the eye. "You're a Sailor Senshi. What would you do if a demon came sniffing around the princess and wanted her?"

Sun bit her lower lip as she thought a moment. It probably was not what DarkStar wanted to hear, but she had to be honest. "I - or the other Senshi in MY universe would do everything to prevent that - unless Usagi said otherwise," she answered as carefully as possible.

"Gee, thanks. So for your Usagi it's no, but mine's fine?"

"Hey, I said if Usagi said it was all right. Besides, mine's married. Yours is a widow," Sun reminded. "Things are different here, so that doesn't count."

"How do you know that?" DarkStar asked in a pressing way. "How do you know what the Senshi are like here?"

"Because you haven't mentioned having to kill any of them yet," Sun shot back.

"I owe Setsuna for that one." DarkStar stated flatly. "She actually explained to them what I was, and I guess it helped. But you're forgetting something. I haven't shown too much of an interest in her. What if when I try to make my move Rei or someone blasts me? What if it divides the Senshi? Well… divides them even more."

"Look," she continued on in a patient manner, "what's important is are you going to let a chance of finding love go by you?"

DarkStar sat and looked at her other self. "But... you'd stop if it was yours..." Sighing, she shook her head. "I can't... not yet."

"Lord," Sun exclaimed, "I hope I wasn't this unreasonable about seeing my mother."

"Yes you were," Nodoka said in bemusement. She then chuckled. "You two are so much alike, it's amazing."

She was answered by two pouting Ranmas. Nodoka covered her mouth as she giggled at the sight, but it did lighten the mood considerably. The three relaxed a bit into their seats as each quietly sipped their drinks. A companionable silence fell as a sense of camaraderie was felt between them.

"So daughter-" Nodoka said in a way only mothers could master. DarkStar herself was proficient, but still not as skilled as Nodoka. "-what are you going to do?"

DarkStar sat and pondered. "I have... I need to move slowly," she said. Sun opened her mouth to say something, but was stopped by DarkStar's upheld hand. "It's important to me that Usagi's feelings for me are real and not something made by my influence."

Sun nodded, even if she didn't fully understand the whole meaning behind what DarkStar just said. "There's nothing wrong with slow," she agreed. "Hell, when I fell for Tenchi, I wasn't even looking." She paused and looked at DarkStar. "So what do you have planned?"

DarkStar sighed softly. "I don't know. What am I supposed to do? Walk up to her and ask her if we could go out for lunch or something?

"Well that would be a start," Sun deadpanned.

"You don't want to be too clever," Nodoka cautioned.

"But how can I even approach her?" DarkStar asked, looking at Sun in the eye. "She has nightmares about being with me."

"Nightmares? About you? Are they nightmares or... wet dreams?" Sun asked boldly.

"Er, both," DarkStar admitted. "Also she was influenced a bit to fall for me... stupid Murdock."

There was a pause as Sun considered something. "Tuxedo Highflyer?" she asked.

"No, the same guy who corrupted Ami and Naru," DarkStar answered, looking confused, but she let it pass. Nodoka gave Sun a blank stare and shook her head slightly. Sun noticed the looks and shrugged her shoulders. Maybe the Alpha Guard didn't exist here.

"Doesn't matter," Sun said with a frustrated wave of her hand. She then leaned toward the demon. "Does it change the way Usagi feels about you... or how you feel about her?"

"Yes, yes it would!" DarkStar growled. "That's what I was trying to say."

"Calm down, dear," Nodoka advised putting her hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"But do you know? It sounds like you're using that as your excuse," Sun pointed.

"I - I guess it is an excuse," DarkStar finally admitted after considering how smooth the table top was. "But I can't take advantage of her," she said looking up, "not if what she feels isn't real."

"How do you know that what she's feeling is real or not and how she really feels about you?" Sun pressed. "Maybe she is just as interested in you, but is just as scared."

DarkStar looked down on the table's surface again. "She did... she just lost her lover... and I guess she could be scared." She looked up with a firm look. "I guess it couldn't hurt... I have to be slow."

"Are you that afraid of love?" Sun asked. She would never have guessed that a sex demon would be so hesitant.

"Yes. Love is powerful. Love changes people," DarkStar pointed to a photograph of her children. "Literally and permanently for my kind. My girls weren't always like this. I helped them as best as I could and that meant some things had to be let go. Love saves too. It saved their lives... their souls."

Sun paused. A demon talking about souls... but her twin had a point. For a sex demon love was more primal, and more... dangerous.

"I held back around Kasumi, and even then she felt that I was pushing her, forcing her to commit," DarkStar's hands shook. "It was just so easy to see her as my mate. We had sex, sex as lovers, not as a demon feeding on a human."

"Explain to her, Usagi may understand," Sun offered.

"You're not getting it are you?" DarkStar sighed. "If Usagi and I start dating then what?"

"Get married?" Sun said hopefully.

"Oh, I see," Nodoka noted as she gently put down the mug she was about to sip from.

DarkStar nodded sadly.

"What?" Sun inquired.

"You said you and _your_ Senshi friends would only back off if Usagi agreed to the demon's advances. But what if... what if somehow-" DarkStar smiled despite herself.

Sun looked at DarkStar with a look of incomprehension on her face. She then remembered one of the reasons Kasumi broke up with Ranma. Her eyes slowly widened as realization struck her. "Oh God."

DarkStar frowned at the last word. "Yes, can you imagine your princess like that? Like this?" DarkStar said showing her fangs. Her expression faltered and she leaned onto her mother. "At least your species isn't the embodiment of female lust."

"It's okay," Nodoka comforted. "It's okay."

"I think my husband would disagree with you on that point," Sun quipped a bit glibly, and then paused as she truly studied the display. It was too much Usagi... doing _that_, but true love... "It will be okay, if it is true love," Sun reaffirmed. "Then... then it will overcome any obstacle."

Keeping her head on her mother's side, DarkStar looked over at Sun. Her eyes were suspicious and Sun noted how predatory they really were. "Love, true love finds a way. It always does," Sun assured in a voice barely above a whisper as she turned and peered out the window. "It always has."

The two Saotome women studied the other as a quite moment stretched on.

"Voice of experience?" DarkStar softly asked as she basked in the warmth of her mother's embrace.

Sun continued to look out the window. After a slight hesitation, she answered the question with a jerky nod.

"Wanna talk about it?"

Sun faced the two, who were still embraced, and smiled thinly. "Maybe later," she said with a hint of something undefined in her voice. "Right now let's talk about you."

"What? What about me?" DarkStar asked as she lifted her head up.

"Well, why do you have an interest in Usagi? Is it just physical?" Sun inquired.

"You two do have stuff in common," Nodoka interjected.

"You both lost someone," Sun ventured.

"There's that," Nodoka smiled. "You're both single mothers. You both have groups of Senshi you're in charge of. You've had daughters turned evil. There's also your willingness to do what is right no matter the personal cost."

DarkStar smiled slightly. "I... guess."

Sun noted other similarities. The emotional displays and raw affection were similar too. "You respect her, don't you?"

"Well of course," DarkStar raised an eyebrow. "I've seen her fight, and how much she cares for her girls."

"Does she respect you?" Sun inquired before sipping her tea.

"I have no idea," DarkStar pouted.

"Perhaps you should try and find out," Nodoka suggested. "There are two ways to approach the problem: Direct and subtle."

"Mom, I'm not spying on Usagi. I'd come across as a stalker," DarkStar said with a hint of frustration in her voice.

"Then that leaves the direct method: Ask her," Nodoka stated.

DarkStar sighed. She looked at her mother and then to her human twin. "I'm not getting out of this until I promise to talk to Usagi am I?"

She was answered by two shaking heads.

DarkStar sighed again, then remained silent for a few moments. "Okay, I'll talk to her - BUT not right now. I'm still getting over Kasumi and I don't want to distract Usagi while she is dealing with Ami."

Sun nodded. "Okay, fair enough," she said, "but you will be there for her in case she needs you?"

"Of course I will," DarkStar said, slightly offended. "I don't leave my friends when they need me the most."

Sun smiled back at DarkStar. At least they were getting somewhere. Silence revisited the table as all three women took sips of their drinks and shared looks.

---------

"Looks like things are winding down," Morrison commented as he shifted in his chair. His butt was getting sore from all the sitting.

Andrea smirked.

---------

"Can I ask you something?" Nodoka said in a pleasant voice. "I noticed in your photographs that none of the Tendo girls were present."

Sun thought a moment before answering. "That's because I haven't seen any of them in the last six years," Sun replied. "They - turned their backs on me."

"Oh dear, that doesn't sound like the girls I know," Nodoka said after emptying her cup and motioning for the waitress. "They're all such nice girls."

"Well... I was engaged to Akane," Sun said. "She was a real tomboy-type and she always seemed to want to help whether she was capable or not. Kasumi was a very sweet, typical Japanese-house wife type, and Nabiki was gold-digging bitch that would have sold me into prostitution if she had the chance."

"I couldn't imagine being engaged to Akane," DarkStar chimed, "and your Nabiki... Well mine went though..." she shook her head. "Your Tendos seem a lot different than mine. I mean your Kasumi... no military, not even police?"

Sun blinked, and sipped her drink. "No... not unless she had a breakdown or something. It has been six years, but Nabiki didn't mention anything."

"That's what got my- _our _- Kasumi into WIC in the first place." DarkStar shrugged. "But engaged... to Akane?"

"Well Akane wasn't bad - she wasn't afraid to show her disapproval, though," Sun said with a smirk. "It was just that... when I needed help the most... when I got stuck as a girl permanent... when Genma," she spat the name, "disowned me... no one helped me."

"It's funny," DarkStar said absently. "When I first was locked as a demon, there was one guy that helped me... stupid Murdock - but later on, after I... finished... with Alexia, I ended up locked and not really caring." The demon smirked. "I didn't even notice I was locked until Ucchan asked me about it. Kasumi seemed to take it harder than me." Her expression soured. "Guess she wanted the human me."

Sun smirked. "Nothing wrong with being a girl."

"True, so true," DarkStar said dryly in a fake English accent.

The two girls giggled.

"It is horrible that the Tendo girls turned their backs on you though," Nodoka said in a disappointed way. "What good is someone if you can't depend on them when it counts?"

Sun sighed. "To be fair, I think the Tendo girls were surprised by what Genma did. I know they knew that Genma wanted me to marry their father to join the damned schools, but I can't honestly say that they thought he'd go as far as throwing me out. I don't know... I think maybe they thought that me getting locked was something that would work itself out like all the other messes that I got into."

"Other messes?" DarkStar asked.

"Yes, my life back then... It was a mess - multiple engagements, and a constant stream of piddling little adventures," Sun smirked.

"Ick, that kind nonsense must have worn you down," DarkStar stated.

"You have no idea."

"But, are you going to visit them?" Nodoka asked. "At least to get some closure?"

Sun lifted the almost empty cup to her mouth and paused. "I'll see them today along with my mother," she said before completing the motion with the cup.

Nodoka nodded in an approving way as Sun finished her tea.

"Well, we talked about me," DarkStar said, "we talked about you," she continued while looking at Sun, "now we going to talk about you, mother dear."

Nodoka blinked-blinked at her daughter. "Me? I'm perfectly fine, dear."

"Right," DarkStar snorted. "You've been alone for ten years - is there someone you're interested in?"

Nodoka looked at her daughter and Sun. They both had the same scheming look in their eyes. It was right then she knew she was in trouble. "I'm a WIC officer. I'm..."

"Not allowed to have romance?" DarkStar laughed. "I know for a fact that the Company's not that restrictive."

"Does anyone interest you? Any hobbies?" Sun asked inquisitively.

"I have my work and my family," Nodoka quietly said. For a long time she just had work.

DarkStar reached out to her mother. "Don't you want someone for your own?"

"I have you and my grandchildren," Nodoka said with a smile. "I don't need anything else."

"Mom," DarkStar began in a half-pleading way, "you've been alone for too long. I know you don't need a mate like I do, but you should have someone."

Nodoka hugged her daughter. "I guess, but... I've..." She looked into her daughter's violet eyes. "I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask," DarkStar said as she untangled herself from her mother. "Well guys," she said as she rose from her chair. "If you excuse me, I gotta use the powder room."

The two seated women watched as the demon-Ranma made her way toward the back of the cafe where the restrooms were located. Once she had gone, Sun turned to Nodoka. "Can I ask you a question? It's rather personal. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"That depends on the question," Nodoka said.

"Well... it's more about Nariko," Sun paused. "What... what happened to her?

Nodoka looked up at the bathroom door where her daughter had left too. "I suppose you can hear this. Nariko... Nariko was Ranma's first. This was back when my daughter still thought her demonic body was just a costume with creepy powers. Even after turning someone she didn't know what she was. Nariko was dying. Ranma saved her life."

Sun nodded. She could understand that desire to clutch onto your manhood. "So Nariko was a human, what happened?"

"I guess I should explain a bit about how succubae work," Nodoka's tone shifted to that of a lecturing scientist... "A newly turned succubus is a very delicate thing. Dependent on support by her mother. New body, new urges, a fragile young mind. A new succubus needs a guiding force to help deal with it all."

"And DarkStar..." Sun felt cold at the realization.

"Yes, she saw 'Nariko' as a reminder of her inhumanity. The poor girl's affections annoyed her, especially given who she was.. Ranma tried to help... by trying to cure her, but she wasn't being a mother. Motherhood was the last thing Ranma wanted then."

"What happened? And who was Nariko?"

"Was there a Tatewaki Kuno where you're from?"

"The sweet and nice girl? Kuno's Nariko?!" Sun felt even more of the universe fall out below her. "My God, Kuno's got both Akane and Ranma."

"Yes," Nodoka nodded. "Akane and Nariko are mates. Nariko saved Akane's life... but that's another story."

Sun blinked a few times.

"As I was saying, new succubae are very dependant on their mothers. Without a mother helping them grow and nursing them... they get damaged. Their bodies weaken and their minds... get worse."

"Not that Kuno had much of one to start with," Sun commented before almost physically being knocked back by the elder Saotome's glare.

"You have no idea what he... she went through. Nariko has more strength in her than anyone I've ever seen and never _ever_ stopped believing in her mother. She's why my daughter became who she is, she saved Ranma. Then there's what she went through with all that Eclipse crap," Nodoka said very sternly while staring down the younger woman. "Nariko's father helped as best as he could, and I'm sure it saved her, but Nariko wanted her mother. She needed her mother."

Sun was glad she had waited until DarkStar had left to ask her question. She swallowed, and bent under the elder Saotome woman's gaze. It was piercing and something she was not used to, not since her grandmother. "I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean to offend," she apologized while deeply bowing. Though she didn't stick her foot in her mouth as much as she used to, Sun still had the occasional tendency of saying the wrong things. "I didn't realize... I'm sorry..."

"Neither did Ranma at the time," Nodoka said more gently, her eyes softening. "But it still hurt Nariko."

"But DarkStar figured it out, eventually," Sun offered. "But I guess some of the... damage was irreversible?"

Nodoka sipped her coffee. "Yes, Ranma came to me. Eventually, she realized what she was, and what her responsibilities were. I had to agree with her, it was scary, but it was the right thing to do."

"You encouraged her to become a mother?"

Nodoka laughed. "My dear, she _already_ was a mother."

"Did Nariko forgive her for what DarkStar did to her?"

The officer paused to think things over. "I don't think she ever blamed Ranma. Nariko was just happy to have her Mommy, and Ranma... well her body finally meant something."

"She wasn't kidding when she said motherhood changes people."

"Not in the slightest. Ranma lives for her children. I'm amazed the things she's done to help them. I wish... I wish I could have been half the mother she is."

"What are you talking about? You're her anchor." Sun pointed to the empty seat that was next to Nodoka's. "I've seen how she is around you. She goes to you for advice and support."

"She did spend half the night crying in my lap after she killed her first human," Nodoka noted.

"Huh?" Sun knew she did not hear that right; she couldn't have.

"He was a sniper who shot Ukyou. DarkStar tried block it, and lost most of her side doing it. He would have picked off the rest of her children and the agents with them if she hadn't stopped him."

"But he was... human. Did she have to?"

"Not all monsters have fangs," Nodoka stated. "DarkStar was protecting her young, and she literally needed her pound of flesh."

Sun's hand went to her stomach. Thinking of her yet-to-be born child, she found it easy to think of killing anyone or anything to protect it. She was starting to understand those maternal drives, and DarkStar was a demonic mother. "But... this proves my point. You accepted your daughter fully. Even after she...," Sun finished with a wave of her hand.

"I was just trying to make it up to my daughter."

Sun nodded in understanding and paused for a moment. "I've got another question," she stated. "Don't worry... it's not as serious."

"Yes?"

"What did you see in Genma in the first place?" Sun asked. "I mean, I'm not sure how your Genma is here, but it seems he caused about as much trouble as mine did. Why did you pick him?"

Nodoka studied the younger redhead across from her. She furrowed her brow in thought before speaking. "He had a passion for life, and, in his own way, a sense of direction and purpose. He seemed to know exactly where he was going, even if he didn't know how to get there. In his way he was... kind. The sex was also very good, and he seemed willing to raise our child while I worked," Nodoka laughed bitterly.

Sun was sitting and musing over the older woman's answer when DarkStar returned to the table. "Whew," she said casually. "I feel much better."

Nodoka smirked a bit at DarkStar's behavior. "Now that you have brought that to my attention, if you'll excuse me," Nodoka said as she rose from her seat and walked the path that DarkStar had earlier.

"Your mom is still married to Genma?" Sun asked DarkStar once the older women was gone.

"Yes," DarkStar answered with a shrug. "What about it?" Genma had been quite a bit better lately, but DarkStar knew there was no chance of her parents getting back together. The best she could hope for would be them to act civil with each other.

"How can she move on with her life if she is still connected to him?" Sun asked pointedly. "She should have ditched his ass years ago."

DarkStar nodded. "So what does that have to do with anything?"

Sun rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry," DarkStar sighed. "But Mom's been separated for ten years already."

Sun considered that. "All the more reason to convince her to move on with her life by divorcing Genma, formally."

"Yeah," DarkStar thought aloud, "She might go for that. It won't really be much. It would be a step in the right direction."

"Hey, they say that 'a journey of a thousand miles, starts with the first step'," Sun said trying to sound sage.

DarkStar smirked. It was easy to sound wise, especially when teaching.

"It may not be really much at the moment, but it would free her up if someone did strike her fancy in the future."

DarkStar smiled. "And there would be really nothing for mom to object too, either."

Sun smiled. The goal was set and the plot was easily hatched; Nodoka wouldn't have a chance. Just as the two were about to continue discussing their scheme, Nodoka returned and reclaimed her seat across from Sun. "As you put it daughter: much better," she smirked at DarkStar.

Sun giggled at DarkStar's slightly pinking complexion, which stood out even more against her pale skin. That was when it was nature's turn to call upon her.

"Wait," DarkStar said as Sun excused herself, "while you're in there, can I have another look at that photo album?"

Sun paused and almost tipped over her feet at the request. "What?!"

"What do you mean 'what'?" DarkStar asked. "It's only sex. You're not embarrassed are you? Sex is very natural."

Sun hesitated and looked to Nodoka for support, but none was forthcoming. "Er...," Sun began, only to be derailed by DarkStar's puppy dog eyes... and there was nothing more pitiful than those purple eyes filled with hope. "Oh what the heck," Sun gave in while reaching into her sub space pocket. "Here, you've already seen them."

DarkStar took the album with all the enthusiasm of a child with a new toy on Christmas day. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she said happily as she immediately poured over the photos.

Sun sweatdropped at the demon's behavior. Seeing that Nodoka wasn't a least fazed by her daughter acting this way, she chalked it up to the differences in this universe and hers. Heading toward the back of the cafe, she was unaware that she was being followed.

--------

"She's heading for the restrooms," Morrison pointed out.

"I'm already on it," Andrea said while rising from her seat. She moved quickly and subtlety followed the redhead into the ladies room. Besides, she needed to go herself.

--------

Once Sun was in the restroom, DarkStar leaned back in her chair and looked at the lone agent who was parked across the room. "Hey Morrison!" she called while waving the blue book with one hand. "You got your camera? I want copies of this stuff!"

"Ranma!" Nodoka admonished. "Don't talk to the surveillance agents!"

"But mom...," DarkStar started to whine, but was interrupted by catching a small, digital camera. "Thanks!" she called out to the agent who was desperately trying to go back to being inconspicuous.

"Dear...," Nodoka began sternly, but was derailed by DarkStar asking, "Can you hold this flat for me please?"

Nodoka sighed and held the book's covers flat as DarkStar focused and snapped a few photos, giggling with glee all while doing so. "This is great, isn't it?" DarkStar asked while flipping a page and waited for Nodoka to hold it open for her. "I gotta try some of this."

"W-what are you doing?" Sun's shocked voice of stammered out, heralding her return.

"Research," DarkStar answered merrily while taking another shot.

"B-but what -?" Sun began indignantly. "That's mine! I didn't mean for you to-"

"That's why I'm making a copy," DarkStar said, cutting off Sun's objection. "But you're going to have to explain this one to me," she said while pointing at the photo she had just snapped a shot of. "How'd you manage to get into that position?"

Sun mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water before DarkStar's words registered. "A copy!" she half-shrieked.

"Yeah," DarkStar answered distractedly. "My kids would love to see these."

"Your _kids_?" Sun's hands spasmed. She thought of Akane and Nariko giggling over these photographs while they readied some rope and other toys.

"They're succubae too, you know." DarkStar laughed. "Say, would you like a video of my stuff?" She leaned back in her chair once again and called across the cafe. "Hey! Did you guys record that time with me and Kasumi when we were in the den?"

"Thank goodness I left my tapes at home," Sun muttered, trying to tune DarkStar's naughty request out. She felt the beginnings of a headache.

"I told you she was okay with this stuff," a clearly amused Nodoka said.

"And you weren't kidding," Sun said as she rubbed her temples with her hands as she sat back down.

DarkStar pouted at the two. "Well I happen to like these," she said while returning the photo album to Sun. "They're very passionate and imaginative. I can't wait to try them myself."

Sun boggled at the sight of a very happy sex demon. It might not have been food, but the pictures were like a menu that made DarkStar long for more variety in her diet - a variety that she was now more than ready to explore. At least there was an upside to this: DarkStar had yet another reason to find a mate.

Sun noted that the camera disappeared somewhere on DarkStar's person and wondered for a brief moment if it was worth the argument. She eventually decided to shrug it off.

"Er, thanks... I think," Sun said. Something did not sit right. "Wait... who were you talking to about recording your sex stuff?"

"Um, you remember earlier when I told you we were being monitored?" DarkStar said.

"You mean we're still being watched?" Sun asked in a whisper, leaning forward. Her eyes now shifted around the room.

"Let's see... WIC Toronto's trump card, their top scientist, and some unknown Pattern Silver that teleported in... yep," DarkStar said conversationally, "we're being watched."

"That's kinda creepy," Sun said. "They're not going to do anything... rash, are they?"

"Rash?" Nodoka said with a raised eyebrow. "Dear, they've managed not to do anything rash around my daughter and granddaughters. I also outrank everyone here..."

"That's good...," Sun said, relaxing a bit.

"... so unless you are planning on doing something worse than gutting a screaming man and feasting on his liver, you have nothing to worry about," Nodoka finished.

DarkStar nervously coughed.

"I don't like liver," Sun said before blinking. She then realized what Nodoka had just said. It fit with the earlier story about that sniper. "Eww." She paled and her hands went to protect her baby. She then turned to DarkStar. "You... you... didn't?" Sun assumed that Ranma merely drained people, like the demons in her universe did, not... literally eat them.

"What do you want to hear?" DarkStar said as she gently deposited her teacup. "You know I'm a demon but you don't _know _it. You haven't seen me fight, and I hope you never do." That WIC agents were unfazed by seeing her fight and feed was comforting, if a bit creepy.

"I guess you'll telling me I'm better off not knowing." Sun stated.

"We're in a war," Nodoka interjected. "An ugly, secret war." She sighed. "I'm guessing the Senshi where you're from never had to fight humans."

"I don't think the Senshi had to fight any humans, but I can't be sure," Sun admitted. "I was only - reawakened late - because of a mass invasion."

Nodoka held her peace at the mass invasion comment. That was one of the things WIC existed to prevent.

DarkStar smirked. "Humans can be monsters too. Look at history. But yes, it's much easier to dehumanize your enemies." She sardonically chucked. "Especially when they're not human."

"I know my history. I know what you mean," Sun replied evenly. "It's just that I haven't had to..." As she paused to organize herself, she looked over her counterpart. It was hard to believe that she was so young and had been a demon less than a year. "You said before that you're a line grunt right? I'm more like... a battleship."

"A battleship?" Nodoka inquired. She wanted to use this opportunity to glean some more knowledge of Sun's abilities. "That seems rather... an extravagant description."

Sun idly ran a finger over the rim of her cup, appearing to be lost in thought.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Sun said as she recalled being all of creation and pushing it away and almost being lost in it. She shuddered; her full potential was frightening. "A closer analogy would be a 'doomsday weapon' - an ultimate deterrent; a fat lot of good it did them."

"Let me guess, you were too powerful to use?" Nodoka could easily see that. Weapons too powerful to use were half a century old technology. Perfectly sensible for a more advanced civilization to have even more powerful and thus even more impractical weapons.

"Uh, yeah." Sun replied as she looked at the others. She decided to dissuade any skepticism. "Look, I'm being serious here."

"We're not questioning your honesty," DarkStar commented. She knew what her grandmother could do, so powerful beings were not beyond her imagination. "But why so much power?"

"Can you believe that it was an accident?" Sun replied with a half snort, half laugh. "Those idiots were aiming for the ultimate weapon, well they got it."

"It seems that there are a great many things these people overlooked," Nodoka commented, thinking back on the earlier oversight of Sun's creators. "What were they thinking?"

Sun shrugged her shoulders. "Desperate politicians and fears of the unknown at the time...," she trailed off as she fingered her cup again. "So they made me."

DarkStar nodded. That fit with her double's earlier comments about being made to be a weapon. "So you just have targets, not people," she shrugged. The brood's own experience with indirect fire-support left her less than thrilled. She would rather work with a small team of professionals in battle.

"Yes," Sun nodded. "I've been lucky. Everything I've fought has been... clear. Still though, you guys seem to be open enough around me."

"You're a Senshi," DarkStar added with a shrug. "And if you were bad-"

Sun silenced DarkStar with a wave of her hand. "I wouldn't... and I killed the one who would."

"So what's the problem then?" DarkStar asked.

"It's just creepy knowing you're being watched," Sun said. "It's... creepy," Sun repeated, being at a loss for descriptive words. She had worn one of Washu's monitoring devices but that did not actually spy on everything she said and did.

"You get used to it," Nodoka said plainly. "They're normal human beings and professionals - like we are."

"Emphasis on professionals. They're just human, but..." DarkStar gave a fanged grin. "They show what _just human_ can do. Take that guy," she pointed to Morrison. "He doesn't look it, but he killed a succubus in melee. She had him pinned and was cutting him apart and what does he do? Slits her throat just as she's about to feed."

Sun nodded, only vaguely understanding. She could clearly see that the agent in question seemed embarrassed by the attention he was getting. "You seem... close to them."

"Aren't you're close to the people you fight with?" DarkStar asked. "Hey mom, isn't Morrison also alive because of your armor?"

Nodoka blushed slightly. "Yes... it reduced the damage those claws did to him."

Sun raised an eyebrow. It looked like Nodoka was speaking from experience when she talked of energy resistant armor.

"You do good work, Mom," DarkStar assured. "And those agents need every edge they can get."

"He's also alive because you grabbed him out of a crashing helicopter," Nodoka reminded.

Sun blinked and looked between mother and daughter. "And they watch you... even when you..."

"Make wild nookie?" DarkStar said with great mirth, enjoying Sun's paranoia. "Yes they do."

"But... but... even then?!" Sun asked incredulously.

"Tell me," Nodoka said, "when you are in a fight, do the other Senshi watch out for each other?"

Sun blinked at the question. "Well yes - of course we do," she answered. "We have too. We depend on each other in a fight."

"It's the same here," Nodoka explained. "We are in a war with enemies that can show up anywhere at anytime. In a situation like that, everyone watches everyone's backs. It's the only way to stay alive."

"It seems so... dehumanizing," Sun said softly.

DarkStar snickered.

"Not at all," Nodoka said. "Once you get used to it... you find a certain amount of comfort in it. It's nice to know that there is someone you can count on watching over you and watching out for you."

Sun considered that. These people were at war. It seemed and a certain amount of security was necessary. She shrugged her shoulders. "Okay... I guess. I don't think I could ever get used to it."

"You would be surprised," DarkStar piped in. "I wasn't sure at first... but it does save lives. Also... I know what I am." Her voice became more serious. "The command staff's honest about things with me." Her voice became more serious. "We have a bit of an understanding."

"Understanding?"

"They've been honest with me from the start. It took a while to build trust with them, but it's there."

Sun nodded her head; she understood about trust. Turning her attention to Nodoka, Sun returned to the previous conversation, before they got side tracked by DarkStar's "research" and them being watched. "So Mom-, er, sorry, Mrs. Saotome, why haven't you ever divorced Genma?"

Nodoka smiled at Sun's slip. "That's alright dear, just call me Nodoka or Mom if you're comfortable."

"And if you're not comfortable it's Doc or Major Saotome," DarkStar teased.

"As far as Genma goes, the reason why I never divorced him was because he had been on the run from me for the past ten years, and when I finally found him I was more concerned with my daughter and her life."

DarkStar blushed slightly.

"I can understand that," Sun said. "But why not divorce Genma and be done with it?" Sun asked the older woman. "I mean, why hang on to a marriage that... never worked?"

"I had more important things to do," Nodoka said, "and... it already feels done with."

"Mom, you haven't said more than ten words with him since he got back," DarkStar stated.

"I asked him to explain his actions," Nodoka replied, her tone even. Genma had at least accepted the reality of Ranma's gender and family.

"You pulled out a gun and then afterwards you had some agents take him and hand him over to Jarvis," DarkStar corrected.

"I don't feel the need to do it," Nodoka sighed.

"You're essentially divorced already, just do it formally," DarkStar encouraged.

"I guess you're not too fond of Genma either," Sun noted.

"He can be annoying, but he did try to warn me about the breakup, and he does seem... proud of me. I know that sometimes parents just don't feel that way for each other."

"You do?" Sun asked.

DarkStar smirked. "Remember? I didn't want to marry Soun either."

Sun absently nodded. Her double was the mother of two of Soun's daughters. "And then there's Nariko..."

"Yes, Drake's actually... I can respect him. He was great for Nariko. He actually is there for his children," DarkStar smiled. "But that doesn't mean I want to mate with him. Nari-chan understands."

Sun nodded. "So are you teaching your kids martial arts?" she asked after ordering another cup.

"Of course, we are 'line grunts' as you say," DarkStar laughed. "It's amazing how much that training can compliment our abilities. Of course we had to rework a lot of the moves. New balance, and then there's that it can be a truly aerial style."

Sun nodded. "Master Happosai has just named me his heir and Master to the Anything Goes school," Sun said with a small bit of pride before adding with a sigh, "It took years, but he managed to knock some sense into my thick head."

"Oh?" DarkStar asked as she blinked at her counterpart.

Sun looked at each of her table-mates before answering. "I had a bad habit - a very bad habit - of jumping into things and reacting on an emotional level - without thought," Sun explained. "It made me careless and I got myself into some very bad spots that I should not have been into to begin with."

"That's stupid habit to have," DarkStar bluntly agreed. "It's not professional."

"I wasn't a professional," Sun shot back. "I was an arrogant, cocky kid who thought she was so powerful that she couldn't be touched."

Nodoka and DarkStar looked at Sun and said nothing. DarkStar did not like what she felt, but part of her was amused to know that arrogance seemed to have bitten this version of herself too. Though it was unsaid, she sensed it was also at someone else's expense - maybe like what happened to herself.

"Look, we all made stupid mistakes when we were younger. We both had emotions getting the better of us and then there's how stubborn we can be," DarkStar explained.

Sun said nothing, but nodded in agreement. She did find irony in someone six years her junior saying "when we were younger".

"So, Happosai made you a master," DarkStar commented, steering away from uncomfortable subjects. "He's nice enough, for a dirty old man."

"Hey!" Sun bristled. "He may seem like a dirty old man, but he's not bad."

DarkStar laughed. "I never said he was bad. I'm a sex demon remember? I ain't gonna get on his case for having some harmless fun and a little draining."

Sun blinked. "Oh... I guess that makes sense. You two would have some things in common."

"He also has great taste in underwear," DarkStar nonchalantly added as she sipped her drink.

Sun blinked. She thought back to some of the antics of her Happosai and mentally agreed. "So does yours help you train?"

"Yeah, he knows his stuff. Lots of experience. And unlike Pops he doesn't get tired when he spars with me." DarkStar snickered.

"He make you a master yet?" Sun asked.

"Nope, I haven't known him that long. Would be nice though."

"Oh yeah, six years in the past." Sun noted; she then smiled. "But I'm sure he's impressed with you. You are coming up with your own school."

"Yeah," DarkStar shook her head. "I never understood why Pops and Soun were so afraid of him. He's such a gentleman, especially around my kids."

Sun blinked. DarkStar's Happosai had never subjected her to the pervert act? The testing?

"To be fair... my former... husband and his friend were never as focused or principled as you are. And you were never afraid or intimidated by him," Nodoka added.

Sun nodded. That had to be it. Happosai had seen that DarkStar would pass any test like that, probably. "Don't underestimate him. He's... good. Some of his training came..." Sun shuddered at the memory. After a few seconds she found her voice again. "When it counted, when it really counted. It made all the difference."

"I won't," DarkStar promised.

"Good," Sun answered with a thin smile. "Who'd thought that the old letch had it in him to be a good teacher."

"Anyone who doesn't judge a book by it's cover?" DarkStar responded. She looked at Sun's souring expression. "Sorry."

"No, it's okay," Sun sighed. "I have a tendency to do that. You saw what happened when we first met. Happi's helping me with that too."

"What can I say? Being turned into a demon and working with scary secret agents tends to do that? I can't judge anyone based on something like what species they are. Now if they harm my kids or an innocent... all bets are off."

-------------

"Andrea, how long does girl talk usually last?" Morrison asked in a tired voice. "I mean, they've been at it for hours now."

"I'd say not much longer," Andrea said offhandedly.

"Because of her watch?"

"Yes, our visiting Senshi is glancing at it much more often than before," Andrea answered. "My guess is she has someplace to be and it's getting closer to that time."

"I hope you're right," Morrison said as he shifted in his seat. "I'm getting sore from just sitting here."

------------

"So, what are your plans once you have dealt with your mother and the other people from your past?" DarkStar asked.

"Well, whether it goes smoothly or not, I'm going to be leaving in about six months to my husband's... well... my husband's planet."

"His planet?" Nodoka asked with a raised eyebrow. "Same universe though?"

Sun nodded. "Yup," she paused to take a sip of her drink. "Same universe, different planet. I married an honest to goodness prince. He's like third or forth in line to the throne or something like that of some galactic empire."

"You don't know?" Nodoka asked with a tilt of her head. It was an amusing coincidence. Her daughter was once queen of Earth, and was the favored granddaughter to the founder of House BlackSky.

"I fell in love with him, not his title," Sun replied with a shrug. "At least I get a say on who is to be his second wife."

"Second wife?" Nodoka repeated with both eyebrows raised.

"Er, yeah," Sun stammered a bit. "You see, it's like... tradition or something," she explained while running a finger along the edge of the table. "The Emperor and his heirs have at least two wives, sometimes more, but it is expected of him to have as least two."

"I see, and how do you feel about this?" Nodoka asked while folding her hands.

Sun shrugged her shoulders. "It's okay with me." She then leaned forward and said in a conspiratorial voice, "I'm dropping strong hints for Ryoko because we get... well, we get along - if you know what I mean."

"Ryoko?" DarkStar let the name roll off her tongue. "I think you mentioned her before when you were showing us your pictures."

"Yes... we're close," Sun said with a slight blush. "We have... you know - and Tenchi knows, so I kinda hoping that she'll be the second wife."

"Ahhh... So you're bi," DarkStar said in understanding with a wide smile. "Sounds like you want Ryoko for your own mistress."

Sun's face flushed. "Er... well... I wouldn't mind it and, um, it would be more fun in the bedroom."

"Oh really," DarkStar asked, glad that the conversation moved back to one of her favorite subjects. "So, how much 'fun' have you two had already?"

Sun's face went brilliant with embarrassment.

"That much," DarkStar said around her laughter.

"Daughter please," Nodoka said in a mirthful way.

"It's okay," Sun said after quickly composing herself. "Ryoko and I have been making plans to take Tenchi and...," she paused at the eager face of DarkStar and then the older woman's. Though Nodoka wasn't really her mother, it weirded her out to talk about such things in front of her. "Er... maybe I'll tell you later."

"Don't mind me," Nodoka said with a wave of her hand. "Succubae normally 'talk shop' in front of their moms. Don't they daughter?"

DarkStar nodded in confirmation. "It was especially frustrating back when I was a virgin and my kids still asked me for advice."

Sun eyed both women and thought for a few heartbeats. She had shared a great deal with them already, so why not? "Well, okay," she said as she lowered her voice further and began whispering the naughty plans that she and Ryoko had for Tenchi.

----------

"Are they huddled for the reason I think they are?" Morrison asked his table-mate.

Andrea nodded. It looked like Morrison had some clue.

----------

"... and that's what we have planned for foreplay," Sun finished with a slightly lecherous grin.

DarkStar looked at the redhead and mused over her and Ryoko's plans. She then studied the top of Sun's head for any signs of horns, with the plans that she and this Ryoko came up with... "Well... it's a nice idea," DarkStar said with a smirk, "but unless Ryoko can float in midair... wait... nevermind. I bet she can."

"Yup, ain't it great?" Sun gushed. "Anyway, after that, we plan on getting Tenchi to..."

---------

"They're huddling again. Damn I wish I could listen to the tap over there."

Andrea rolled her eyes and ignored her partner's comment.

Morison's hand went to his dog tags and the "D" mark placed there. "Andrea , if something should happen... and I get... turned will I sit around for hours and talk about stuff like they are?"

As Andrea looked at Morrison a smile formed. "You've seen how Misako, Nariko, and Red act. What do you think?"

Morrison blinked. "I see." He looked at the paper he had been pretending to read. "I guess it's still better than being dead."

"It would be eye opening," Andrea allowed.

----------

"... and then we plan on breaking for lunch. What do you think?" Sun finished as she propped her head up with her arm.

"Hmmm...," DarkStar mused aloud. "Well... it's the best you can do without tails or getting too rough. I guess you want to ease Tenchi into the really kinky stuff- oh, nevermind, you already started."

"Umm... right," Sun stammered a bit, "but we don't want to wear him out too much until he builds up his stamina." Sun wagged her eyebrows. "He already knows what I like."

"Stamina's important," DarkStar agreed, "and eating's a great bit of foreplay." DarkStar's mind drifted back. "I remember this one time after Kasumi hosed the blood and guts off of me...," she voice trailed away into a pleasant memory and she sported a dreamy smile.

Sun nodded her head. "I remember when Tenchi and I cleaned the fridge and got quite silly. After it was all said and done, we had more food on us than-" she stopped as she realize what DarkStar had just said. "Blood?"

"Umm...," DarkStar started, "It was after a sortie... my fighting style is... messy... and violent."

Sun looked at DarkStar, at the table top, and then back at her. "Oh... I see. Well, I have a habit of vaporizing my targets."

"Where's the fun in that?" DarkStar asked innocently.

Sun sighed heavily. "Fighting is not exactly fun... anymore."

DarkStar stared at Sun contemplatively. "I... see. The whole weapon thing you had going. I have problems killing humanely."

"Now dear," Nodoka said gently while laying a hand on DarkStar's, "most of the time they die too quickly to notice."

DarkStar sighed as Sun spoke. "Killing can become too damn easy for me if I let it," she said with a shudder.

"You too?" DarkStar looked Sun square in the eye and took Sun's hand in hers. "Be careful, be damn careful. Look at me. I just told you what doing _that_ makes me feel."

Sun noticed the haunted look in DarkStar's eyes and stared. She was starting to understand how much DarkStar could relate to some of her own problems. They were both tempted.

"Have you killed a human yet?" Nodoka asked turning to Sun.

"It's too late for me," DarkStar muttered lowly.

Sun thought a moment. "Yes," she answered. "But she was more like a monster than a human."

"Not all monsters have fangs," DarkStar repeated, echoing the words she spoke earlier.

"And some monsters are made," Sun added cryptically.

Nodoka and DarkStar looked at Sun and watched as several emotions played across her face. It was DarkStar who took the initiative. "Is it something you what to talk about?"

Sun smiled a thin smile. "Not really," she said.

"That's okay," DarkStar stated with a wave. "As you know, I don't have... privacy." DarkStar glanced at the surveillance agents. "In a way it's kinda nice to be able to keep some secrets. Some things I'm not gonna pry on."

Sun tilted her head, slightly confused.

"Don't misunderstand, I respect the hell out of these guys, the agents, but... they all know what I am and what I've done. Even those that haven't fought with me have seen photos and videos of me _working_. That they can still... look me in the eye means a lot to me but..."

"They still see you as... that," Sun surmised. She wondered what her life would be like if _all_ of her fights had been recorded and then played in front of everyone she knew and cared about. If they saw with their own eyes what she was capable of.

"And do you want me to hear about your darkest moments?"

Sun shook her head. "Not now...," she said. "Maybe later... after I've fully dealt with them myself."

A certain silence fell about the table. It wasn't an uncomfortable one, nor was it exactly peaceful. It was a type of silence that seemed to lend a finality to the discussion.

"So," Sun coughed, breaking the silence. "I've gotta ask before I go, what's with the hair?"

"My hair?" DarkStar blinked. "What about it?"

"It's" Sun fumbled for an inoffensive way to say it. "It looks... like more work than I would expect from you. It's really long. Do you use mousse or hair spray? And how does it stay so soft looking?"

DarkStar blinked as she ran her hand through her spiked and feathered tresses. "It's not hard, it's pretty much natural. like my makeup." She did not want to tell Sun that it came from eating a relatively powerful demon hunter.

Sun nodded and let out a barely audible "ah". She could relate to "magic makeovers".

Sun took one last glance at her watch. "I need to go," she announced. "If I'm going to get to the Tendo's on time." She then asked the waitress to bring her her bill. She would be relieved that she had enough native currency to pay it.

Her table-mates nodded. "Do you need to go anywhere special?" Nodoka asked.

"Not really," Sun replied. "Just somewhere where I won't be observed... you understand."

Nodoka nodded.

"How about the restroom?" DarkStar pointed out. "It's roomy and it is empty at the moment."

"Miss Lytle, Mr. Morrison, would you two mind ensuring our privacy?" Nodoka called over to the two surveillance agents.

Sun nodded and rose from her seat. The others mimicked her. "Do you mind if we see you off?" Nodoka asked. "I'm curious as to how you travel between universes."

Sun shrugged her shoulders. "Sure. Why not?"

The three made their way to the back of the cafe. Once inside the restroom, Sun wavered as she her outfit shifted into her Senshi uniform.

"Yep," DarkStar said, "definitely a Senshi."

Sun paused and turned to look at the demon. "Could... could I see your uniform?"

DarkStar smiled. "Sure, but remember, it'll show my true form."

"Uh, that's okay," Sun assured. She steeled herself. DarkStar was a sex demon, but that still gave a lot of free range for what her true form could be.

DarkStar closed her eyes and shadows spread from her and transformed her clothes... and body. The demon sighed and stretched her wings or tried too, the room was a much too small to allow for their full span.

Sun blinked. She knew that DarkStar was a demon, but this... She stepped a bit closer and looked her up and down. The tail with its little fins, the tiny horns, the broad wings, the luminous eyes, and the skimpy uniform itself. "Wow," Sun said as she marveled over DarkStar's true form. "You're... you look amazing."

"Really?" DarkStar blushed slightly. That was not the normal reaction to seeing her true form, not by a human at least.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Sun reached out and exploratory touched DarkStar on the shoulder, tracing her hand down the length of her arm; it was smooth and warm - warmer than when she hugged DarkStar earlier. "You're warm." Sun idly said.

"Well of course, I'm alive." DarkStar dryly remarked. The demon looked at the questing hand with a raised eyebrow. Such childlike wonderment at her form was novel.

Sailor Sun's passive scans automatically went deeper before she consciously cut them back; at this point she thought it impolite to scan without permission. Leaving DarkStar's shoulder and arm behind, Sun felt the leathery wings before being drawn back to DarkStar's face. Aside from the obvious changes in skin tone and eye color there were other differences. DarkStar's face was a bit more severe and seemed almost... sharper - but even with the changes, it was amazing how much they resembled one another.

Noting the little black horns that peaked through the tangled locks of hair, Sun could not resist reaching out and touching one of them. DarkStar gave a slight growl and pulled back. Her eyes became hard and accusatory.

"What... what did I do?" Sun asked quickly pulling back her hand.

"It's okay," Nodoka allowed, while she patted her daughter on the shoulder. "You didn't know any better. Succubae are very sensitive about who touches them."

"But, I was holding her hand and hugging her earlier," Sun stated in confusion. She did not expect sex demons to shy away from physical contact.

DarkStar's expression softened but she still kept some distance.

"She trusted you... Physical contact for them always means something. Horns are something... more," Nodoka allowed.

Sun nodded. Though she did not exactly understand, she had the impression that she had just made a grab for DarkStar's breasts, or crotch. After, learning of DarkStar's nature, she would probably have been less offended if she had tried to touch one of those areas. "I didn't understand. I'm sorry." Sun bowed deeply.

"It's okay, you couldn't have known." DarkStar offered a smile. Only seven, well six after what Kasumi had done, people were allowed to touch her horns; she supposed she could let someone else. It would show her level of trust. "If... if you really want." DarkStar leaned forward and bowed her head.

Sun froze at the offered horns. On one hand if she declined in an effort to be sensitive to DarkStar's situation, she might offend. If she accepted she might screw it up. She made her decision.

As she reached out she noticed DarkStar's face twitch. On contact the surface was mostly smooth but had some little ridges that ran up the inside arc of the horn. She cautiously and gently ran her finger across the tip and was surprised by the sharpness. What happened next was even more surprising. It was a sound she had never expected to hear emanate from a version of herself.

Sun looked to the demon's eyes, but they were closed tight. She turned to Nodoka. "Am... am I doing this right?" DarkStar kept making the sound deep within herself.

Nodoka nodded. "Yes, you're quite good."

"But... demons... she's..." Sun had only recently learned that demons could be kind and loving, but that they could also...

"Yes, they purr. Normally, it only happens when they're very happy but playing with their horns can do it too." Nodoka's smile indicated that she had much experience with happy succubae. Her expression became serious. "However, abusing their horns is an easy way for a stronger succubus to dominate or even torture a weaker one."

Sun removed her hand as gently as she had placed it, and watched as DarkStar stopped purring and opened her eyes. She straightened up and looked the other Senshi in the eye.

"Congratulations," DarkStar said. "That's something only my mother and children are allowed to do. Kasumi... maybe it was a bad idea to let her do it in the first place."

"I... I think I understand," Sun said. "I'm not going to lie to you and say I understand completely, but I think I'm starting to grasp a few things."

The demon almost narrowed her eyes, but she assumed that the pun was unintentional. "These things aren't decoration." DarkStar said as she pointed to her horns. Her tone was friendly but her tail had straightened out and was raised slightly. "We're not human. There's some similarity, but..."

Sun noted the change in posture of the demon's tail. She had the impression that she did something wrong again, but was not sure as to what. Internally, Sun wished that she would stop accidentally insulting her new friends or at least get a clue to what she was doing wrong.

"There are some things you have to experience to understand," Nodoka noted somewhat to herself. "Things that only another succubus will get." Her tone had gained a contemplative edge.

DarkStar's posture became more relaxed when it became clear that Sun's pun was unintentional and how clueless her counterpart really was. She found herself envying Sun in a weird sort of way. Even though Sun was six years older and had had her share of hardships in her life - some that she shied away from and didn't want to talk about, she still was very innocent in many ways.

To be that innocent again...

Sun looked at the two and detected that whatever faux pas that she did had passed. She then cocked her head at DarkStar. "So wings. Are you in super form?" Sun asked. "That's what it takes to get mine."

"No... these are natural," DarkStar shrugged. "All succubae have them."

"They're leather," Sun stated eyeing the wings.

"Did you expect me to have feathers?" DarkStar smirked.

"Er, sorta?" Sun coughed.

"Angels are the ones with feathers."

"Angels?" Sun asked with a blink of her eyes. DarkStar stared back. "I guess that makes sense." Sun shrugged her shoulders and turned her back of the mother and daughter. "Don't be alarmed," she said over her shoulder. "I need to summon my sword."

Nodoka nodded as Sun did just that.

"Oh... nice flames," DarkStar noted.

"Indeed. I hope we're getting some good scans of this." Nodoka said with awe. She then opened her cellphone. "Yes. Are we reading this?" she asked once she connected with the observation team. "Good."

"Er... that can tell I'm doing this?" Sun asked, holding her sword.

"We did manage to detect your arrival and track you to here," Nodoka reminded.

"Right. Um, just out of curiosity, what are they reading?"

"Any inter-dimensional distortion, interference above ambient. Any pattern registerable energy that you're giving off. That kind of stuff. There's also whatever my daughter's sensing."

"I see," Sun nodded.

Nodoka and DarkStar watched from behind as Sun slashed at the air. A thin glowing line was left in the wake of the sword and it hug there as is the very air itself was cut.

They both watched as Sun used her sword to widened the hole, until it was like a round doorway into another room. Nodoka's attention was divided between what she was seeing and the readings on her scanner. Though the energy that was detected earlier was large, they had now focused their scanners on what was going in the small room. Nodoka schooled her features at the concentrated energy that Sun was offhandedly expending.

DarkStar simply unfolded her senses and blinked a lot at what she was seeing and _smelling_. She could see the opening and sense the power, but she couldn't smell anything coming from the other side. It was like the opening that also acted as a barrier.

Sun straddled the opening before crossing over to the other side.

"See," she called to the two women. "It's that easy."

----------

In the open room of the studio apartment, a thin line appeared in mid-air. It widened and a redheaded seifuku-clad young woman stepped into the room.

"See," she called into the opening. "It's that easy."

_Kind of like a demonic teleport,_ DarkStar noted to herself. Alexia could do it from one point to another on earth, and BlackSky regularly traveled between the earth and the Succubus Home Plane. DarkStar herself had been toying with the concept too._ "But is it the same?"_ she mused. The difference between different universes and planes of existence was not something she understood.

Two heads poked through the opening that Ranma was holding open.

"This is your apartment?" the Nodoka asked.

"Yes," Ranma answered. "Tenchi isn't in right now, but this is where we live."

"Very nice," DarkStar commented. She looked and sniffed around the room from her vantage point and nodded her head. "Lot's of room to work with."

Though half of their bodies were in one universe and the other half in Sun's, there was no sensation of a barrier that been crossed. It was as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

"Yeah," Sun said with uncertainty followed by an awkward silence.

"I'm am surprised by how - unspectacular - moving between universes is," Nodoka commented.

"That's because your universe and mine are practically neighbors," Sun explained. "If I had traveled further in... creation, moving through the warp would be like... ummm... like sliding through a tube slide."

"Really?" Nodoka said. "I'm surprised our worlds are that close. Not that inter-dimensional physics is my area."

"It's not really my specialty either," Sun admitted. "I just do it by instinct."

While Sun and her mother conversed, DarkStar looked about the room. Studying the sparsely furnished room, she spied something off in one corner and smiled as she recalled something that Sun had mentioned earlier. She looked over the stacks of tapes that were stacked under the TV and was frustrated that she wasn't able to make out any titles clearly.

"Say... are any of those tapes the ones you mentioned earlier?" DarkStar asked in an oh-so-innocent voice.

"Huh?" Sun said in confusion, her train of thought derailed from her conversation with Nodoka.

"Dear, now is not the time to ask such things," Nodoka gently chided her daughter, "she has a meeting to go to."

"Er... right," DarkStar agreed with a slight blush. "Maybe later?" she added hopefully.

Sun blink-blinked at the two before smiling. "Well, I guess this is goodbye," Sun said with a hint of regret.

"Will you ever visit us again?" Nodoka asked.

Sun pursed her lips in thought. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "Tenchi really doesn't like me bopping around in different universes, but if I explain to him, I'm sure it'll be all right."

"But you'll at least write, right?" DarkStar quipped.

"I'll see what Washu can come up with," Sun replied with a smile.

The three stared at one another for a brief moment. As if on cue, the three reached out across the rent in space/time and fell into a group hug.

"Thanks," Sun said as she drew away. "I really do hope to see both of you again."

"Here," Nodoka said while handing a card to Sun. "If you do, you'll know where to find us."

Sun looked at the WIC business card and smiled.

"When you do make it back, bring more pictures," DarkStar said with a grin, "and maybe a DVD or two?" She finished with a wag of the eyebrows.

Sun blushed. "Er... right. I'll be sure to," she answered. "Umm, I need you both to step away from the opening. I don't want you to get hurt when I close it."

The mother and daughter stepped back, well away from the opening as it hung in mid-air. "Goodbye," Sun said one final time as the rounded aperture started to close. She was answered by farewell waves from the Saotome women. With a slight, but audible 'pop' the hole sealed itself.

Then Ranma was alone in her apartment.

----------

In the confines of the restroom, Nodoka and Sailor DarkStar faced one another.

"Well, that was interesting," Nodoka said.

DarkStar nodded as she shifted into a form that could pass for human. She checked herself in the mirror. "Yes it was..." She cocked head and looked at her mother's reflection. "Do you think she'll ever come back?"

"If she is as good at her word as you are with yours, " Nodoka said, "I think we can expect her to show up sometime in the future."

"More crazy family from other dimensions, eh?" Ranma noted as she made one last check of her reflection before facing Nodoka.

"She seems more normal than your grandmother," Nodoka noted as both women headed for the door.

"BlackSky's perfectly normal for who she is, and her gifts are very handy," Ranma said. BlackSky was a vast resource on succubae, especially on how to take care of their young. The value of her autobiography alone...

"Fair enough," Nodoka said before opening the restroom door and walking over to Andrea and Morrison and informing them of the latest development.

----------

After Ranma bid goodbye to her newfound friends , she stood in the middle of the living room. Barren of any furniture, the room offered a wide space for her to practice her forms. She smiled at the firm resolution she had set in her mind and began moving into the kata that she had attempted earlier in the day. Unlike earlier, she was able to almost dance through it with great ease without having to force it.

She moved silently in the room, spinning, kicking and jabbing at imaginary opponents before stopping before a large window that streamed sunlight into the room. Her breathing was controlled as stood with her eyes closed, enjoying the sun's warmth and further finding her center. She smiled.

Gathering up her cellphone and placing it in her purse, Ranma opened the creaking front door and looked about the apartment's interior. Yes, she was nervous, but she moved down the stairs with a purpose - her mind made up. She entered the sidewalk and looked about the new day. Exhaling through pursed lips, she muttered softly, "Well today, I face my past."

Heading to the bus stop, she began her journey to a place she hadn't visited in over six years.

----------

"It will be a few minutes until everyone gets pulled back," Nodoka said as she returned to the table and asked the waitress to clear off the third cup and give them their portion of the bill.

Ranma sat down next to her mother and sighed as she fingered her saucer.

"You feeling any better?" Nodoka asked.

Ranma smiled. "Yeah, yeah I think I am." She reached out and put her hand on her mother's "What about you?"

"I think it's time to finish what I had started ten years ago." Nodoka then ordered another coffee. She would do whatever it took to help her daughter. In that regard, divorcing Genma was an easy decision. It was the easier of the two decisions she faced today. The other was still being considered

"That's good. You don't know how much having a mother like you means to me."

Nodoka hugged her daughter. "I'm just doing my best. I haven't sacrificed nearly as much as you."

"You accepted me," Ranma assured. "That's more than anyone can ask for." Ranma looked into her mother's eyes. "And I know you would do whatever you needed to."

Nodoka nodded. "So, how are you going to talk to Usagi?" she asked after getting and paying for the bill.

"Once I figure out what to say. How to even mention this to her," DarkStar finished off her tea and looked to her mother, who, naturally, met her gaze. "You'll make sure I'm not going to put this off?"

"Of course," Nodoka caught the wave from Morrison and looked to see that a van had pulled up to the front door of the shop. "Going to be quite the story to tell your kids," Nodoka noted as they walked out of the store.

"Complete with pictures," Ranma laughed while holding up the digital camera.

-------------

-------------

Omake by **J St C Patrick**

There you are," a voice called out. "How is everything?"

Both Ranmas looked up at the newcomer. She was very familiar to both of them.

"Hi Mom," DarkStar said with a smile. "Every thing's fine. We were talking about - stuff."

"I see," the older redhead said with a warm smile while eyeing the human-Ranma. "And who do we have here? Our wayward Senshi?"

"Um, Mom, I'd like to introduce you to... Ranma," DarkStar said a little nervously. "Er, Ranma this is my mom. Um, Mom, Ranma's from somewhere else."

"So I gathered," Nodoka said dryly still maintaining her warm smile as she slid into the seat across from DarkStar and addressed Sun. "So, you're just visiting? Do you have anything to declare? Fruit? Alcohol? Firearms? No? Well then, Welcome to Canada!"

DarkStar and Sun looked and each other, then back at the older women before bursting into a fit of giggles.

Nodoka Saotome, Mother, W.I.C. Scientist, Customs Agent.

End Interlude

We'd like to thank our pre-readers. They're the ones that made sure this story was readable. DGC, Questara, Kevin Hammel, J St C Patrick, Pale Wolf, Wray, and Jerry Starfire. It's great to have a group that we've built years of trust with and will take their time and effort to help us.

Thank you all.

Interestingly, this was written well before Strained Harmony was even conceived.

We were talking about our respective characters meeting. The idea stuck and we started writing it out, last spring.

There was one problem: The Return was nowhere near far enough along to post this. So it had to wait for more chapters of Return to be written.


	19. Ch17 Reconstitution and Reincarnation P1

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Josh Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.

Other website Temple of Ranma's Senshi Seifuku

C&C as always is wanted.

Chapter 17 Reconstitution and Reincarnation Part 1

Mercury sighed at the bound figure. She crouched down and got a bit closer to the blonde. "I've got to compliment you. You actually hurt Virgo," she smiled thinly and looked to the former Amazon in the back of the room. The cut from Minako's chain on her arm was not terribly deep, but it would make things difficult for Virgo.

"You won't win," Minako said staring down the renegade.

"Not even going to try to break free?" Mercury raised an eyebrow. She shook her head and sat down on a chair across from the metal frame that held down Minako. It was built out of bolted and then welded steel bars attached to a series of chains and metal loops. A series of softly glowing runes showed that there was more than mere metallurgy in the bonds. The careful inscriptions in the floor were also helpful.

Minako kept looking at Mercury. Her eyes briefly went to Orion who discretely deposited a glass of wine on the table next to her mistress.

"I'm guessing you're thinking about what I plan to do with you," Mercury remarked before taking a sip. Orion's abilities were improving. A dry red with a subdued bouquet and rich undertones from nut-tree barrels, went well with what she had planned.

Putting the glass down, Mercury sighed. She knew DarkStar would scoff at her selection. She was certain the demon preferred blood, but drinking it out of a goblet would be too tacky. No, DarkStar would probably be sipping Scotch. Of course the demon would have scoffed at this entire operation as being too dramatic.

Mercury's attention returned to her old teammate. "You know I can't be asking about information. If I was going for that I'd have taken Setsuna." She allowed a small smile to form. "You know this Mina-chan. So you're wondering what I want with you."

To Mercury's disappointment, Minako closed her eyes.

"You don't want to make this more difficult," Mercury lazily warned as she motioned to Orion. There was a slight chink of metal parts as a leather case was put on the table and opened, revealing a dense collection of gleaming tools.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Minako opened her eyes and caught a glimpse of case's contents before shifting back to Mercury's face. The traitor was grinning widely now.

"I don't want this to be more difficult. It might... change you." She laughed and gave a wink to Orion. "Who knows you might start liking it." Behind her winning smile Mercury cursed. She hated these dramatic tricks, but she had to establish herself their eyes.

"Monster," Minako hissed as her neck strained against the constraints binding her.

Mistress Mercury nodded. It was a start. "She warned you," Mercury said after a moment's reflection.

"Setsuna?" Minako asked as the metal bounds holding her waist chaffed her.

Mercury sighed theatrically. "No, not her. I'm talking about the one Senshi that knows what I'm really up to."

Minako looked to Orion with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know why people think blondes are dumb." Mercury contemplatively sipped from her glass. She was glad she had tested the rack's design on Virgo ahead of time, the new chest restraints were most complementary. "But no, it's not Orion I'm talking about. Good guess though."

"Sunny?"

"You're nowhere near close enough to her to call her by that name." Mercury picked up a small metal rod. She tapped it and some of the humidity from the basement room started to freeze. "So have you figured out what I want with you?"

"I'm a Senshi."

Mercury tilted her head. "No, you inherited the powers of one. You're not anything. Not yet at least." She walked forward and ran the end of the rod along Minako's torso and then down her left arm. "You know what you are?"

Shivering, Minako stared at the wall. There was more than the temperature of the probe; it penetrated her flesh and felt... wrong.

"Potential." Mercury said as she ran the probe down the length of Minako's spine. "That's what you are."

"And what? You plan to release it?" Minako had to grit her teeth to keep them from chattering.

"You were close," Mercury whispered to her ear while holding the probe on Minako's right cheek. "You should have done it before me. You've been active before me, before the queen."

Mercury pulled back and withdrew the metal rod. "I don't know why you stopped developing." She turned her back to Minako. "I won't insult you by tempting your loyalties. If I was going that route you can be sure I wouldn't have picked you."

"Thanks." Minako noticed that the sharp chill from the probe had reduced to a cold numbness that had spread throughout her body.

"However, I'm still a scientist," Mercury pulled out a pair of spherical crystals. "This is important, do you know what these are?" she asked holding them up to the bound-girl.

The blond could see a pair of little marbles that seemed to be full of silvery tracery and tiny sparks. "Those little stress balls you try to spin in your hands?"

"I could have used those when I made these things." Mercury laughed. "Unfortunately, since you don't remember what these are, I've got to use them on you." She strode over and slapped a sphere to each temple. The clear casing broke and the silver wires spread along her skin and started burrowing in.

The blonde screamed at the intrusion. The numbness took care of the pain, but there was still a crawling sensation.

"I warned you," Mercury sighed and summoned a holographic display. Images flashed on the display. "My... your mind is quite a mess."

"Get out of my brain!" Minako shouted as she broke and started struggling against the bonds holding her.

"I warned you," Mercury shook her head and started searching through Minako's mind. She smirked slightly at some of the images. "Naughty girl."

Minako screeched and struggled against the bonds holding her. Images flashed through her mind in a disjointed sequence. The rapid shuttering continued to pound at her mind. Soon it was joined by scents and sounds immersing her fully and ceasing her struggles.

Cities and people that were alien to her grabbed at her mind and vied for her attention. Memories of growing up on a large villa overlooking a beach rose up to dominance and were then eroded by training with dour men in green and tan uniforms.

The sensations stabilized and slowly became more familiar. Sailor Seifukus and crystals became more apparent and gave her something to hold onto. It was not the uniform that held her attention, but who she wore it for. On this there was no disagreement between the memories. The specific life of hers did not matter, it would always belong to her princess, and she would always swear it to Usagi.

Mercury smiled as Minako's eyes widened and focused on something that was only a memory. "Yes, Queen Serenity really was something, but you already know how it ends. Let's give you something a bit less depressing."

The visions shifted away from the elder Serenity and focused onto someone younger. With the scent of flowers, wet dirt, and freshly trimmed grass blooming in her memory, Minako saw herself bowing before her princess. She took the oath in one of the gardens to the West of the central palace, it had rained earlier in the morning and the walkways were still damp.

As suddenly as they came the pressure retreated. Minako twitched has her mind emptied. Soon the displaced memories returned, but they were not alone. The blonde slowly opened her eyes and started at Mercury.

Inwardly Mercury smiled at the change in Venus' eyes. "Feeling more yourself?"

"You psychotic bitch," Minako growled.

"Yes," Mercury sighed. "You of all people should know what I'm trying to do," Mercury powered down the mental probed. "You used to be the leader of the Inners. You used to be someone. Even Sailor V was more than a blonde ditz. What happened to you?"

Minako looked down. "That's not going to happen again."

"Oh?" Mercury picked up her wine glass. "Were you helpfully reminded on what had happened?"

"Shut up." Minako glared at the smirking senshi. "You have no right to talk, traitor."

Mercury coldly put down her glass. "You know better than to say nonsense like that. I'm the only one doing anything to save her."

"Save her? You're fighting her and going against her." Minako scoffed.

"So you think we should mindlessly obey her? All the time?" Mercury sighed. "You remember how it all ended right?"

Minako glared.

"If you knew what Usagi was going to do with your sword would you still have given it to her?"

Minako bristled. "Of course not! I thought she was going to fight not... She held out her hand. What was I supposed to do?" Her great failure replayed in her mind. She was supposed to protect the Princess.

"So you're saying that sometimes it's okay to disobey our queen?" Mercury calmly asked.

Minako's mouth dried. "Only... only if it's to protect her..."

"Even if it's from herself?"

"I'm not going to let history repeat itself," Minako promised as she closed her eyes.

"Oh? Endymion's dead again, and there's a demon queen on the rise," Mercury reminded. She raised an eyebrow as the symbols inscribed on the floor began to flare brighter and brighter.

Minako kept her eyes closed as power poured into the bonds holding her. She felt it drain away from her but kept the pace up and pushed more into the frame. "It's not going to happen again!"

Noticing the fracturing on the steel frame, Mercury summoned an ice shield that was soon pelted by a few metal fragments. The majority of the frame came apart around the blonde and fell around her feet.

From behind her shield Mercury sighed. "You know.. you could have simply asked to be released. Ruinic seals are not an easy thing to make these days."

"Like you would have just let me go," Minako grumbled as she tore the metal band off her neck.

Mercury raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you would have wouldn't you," Minako sighed and reached out and found a handle behind her shoulder. She pulled and a large sword slid out of a scabbard that appeared as she reached. A shimmering translucent silver blade appeared. Given that it was same type of crystal as the Ginzuishou, the sword's last use was ironic. The grip fit perfectly into her hands, but she wanted to feel it, not have a pair of gloves in the way.

The blonde watched as her gloves split and shifted to become gold plating on the back of her palm and reinforcing her wrists. For the first time she felt the welcoming cool metal of the hilt with her own skin. Gauntlets also formed around her forearms.

The changes to her uniform continued as golden plates formed around her ankles and buckled into place. Her skirt lengthened and grew into overlapping gold plates of armor. Her top shifted and became a molded golden plate. Everything was then engraved in flowing patterns.

Her golden hair was pulled back by a dark red bow and fell behind her almost obscuring her giant scabbard. She shifted to a more stable stance as her shoes became reinforced boots. All the armor looked thin and ornamental. Especially if one missed when the script around the armor flashed red as it formed.

Mercury smirked as Princess Venus gripped the blade. "Silver, blessed, crystal, and poisoned if I recall. A fitting weapon for Serenity's left hand. Don't you think?"

"You know why I stopped using this thing," Venus stated. She noticed that her chest still had a big bow, as did the back of her armored skirt. Though now they were both the same dark red of the hair bow. Her choker felt more restrictive, but it was now wider and metallic.

Mercury raised an eyebrow. "Yes, the Princess killed herself on it."

Princess Venus examined the length of the blade. "Well, that's not going to happen again."

"I know exactly what you mean," Mercury smiled. "So no bare midriff?"

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "You always did have an eye for the ladies Merc."

Mercury shrugged. "It's good to have you back."

"I wonder if what you've got cooking is really best for the queen," Venus remarked as she flourished her sword. She looked to see Virgo tracking the blade's path.

"I told you: I'm not going to disrespect you with tempts and trinkets," Mercury promised.

"The Crystal Wink Sword is no mere trinket," Princess Venus said coolly.

"And it was never mine to give you," Mercury assured.

Princess Venus stepped towards the door. "Oh," she said without turning to face her former teammate. "If you do try to stop me, please let Virgo go first." Princess Venus smiled hungrily at the purple-haired girl.

"How come this stuff turns Senshi into lesbians?" Orion half-jokingly asked.

"That's not a sexual look," Mercury said as she waved for Virgo to stand down. Venus was quite interested in males. It was one constant no matter the life she lived. Her blonde friend wanted blood, but if she attacked Virgo... well skill was more important than the sword's power. Mercury was just the catalyst. Becoming more than just potential was still up to Venus.

"I'm not going to be tempted by some sleeper spy," Venus remarked.

"Of course not. You should be made of sterner stuff. After all, you're the Queen's executive officer." Mercury walked over and patted Venus on the shoulder. At the contact the pair vanished in a sparkle of ice shards.

The instant they reappeared Venus slid away from Mercury and raised her sword. The blonde looked around briefly to see where they had landed. Trees, groomed grass, and benches indicated some kind of park. Mercury thinly smiled at the blonde's stance. "I'm sorry, but I felt you could use a lift back home."

"It also keeps me from telling her where your hideout is," Venus glared as she leveled her sword.

"If you want to fight we can, but you see, I'm at a disadvantage," Mercury said gesturing to her evening dress.

"Yes, no battle corset or ice skirt." Venus smirked. She could swear that Mercury had more hair in that bun of hers, and guessed that she was still wearing some kind of support under that dress. Though the slinky dark blue material looked to hug her body without any interference from undergarments.

"Our uniforms change whenever we upgrade," Mercury shrugged. She dusted off her hands. "My offer still stands."

"To work with you? End up like Virgo?" Venus shook her head.

Mercury smiled coldly "I think we could work something more... subtle out."

"No thanks," Venus said as she idly swayed her sword around.

"Don't worry about trying to find me if you change your mind," Mercury assured. "I'll know," she said before vanishing again in another shower of ice.

Venus looked around to make sure she really was alone before sheathing her sword and finally shifting out of her armor. Mercury was getting stronger, she no longer needed other Senshi to teleport. The blonde added it to the list of things she learned. The princess needed to be told.

In her townhouse, Mercury reappeared in a shower of ice. She stepped forward and tried to steady herself when her high heels started to slip out from under her. Orion stepped in and held her arms. "I guess taking a passenger was too much just now," she respectfully said.

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"Feeling any better?" Jarvis asked Ranma as she sat down in the commissary.

"I suppose," Ranma shrugged as she poked at her stew. "Talking about it with.. that... other me helped, but..."

"You still need time to heal?" Jarvis asked in a questioning voice.

The redhead "You don't get that do you?"

The blond officer frowned.

"You're worse with emotions than I am," Ranma stated.

"You? A mushy overly-emotional mom?" Jarvis smirked.

Ranma pouted. "I can still be brash and thoughtless. So, seriously? What gives?"

"You know how I said my childhood was... different?"

"I know what you mean."

"No, you don't. Your father..." Jarvis paused. "Do you know what your grandparents did in the war?"

Ranma blinked. "The Second Sino-Japanese War? I dunno. Mom and Pops never talked about it. Might have even been before their parents' time." She noticed new emotions in her friend. "Why?" What could make Jarvis nervous or ashamed. What remaining skeletons could a person who readily admits to being highly skilled at torturing have?

Jarvis sighed. "You can guess my heritage."

"You're worried about what I think about something your grandparents did?" Ranma took his hand and patted it. "What do you think about what they did?"

The officer smiled slightly. "The reason why I joined WIC was because _grandfather _Konig was stopped by Army Special Investigative teams. Company agents on the army payroll during the war," Jarvis clarified. "My mother told me the stories, but she never expected me to identify with the GI's instead of her father. I never told her. She was proud about my... interest in him though."

"Of course the Company knows all this."

"My background checks were especially thorough," Jarvis admitted.

"So is that why you're so... intense?"

Jarvis smirked. "I had motivation."

"Doesn't the D Program hurt that?"

He smirked unpleasantly. "Actually, no... people..."

"Expect it?" Ranma asked as she stirred her stew. "Do people really think that of you?"

Jarvis gave Ranma an even stare.

"Okay, fine." The redhead sighed. She had agreed to Jarvis being in the D Program, among a few other agents. "I think you need to tell me more."

"Both of my grandfathers were in the Luftwaffe. One was a pilot, he was... amazing. The Luftwaffe had a different philosophy towards their pilots; they were used in combat until they died. The very best..." Jarvis shook his head. "The top hundred pilots during the war were all German, and they all had over one hundred kills. Seventeen had more than two hundred.

"Let me guess, yours was one of the ones to break three?"

Jarvis shook his head. "Nope, and that's something Gerhard Barkhorn always teased him on. It really tweaked grandpa-Konrad when Gerhard got to be Bubi's best man."

"Who?"

"The two aces that got more than three hundred kills, though Gerhard got his by the skin of his teeth and not until '45. No, grandpa and Gerhard were always the little brothers to Bubi."

"That doesn't sound too bad." Ranma tilted her head. "So he was a really good pilot. Sure, I've just killed maybe..." Ranma paused to think. "Maybe a third of that, but that's war."

"I don't think you broke a hundred," Jarvis skeptically said.

"Really? There's been plenty of AOM and minions of Alexia. Don't forget that mess of youma."

"I could pull up your stats."

"No thanks, I don't want to see any nice pie charts breaking down my kills by species or whatever." Ranma smirked, delicately declining the offer. "Okay, so what is the story? What's the real dark Nazi secret to your family?"

"It's my other grandfather. He was a paratrooper," Jarvis sighed. "His unit... high command was quite desperate and that government had no scruples or morals to get in the way."

"Sir, Ma'am," Maya Iverson said after walking up to the two. "Surveillance just reported that Miss Aino has returned home.

"So Akumi really did abduct her?" Ranma asked with slight interest.

"She's still playing games," Jarvis sighed.

"Maybe. Maybe there's more to this," Ranma tapped her chin. "I think we should keep a closer eye on Minako. If she really was taken by Akumi then there's two options: Minako fought her way free, which, in that case, the Senshi should be setting up a counter attack, or Akumi let her go."

"That could be a clever plan. Though Miss Tsukino should be wary of that tactic again."

"I'll keep you two abreast of developments," Maya assured. "If the Senshi make a move you'll be the first to know."

Ranma watched her go. "So what's this really about? Why are you telling me about this."

"I want..." He sighed.

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Out with it." She looked at the unusually nervous man. This was completely new.

Jarvis cleared his throat. "Can you turn me early?"

The redhead leaned back. "You mean just because?"

Jarvis nodded stiffly, his face back to its cold facade.

Ranma scooped up the last of her stew and stood up. "Come on, your office should give us some privacy." She knew that would not be true, but it would give more of an illusion of privacy.

The pair walked out of the commissary and down a few corridors until they came to an unassuming door. Jarvis opened it and Ranma blinked at the room's contents. A simple desk with two chairs in front of it and one behind dominated the room, though behind it she could make out a cot with a blanket neatly folded on it. Under the cot was a trunk and a few shirts hung in an alcove in the back of the room.

"This is where you live?" Ranma asked as she sat down in a seat.

"I see no reason to spend money on a place off base."

Ranma shook her head at the bare room. She had made her decision. "If you say so. So what's the full story about this paratrooper father of yours?"

"It started with a bunch of racists. They were dead set on proving, _scientifically_, their superiority," Jarvis smirked. "Of course they made up plenty of information, but... they did find a few things. Things that were more useful than roundabout propaganda. Granted, to use the knowledge they learned required a total absence of morality, but once you've committed to liquidating millions of undesirables, what's a few more?"

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The purifying light died down and Minako sighed in relief. "Thanks," she said to Usagi.

"What did Ami do to you?" Usagi asked.

"And why did you want to be purified first thing?" Rei suspiciously asked.

"To be safe." Minako shuddered. "Ami's... really twisted. She might have put a bug on me or maybe a spell."

"But what did she do?" Makoto asked after coming out of their apartment's small kitchen.

"She tied me up and made me remember." Minako clenched her fist.

"What, your past life? Why?" Rei asked.

"She was hoping that the me from the Silver Millennium would agree with her plans." Minako scoffed.

"And... which Sailor Venus are you?" Rei's tone had an edge to it.

"We're all the same," Minako said, rolling her eyes. "Look, Ami awakened my memories, but it backfired. I was able to break out and then she teleported us out of her lair."

"She can teleport? By herself?" Makoto asked.

"Yes, she can, and she didn't want me to find out where she was hiding out."

"What do you remember of it?"

"I was in a nicely furnished room. A basement I think. I was just in the one room."

"Teleporting? That's not good," Usagi interjected.

"We've faced enemies that could teleport before," Rei reminded.

"None of them were as smart as Ami though." Minako rubbed her temples. "You just know she's gonna do something... clever with that."

"So your memories were awakened and you learned enough to escape," Makoto surmised. "What did you learn?"

"This," Minako smirked, before being enveloped in a golden light. Rei stepped back and transformed as well. Sailor Mars blinked in shock when she saw the changes in Venus' uniform.

"You've got armor." Makoto stated. "That's... new... I think."

Princess Venus flexed her armored hands. "I guess. Our uniforms do change whenever we increase in power."

"That's good," Rei allowed as she hid her worry. Usagi had purified Minako, but Ami knew how to block that, and Minako might have been... changed.

Recognizing the hilt of the sword on Venus' back, Usagi froze.

"Don't worry. You have nothing to fear from this sword," Venus promised.

"Ami just let you go? I don't buy it," Sailor Mars walked up to the blonde. "Something's up."

"Yes," Venus agreed flatly. "She seemed surprised, but it could have easily been faked."

"Either way it fits Ami. She wants us stronger," Makoto looked at the armored seifuku. "I guess she got tired of waiting for us to get better on our own."

Princess Venus adjusted her chest armor slightly. "Well unless you girls want her to violate your minds too, get better. Get better now."

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"Captain Jarvis really wants to be a succubus?" Major Saotome asked as she inspected the long steel prototype.

"Yup." Ranma said as she looked at two smaller prototypes. "Nothing for Akane?"

"She didn't want a weapon," Nodoka said with slight embarrassment. "She's a lot like her mother in that."

Ranma coughed. "Well... my style. I don't..."

"It's okay," Nodoka reassured the blushing demon with a hug.

The redhead purred happily. "These look nice," she said after breaking the hug and resuming her inspection of two long folding knives. Their frames and grips were solid steel, making them rather heavy. "Foot long blade should be handy. Not sure about the balance."

"Yes, Nishina warned me about that. I'm going to need to have the girls come in and test them out."

"These have the same weight as the demon metal?"

"Yes, this steel has the exact same density. I used the proposed methods to make this. Of course it's not a perfect simulation of the planned material," Nodoka said as she inspected the edge of the rather plain katana. She was happy that the laser cutting was satisfactory, at least for the initial shaping. Of course Nishina disapproved of such methods, but even he agreed that traditional methods would not do with the given material.

Ranma nodded. "Can be good practice, until they get the real things. I get the katana, but why these for Nabiki?"

"Personally, I was surprised when Nariko suggested such a.. traditional sword. I offered to make her a matching wakizashi, but she insisted that not all the metal be used on her."

"And since Misako and Ukyou have their own weapons and Akane declined-"

"Yes, I talked to Nabiki," Nodoka smiled. "At the very least, the girls can start practicing on these. Though they are just martensite and pearlite. Ah, that should be Nishina," the officer said standing up and opening the door to her lab.

"Hello Master Nishina," she said with a slight bow. "This is my daughter, Ranma. Ranma this is Oskar Nishina."

"Your first name's German?" Ranma asked after hearing the inflection. She was reminded of Jarvis. The elderly balding man's eyes were piercing and exacting too.

"No, I was named after a friend of my uncle's, Oskar Klein a Swede," Nishina explained bowing to Ranma, who quickly returned the bow.

Nodoka nodded. She knew about Nishina's family. They seemed to have an affinity towards weapons, though Oskar's craft was much more precise than Yoshio's.

"You don't have a problem with me being a demon?"

"Your daughters would not be the first demons on Company payroll that I've given my services towards. Though with your mother heading this project, I feel superfluous." He allowed a light smile that almost softened his eyes.

"No false modesty here," Nodoka gently reprimanded. "You're the best we have on contract. The only sane human to have worked with this material. These blades will be perfect."

"It was only an insert on the tip." Nishina walked over to the workbench and started looking over the sword. It was the same as yesterday: a soulless weapon, punched out by a machine. The precision and edge were admirable, but it was not a real weapon. The balance was wrong and its strength was in the wrong places

"You don't like it," Ranma noted.

Nishina frowned. "It's a good start, but the Major makes guns, not blades."

"Actually I have the most experience in armor and composites. I've spent much less time on metallurgy," Nodoka reminded.

"Yes, we'll need at least another batch of prototypes," Nishina said as he worked the action on the large folding knives. It was unconventional, but should work well for little hands and served as an effective dagger. "Nice locking mechanism. Very robust."

"Things need to be soldier-proof," Nodoka shrugged.

Nishina nodded and ran a calloused finder down the side of the blade. The forging had at least made a good piece to work more precisely. "Of course, I'll need to see the girls using these weapons."

Ranma nodded. "So what have you made for other demons?"

"This one succubus had her soul sword shattered. 'course legend said those things could never be broken. Shows what legends know." He chuckled darkly. "Poor dear was very broken up about it. So I made her a new one. Only got a sliver of the metal for that one, but it helped so she could imbue it with recall and other powers she wanted," he smiled fondly at her enthusiasm.

"Really? So the Company really does hire other succubae." Ranma said, pondering.

"Yes, I've even made weapons for her daughters. Cute kids." Nishina shrugged. He liked that his weapons were being used to kill monsters, but he was more interested in the process, the creation.

"So the recall you mentioned. That's when someone can summon the blade back to their hand right?" She walked over and hefted one of the knives by the handle and started rotating it

"Yes, that's what that power is."

Ranma smiled wickedly. "Make sure these things have the right balance to be thrown."

"My dear, that's a monstrous idea." With a slight bit of effort, Nishina picked up the other knife and looked at the actual weapon. Not the steel test-piece, but the actual refined blade that came from his experience and the Major's technically impressive designs. "Yes, this will work."

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Jacob looked up from the typed pages. The blond captain stared back at him blankly. "You're certainly being... thorough with this," Jacob said flipping the stapled pages closed. "I see you've been accepted into the program."

"Of course, Sir. I would not even suggest this if I had not," Captain Jarvis replied with what Jacob could swear was a hint of nervousness.

"Yes, and your proposal clearly demonstrates that what you suggest would be no more of a risk than the program we already have in place." Colonel Edwards pretended to look to his page and chuckled. "Oh, you even state that it could be _more_ secure than the current program."

"It would be under controlled conditions and I would not be under duress," Jarvis agreed.

Jacob looked levelly at the German officer. "Son, you think this is a wise move? Given your family history? You getting into the D program has made enough waves. Some have even reached the general."

"Yes my family has a... notable history the in the Luftwaffe"

"It's amazing that they were never transferred to the Schutzstaffel." Jacob remarked with a slight sigh.

"Not really Sir, I suppose Oberst Konrad Jarvis could have been transferred, but he was competing with Erich Hartmann. Shame, he almost got within fifty kills." Jarvis explained, knowing full well which relative his commander was talking about. Konrad was just as famous, or perhaps infamous, as his contemporaries. "Now Oberstleutnant Konig, his group would have been transferred. All the researches were..." Jarvis waved his hand. "But Kurt Student had enough clout to keep the group under his command. The Fallschirmjager were still reeling after the heliofly debacle, and he was not going to let some arrogant black-uniformed twits with more fascism than battle experience pick him clean."

Jacob noted how talkative Jarvis was being, but kept silent. He knew the story, but Jarvis did give a unique insight. The heliofly was a personal helicopter that a soldier could wear on his back. At first glance, and by those concerned with big ideas and neglectful of details it sounded like a wonderful advantage. A desperate mad-cap renaissance in bizarre science at the time also allowed inventor Paul Baumgartl to peruse the idea.

It turned out that having a pair of quickly rotating blades above a man's head that would break-off in a lethal shower if he landed wrong was not the best war machine. That the device was too weak to allow true flying and only enabled soldiers to make hundred yard "hops" was another detriment.

An entire regiment of Fallschirmjager were equipped with these devices. The elite paratroopers took the designs and used them effectively, or at least as effectively as possible. They won the battle against the Soviets but to a man were wiped out, especially after the Russians got over the initial shock of flying soldiers and started merely shooting them out of the sky.

In less pressing times it would have served as an example to avoid such schemes and stick with more proven technologies, but Fallschirmjager head, Kurt Student, was as desperate as his colleagues, and was open to new developments. His once elite and superbly equipped troops were being watered down and were not even being trained as airborne troopers. He had a desire to once again give them the edge and turn them into elite and feared troops that could suddenly appear behind enemy lines, and if German science was unable to deliver...

"Sir?" Jarvis politely asked.

"I'm thinking over your request," Jacob explained. The parallels were disquieting. Kurt had not originally intended to make a subgroup within his command that possessed... upgraded bodies. Jacob sighed. The situation with Miss Saotome had given them no choice but accept the D program. He wondered if Kurt had felt the same way when that smiling Schutzstaffel professor gave his presentation.

"We are different from them, Sir." Jarvis assured.

"Yes, Kurt's approach was more systematic. Though the initial results were... messy."

"At least he had the sense to wait until the process was stabilized before administering it to volunteers from within his ranks," Jarvis dryly stated.

"Of course Miss Saotome simply wants to help her friends," Jacob leaned back. "And I think she'd take issue with such comparisons. Does she know about your family?"

"I've explained it to her."

"Good. The documents the US Army Special Investigative team captured at that Luftwaffe base outside Mihla, support the conventional conclusion in related to Project A, there are still unanswered questions."

"Yes, some members of the Ahnenerbe Society were not satisfied with merely _proving_ that the master race once existed," Jarvis chuckled at that nonsense. Most of the society went on expeditions that proved the superiority of the master race, and faked artifacts as needed.

Of course once the society's practical arm, the Institute for Military Scientific Research started making real tangible results, the focus shifted from gleefully slaughtering concentration camp prisoners to something that had as much chance of winning the war as any other wonder weapon.

"Naturally, institutional paranoia prevents the Company from closing the book on Project A," Jacob reminded.

"It is believed on the Eastern-Front some of the... prototypes were not destroyed by the NKVD's special branch'." Jarvis' tone betrayed a bit of his dislike for their Russian counterparts. The current incarnation as the Seventh Directorate of the FSB was marginally better than the swaggering chekists from the Soviet era.

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"So have you made a decision with Jarvis?" Nabiki asked as she threw the heavy knife end over end. The weapon tumbled over and embedded itself slightly off target. The little demon smiled slightly.

"I guess," Ranma shrugged as she flipped the other blade open and closed. "So the grips are really okay with you? Grandma can change them."

"Yes they're fine. That old guy, Nishina showed me the proper way to hold them." Nabiki assured as she walked down the groomed grass and pulled out the blade.

"Good, we can start a more advanced range soon enough," Ranma promised with an evil smile. "Of course this is just a side exercise. You also need to be trained in using these as melee weapons.

"Yes, yes, and I need to build up endurance so I can cast Icicle Parade more frequently too." Nabiki sighed and then flicked the blade back at the target.

"Mom's still evading the Jarvis question?" Nariko said with a katana prototype in her hands. She was in her leotard and was followed by Nishina who had changed into a traditional hakama and gi, though his kamon was rather unusual. It consisted of a horizontal wavy line that came from the left and suddenly bent and went up to the right at an angle. At the corner was a small circle that had a straight line coming out of it that terminated in an arrowhead.

"She'll do," Nishina said tersely sheathing his own sword. "Of course I can only teach her the basics. She'll need training from someone that can fight at her level."

"I know," Ranma sighed; she had an idea on how to train Nariko. It would be risky, but it could pay off. After she got the basics down of course.

"So have you made a decision with Jarvis?" Nariko repeated.

"Oh? Well... he's asking Jacob for permission."

"If you'll excuse me. I've got to go back to the major and help her with your real weapons."

"Akane's still with Misako and Ukyou at the gun range?" Ranma asked.

"Yes Mom," Nariko agreed. "So why are you stalling?"

Ranma sighed. "He convinced me. Okay?"

"His family?" Nabiki asked as she threw both her weapons at once. She grimaced when the one from her left hand missed.

"Kinda. It's how he handles it. The guy doesn't have anything. He lives for his work; he's not working to live. There's nothing but the captain to him." Ranma scratched her nose. "It was painfully clear in his office. He's just got the Company, and he wants more."

"But he feels guilty? That he doesn't deserve anything?" Nariko guessed.

"Maybe. Hell, I'm his first friend."

"Mom, he's not being forced or dying. Is this enough to take away his humanity?"

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "What humanity? You've seen his life."

"He does seem to get us," Nabiki allowed.

"That's not very hard, sis. You didn't get us when you were human," Nariko reminded.

"Like you should talk, Tachi."

Nariko pouted. "Mean little sister," she sniffed and stuck out her tongue.

"Come on girls. Let's get the others. It's time for group maneuvers."

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"See anything about Minako?" Setsuna asked after Rei opened her eyes. The two women were sitting in the same shrine that Rei had gotten her visions about Mistress Lyra or more accurately Mistress Mercury.

Rei inhaled and kept her eyes closed. "She's golden, and her armor shines." She groaned and then opened her eyes. "I dunno."

"Try it again," Setsuna ordered.

"Do you know what this is like? You can't just force visions."

"I watch the Gates. I've got more idea than you can imagine." Setsuna's expression softened. "The key is that you can't force it."

"But you were just telling me to press against the fire."

"Not the fire, you have to open your mind to what it's trying to tell you."

Rei turned to the older woman. "Look, I didn't see anything bad with Mina. She was in her new uniform, fighting..." Rei frowned. "I don't know, but I sensed... she was protecting Usagi." She glanced at the flames. "What about you? Are your powers still useless?"

Setsuna's red eyes hardened. "It's hard. I can't reduce it down to just one-" She stopped. "Murdock must know how my powers work, and how to, well, jam them." Her shoulders sagged slightly. She did not like to admit it, but if Murdock knew enough to stop her powers, then he had to know the rest of the story.

"So that's why you're pushing me?" Rei sighed. "Do you think Minako's been corrupted? That she's another Janet?"

Setsuna shook her head. "Ami's trying something different here."

"Is Minako telling the truth then? You were around back then? Is she like the old Venus?" Rei blinked to see Setsuna chew her lower lip.

"Yes, she's similar. Especially about training."

"And Ami?"

"No, the past Mercury was never a domineering and cold lesbian." Setsuna sighed. Rei did not know how lucky she was to still be connected to her powers. "So, please, try again."

"Fine," Rei turned back to the fire. She concentrated and her eyes focused through the fire as the rest of the world slipped away. She easily fell into the groove and watched images form within the flame.

The image coalesced into a blonde demoness. Her face was vague but long blonde hair and black horns were clear and her cold blue eyes were obvious. They twinkled and came alive as she eviscerated a kneeling man. A laughing redhead put her hand on the blonde's shoulder and encouraged the blonde to feed.

Rei's body shivered and her nails cut into her palms but she pushed closer and tried to make out more details. Before the blonde's face could become clearer the redhead looked up. Rei recognized those purple eyes and was pulled into their depths. The priestess screamed when her shoulder was wrenched back and was roughly pulled onto her back.

Her eyes flipped open and she looked into angry red eyes. "Don't you know anything? When you look into the abyss it can look right back at you!" Setsuna lectured.

"It was DarkStar!" Rei straightened her fingers and winced at the cuts in her palms. "She saw me. It was... Call Usagi now!"

Setsuna pulled out her phone and immediately dialed the Senshi's apartment. "What did DarkStar do?"

"I saw her with a blonde and blue-eyed succubus," Rei said flatly.

Amazingly, some color drained from Setsuna's face. "Hello? Minako, thank goodness. Has anything happened with you girls?"

"No, it's been quiet here. What's wrong? Rei saw something bad?" Minako was worried at how rattled Setsuna sounded, but at least it was not a bad vision about her, probably.

"Don't let Ranma near Usagi. Rei saw... Rei saw a demon." Setsuna turned to Rei. "Did you get a look at her face? What did you see?"

"Just the eyes... and fangs. Not clear," Rei said as she frowned at her palms. At least the cuts were not as deep as she had originally thought. They were already clotting.

"It's not definite, but it might have been her," Setsuna said into the phone.

Minako sighed. "Well, that's just great. More crap that Ami was right about. Thanks for telling me this, I'll get Usagi." The blonde then yelled for Usagi to pick up the phone.

"Yes? What's wrong Puu?" Usagi asked, earning a wince from Setsuna.

"You need to stay away from DarkStar," Setsuna warned.

"You girls keep telling me that, but not why. What did Rei see?" Usagi asked.

Minako tapped on Usagi's shoulder. "They think she's going to attack you and convert you into a demon."

"What?" Usagi's face reddened. "Is this true?" she asked Pluto.

"Rei had a vision of DarkStar you as a demon." Setsuna said.

Usagi's face stayed flushed but her heart sank. "How.. how did you know it was me?"

Pluto handed the phone to Rei. "Your blue eyes, and long blonde hair with black horns sticking out of it."

Usagi blinked and her cheeks returned to their normal color. "Oh you guys. That's not me, my horns will be white."

There was silence over the phone and in the apartment.

"What?" Rei screamed.

"I told you guys this," Usagi sighed. "I had a nightmare where I was a demon. That's all."

"And you're using how you looked in this nightmare to debunk Rei's vision?" Minako delicately asked.

"I'll ask Ranma about this, I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding." Usagi shrugged. "Did you actually see the face of this blonde demon?" she asked Rei.

"Well, no. I... DarkStar spotted me."

"She saw you? How's that a future vision then? Maybe she's with some blonde demon right now. She is a succubus."

"Well, I dunno. It's not like my fire," Rei looked to Setsuna. "How could DarkStar see me? If it was a future vision."

"That is true, a fire that you've worked with in a shrine you've warded yourself would be better, but time isn't as linear as you think of it," Setsuna said in a strangely wistful voice.

"Oh, so it could have been the future?"

"It could be any time really. These are just visions in a fire," Setsuna reminded. "Of course looking a demon in the eye is a sure way to get her attention too."

"Yeah," Rei handed the phone to Setsuna.

"Just be careful, Usagi." The Senshi of Pluto stated. "That's the most specific threat of Rei's visions so far. So far Minako seems clean, but... these visions are just that."

"Pick us up for training after you're done?"

"Of course," Setsuna chuckled. "Don't eat too much you girls, and be safe."

"You seem amused," Rei said after Setsuna hung up her cell phone. "You never seemed that interested in training us before."

"Usagi ordered me too, and I won't fail her on that." Setsuna said, wondering if her plan would work. She had never taught before.

"So what're you going to do to us? We've been working on our powers more. Minako, especially," Rei shook her head as she sat back down and looked at her fire. "She's something with that sword."

"She's getting some skill back. I'll try, but I don't know how you girls learn." Setsuna did know one way to get the Senshi to practice their maneuvering and dodging.

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"So how is Ranma?" Lieutenant Tendo asked the two demons sitting across from her.

"You could ask her yourself." Akane said without looking up from her breakfast.

"It hasn't even been two weeks, do you think she's ready to talk?" Kasumi inquired. They had exchanged words amiably enough on missions, training, and just walking down the corridors. It was succinct, but Kasumi never was one for small talk.

"Are you, Sis?" Nabiki looked around the B-base commissary. The room was surprisingly empty for this early morning hour.

Staring at her mug. Kasumi shrugged. Talking emotions out was alien to her. She had been taught to internalize and properly vent them. It was standard training for agents.

"Do you even know how much you hurt Mom?" Akane demanded. "She opened herself up to you... and you..."

"I broke it off when she started to think there was more to the relationship than there was. I wasn't going to lead her on just because the sex was great." Kasumi closed her eyes. "I didn't want to hurt her; I wanted to minimize it."

"At least that much worked out," Nabiki remarked while she stirred her oatmeal.

"Ranma does seem better," Kasumi offered.

"Mother's been getting a lot of help," Akane stiffly replied.

"Especially from Jarvis," Nabiki said with a smirk.

"Yes, the Captain has been interesting lately."

"What do you know about him?" Akane asked.

"There's his family."

"We already know," Nabiki dismissed. "I mean what else? Is there anything more to him, other than some insanely-terse super-agent? Why is he so interested in being one of us?"

Kasumi drank some coffee and thought. "It's because he doesn't have anything else. He's a Company officer, end of story. Now I guess he's found something more," she explained.

"So what? Did you have just enough in your life to not make you want to change? Not even for us?" Akane glared.

"You're not going to guilt me into demonhood. Don't you see? You think I'm cold and emotionless, that I don't have any life other than for the Company? I'm a joke compared to Captain Jarvis." Her hand gripped the mug as her eyes tried to lock onto both of her demonic sisters. "He doesn't care about losing his humanity; he gave up being human decades ago."

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"So, we're all here," Usagi said as she looked around the cavernous room. She was starting to get cold feet. Setsuna seemed almost... giddy at this.

"A warehouse?" Rei asked. "Isn't that a bit... cliché?"

"It's private and large enough," Minako paced a bit in the open space. "It's expensive as hell though. Especially if we damage anything."

"Depends on the training," Makoto added.

"Very good." Sailor Pluto clapped as she walked in from the shadows. "No skirts and no high heels. Good."

Rei raised an eyebrow.

"So you're going to train us without our powers?" Makoto asked, while Usagi studied Pluto. There was something different about Setsuna.

"Nope," Pluto cheerfully said.

"Huh?" Rei asked.

"I've never trained anyone. Until recently my work's always been alone" Pluto started walking around the Inners in a wide circle. "So I can't give too much help on that, but I have my strengths."

Usagi realized what was different. Setsuna stood out, normally she was unassuming and would vanish in a crowd, that was different now. Turning her head to match Pluto's motions, the blonde found it hard to look away.

"Murdock, and, from him, Mercury know how to block my powers, but observation is only part of it." She sighed. "It turns out DarkStar was right. The Company is right. Mercury is right." Pluto rubbed her forehead. "Murdock was right."

"What?" Rei tilted her head and wondered if there were any sane and untainted Senshi left.

"Please don't interrupt, I'm doing a soliloquy." Pluto sweetly cautioned. "They're not entirely right of course. If they were we would be the bad guys, but we are weak. It's doctrine, simple as that. The Company is largely nonmagical, and yet they would win in a fight. They have the advantage of numbers and organization. They knew their weaknesses, but more importantly they knew the weaknesses of their enemies."

Minako smiled. At least Setsuna understood.

"And the brood... magically they're weaker than us. Your magical attacks are much more powerful, but you know what? That doesn't mater. Overwhelming firepower is only good if you get the chance to use it. Mercury knows that. Do you girls know why she's so powerful?"

"Because she knows our weaknesses," Makoto flatly stated.

"Yes, she tailored herself to fight Senshi. It's all about initiative." Pluto's eyes gleamed, and she looked to Minako. "This is what it's about. We can't just react to Mercury and Murdock. That'll just end up with us being knocked off one by one."

Usagi bit her lip. "That's what Mercury wants. She thinks she can get me to... I don't know what."

"So what's the plan?" Rei asked.

"And why wait so long?" Minako inquired in a wary tone.

"It's simple. Usagi never asked; I would never start this without permission, and... I didn't think we needed it. You girls were getting better, and then Ami... you four don't know how much that's destroyed you as a team. Don't worry, I'm here to help fix that." Setsuna assured with a well-intentioned but alien smile.

"Your powers aren't your problems, and you're growing those on your own," Pluto said meaningfully looking at Rei and Makoto. "Besides, that's something I'm even less skilled at teaching. The first rule is no transforming. You're going to be doing this in civilian form."

"So what are you teaching us?" Makoto asked, glad that she and the others had worn pants and sneakers, both of which were more practical than anything their uniforms offered.

"Teamwork, dodging, and tactics. First you have to avoid these." Pluto grinned as the darkened warehouse lit up with a thousand tiny suns. "After you can do that for five minutes, we'll go onto the next stage," Setsuna explained as small golf-ball sized glowing orbs started to lazily move about the building.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," Minako said, blinking at the vast field of spheres.

"They're insubstantial, harmless, but you'll know it if you get hit," Setsuna said as she flicked her hand down and the orbs swarmed in.

"Damn, get down!" Makoto shouted.

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Ukyou gently landed on the roof and tilted her head. The scent of the pattern Silvers was hardly present. She made a motion and another succubus dropped down to the roof. With Misako watching her back, Ukyou eased to a skylight and peered in. Her eyes widened at the unbelievable sight.

Four girls were trying to run away from a swarm of what looked like ball-lightning. They managed to get some distance and would occasionally knock one of the spheres away, but the swarm would simply envelope them.

Quickly boring of that, Ukyou turned and found Setsuna standing off to the side. The orbs seemed to be completely ignoring her. The orbs themselves gave off no scent and seemed not even there. The demon suspected illusions or holograms, but something about them still seemed odd.

"This is Ukyou, it looks like a training exercise. No danger," she whispered into her radio. The blonde succubus shrugged and started placing the modular surveillance devices from a side-bag she carried.. The image quality was low, but their tiny size was more important.

After finishing setting up the scanners, Misako eased up to her mate. She frowned at the collection of orbs. She could just imagine mother using a training technique like that.

Ukyou looked to Misako and  
with a nod the two climbed off the roof and placed a few more surveillance taps on the walls. The pair then landed on an adjacent building, where they rendezvoused with a prone figure under a rough tarp that served as an urban Ghillie suit. "What kind of training?" Sergeant Graham asked while still keeping his rifle trained on the building.

"Something mother would think up," Misako muttered.

"Setsuna's using some kind of glowing balls to hound the other girls," Ukyou explained.

"That explain the strange readings?"

"Maybe," Ukyou said, still crouched down in the shadows. She was still worrying over what Misako had said. Mother would find that a very interesting training method, with the right changes of course.

"We didn't get close enough to really smell any of them. Girls didn't seem in trouble though." Misako said to the sergeant and into her headset.

"Well something strange had been going on in there," Ukyou said recalling when the long range scanners picked up the pattern Silver signature. It was a pain to triangulate but it had only taken an hour to narrow it down to this building.

"Situation's clear," Graham said after receiving the order via his headset. He then quickly and silently packed up his tarp and rifle. The trio made it down from the roof and into a waiting Company van.

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Setsuna paced around the gasping quartet of teenagers. Her spheres had stopped moving and hovered around them in a large dome. "It's a start," she eventually admitted in a forcefully dour tone.

"What kind of training was that?" Rei demanded.

"Well, how much longer did you last when you started working together?"

"It wasn't fair! We still didn't get anywhere. We couldn't stop them," Usagi whined after catching her breath.

"Why?"

Usagi blinked and wiped some sweat off of her brow. "We had no weapons, we couldn't transform. There was no way to win."

Setsuna clapped her hands together. "Excellent observation."

"Huh?"

"You couldn't win. The best you could hope for was to delay losing." Almost bouncing excitedly Setsuna leaned closer to Usagi. "So what should you have done? What do you do if the rules won't let you win?"

"You cheat?" Makoto ventured.

"Yes! That's how I beat you four, and that's how Ami beat you those times."

"No, Mercury beat us because she knows how we fight and uses her resources more efficiently." Minako corrected as she massaged a knot in her thigh.

Setsuna sighed. "When one side thinks that normal magical girl tactics are okay, and the other... doesn't... that's the cheating I'm talking about."

"So how do we beat Ami then? We can't just change the rules on her." Rei paused. "Can we?"

"We won't beat her fighting her the way we've been trying," Minako agreed as she pondered what Mistress Mercury had told her. "She doesn't expect us to change. Well, not without her being the one to do it."

"Yeah, she did give you the standard villain spiel didn't she?" Setsuna asked. "So, what can you girls change? Any ideas on how to get the initiative back, take the fight to them?"

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Jarvis handed the signed documents over to Ranma. The redhead glanced at them and put them down on the table. "I've already talked with Jacob," she looked at the blond's eyes. "Are you really sure about this?"

"Of course," Jarvis said sounding a bit offended.

"Sorry, I just... I had to ask." Ranma shrugged and sat down on the couch next to the officer. "I've never done this before."

"Do you know what to do?"

Ranma smirked slightly. "You don't know? You're the one that's gonna be doing it. You didn't want to be a daughter remember?"

"So.. so what do I do?" Jarvis hesitated in his words but his eyes stayed locked onto Ranma's.

"You know the normal turning method right?"

"Yes, the mother succubus forces her will and power into another being and restructures the body based on a combination of the mother's form and the host body. The new succubus is very fragile as her mind and body are not fully developed. Nursing off of the mother is required for optimal growth." Jarvis automatically replied.

"And the other method?" Ranma asked, recalling the pages from the Silva reading primer.

"That's used to make mates and sisters. Demons that are peers to the mother succubus, not children. That requires above all else a willing and uninjured host."

"I kick start it, but the rest of the change is up to you." Ranma then stood up. "I'm gonna give you quite a bit, so tell me now if you don't want this."

"No, I'm ready," Jarvis stood up and looked to the redhead.

"Yeah, we're not doing this in the living room," Ranma laughed as she led Jarvis upstairs to her bedroom.

"I suppose she'll do," Misako said with a smirk from the hallway.

"Don't be that way," Ukyou grumbled as she pushed her mate aside.

"Misa's right, I'm sure Auntie Jarvis will be lovely," Nabiki teased as she opened the door to the bedroom. Inside Akane and Nariko looked up from their work.

"I'm sure you'll be right at home," Akane said a bit distantly as she fluffed a pillow.

"Yeah," Nariko nodded as she finished spreading out a quilt.

"Yes, thank you," Jarvis stiffly replied. He looked to Ranma and stepped into the bedroom.

Nariko warmly smiled at the blond as she and Akane left the room, closing the door behind them.

"Get undressed," Ranma said as she stripped herself. "Good you're not bashful about that," she remarked looking at Jarvis' nude form.

"I'm German," Jarvis stated, standing with his hands clasped behind himself.

"Yes, well do you want a last moment to savor being male?"

"Did you?"

Ranma coughed. "I guess not," she sat down on the bed and motioned for Jarvis. A deep purple aura formed around her body and started to creep along the bed.

Jarvis sat down and felt the aura snake around him and start coiling around his limbs. He looked to see Ranma's hair starting to undulate and wave with the energy.

"This is your last chance to back out," Ranma said as her eyes throbbed a deep violet.

Jarvis nodded and was immediately hit as the aura constricted over him and started to permeate his flesh. Power filled his body but it was directionless and meandered through limbs and organs that began to feel disturbingly.. fluid. The charged sensations went to the officer's mind.

"You need to change now," Ranma gently reminded as she poured more into the increasingly malleable form and extended her wings and wrapped them around Jarvis.

The captain concentrated and felt his body contort and ripple. Concentration replaced trepidation and more effort was exerted. With every shift the end state became clearer and the omnipresent embrace became more reassuring.

Soon a threshold was passed and the changes became easier, the quivering and shifting masses were falling into place and forms were taking shape. The process had a momentum all its own and with the urging of the host would not, could not stop. There was less trailblazing and more filling in. Transmutations increased, and the supplied energy, finding not resistance but an eager will that pulled it further along, flowed deeper and penetrated everywhere.

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Mercury frowned at the display in front of her. She restarted the feed and watched the video again. The quality was barely acceptable but it showed enough. With a deep sigh she reached out and took the wine glass that Orion had obediently refilled.

"At least you found out that Pluto is training them," Orion offered looking at the hundreds of glowing spheres that danced around the warehouse interior.

"I suppose that's a bright spot," Mercury said a bit too petulantly for Orion's taste.

"It certainly means your work on that armor won't be going to waste," Orion reminded.

Mercury smiled at the thought of armoring the sword mistress Senshi. "We have been neglecting her, haven't we?"

"She is on our team," Orion agreed.

"Still, I don't like this from Setsuna. I should be the one training her. Setsuna... she doesn't know how to teach." Mercury glowered and pulled out the ice spikes pinning her hair back. A cascade of blue tresses fell around her, spilling all the way down her back.

Orion thinly smiled at her lover and mistress. "Yes, someone that has never taught before does not come up with an intensely magical training aide. Obviously it's retrofitted from some other purpose."

Mercury nodded. "It worries me. These spheres could just be holograms; they certainly don't give much of a magical signature but... " She replayed the video and pointed to one of the spheres.

Orion watched as Rei crept to Setsuna, only to be harassed by an orb that zeroed right in on her. "Yes Pluto's back was to Mars, but there are other ways to track someone. Do you mean to suggest that the orbs are more than projections?" Orion was more concerned about the improvements in the tactics. Rei did fail to get Setsuna, but her distraction did allow Makoto and Minako to launch a coordinated attack that cleared the way for Usagi to land a finishing move.

"It's not an unheard of ability. DarkStar can do it, but with much fewer orbs." Mercury ran her hand over the rim of her glass. "Of course there have to be limitations to Setsuna's power."

"Our benefactor has shown us how to shield our presence from her."

"Yes, though I suppose it could all be a ruse. Maybe Setsuna knows exactly where we are, and what we plan."

"You suppose we're really pawns of her?" Orion reigned in her skepticism; she did not want to offend her mistress.

"It's possible. It would be easy to dismiss Setsuna as a plodding bumbler, a women that's had her edge worn down by years and years of waiting." Mercury chuckled. " Failing to notice and stop us.. it's a perfect cover for her."

"What makes you think there's more to her?" Orion asked.

"Serenity would not have placed someone so... fallible in charge of an artifact like the gates."

"She could have slowly declined over the years," Orion said playing devil's advocate.

"Perhaps, but I've been decoding the protection our benefactor-" Mercury paused to laugh. "- has given us. What little I've found out makes me suspicious, but I need more information."

"So maybe we should take a trip," Orion suggested.

"I am getting stronger on teleportation," Mercury mused as a small smile formed on her lips. "Yes, that's got some real potential."

"What if we run into her?"

Mercury laughed again. "I can make sure she'll be appropriately distracted."

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For the first time Jarvis did not wake up alone. The officer's eyes did not open. The sense of touch and smell was more than enough. Warm bodies weighed down on Jarvis and was mixed with an intoxicatingly deep collection of odors.

More impressive than the rich collection of scents was the... presence. Weighing in the officer's mind was a connection to... Jarvis' eyes opened and looked happily at the sleeping redhead. With a slight nudge the brood mother woke up with a tired but exuberant smile.

"Wow," Ranma smirked as she looked over the... blonde. "How do you feel?" she asked as she sat up and got a better look at the new demoness' prone body.

"It's..." Jarvis blinked and pulled a few strands of hair and looked at them. "Longer?"

Ranma shrugged and helped the officer to her feet. "It happens."

Jarvis nodded and looked down at her nude frame. Her chest obscured much of the view, but what she could see was pleasant enough. "Acceptable," she said smiling down at the shorter succubus.

"Nice to see that you're more emotional," Ranma laughed as she opened a drawer and started rummaging around. "I don't think we've got anything in your size," she said stealing a glance at the blonde.

"Oh?" Jarvis asked as she concentrated on getting her senses to calm down. She walked up and put a hand on Ranma's shoulder. "I'm not that big?"

The redhead looked up. "Yes, you are. You've lost maybe an inch or two. You're a big succubus," she said with an amused grin.

Jarvis stiffly nodded.

"What's wrong?"

The blonde's lip quivered and she slowly sat back down on the bed. Her eyes locked onto Ranma and stared. "You love me," she said in a whisper.

"Yeah... I did agree to turn you," Ranma said bending over slightly to look her in the eye. "What's wrong?"

Jarvis' eyes blinked away some tears as she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Ranma.

"It's okay," Ranma automatically comforted while she returned the hug. She was surprised to find the blonde summon her wings and then fold those over her. "I love you," she said to the new succubus who was now purring more than crying. From within the taller demon's large wings Ranma kept hugging her.

Rubbing her nose, Jarvis pulled back her wings and smiled thinly at Ranma. "Thanks, Sis."

"It's about time you had a real one," Ranma agreed and kissed Jarvis. She almost laughed at the surprise that soon melted to contentment in her sister. "You can't avoid it; the power these feelings give us."

"That's what it's all about?" Jarvis asked as she got up and pulled one of Misako's mirrors and started looking at her body. "I guess you really didn't have any choice. Not with a body like this," she stated turning back to Ranma.

"You know how cute you look when you're sounding serious?"

Jarvis smiled and her pale skin got the tiniest bit flush.

"You're going to have to get a bit more control if you want to look scary?" Ranma teased.

"Oh?" As Jarvis narrowed her eyes they began to glow blue. Shadows appeared over her form and she was soon dressed in a dark grey Company Dress uniform. "I don't know why the women agents don't like these things," the Captain posed with a fanged smile.

"It does look good on you," Ranma appraised after summoning a blouse and leather pants for herself. "Bit darker than normal, and are the skirts supposed to be that short?"

"It's regulation length," Jarvis stated. She had picked up the mirror again and was frowning at her reflection. The black horns were fine, but her hair was well above the max length.

"Yes, your legs are just that long. Don't think they had succubae in mind when they came up with the uniforms," Ranma laughed.

"Maybe they can be changed," Jarvis said as she pushed her hair up, strangely it managed to follow her intuition and eagerly twisted into a severe bun. A Company beret with her unit pin formed in place just behind her horns. "How do I look?"

Ranma chewed on her lip in thought. "You're missing one thing," she said pulling a case out of the closet. She opened it and handed a holstered semi-automatic to the blonde.

Jarvis smiled as she drew the weapon. "I knew the Major was building another but I thought it was for-"

Ranma cut her off. "Ukyou said you could have it. Mom'll be making more SSP's."

Jarvis nodded and strapped the holster to her hip and slid a few magazines from the box into her coat. The WM 500 or Standard Succubus Pistol was a logical investment given the potential of the D Program. She then adjusted the gun belt a bit .

Ranma raised an eyebrow at the low placement.. The leather holster actually extended an inch lower than the hem of her skirt. "Are you sure that's right?"

Jarvis' hand blurred and in a smooth motion drew rotated to level and raised to aim. "A bit slow. I'll have to get used to the bigger grips," she admitted with a small frown. "The major really built a beast with this thing," she said while gauging how much lighter it felt. Her previous forty-five sidearm felt heavier.

"So, what are you going to do for a first name?" Ranma asked closing the case.

The blonde had drawn her weapon again and was inspecting the slide. "I've been thinking on Eve," she shrugged.

"Works."

The captain smiled. "Good, I'll use that for the paperwork."

"Don't bother Eve, I'm sure the surveillance people are telling personnel," Ranma teased as she tested out the new name.

"A total lack of privacy? I've got no secrets." Eve smirked a bit. She turned and waited for the door to open. She would have heard the person walking in the hallway outside before, but the slight scent and connection were new.

"Another blonde?" Ukyou asked with a mock sigh. This new tall succubus smelled oddly like Mom.

"Eve was already blonde," Ranma explained.

"Well come on Auntie," Ukyou said grabbing Eve's hand. "We've got to get you trained."

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"I think it's time to get worried about our success," Jacob said with excessive seriousness.

Stillwater leaned back in his chair. "Captain Jarvis' arguments were persuasive. We've now got a solid liaison officer for the D program."

"Yes, we should have expected... Eve to make this choice." Jacob shook his head and sipped his drink. She did seem quite at home with the Major's new weapons. "Should we be worried that the General allowed this?"

"You mean that after getting an audit we're suddenly being given a blank check in regards to the brood and turning our officers into demons?" Stillwater chuckled. "Oh no, we don't need to worry at all."

Jacob eased back into his chair and waved to the live feed of Eve and Ranma in the dojo. After Happosai's arrival the surveillance systems were upgraded.

"Good, keep her training." Stillwater knew the benefits of training on a young soldier. It kept them busy while sharpening their edge. He looked to the feed with a thin smile. "She fights dirty doesn't she?"

Jacob watched and saw Jarvis punch Ranma in a spot that was painful even in women. The redhead almost laughed and lunged back at the blonde. "Company doctrine is to use any available advantage against a physically superior enemy. That's still valid here. Of course Miss Saotome is holding back."

"Yes."

"You do know the caliber of our organization is on the line here?" Jacob asked.

Stillwater turned to see a unitard-clad Eve take a hit to the side and roll with the kick and still be able to block the following punch. "If we weren't good enough, Miss Saotome would never have accepted any of this."

"And what does that say about us?"

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Eve sat on the floor breathing heavily. She looked up to see Nariko handing her a glass of water. The blonde smiled and accepted the drink. "Mom's impressed," Nariko appraised.

Nodding, Eve then took a sip. She stretched her arms. "Where did Ranma go?"

"Grandma's arrived," Nariko explained with a little smile. She patted Eve on the shoulder and left the dojo.

Eve had enough time to finish her glass and stand up and shift into her uniform before the Major arrived.

"Hello, Captain." Nodoka said as she entered. "Have you tried out your new weapon?"

"No, Ma'am," Jarvis replied, as she reflexively snapped off a salute.

"Still being formal? We are family," Nodoka said as she reached around and hugged the shocked blonde. "You get my daughter's heart broken again and I'll take care of you myself," she flatly and nearly mutely whispered into the demon's ear.

Eve did not react as she felt that Ranma was euphoric and looked over to Ranma who was beaming happily to confirm it.

"Now hug your mother back," Nodoka stated.

"Mom?"

"You are my daughter's sister right?"

Eve paused in thought and looked to Ranma again. "Ja," she said weakly as she tentatively put her arms around Nodoka. She then saw Ranma run over to her and hug both older women. Eve responded to the tighter embrace by freeing her wings and wrapping them around them.

Ranma purred. Eve was a newborn demon. The extra bit of her power that the blonde took during the turning gave her a head start, but she was still very young. It was still nice to be protected.

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Setsuna stretched on the couch and tapped on a notepad with her pen. She looked up and smiled at the blond entering the room. "Hello Minako," she idly said before going back to her work.

"Planning more danmaku games for us?" Minako sighed.

"You're starting to last pretty well," Setsuna allowed.

"Ok, it helps, but it's not realistic. How many fights will we have full of hundreds of orbs?"

"More than you'd think," Setsuna stated. "Remember, I told you that you girls don't lack power, but you needed more teamwork." She closed her notebook. "And that's what you're getting."

"Sure, we still can't beat you," Minako grumbled.

"And you won't."

"So we've gotta find the right way to 'cheat'," Minako smirked.

"You're getting better with your sword," Setsuna offered.

"Yeah, it's like riding a bike." Minako stated as she wondered on Setsuna's certainty of invulnerability. She knew that Setsuna was always aloof and distant, only deferring to Serenity.

Setsuna studied Minako's eyes. "Maybe, Ami should awaken the other Senshi then."

"No, that's a horrible idea."

"What if I could awaken them?" Setsuna asked.

Minako shrugged. "If they agree to it. I'm not sure it would help. Look at what Usagi was like."

"You think she's better now?"

"Her fiance is dead but she hasn't killed herself yet," Minako stated.

"Interesting measure of improvement."

"Motherhood was not Queen Serenity's strong suit."

"Yes, that was surprising. Serenity had waited so long before she had kids." Setsuna frowned. It was a major disappointment a woman that had helped so many...

"She did spoil the Princess," Minako stated as she tried to pick up the notebook only to have Setsuna snatch it away.

"Serenity built her empire and made it secure; everyone expected it to stay that way." Setsuna opened the book and made a few notes. "Even when things became... painfully obvious, everyone expected things to be okay."

"Yes, we all know that Serenity can not be beaten, of course, the rest of us often die before that happens."

"She was looking at the long term; Serenity had planned out what would happen if things went to hell. She knew what to do," Setsuna assured.

"Yes, that's why we're back here, and I'm living another life."

"Second chances are good. So are you girls going to be ready for tonight?"

"Sure, it'll be fun." Minako coughed.

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Captain Jarvis frowned as she straightened her skirt. Urinating in this body was a novel experience. Methodically washing her hands, she figured that it was a small price to pay for... her frown deepened. There was no regret, that much was obvious. Jarvis was not terribly attached to his body as Adam. She shrugged and left the bathroom and crossed the hall and entered the bedroom.

Nariko looked up from her diary with a warm smile. "So mother insisted you sleep here tonight?"

"Yes, she was quite upset at me returning to my office," Eve said sitting down on the bed. Her eyes went to the bookcase next to the dresser. Most of the titles were the expected demonic books. Though one, the slimmest text caught the blonde's attention. Its spine was so small that there was no room for text on it.

"Well, you shouldn't be alone, not at your age," Nariko said sternly.

"Yes," Eve agreed as she reached out to the book.

"Good idea," Nariko noted. "BlackSky is your grandmother too now."

"Yeah." Eve took the book and was not surprised at what she found. On the cover a young dog curiously watched a lizard of some kind. "The Poky Little Puppy?" she asked reading the title.

Nariko pocketed her pen and closed her diary. "Yes, that's mine."

Eve turned and opened the small children's book. After a brief pause she decided on the more pertinent question. "When?"

"It was the family's, back when Kodachi and myself were in grade school. I found it again when I was... young," Nariko smiled a bit at the memory. She had decided to move out of... Tatewaki's old room and was clearing boxes out of a spare bedroom. Several children's books had fallen out but the playful puppy had sparked her memories the most.

Nodding, Eve had already started reading. She smiled at the story. It was the standard fare warning against disobedience and straying from home, but it mostly was a little puppy being a puppy.

Nariko noticed the amusement grow on the taller woman's face. She was actually pausing to study the illustrations before moving onto the next page, and seemed oddly delighted in the very simple pleasures of the story. Nariko sighed when Eve got to the end of the story and her face fell.

"The puppy missed her mother," Eve softly said, closing the book. "She came and looked for her child, but that poky puppy was..." The blonde trailed off. "What kind of story does that? It ends with a sad puppy feeling sorry and alone?"

Nariko slid closer to Eve. "I didn't really like it," she rubbed her eyes. "It was really scary to me. I was... I don't like to remember much about that time, but that poor puppy," she put a hand to Eve's shoulders.

The blonde initially recoiled from the contact, but sighed and leaned on the other woman. "We really are simple creatures aren't we?"

Nariko raised an eyebrow and watched Eve falter.

The blonde closed her eyes and with a bit of a growl forced a neutral expression. "It's a good book to keep," she admitted her voice carefully stated to not appear strained.

Nariko tightened her grip on Eve's shoulder and remained silent. She knew prying would not work; Eve seemed to be as stubborn as Akane or Misako or Mother.

"I should go," Eve started to rise but relented against Nariko's grip and sat back down. She stared at the book's cover.

"You can't escape." Nariko smirked. "You're right we are simple creatures. We're emotional, passionate."

Eve sighed.

"You don't have to bottle it up," Nariko whispered. "Not around us."

Hesitant blue eyes blinked at Nariko, and Eve struggled to contain herself.

"You can't do this alone. None of us can." Nariko undid Eve's bun and brushed some of her hair.

Eve purred but her eyes flared. "It's not supposed to be this way," she blinking back some excess moisture.

"It's up to you," Nariko reassured as she kept brushing. "You have a choice. Do you want your past?"

Tears leaked down Eve's cheeks. "Why should I?" she cried. "It's just a family of monsters and cold childhood and an empty adulthood." Whimpering she leaned onto Nariko as tears freely fell.

"Then what's the problem?"

"I won't let go of it!" Steel had returned to her voice and she wiped at her eyes. "I can't let it go that easily."

"It's okay," Nariko reassured as Eve kept crying. She turned to the door and smiled as it burst open and Ranma rushed in. She immediately went down and hugged Eve.

"What happened?" Ranma asked reassuring her sister. Before Nariko could answer she spotted the book.

Purring, Eve wiped her cheeks and straightened up. She looked at Ranma with an embarrassed grin. "I was chatting with Nariko."

Ranma laughed. "You're gonna have to accept this side of us."

"Being an emotionally overloaded empath?"

"Don't worry," Ranma smirked. "It's real easy for us to be scary."

Eve looked down to the floor and hugged both Nariko and Ranma first with her arms and then with her wings. "I don't know if you'll ever truly understand my past." Eve hugged them tighter to silence the two. "That is immaterial. You will know the strength of my word. You've seen what I've done for the Company. Just imagine what I will do for this family."

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Careful to not touch the blade, Oskar Nishina picked up the sword and studied it. "I suppose the laser cutting is adequate," he said after tapping the length of the blade with a tiny hammer.

"It was honed more conventionally," Nodoka reminded as she made sure her lab assistants cleaned the sharpening instruments properly.

"As was the construction of the grips and guard," Ensuring his hand did not touch the surface, Oskar ran a bit of light oil over the blade using a cloth and then sheathed the sword. The niobium-titanium sheath had been constructed earlier and was used on the second steel prototype. Adding niobium had been his idea. Dr. Saotome had leapt at the high temperature resistance and strength that the alloy would provide. It was a somewhat dangerous metal; in chip and powder form it was a skin and eye irritant and a fire hazard. It was still less dangerous than the primary metal in the blade. He was amused given the other uses of niobium.

"What do you think, Master Nishina?" Nodoka asked.

"I'm suspicious about the grip pattern, but Nariko prefers them." Oskar wondered about the cross-pattern cut grips, but it was a part which if Nariko did not like them, it could be changed out fairly easily. He fully accepted the reason to keep them metal.

Nodoka gave a final inspection to Ayami and Adia's work before turning to the table Nishina was at. With a bit of effort, she picked up the weapon and carefully drew the oddly shimmering sword. "Well?"

"You tested its strength, flexibility, and hardness," Nishina stated.

"Yes, it's positive on my measures; what about yours?" Nodoka asked resheathing the blade. She smiled at the light purple-red color of the sheath. The anodizing provided more than color, it also gave damage protection.

"It will work," Nishina stated modestly.

"Good, I'll call my daughter and Nariko," Nodoka said as she pulled out her phone. "We can arrange a full test." She had some concrete and steel targets at the B base already built, and there was the armored transmission case for their downed helicopter.

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Mike Stevedore wiped his brow as he looked at his notepad. Cramped stanzas of text written in a hurried and emotional hand, combined with his long stringy hair, ratty goatee and ill-kempt but dark and ironic t-shirt he was as innocuous as any other youth.

He smiled as he watched another large van exit from the underground garage. He added another couple lines to his poem finishing that stanza. Afterward he looked back at the rest of the deli and its mix of patrons. Most were his age and ran the gambit from being dressed even rattier than he was to business casual and full suits. His eyes lingered on the latter class, he had been briefed on the enemy's plainclothes procedures. Women, especially those with pale skin, were also suspect.

One of the more casually dressed business people was standing in line, ostensibly fiddling with his phone. His eyes scanned the other patrons and frowned at one ratty kid who suddenly started scribbling in his notebook. The scraggily beard was reminiscent of a kid that grew up down the block from the young business man.

Mike leaned back and relaxed. There were too many people and the enemy could not spy on everyone, this was only his second time watching and he would leave in an hour anyway. He noted a van slow and pull up to the garage and was caught with some inspiration.

"See, it happened again," Gabriel said as he fiddled with his phone. He and his commanding officer had put their drinks on a bar that ran along the back of the deli as they waited for their lunches to be made.

"Yes, you told me while we were in line, let me see it," Kasumi said as she took the ostensibly broken phone. She held it so the _poet_ was in the edge of her view on the other side of the cafe. The kid was human, so that narrowed it down somewhat. "That's strange. It only cuts out when you dial the office?"

Gabriel shook his head. "It does it when I call home sometimes, but..." He shrugged and caught another instance of their poet writing whenever something happened at the company motor-pool entrance.

Kasumi nodded and pointed to the deli counter. Their order was ready. As she picked up their sandwiches she mulled over the situation. "Wanna eat here?"

Gabriel looked around the deli. "Sure, it's not so crowded today." He smiled honestly. "Anything to get away from the paperwork."

Kasumi nodded and the two took an open table and sat down. By the time she was halfway through her lunch she had been convinced. She answered her phone with annoyance. "Yes, but... fine boss. I'll have the budget done by tomorrow." There was a long pause and her face brightened. "Really? We got the deal. That's good."

"That's reassuring," Gabriel said not needing to act. Actual work was a good distraction for Lieutenant Tendo, especially given what had happened with Captain Jarvis. Something was definitely up with that kid, his tradecraft was okay enough, until you noticed the correlation. The signal to noise ratio was far too high. If only he had put in the effort to constantly be scribbling in his notebook, or had simply bothered to just memorize it.

"Life's funny. We never would have gotten that contract if not for our boss bumping into the client at a conference." Kasumi smiled wistfully.

Gabriel nodded. After a few minutes, he spotted two workmen in coveralls enter the deli as the amiably chatted. Their construction truck parked on the street across from the Company garage. He wondered where they got the vehicle from, it certainly was not from A base, and even the B base might have been under surveillance.

The agent shrugged and finished his sandwich. Undercover work was risky. One was safe only until you were spotted. All your tradecraft was to keep that from happening, or at least give you some advanced warning that your was blown. Luck was a big factor, but that was what tradecraft was for, to stack the deck as much in one's favor as one could. Right now, the kid was already a write-off.

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"Useful idiots," Eve muttered as she and Ranma walked across University of Toronto campus. She was dressed leather pants and bustier similar to her sister's. Their surveillance had taken them to an open-air-fair of some type.

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Because they're into conspiracy theories?"

Eve laughed. "There's nothing wrong with conspiracies. People really were seeing strange lights out in Nevada. 'Course they were really secret airplanes and not reptaloid aliens landing their invasion scouts. I guess secret essentially invisible aircraft that can strike anywhere wasn't juicy enough for them."

"Huh?" Ranma blinked and looked over some books in a kiosk. She looked up briefly to keep an eye on their target, but his scent was still strong.

"It's like people that doubt the moon landing," Eve explained pointing to one of the books. "You either have to think that all those forty-story spaceships were faked, not counting the thousands and thousands of people that worked on it, or that they really were launched and then just left in orbit, instead of going that extra bit to the Moon itself." She smirked at the way the young men and woman looked at her.

"You don't really buy into that stuff, Miss?" the pipe-smoking man in the kiosk said. "Buying NASA's official line."

"Of course not." Eve smiled sweetly, but her eyes gave a hint of amusement. "It's plainly obvious that the Moon landings were real. They just took place on a different Moon: Ganymede. Ja, NASA took us all for rubes," Eve shook her head as she let her accent strengthen. "They knew people wouldn't notice that the gravity was too strong. All the common sheep saw was bouncing buzz-cut flyboys," she truly loved irony. Those lacking any initiative or real independence were always the most eager to prove how maverick they were.

"Gaynmede. One of Jupiter's moons?" the man asked pulling out his pipe.

"You don't abduct Nazi scientists, spend billions, and only plant a flag on a moon you can see every night. It's obvious when you look at the time delays that the astronauts were much, much further away." Eve scoffed and caught another glimpse of her target.

The man gave a measured nod. "Maybe. That does explain why Kennedy was killed."

The blonde nodded. "Just remember to keep asking questions," Eve smiled as she and Ranma left.

"Is any of that true?" Ranma asked.

"No," Eve said quietly. "You see, these people are poseurs. They're in it for the drama, because they like seeming important. Real spooks don't go to self-congratulatory fairs. They watch and worry. The need for ego gratification dwindles when you start to see what's really going on.."

"Yeah is real silly… and stinky too," Ranma frowned. "I don't get it. There really are conspiracies. The government is covering up a secret war but... to hear these guys you'd think they were total crackpots."

"That's because they are." Eve smirked thinly. "That's the shame of it all. They're not looking for the truth, they're looking for supporting evidence." She frowned their quarry as he browsed hats.

"And anything that doesn't follow their theory… is evidence of the cover-up?"

"Now you get it." Eve nodded. "This is all on faith really. Facts don't matter, sincerity does. Evidence becomes set dressing, what's important is how they _feel_." The blonde laughed. "As if people like this could change the world just by wishing it were so."

"Is that bad?" Ranma looked around the crowd walking around them. "We could tell these goobers everything... and who would believe them?"

Eve hugged the redhead. "That's the helpful part. Of course..." She looked around the fair and her gaze happened to pass over Mike. "Even fools have their uses in large enough numbers."

"That why we're here?" Ranma asked though the pronoun she really meant was "he's".

"It's also just a crowd. Even we could miss a brush pass."

"I'm amazed he missed us hugging," Ranma said smirking at the people around that were trying not to stare at their embrace.

"He's focused on looking inconspicuous. He might have spotted the enemy out hunting."

"If he's got any skills he should," Ranma grumbled.

"Should he smell like anything special?" Eve asked, still amazed at how powerful her senses were now.

"Nope, there's no Assembly scent from him," Ranma frowned. "A ringer? Or just a really low acolyte?"

"Well there are plenty of wannabes that can be recruited for simple tasks," Eve shrugged, as they meandered through the crowd. "Of course, someone that still smells perfectly human is useful too."

"Recruited?" Ranma raised an eyebrow. "These guys don't seem the kind to join some goobers pretending to be a religious order."

"Really? What about them?" Eve pointed to one table. "They support regimes that where their sexuality is a capital offence, but that's minor to them. What matters is vitriolic protest against the status quo in a country where protest goes without note or censure." Eve snickered. "How brave these modern day White Roses are."

"White Rose?"

"The White Rose was a group of students at the University of Munich during the war. They were non-violent and distributed pamphlets urging resistance against the government. This was '42, so they knew what would happen if they were caught."

Ranma eyed the young students and older burnouts around her. "They were caught weren't they?"

"Oh yes, they were the first to fall to Freisler's Volksgerichtshof, means People's Court," Eve clarified.

"Odd name," Ranma said as she turned to look at the whole of the crowd her eyes passing over their target.

"Standard for propaganda purposes." Eve shrugged.

"Guess so," Ranma shrugged. "So what do you want to do to him?" she asked as they passed a booth exposing the importance of resisting the tyrannical rule and documentation of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

"Oh? It's my choice?" Eve had to resist licking her lip. "He's a small fish, let's use him to get something better."

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Jacob looked over the surveillance dossier. "So they're playing spies now."

"The AOM appears to be watching our facilities. Using non-patterned acolytes. Clever enough," Stillwater allowed.

"Meanwhile they keep a small force of more powerful operatives outside of the city." Captain Jarvis added. "Provoking their stringer worked well enough. That burned three more agents and revealed their safe-house." Part of her would have preferred to have disposed of the poser, but that would have turned a nervous neophyte calling his handlers asking for a security blanket into a genuine alarm. The wannabe could not vanish, not yet at least.

"Unless it's all a false flag. They have to know we would conduct counter-surveillance," Jacob frowned.

"That is a possibility, Sir." Eve shrugged. "I don't like that they've changed modus operandi on us."

"They think they can pretend their little slaughter didn't happen. Those bastards shot down one of our helicopters and now they think they can play spies? They asked for this war, they'll get it. We know where that safehouse is?" Stillwater's voice only raised slightly at the last question.

"Yes, Sir." Eve smiled slightly.

"Things have been on their terms for too long. Set up the mission and dispatch them as you see fit, tonight. Leave enough to interrogate and dispose." Stillwater smirked. "I guess losing sixty men wasn't enough, I want you to send a clear message."

"Sir, we'll find out what their plan was," Eve assured, already planning the mission.

"Dismissed," Stillwater said.

Jacob waited for the captain to leave. "Interesting choice for a first mission on regular duty."

Keeping the rest of his fingers steepled and interlaced, Stillwater straightened his pointer fingers and rested the bridge of his nose on them. "Even before, it's an appropriate mission for Jarvis. Studying the changes will be interesting."

"Of course we're now playing into the Assembly's paranoia."

"They think we're building an unholy army to destroy them?" Stillwater laughed. "We can accommodate that."

End Chapter 17

Once again, I'd like to thank my pre-readers. They're the ones that made sure this story was readable., DGC, J St C Patrick, Pale Wolf, Wray, Trimatter, Solara, Questara, Kevin Hammel, Ikarus, and Jerry Starfire. I'd also like to thank the wonderful commentators on the fukufics forum. They do some real top notch C&C. Go there if you want some for your stuff.


	20. Ch18 Reconstitution and Reincarnation P2

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Josh Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.

website Temple of Ranma's Senshi as always is wanted.

Chapter 18 Reconstitution and Reincarnation Part 2

The demon dropped a gigantic gun on the table. It consisted of a frame that held a thick barrel that connected to an oversized action and feed. The device looked as if it would be more at home mounted on a vehicle than in the hands of a woman. "I am Heavy Weapons Girl, and this," Misako affectionately put her hands on the large gun, "is my weapon." She smirked at the others in the room.

"She weighs over eighty kilograms and fires fifty dollar forty millimeter custom-tooled grenades at over four rounds a second. It costs over twelve thousand dollars to fire this weapon for one minute," she confidentially added the last sentence in a low whisper

The demoness then burst into a fit of laughter, while her sisters cautiously backed away.

As her laughter died down, she waved her finger. She then looked down at some smudges on the barrel. Her eyes flared. "Oh my... who touched Sasha?" Her voice got angrier. "Who touched my gun?" She accused, turning to look at her sisters and agents.

Ranma shook her head, and turned to Eve. "When are we going?"

"Once the observers call back," Captain Jarvis said with a little smile.

Misako's voice grew solemn and she looked into the distance. "Some people think they can outsmart me, maybe" Misako sniffed and nodded. "Maybe. I've yet to meet one that can outsmart grenade," she said reaching onto her web harness over her bikini top and miniskirt and pulled out one of the nearly fist-sized munitions.

"Your English is better than that." Ukyou rolled her eyes as she reassembled her gun.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to build you a second one," Nodoka apologized to Ukyou.

"No no, it's good that Aunty Eve got it."

Nariko coughed as she adjusted how her sword hung at her hip.

"Master Nishina still doesn't like the locking mechanism?" Nabiki asked with a bit of disappointment.

"No he doesn't. We're also working on the hinge for your knives too. Sorry," Nodoka frowned.

"It's okay. You're making some really great stuff," Nabiki cheerfully stated. After seeing Nariko's sword on the test range, Nabiki was more than willing to wait if that's what it took.

Nodoka smiled.

Wearing a slightly modified version of standard combat gear (mostly to allow for her tail and wings), Eve tapped her headset and answered the message. After receiving a few statements a thin smile formed on her face. "Everyone into the helicopter!" she ordered. "I want Gold and Blue teams in position as soon as possible."

"What'd they find?" Ranma asked as she jogged beside her sister.

"About three dozen warm bodies and a smattering of Pattern A. There's at least two AOM fathers there."

"Nice," Ranma said as she climbed onto the helicopter. She turned to Misako. "You ready for the next part, Honey?"

Misako affectionately patted Sasha as the BlackHawk lifted off. "Oh yes."

"What about you?" Ranma asked Eve. "You can fly fine in practice, but..."

"I'll be okay," Jarvis assured her sister. "I do have more experience jumping out of aircraft than you."

"Yes," Ranma smirked. Eve was a bit clumsy in the air, but unlike everyone else she landed right on her feet the first time.

"We're three minutes out," Lieutenant Hilbert said over their headsets. Happy to be flying into battle again, he increased altitude. His job was to get them to the target location before the enemy had a chance to prepare. After confirming with the Captain he put the helicopter into a dive then quickly pulled it into an orbit around the buildings.

Bracing herself on the open port helicopter door, Misako then aimed the shouldered weapon and depressed the trigger. Immediately the gun cycled up and as it emptied belts of grenades she laughed loudly and maniacally. "Cry some more!" she laughed as the grenades were launched at a trio of doublewide trailers sitting in a clearing in the woods.

Most of the rounds hit one of the three dwellings and exploded, ripping through the thin walls. Hilbert and Lindemann's night vision goggles showed figures within the building falling and breaking apart. They could also see the buildings themselves starting to sag and collapse.

Once the firing died down Ukyou scoped out the carnage. She could swear the smell of blood rose up from the shredded buildings. "You had to copy that video game didn't you?" she asked.

"Heh, cry some more." Misako chucked; she then turned to her mate. "What? Heavy Weapons Guy is cool." She shrugged. "I wonder if grandma would build me a gun like his."

"Jump!" Ranma admonished as she pushed Misako out of the aircraft. Immediately after that the rest of the broodlings leapt and Ranma was alone with her sister.

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Pacing down the length of the small room Mike Stevedore eyed the flimsy door. He rubbed his nose and pushed some hair out of his face. "I don't like it, there's too many higher ups."

"What you told Father Chesterfield was important," Bill said as he stretched out. "I mean the redhead you saw was obviously the main demon, but that blonde..." He waved a hand. "Those Mercenaries really are selling their souls to become demons."

"But I mean... they saw me," Mike scratched his arm.

"Yeah, but you lost them, and now you've told Chesterfield. You did real good."

"But what if... what if I didn't shake them?"

Bill laughed. "Then they would have caught you, ripped out your guts and eaten you. Don't worry kid. You're clear."

A low droning noise grew to audibility and the door slammed open, almost destroying itself in the process. The stout and sturdy frame of Father Chesterfield came out being followed by two Assembly priests. "We've got demons!" He shouted just as the roof seemed to explode. The initial concussion knocked them down and Stevedore looked up to see a shell fall right next to Bill.

Chesterfield seemed immune to the spray of blood and shrapnel and motioned for his men to follow. One of them was cut down by the indiscriminant barrage. Chesterfield and the remaining priest went crouched down and went through the other door.

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Ranma pulled the broken door open and Eve stepped over the wreckage. The blonde fired her weapon twice and then dashed into the room followed by Ranma and Nariko. Almost purring, Eve knelt down and moved forward. She looked down to see a headless body and smiled at the bloody mess.

She stepped forward and passed the other shot person and found a third body, this one had a large gash in his side and was trying to get up. Eve noted the gun in his hand and with an economical rake of her claws tore through his sternum and cut his heart apart.

Before retracting her left hand she briefly paused to savor the energy. She then looked to the next room and motioned with her hand before taking aim with her sidearm.

Nariko smiled and drew her sword as her mother shot a DarkStar burst through the flimsy wall and Eve shouldered through the door. Nariko jumped through the opening and raised her sword to block the long bayonet of Father Chesterfield. He responded by flicking out a second blade which Nariko sidestepped.

"Interesting training," Eve remarked as she kept aim on the priest, who had parried Nariko's slash and tried to thrust forward on her open side.

"Yes, it took a lot of self control to not fry him myself," Ranma remarked as her eyes flared. "His buddies are coming Nari-chan, don't dawdle."

"Yes, Mother," Nariko grumbled as she caught the end of one of the bayonets with her blade and tried to flick it off. She found herself pulling away to block an attack with his other blade.

She parried and got inside and slashed across which was narrowly dodged by Chesterfield dropping down. The stout man then pounced up leading with both of his blades now glowing a bright yellow.

Nariko smirked and, jumping to the side and pivoting on one leg, struck downward. Now perpendicular to the charging man's weapons, the edge of her blade turned red as it struck. There was a brief flare as her sword sunk through the two blessed blades and cut them down.

He instantly rotated the blade in his near hand and stabbed forward with the truncated instrument as his other hand threw the weapon at her head. One-handed, Nariko flicked her blade up to knock away the projectile while with her momentarily free hand she grabbed the back of the stabbing blade.

"Lightning Devastation!" she yelled sending a surge of power into the broken bayonet.

Chesterfield dropped the blade but not before receiving a sizable shock. His aura flickering he momentarily backed away. Nariko pouted; she could sense another priest just about to arrive and had to finish this.

With a shrug she leveled her sword. "Lightning Devastation!" The electrical power readily went to her blade where it was channeled and shot forward, right into an armored figure that had thrown himself in front of Chesterfield.

The newcomer's aura held long enough for him to toss a sequence of blades from within his coat. Nariko flipped her sword over and intercepted most while sidestepping to dodge the rest. Right then the younger priest's aura failed and before he could respond Nariko stabbed down into his kidney and, on the follow-through, that cut bone, armor and entrails with ease, moved the blade diagonally up to his chest. In the same motion she turned to Chesterfield, who had rearmed and was backing away. His eyes darted to Ranma and Eve.

"Oh, don't mind us," Ranma said as she appraised the cut Nariko had made. It had managed to damage most of the major organs and sever the spine, nicely retarding the second priest's regeneration.

"We're just proctoring," Eve added.

Ranma raised an eyebrow "That's it. Help Nariko: kill him."

Before Ranma could finish Eve had fired her gun. As this happened Chesterfield flared his shield and moved as to put Nariko between himself and the blonde. His blades came up and one met Nariko's sword where she deflected and then pulled her blade back to cut his extended arm. Edge glowing red, the katana dug through his aura like a fork into pudding. The blade then met the armor to the arm which provided much less resistance and it descanted until there was no resistance.

Nariko pulled away and dodged the blade in his remaining hand before ducking down and sweeping her blade low. Chesterfield managed to stab his bayonet down and intercept the attack before it hit his leg. The yellow glow around his blade almost managed to hold up to the katana's dark aura, but he had exposed himself. The sword snapped through the bayonet and cut through his left leg at the knee.

Eve had been moving but this opportunity came up before she could flank the priest. With an exposed head and chest the blonde took the most educational target. Five rounds each weighing over thirty-five grams and having a kinetic energy of eight kilo-Joules slammed into the protective aura at over twice the speed of sound.

He had no chance to dodge and the aura around his head crumpled and vanished, just like everything above his shoulder blades. The body fell and Nariko quickly extracted the heart with her sword.

"Sure?" Eve asked looking hungrily at the offered organ.

"You passed Mother's training test well," Nariko said with a smile.

"I thought you were the one being trained?" Eve asked as she reloaded her gun.

"Everything's training, everyone gets trained," Ranma said as she shoved the heart into Eve's mouth. The blonde bit down and eagerly ate the rest of the organ causing the brood mother to smile.

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Nabiki held her hands and with concentration released a spray of tiny icicles that shot and embedded themselves in the slightly dazed acolytes. The grenade attack had just ended and they found a little demon had entered the makeshift barracks.

Further back a pair with a bit more clarity watched as their friends got blown apart when the icicles detonated. Before they could grab their weapons, one was pounced on and had a hand slice through his spine at the hips while the other managed to grab a gun. Only to have it explode in his hands when an inky shadow reached up and contacted it.

Akane quickly moved on and joined Nabiki who had fired through the door to the next room causing more confusion. The two dashed into the room and anticlimactically found that the occupants were mostly dead with only a couple survivors who at least tried to fight.

"This is disappointing," Akane grumbled.

"What do you expect, Misako did have some fun with that toy of hers." Nabiki frowned at the newly minted paraplegic. "Sis, finish your kills," she admonished while launching a fireball at the crawling man.

"Sorry," Akane looked at where he had dragged himself. It was odd it looked like he had gone to a locker and then back towards the center of the room. "You think he was trying to escape?" She tried to walk closer but was stopped by her sister

"Judging by the grenades on him, he's booby-trapped himself."

"Now that's just uncivilized."

"Yeah, well they know we tend to eat them," Nabiki spoke into her headset. "Central building is clear. Minor resistance, no survivors."

"Least you got some," Misako grumbled over the audio channel. "South building was already being cleared by Gold Team. By the time we got there, there was nothing to do but have a snack and move some live ones."

"Oh yeah, we were supposed to do that," Akane shrugged.

"You have no right to complain about not seeing any action," Ukyou lectured.

Nabiki smirked; she could tell Misako was rolling her eyes.

"Rendezvous at the North building," Nariko ordered finally, speaking on the audio channel. "The outside seems secure but use caution."

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Consciousness returned to Stevedore as screams and gunfire neared. It sounded like some type of heavy weapon that was slowly, deliberately firing. In the distance automatic weapons fire came in infrequent bursts.

He limped over to the body of one of the priests. He barely registered the nature of attack that killed someone who could regenerate, the entire room was trashed and one of the walls bowed unsettlingly. As he fumbled about for a weapon someone swooped into the room. Drawing a sidearm, Stevedore turned to see a flash of red-tinged silver.

"He looks familiar," Eve pondered, looking at the decapitated head with a pout.

"Did you want him?" Nariko asked, wiping her sword.

"No, there's a couple alive in the next room," Eve remarked.

"Finally," Ranma formed another DarkStar burst and motioned to the others. Shadows lengthened around her as her hair began to writhe. The orb exploded and like previously gave more concussive force than magical shrapnel. The three demons entered the room and quickly covered the two survivors. One of whom looked to be older than the average clueless acolyte.

One looked up to find Nariko's blade at his throat while the other had the beaming face of Ranma standing to his side while Eve covered them both a few paces behind. "Central building secure, all teams check in," Eve reported over the audio channel. She briefly looked over the room, one wall had collapsed and the ceiling was sagging. The rest of the room was broken and splintered, including half of a large table that seemed to have been covered with reports and photographs. "Okay, bring in any captured to my location."

"Rendezvous at the North building," Nariko said to her sisters via her headset

"That everything?" Ranma asked while watching the fidgeting man's hateful eyes.

"The outside seems secure but use caution," Nariko added.

"This is why you should make sure no one's spying on your little spies," Ranma laughed. "Or did you think you were so clever that we wouldn't find you?"

"There's no point in telling him," Eve gently reprimanded. "These guys are in over their heads. They still think that they're going to fight swarms of feral minions." She said while wondering. The Assembly had to have some inkling of what they were up against, and their surveillance had generated plenty of intelligence data for them. Which all strongly implied a desire for another attack, one with more finesse and preparation than previous ones.

Eve turned and gave a tiny smile to the two Assembly of Man members who were brought in by a squad of agents with brood escort. "Nice work Lieutenant Patterson," Eve said after looking over the bound men. She turned to the shorter of the two men who had been brought in. "Well Paladin, it looks like you're the ranking figure here. Your last attack gave a nice Casus belli. Now neither of us officially exist, so there's no pesky oversight to worry about," she lied on her last statement as she walked over and smirked at the phone on the table, amazingly it appeared operational.

"So your actions will determine what happens here," Captain Jarvis explained.

"You're not going to win, demon!" Paladin Farnsworth defiantly spat.

Eve lowered the hand that had intercepted the saliva, and sighed. "Simple silence would have been more productive than childish impudence."

Paladin Farnsworth glared.

"Yes, yes, you have your pride, and your willingness to die for your cause." Eve motioned and Morrison roughly shoved Farnsworth into a chair. "We all know how this will end."

"You won't get anything from me." Farnsworth tried to rise but the barrel of a HOG slammed onto the back of his head.

Eve raised an eyebrow. "At the very least I'll be entertained and have a nice meal."

"You think the Inquisitors are bad?" Ukyou inquired. "The Assembly's got a lot to learn."

"Yes, human intelligence is limited anyway. We have your documents. You're just a bonus." Eve said as she sat down on the table and her tail lazily waved behind her. She noted how the paladin's eyes followed it but did not smile.

The blonde picked up a photograph. "So you've been tracking our motor-pools. Not a bad idea, and it just came at the cost of a few recon people. That's nothing, you folks are approaching company strength losses, so what do you guys really matter? Must be lovely for morale though."

Ukyou stepped in and leveled her gun to cover the fourth man and allow her mother to go over to Eve. Ukyou sighed, she used her power but the four captured assemblymen were too fearful already to do much good.

"You expect me to talk to get leniency? A quick death? I won't betray humanity like that."

"Of course not, you're not that much of a weasel. Though you won't talk in exchange for a quick death for your men either," Eve shrugged. "And I know none of your men would talk in exchange for leniency."

Ranma looked at the paladin and chuckled to herself.

Nariko warmly smiled at the man she held at sword-point.

"So we come to the part that we all knew was coming," Eve said as she extended a single claw. "Make sure the microphones are on."

Nabiki looked at the four men and a smile formed. "So! Any one you don't like and want to see go first? Better speak up now you won't get another chance like this."

The one being covered by Nariko spoke up. "Paladin Farnsworth's always been a real dick, but I wouldn't wish this on him."

"Consider it a freebee," Eve said as she pulled Farnsworth out of his chair and tossed him onto the floor; she jumped down and pulled him up to his knees. Using a single claw she disemboweled the paladin. Farnsworth screamed and thrashed; he would have tried to hold in his entrails but his hands were handcuffed behind him. "I could have that nice girl decapitate you with her sword," Eve whispered into his ear.

The paladin shivered and cut off his screams. "Doesn't matter, you'll all die, monsters," he swore.

"I was always a monster," Eve chuckled before ramming her tail into the back of Farnsworth's chest. More blood poured out of the wound in his stomach and the man slumped over into the blonde's hungry arms.

"Not too entertaining, but you did get a meal," Ranma said as she patted her sister on the shoulder.

Eve forced down a blush and sliced out the liver and handed it to the redhead.

"Oh I can't," Ranma said as she politely declined.

"No, I insist, I know you really like it," Eve assured.

"But it's your first; you need it more than me." Ranma blinked and looked up. For a moment she could swear she smelled Rei.

"You're going to take half," Eve stated as she began to cut the liver over the paladin's corpse.

"A quarter," Ranma paused, the Senshi's odor had dissipated just as oddly as it had arrived.

"One third." Eve had already cut the liver and handed the smaller piece.

"Oh alright," Ranma laughed as she began to munch on the organ. She walked away to discretely ask if anyone else sensed any new Senshi.

Eve quickly finished her meal and flicked some of the blood off of her hands. "So does anyone else have a request?"

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Ranma handed Eve a towel after the blonde stepped out of the locker-room shower. "Well?"

"Yes, it's very refreshing," Eve said as she dried off. "My work's not normally that messy." The blonde then went to her locker and started to get dressed.

"You're having fun," Ranma allowed. She was surprised Eve had been as contained as she was, especially with the last one.

"The documents proved more useful anyway," the blonde shrugged as she put her hair back up in its bun.

"You were right, those goobers didn't know what they were doing," Ranma said as she watched her sister dress.

"Compartmentalization isn't a bad idea. They know what will happen if captured," Eve smirked as she gave a final adjustment to her skirt.

"So they'd have a different team carry out the hit," Ranma guessed as the two left the locker room and walked down the corridor. "Interesting."

"They have the manpower for it. For now at least." Eve turned to the redhead. "So, how did I do tonight?"

Ranma stopped. "Well, you mostly used your Company training. Nothing wrong with that. Close quarter combat didn't come up yet. Don't worry, if I didn't trust you in a fight you wouldn't be here."

Eve nodded. "Shame Nariko wasn't challenged more."

"That's why I had you practice on him," Ranma stated as they resumed walking. "It's good experience for her though."

"Good," Eve said as she knocked on Jacob's office. The two demons were let in. Ranma went to the couch and watched Eve salute and give her report.

"Interesting," Jacob finally said while he thumbed through copies of some of the captured documents. "You believe they were going to hit us in convoy?"

"Yes Sir, they were watching out transit routes," Eve explained.

"Did you know there was a working phone in that room?" Jacob asked, carefully studying the captain's face. He continued before the demon could respond. "Apparently it was connected to one of their monasteries. I'm sure it gave them some interesting information. Of course they would have known about the attack and the loss of their operation."

"Were you able to track a location of their base?" Jarvis asked.

Jacob leaned back slightly. "We're working on that."

"Where's Stillwater?" Ranma asked.

"He's still in a conference call with the general. While Major Koster's report was ultimately favorable of our operation, the developments with the Assembly reach beyond this command."

"And?" Ranma politely asked.

"All North American faculties are being put on higher alert." Jacob chuckled. "Counter espionage against the Assembly will be more vigorous too."

The redhead laughed.

"A full debriefing will occur tomorrow, but what's your opinion?" Jacob asked.

"The Assembly has been stung, but they won't stop," Eve appraised.

"What? We're going to have to kill them all?"

Jacob shrugged. "That's their choice. They started this fight; we'll finish it."

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"Well, that was fun," Minako said just after detransforming. She took a sip of water.

"Are you kidding?" Usagi gasped as she wiped some sweat off her brow. She pouted at the running showers. It had taken a couple practices for Setsuna to reveal that their training warehouse even had showers. Though both were being used by Makoto and Rei. Usagi envied Setsuna who never got sweaty enough to need to wash.

"We got her pretty good tonight." Minako smiled.

"Really? I thought we were going to lose once her balls stopped glowing," Usagi sighed. Not just were the orbs hard to see but the rest of the warehouse darkened.

"Well they still glowed a bit, like soap bubbles. Or pretty shimmering butterflies." Minako paused in thought. "Yeah iridescent. That's what it's called!"

"Yeah. So, you think we're ready for Ami?"

Minako tilted her head. "No we're not," she said in almost a whisper.

"What?"

"It's your responsibility. You're the one that's to take Ami, put her on her knees and show her who's boss."

Usagi stared at Minako.

"Gah, no not like that!" Minako waved her arms, though she was fairly certain that's exactly what Mistress Mercury wanted.

"Yes, we've got to find her first." Usagi sighed.

"Don't worry, she'll be coming for us nice and soon," Minako assured.

Usagi narrowed her eyes.

Setsuna stepped in and gave a knowing smile to Minako. "Venus is right. Mercury wants you and she won't stop. Not now."

The princess nodded. "I know... it's just... scary."

"Scarier than DarkStar?" Minako skeptically asked.

Usagi paused while Setsuna frowned. DarkStar was an option. She was a Senshi too, and one that Mercury feared.

"I mean..." Minako coughed. "You've seen her at her worst right? All covered in blood, right after eating someone. You weren't scared then... in fact you kinda spaced out and drooled a bit." The blonde paused and looked at the clouded, distant expression that had formed on her princess' face. "Yeah... like that."

"Yes, well-" Setsuna raised and eyebrow. "Usagi knows DarkStar won't hurt her."

"Unless Usagi was into it," Minako muttered she looked over to see an almost contemplative expression forming on the other blonde's face.

Setsuna did not miss it either and made a note to talk to her Princess in private.

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Eve pulled off her clothes. "So when will you let me sleep back at my place?"

"When you stop living on a cot in your office," Ranma remarked as she stripped.

"Oh," Eve shrugged.

"You're also still very young," Nabiki said as she nudged Akane over, waking her older sister up in the process.

"I guess," Eve said crossing her hands over her chest.

Ranma frowned. "You should know this, we don't really sleep alone." She looked to Nariko who was sleeping with Akane curled up on her side. "It's just not what succubae do."

Eve nodded. She had not been alone ever since being turned. She sat down on the edge of the giant bed that dominated the room.

"There you are," Nodoka smiled, opening the door. She sat down and started pulling off her lab coat. "How was the mission?"

"It was fine," Ranma said, hugging her mother from behind. "No injuries and we wiped them all out."

"That's good," Nodoka said after she had neatly folded her clothes. "Did you find anything useful Eve?"

"I suppose," Eve said as she found Ranma sitting next to her and pushing her down. The redhead then used the larger woman as a makeshift pillow. Eve shrugged and tried to make herself more comfortable. "We'll know more once the captured documents are analyzed."

"Good," Nodoka said as she slipped into the brood pile.

Ranma smirked at Eve's well-hidden surprise. "Mom doesn't do it as much as she would like, but she sleeps here whenever she can."

Eve nodded but she still fidgeted as Nodoka moved next to her. "Calm down. Dear, you have slept with women before?"

"Not before she was turned," Ranma remarked.

Nodoka raised an eyebrow. "Are you still a virgin?"

"Nein," Eve stated, slightly hurt.

"You were rather handsome," Nabiki remarked not opening her eyes. "I'm sure you had plenty of one night stands."

"It's okay, Sis," Ranma assured snuggling on her. "Don't worry about it."

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Mercury glared at the man sitting across from her. She suppressed the urge to rip his tie off and properly knot it. "So what brings you here?" she asked regaining her composure.

"Well, the intermission is almost over; I'm just checking things out before curtain rises," Murdock amiably said before sniffing his wineglass.

"Oh?" Mercury inquired.

"Yes, I know you're suspicious; rightly so," he chuckled when Mercury took a large drink from her glass. "The time is coming for you to prove your worth."

"I know that," she replied coolly leaning back into the leather wingback chair.

"You've made a nice image, very thematic," he held his glass and changed his expression to match that of someone in an art gallery. "I really like how you don't look sinister, or even overtly evil." He took a small sip and winced imperceptibly. "Still a bit green in this, but overall, it's been well played."

"I'm glad I meet with your approval."

"Oh don't be so icy." Murdock waved a finger. "You're being a bit too dramatic. This isn't a game."

"Coming from the man dressed in a deliberately rumpled suit?" Mercury rolled her eyes. "Your entire look is ripped right from noir."

"Nah, I don't dress well enough to be in Les Soldats," Murdock took another sip. "Maybe you're onto something. This vintage is growing on me. It's... amusingly dry."

"Yes, I suppose you'll next say I should let it mature a bit more, to reach it's full potential."

"Actually, I was just going to ask for another glass."

"I can see why you drove Setsuna insane," Mercury admitted as she motioned for Orion to freshen his glass. She had her own plans for the Guardian of the Gates.

"And yet DarkStar proved impervious to my machinations," Murdock said mirthfully. He frowned at the crestfallen dark mistress. "Now now, I'm sure you'll make the Queen see things your way, and that she'll reward you for all your hard work."

"Don't patronize me," Mercury glared.

"Well, don't make it so easy." Murdock looked down and straightened his silver tie clip. "You're getting maudlin and sulking in your nicely appointed and well-stocked lair."

Mercury glared.

"Oh now you're pouting even more, great combination with the evening wear." He turned to Orion. "She's looking dangerously cute right?"

Orion coughed.

"What do you want?"

"That's a question that'll drive you insane. Why not take a page from DarkStar? She doesn't give a damn what my plans are, provided they don't interfere with hers."

"And what is she planning?"

Murdock laughed. "Oh you're kidding me? You don't know what she's up to?"

"You should just tell me, then."

The grey-eyed man kept laughing. "Oh man, you are wet behind the ears."

"Don't you want me to be better informed so I'll do your bidding?"

Murdock clamed himself and took a slow drink. He paused reflectively. "No, not really. I think you're working out just fine."

Mercury's frustration had started to lower the temperature in the room.

"Besides, you're not working for me." He put down his glass. "Good luck trying to convince anyone that."

"I don't need to."

Murdock nodded. "So where is Virgo? I don't see a statue."

"You know where she is."

"Helping you capture another blonde?" Murdock asked as he leaned back into his chair. "Oh I hope it's not a certain blue-eyed demonic lass."

"Damn Germans!" Mercury swore as her hand clenched over the stem of her wine glass

"The Captain upsets you that much?" Murdock asked.

"Yes! DarkStar makes a little protégée out of a Company officer. And of course it's one that's a complete perfectionist." Mercury clenched her hand.

Orion silently watched.

"DarkStar does have the highest of standards," Murdock reminded.

"Yes, so she picked the best. Someone that's scary to agents. Someone that specializes in torture and was a cold killing-machine as a human. And what do I have to work with?" Mercury waved. "Imitations."

"That's a harsh evaluation," Murdock noted. "But I'm sure jealousy is in no way tainting your judgment. Sure DarkStar and her friends can kill, torture, and consume their enemies, and be mostly accepted by the Senshi, but you... one little fight where you hogtie them with ice and they suddenly start calling you a Dark Senshi."

He leaned forward and folded his hands. "You have a tremendous opportunity here. You have no oversight, but tremendous knowledge at your disposal. The narrative can shift fully into your court. You just have to keep playing the right people."

"It's not that easy," Mercury sighed.

"It's not supposed to be," Murdock sipped from his glass. "If things were easy you'd be done by now."

Mercury narrowed her eyes.

"We are operating on time constraints here," Murdock stated, his voice finally getting stern.

"Care to enlighten me about that?" Mercury asked.

Murdock laughed. "Oh my, no. If you want to learn more you've gotta do your own research. I have a certain expectation from you, and you don't want to disappoint me."

Mercury repressed a shiver at the jovial expression. Her scans and scrying were not able to pick anything up. He was a void. "I'm not just some expendable minion."

"No, you're certainly not a minion." Murdock smirked.

Mercury rubbed her temple.

"So, is that it?" he shrugged. "I guess you're progressing satisfactorily."

Mercury gritted her teeth as frost started to form around her.

"Oh? The inanities of a known liar still hurt you. No wonder you're beneath DarkStar's notice," he put down the glass and dusted his hands. "So what are you going to do?"

Mercury finished her drink and looked Murdock in the eye. "I think it's time for you to leave," she calmly ordered as her left hand gave a little motion.

Murdock casually looked over and saw Orion moving to his side. "Yes, I suppose it is," he said before standing up. He looked at the glaring Mercury and straightened his jacket. "I'm sure you'll do just fine," he smiled before taking his hat and leaving the room.

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Sitting on the back porch, Happosai tamped his pipe. "So you're my student's new sister?"

"Yes," Eve stated simply as she sipped at her coffee.

"Ranma does good work," Happosai remarked after a lecherous appraisal.

Eve smirked and stretched her neck.

He took a long drag from his pipe. "You know waking up earlier than Ranma won't get you out of training."

Eve shrugged.

"Now I'm not gonna ask why you changed; that's obvious." The diminutive man chuckled.

"Yes, I wanted to be a sexy lady," Eve dryly remarked, cupping her chest.

"Don't tempt an old man," Happosai did not even try to conceal what he was staring at. "I'm being good."

Eve smiled and took another sip.

Happosai tilted his head. "Well, I should be waking up my other students."

The blonde smirked. "They seem harmless enough." She remembered interviewing Genma those months ago.

Happosai raised an eyebrow but went back to his smoking. "She is a busy girl," he said eventually. "School, training, battles: it's never a dull moment."

"Nothing wrong with that," Eve remarked. In the past, keeping busy had always allowed _him_ to ward off metaphorical demons, and be prepared for fighting literal ones. Now _she _had even more reasons to keep up the same pace, there was more to fight for.

"There you are," Ranma said as she bounded onto the porch from the kitchen. Her hair bounced around with the rest of her. "You should put on your unitard," the redhead said with a smirk.

"Want some help with the training?" Happosai offered.

"Yes, that'll do," Ranma said with an evil laugh.

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Mercury glowered as the bright green sheet rose from the floor to the ceiling. After a pause the symbols on the large metal door on the opposite end of the alcove flashed brightly and then dimmed to an even glow. She sighed as the door eased its way open.

"The mechanism is powered by your Senshi magic?" Orion asked following her mistress into a corridor far larger than the one they had entered. To the left it ran for several hundred yards and was spotted with occasional sets of huge doors. To the right it widened to become some type of receiving dock that ended in a set of airlocks similar to the one they entered from, save on a much larger scale. Orion supposed that an airliner could be nosed into this storage facility, which was absurd given how ridiculously far underground they were.

"Yes," Mercury sniffed as she looked around the dim metallic corridors. "It's a way to make sure it will last and prevent unauthorized access."

Orion snickered. "It looks okay in here," she noted, still surprised by the lack of damage. That the environmental systems were still keeping the atmosphere in a mix of mothballing noble gasses was less impressive. Though the breathing abilities of their Senshi magic was appreciated.

"The palace battle never got this deep. The queen ended it before they got this far," Mercury explained as she placed her gloved palm on a panel on the nearest a set of immense doors. Pieces of metal the size of barn-sides slid away and the two stepped into a gigantic room. With a wave of her hand recessed lights, most of which still activated, did their best at illuminating the room. Marching down the length were rows of large and decrepit metal and crystal machinery. She frowned and knelt down over a pile of small crystals spilled in between some desks.

"Anything good?" Orion asked picking up a clear sheet covered in writing.

Mercury shook her head. "Well, there's a few old games, some data processing programs, one that'll write scrolls for filing reports," she explained as she passed each crystal under a reader built into her gloves. "Well, this one is control spells for an adaptive scrying array," she passed it to Orion who put it into a satchel.

"Did they really do their research here?" Orion asked walking between the hulking machines. The absence of dust or wear was disquieting, but not as odd as the occasional empty spot marked by empty brackets, severed cables, and broken runes.

"Disappointing isn't it?" Mercury sighed as she prodded a broken thaumatic analyzer.

"But the gates... this was supposed to be huge?"

"Yes, but the Queen developed it at the start of her empire." Mercury walked over to a wall where wedged between what had to be a calendar and a landscape poster was a schematic of... something. Mercury tried to make herself believe that the diagram in the center was that of a set of doors.

"What, they stopped studying it after they started using the gates?" Orion asked with shock.

"It became routine." Mercury took the diagram and handed it to Orion. "I guess compared to the Silver Crystal the gates seemed more sane."

"What about the stuff they removed?" Orion had walked off and was leafing through some documents that had been spilled on the floor. They appeared to be tutorials for data analysis and spell simulators.

"Relocated to more important projects? Mothballed in custom purpose storage? Who knows?" Mercury shrugged. She pulled at a tag on one of the viewing crystals. "That's odd."

Orion stood up after storing a scroll that taught golem design. "What?"

Mercury opened her hand and watched as the red tag fell back down. "Did you see any tags on the machines you looked at?"

"Some of them, sure," Orion recalled. "What's it mean?"

"They're shutdown tags." Mercury had already walked to another piece of equipment and was searching for another date.

Orion walked back to a large device consisting of concentric tubes at different angles. "And the numbers on them are the date they were shut down." She pulled at the red tag and read the date and hibernation mode. "Huh..."

"It's an early year isn't it?"

"Yeah, this is... before DarkStar's time. No wonder this stuff's so old."

"Strange." Mercury shook her head. "But they kept it setup... mostly," she frowned at one of the empty stations. The absent machines reminded her of a smile with missing teeth.

"So, they abandoned the research after determining the gates were safe to use. They probably spent a bit more time figuring out the accuracy of the system, and ways of blocking it. Then they removed machines that were needed elsewhere," Orion proposed.

Mercury turned and gave a little smile to the other Senshi. "Yes, I suppose they did. My predecessor's notes mention this being a surprisingly boring project."

"She didn't spend that much time on it?"

"Unless she was deliberately misleading on the notes that only Senshi of Mercury were going to read." Mercury looked at the small office at the far end of the room. The walls were glass and allowed a full view of the large room's apparatuses and workstations. The office was completely stripped save for an achievement award plaque that rested on the desk. The date on it was a few years before those on the deactivation tags.

"Anything?"

"Nope," Mercury walked past Orion and hastily made her way out of the experimental suite and back to the main corridor. The two skimmed through three more large rooms, each one with more equipment missing. Though the machinery that remained was even larger and more cryptic. The last chamber they entered was nothing but an empty gantry that was half disassembled. The neat piles of struts and bolts and total absence of scattered papers or inane data storage crystals was surprisingly disquieting.

The two left the final lab and were at the armored doors that barred the far end of the long corridor. Orion appraised at the collection of metallurgy and runes. "So the notes were right. The gate's behind this door?"

Mercury shook her head. "Nope" She stood before the door and cringed as a silver flash washed over her body. Just before dying out the lights briefly sparked over her ice skirt. The doors eased open revealing another alcove and an even more impressive metal door. She sighed and motioned for Orion to follow her. After a few more increasingly... personal scans the final door opened to reveal a darkened room.

"What would have happened if the scans failed me?" Orion asked blinking at the darkness. She could make out an indistinct shape on the far side of the room

"Anyone who was not a Senshi or a part of the project would probably have been vaporized." Mercury smiled sweetly.

"Interesting way to prove I'm the genuine article, Mistress." Orion said, but Mercury had already wandered into the dark room. Orion did allow a smile to form when the blue-haired woman almost tripped over a chair.

Orion stepped forward and idly noticed a handful of crystal displays that were still glowing. The room itself was semicircular in shape, in the middle of the outer arc was the airlock to the corridor. She could see that the walls of the outer arc were stocked with shelves full of books scrolls and crystals. The inner arc was sunken slightly and had an oblique wall that jutted out further on the top. Workstations with still active displays dotted this arc.

The slanted wall of the inner arc was a curved window that was a single piece. From the refraction Orion guessed that it had to be over two feet thick. She also noticed that recessed on the inside of the arc were tracks for what had to be some kind of armored shutter. These all paled before what was on the other side of the window.

It looked like a pair of elegant paneled doors suspended by an overwrought archway, which was a riot of styles and detailing. The doors were firmly shut and smoke crept around what she assumed to be floors. The smoke served to similarly obscure any far walls or the opposite ends of the chamber. Orion looked down and was not surprised to see the room extend below the observation deck. Shivering, she turned her gaze back up to the gates. As ugly as they were it gave less of a sense of vertigo than the misty cavity.

"The Space-Time Door," Mercury stated glaring at the artifact.

"They were still working here," Orion noted, turning her attention to one of the workstations. Before she moved further she poked a button near the door and the room lit up. While the glow from the workstations and illumination from the gate chamber did provide weak lighting, neither provided enough illumination. Aside from that, the light they provided felt wrong. There should not be light coming from mist, and the displays simply hurt her eyes.

"Yes, one has to keep an eye on things," Mercury snickered.

"How do we get to the gates themselves?"

"We don't. Nothing would distract Setsuna from that, but this place was designed to spy on the gates."

"And anyone who should have access to the gate itself wouldn't be so mundane to merely walk to it." Orion snickered.

Mercury ignored her and went to a workstation and paged through the output. It seemed to be recording emissions and usage from the gates. The spikes of activity seemed to match her memory, but she was sure to make a copy of the data with a blank crystal of her own creation.

Orion raised an eyebrow and started browsing the library. The titles seemed to be all reference materials and recordings of emissions from the gates. Once she found the latter she started going back in descending order. "I found data from when this thing first came online!"

Mercury looked up from the workstation. "Good. Make a copy," she said fidgeting with one of her hair pins as she worked.

"So they recorded the gates being used here, and then analyzed and tried to replicate the results in the labs down the hall," Orion suggested as she went to another workstation to copy those earliest crystals.

"Sure," Mercury mumbled. She stopped playing with her hair and stared at the doors. They were a representation; a projection of an artifact that, using the Key of Space-Time, could be accessed at any time and place. This made the presence of a observation platform for the gates... odd. The Queen must have wanted the gates watched while reams of ultimately futile data was taken.

"Anything else?" Orion asked after she finished making the copies.

Mercury sighed. "No. I think we're done here."

"What's wrong?" Orion walked over to her mistress.

"I don't like this. Everything seems... staged." She brushed a bit of her hair. "There must have been more. Queen Serenity didn't build it, but she felt the need to have people study it."

"Give it a veneer of approval. Why?"

"Yes, one wonders what is so questionable that the Queen needed to have others approve it," Mercury sighed again. She did not like where this was going.

"What about our spells to block the gate?" Orion asked.

"Yes, we need to cross-index it with the data we've captured here."

Orion nodded and started going to the recording library. "I do wonder how Murdock knew to do this. It's not like he could get in here."

Mercury's frowned deepened. "Yes, he's not a Senshi. Not by a long shot."

"So we've got to figure out where he got his information." Orion made a note.

"Murdock bears watching," Mercury reminded. "I don't think he really needed us, or DarkStar."

Orion tilted her head. "I see," she said after a pause. "Then it's for the best that she can't see us."

"I just hope she doesn't know what our next plan is."

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"Hello Puu," Ranma smirked as she entered the bar. She motioned to the bartender and as she sat down next to the green-haired woman a glass of scotch on the rocks was placed in front of her.

"You look oddly respectable," Setsuna noted that while the redhead's hair was still wild and full of body, she was in a nice silk suit skirt and coat. She was worried about this meeting, but recent events had proven the necessity of it.

"I was just at a parent-teacher conference," Ranma said as she pulled out the tie that had mixed success in taming down her hair. She nearly purred when it seemed to flex and return to its normal shape. "What do you want to talk about?" she asked while sniffing the contents of her glass.

Setsuna looked over and caught a large blonde casually watching both of them. The Senshi shrugged. She had seen weirder things, demons were almost mundane. "I think Mercury's up to something."

Ranma slowly put her glass down and carefully eyed Setsuna. "You're kidding right?"

Setsuna sighed. "More than just being Murdock's puppet. She's smart enough to not fight us again, and I'm worried."

"About what? Another double agent?" Ranma's laugh was cut off when she noticed the fear in Setsuna's face.

"Well let's go over the list. Rei has been studying her fire a lot, and has seen some weird stuff. She was alone with Ami on that Mistress Lyra vision. She could have been taken then. Minako was abducted and afterwards started wearing a new uniform. She's passed every test and there's no reason to doubt her but..."

"Sometimes it is the obvious choice," Ranma murmured.

"And Makoto, well nothing's happened to her, she's be supportive, studious, and unwavering. That alone is suspicious. Then there's the Outers back in Japan, two have been corrupted in the past and the other two have shown that they can be led to do highly questionable things."

"So you worry that Murdock, Akumi, or whoever, has another corrupted Senshi?" Ranma took a small sip. "You've missed a few though."

Setsuna nodded. "Yes, the Mau might be corrupted too. They're in the background and are useless, but still... they see everything."

"Still missing more," Ranma chuckled.

"Well I'm not counting the Princess. The second she gets under dark control... that's it. We lose."

"We?" Ranma's smile showed her fangs.

"Oh please, I'm not counting you either. You've already been tempted, and have plenty of opportunity to become corrupted."

Ranma raised and eyebrow. "You do know what I do right?" she asked slowly.

"Yes, you're very vicious and dark. An incredibly scary killing machine." Setsuna's laugh was too strained for Ranma's taste. "How can someone corrupt that? No offense, but you're a simple creature. It's an excellent defense. How can anyone else tempt your dark-side?" Setsuna took a long pull at her martini. "No, you're totally at home with your base, inhuman nature."

"You still missed one, Puu."

"Of course, myself." This time Setsuna's laugh actually upset Ranma enough to make her spill her drink. She turned to the demon and stared her down.

Ranma paused. She had not noticed how normal the green-haired woman's eyes were. Bright blood-red eyes should not look completely mundane.

"There's a reason I didn't count myself." Setsuna's quiet and manic laugh repeated. "It's obvious. I'm not hiding my nefarious plans towards the Princess."

"Yes, the take over the world thing." Ranma took another sip. "So why tell me all this? I don't really care."

"That's a lie. You can trick Mistress Mercury all you want, but I know enough about you."

Ranma suppressed a blush.

"Look, I'm worried about someone actually getting the Princess, and you should be too."

"So she really does have a rock that can reset the world."

"If that is the end goal for Murdock," Setsuna took another long drink. "Personally I think that's just icing for him. His real goal is something more... tangible. That crystal is really hard to control."

"So what do you want me to do?"

Setsuna finished her drink and ordered another. "Are you for hire?" she finally asked.

"You're kidding, right?" Ranma looked at Setsuna's face and sighed. "Damn, you aren't. So what do you want?"

"I don't want anyone to get to the Princess. If I can't trust Guardian Senshi to protect her..."

"I'm a Senshi, and so are my girls." Ranma reminded.

"Fine, I can't trust human Senshi," Setsuna grabbed her new glass as soon as it was placed in front of her.

"You should really talk to these guys," Ranma said handing a business card over.

Setsuna smirked at the Willard International Consulting logo. "That's not what I want."

"You don't want an organization that has the manpower to cover the princess round the clock. Can't afford them? Or worried about them?"

"I want you," Setsuna stiffly remarked.

"Oh why didn't you say that earlier," Ranma saucily asked. "Look, you can't separate us. I work for them. I trust the Company. I don't trust you. What do you even want me to do? I don't do bodyguarding. I've got my own battles."

"How suspicious and worldly of you." Setsuna still pocketed the card.

"Do you even realize what my help would be?" Ranma gently rolled her glass. "Say we agree on compensation, and say you hire me to get Akumi. What do you expect me to do? What would Usagi think? She made me promise not to fight Mercury."

"That's my concern," Setsuna coldly stated.

"Even pretending it is. What then? You know what kind of 'help' I offer."

"Yes, you don't fight like a martial artist, a magical girl, a super heroine, or a dark queen. You fight like a paramilitary demon."

"No, Eve's that." Ranma chuckled as her eyes just slightly glowed. "I'm something else."

"Not up to the challenge?"

"Maybe I'll do it as a freebie then. Do freelance; that way you save money and I don't have anything limiting my decisions."

"You're going to do whatever you want anyway."

"That is the nice part about being me," Ranma nodded in agreement. "So, dark conspiracies with demons. You do know I'm going to tell Usagi all of this right?" She took a small sip. "Weren't you finally starting to appear competent in her eyes?"

"This is her idea," Setsuna whispered. "She's the one that wants you."

Ranma turned her head. "What? This is her idea?"

"Our pure princess isn't as innocent as you make her to be," Setsuna reminded.

"She doesn't trust her friends? Does she trust you?"

"While I'd love to think she trusts me totally, I'm sure she's setting up a contingency to deal with me, maybe that's why she ordered me to talk to you."

"Clever girl."

"With everything she's been through? Yes, she's grown up. So does this change your mind?"

"You know it'll be child's play to see if you're lying about this."

"That's why I'm not."

"Okay, so what's the proposal?" Ranma asked, a bit more impressed with Usagi helming this scheme.

"We need you to be a backup. Mercury will unveil her next plan, and I want, Usagi wants, the Inners to handle it, but..."

"But say Mercury pops in and unveils that Makoto, Minako and Rei are all corrupted."

"That's where you come in."

"Does Usagi know what she's asking? She knows how I fight right?"

Setsuna grew quiet, and took a couple swigs of her martini. "Here's where we differ. I'd tell you to kill the corrupted Senshi if there was no other choice. They've died before and they understand that's a part of the job. If it comes between them and her... that's what I'd want."

Ranma nodded. "What If I wasn't there? Would she kill them?"

Setsuna chuckled. "Between you and me? Yes, she'd fry them all. I don't know if she could live with herself after that, maybe if she could bring them back."

"What does Usagi think?"

Setsuna closed her eyes. "If faced between having herself be corrupted and killing her friends with no other way out, no escape, she wants you to kill her. I'm being clear right? She wants you to destroy her."

"She's that worried about being corrupted?"

"You're being matter of fact," Setsuna remarked.

"I'm surprised that she's being this mature and planning stuff out. It's a bit morbid, but that's how these things go. So what else? You can't just be hiring me to be her suicide switch."

"There's more, ideally we want you to be an edge for us. Ami's afraid of you."

Ranma smirked. "That's true. What about turning?"

Setsuna sighed. "Yes, some corruptions and most brainwashing can be countered by that, especially if you make her a daughter. I'm sorry Ranma. She doesn't want that."

"Oh, I see," Ranma curtly said.

"She's worried about being corrupted and..."

"While she trusts me to kill her she doesn't trust me to mother her?"

"She would be exchanging one master for another." Setsuna shrugged. "This is all her words. I guess that's not the kind of relationship she has in mind with you."

"Well, she is being paranoid enough to pay a demon to kill her," Ranma shook her head. "Why isn't she telling me this?"

"It's less suspicious this way. We always have clandestine meetings," Setsuna took a drink. "I'm sure it's not because she gets tongue-tied and flustered around you."

"Right, what else? What does she want me to do with Akumi and her goons?"

"Well she doesn't want them killed," Setsuna offered.

"What does she want?" Ranma asked pressing the issue.

"Here's where you can get creative. Mercury knows we won't kill her when she fights us and she knows you will kill her if she fights you."

"She is jealous of me already," Ranma started to smile.

"I thought you'd like this job."

"What made Usagi decide to do this?"

Setsuna smiled slightly. "She finally realized what it'll take to win."

Ranma snickered. "Nice to see more professionalism from you guys. What about any new corrupted Senshi? You seem pretty certain that Mercury will do that."

"It's a scenario I hope won't happen, but we've already lost Mercury and Orion." Setsuna finished her glass. "It depends on situation. How many and who gets it."

"Oh? Interesting." Ranma saw only a couple reasons why it would greatly matter which Senshi ended up becoming the new minion to Mistress Mercury.

"Discretion and measured force are required. Honestly, that's no change for you; you're not one to get into fights without good reason."

"So aside from Usagi's 'escape clause' what are you paying for?" Ranma asked.

"We want you to be more active. So far you don't put your nose into Mercury's schemes, and even then she seems worried about you."

"And when I start showing an active interest, she'll start thinking that I'm making a move to head her off. Wonderful."

"It fits well but not perfectly, and any missing parts are filled in by her own paranoia."

"Of course you're working on the idea that I don't have any dark plans for Usagi, or that it's one that won't interfere with your own."

"Ultimately yes," Setsuna admitted.

"You still need to work out the proper payment," Ranma reminded.

"Other Senshi don't need to be paid for their work," Setsuna said before ordering her third drink.

"What else do you want?"

"As you said, the others can't be relied on." Setsuna took her new drink and gave a measured sip.

"There's still more."

"Disclosure of course." Setsuna put down her drink for the twentieth time by Ranma's count. "Tell either of us about any new interactions with Mercury or her minions."

"Fine," Ranma waved off. "I can get you recordings of most of that stuff, but what if Akumi finds out about this deal?"

Setsuna smirked. "Then she starts to worry about me too, and that the conspiracy against the queen she's trying to save will grow in her mind."

"Cute, but I want all the information you have on Akumi. From when she revealed herself to Minako's abduction, and that's before I even decide to take on the deal."

"Well you were at the first incident so that leaves the convenience store fight and the abduction."

"Yes, tell me about that, specifically how Usagi and Mercury interacted."

"Easy enough, what about payment? How much?" Setsuna sighed.

"Look, if you'd had let me on your little team you wouldn't need to pay me."

"I can't appeal to a higher duty in you?" Setsuna asked.

"Well, Usagi could, but I know you've got no problems with money, and I do have a family. So there's going to be money," Ranma motioned for Eve to get closer.

Setsuna looked at the leather-clad blonde again. "We'll be working though WIC?"

"They handle all my finances," Ranma shrugged.

"Standard freelancer support is regular payments during the duration of the contract with additional payments being doled out for extras met on the contract. You will be hiring Miss Saotome and her broodlings, so it will be for six people. You will also finance any additional Company resources drawn upon during the execution of said contract," Eve explained.

"All this to get your help." Setsuna shook her head. She was quite jealous at the trust Ranma had in these people.

"You don't want help, you wanted to hire me," Ranma reminded.

"I've heard your requirements and a proper framework can easily be made." Eve interjected after getting a glass of beer. "The regular payments will support observation and basic interference with your target's operations. Any combat operations will fall under the extra clauses, with pricing following an attached rubric and intensity and duration formula. Of course any Company support will follow in the same structure."

"I didn't want to hire WIC," Setsuna said.

"Then that breaks the deal. I choose who I fight with, not you," Ranma stated.

"Fine," Setsuna dismissed with a wave of the hand.

Eve noted to tell the Company Lawyers to be especially harsh with this contract before continuing. "Naturally there's the standard legal waivers that come from hiring through a private military corporation, and some nonstandard ones specific to the nature of the NH field."

"Yes, well I want this deal done sooner rather than later."

"Good good," Ranma nodded. "I just want one more thing." Only Eve noticed the flicker of hesitation in the redhead. "A date with Usagi."

"Date?" Setsuna expected something like this. "That'll be suspicious."

"Make it just a lunch thing then," Ranma offered.

"I'll ask her," Setsuna sighed as she finished her glass. "Well, it's been productive," she said as she got up and left. She had another meeting to get ready for.

"Making your move?" Eve asked.

"Well... she is good looking." Ranma blushed.

"Let's hope she says yes, Sis."

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Eve flipped to a new page and a new adventure for Silva and started taking notes. She frowned at the cover briefly before looking at the empty shelf that held demonic texts, and decided to not put it away just yet.

"What's wrong?" Nabiki asked from the far corner of the bed.

"I don't see any reason we cannot become fluent in demonic Latin. We're all fully bilingual, and the progress you girls have made shows appropriate achievement."

Nabiki smirked, Eve was being so studious and serious over a children's book. It was like watching Nariko carefully read that puppy book of hers. Nabiki recalled seeing Eve read that book and Misako had once read it and was brought to tears as well. She wondered if it was something that happened to those who were born with a Y chromosome.

"But you worry about pronunciation?" Akane asked as she leafed through her own book. It really was a pain to translate, especially if she wanted to learn any of the good stuff.

"It would be handy to be able to speak it," Eve admitted.

"Oh aunty, I just think you're just bucking for a chance to meet Grandma," Misako teased looking up from the Company report she was reading. She froze. "Uh... sorry Captain Ma'am."

The blonde suppressed a smile. Misako was the older demon, and had a lot more experience and power, but a Captain is a Captain. "This is recreation time, cadet." Eve did not look up from her work. "If we were in the dojo the range or battle there could be a problem, if your mother didn't get to you first."

"Yes.. Aunty." Misako saw the slight smile on the blonde's face and was confused.

"But you're not some green cadet with a head full of war-games are you?" Eve laughed. "I'm sorry, a little joke."

"Oh, okay," Misako shook her head. Eve was a bit odd, but at least she could let her hair down and be almost... normal.

"You and your mate were both AOM Acolytes. Promising ones if I recall."

"Yes, Father Oslo was probably going to fast track... me to Paladin." Misako hesitated. Part of her was still amazed that she had ever wanted to be a paladin or a succubus warrior, a Company agent or a Sailor Senshi or Ranma Saotome's daughter.

"You also managed to become a Company contractor, and somehow meet my sister's standards," Eve said looking up with a little smirk. "There is more to being an operations agent, but we know you can fight and protect your comrades. The rest just helps you do those two things."

Misako nodded.

"So what did our last battle accomplish?" Eve asked with a little smile.

"We killed a bunch of them, captured some documents, and found out their plans," Nabiki offered.

"Very good, what else?" Eve turned to Misako.

"We got the initiative," Misako added confidently.

"What benefit does that have? We've had larger battles with them before."

"This time we're not fighting back when they attack us. Now they're the ones defending their bases. Look at it from their perspective. Their encampments can be wiped out by us whenever we want. At least before they could pretend they were the ones controlling the fight."

"And what effect does this have? Do Assemblymen fear dying?"

Misako smirked. "Not really, especially in battle, not when they're facing monsters like us."

"So what's the advantage?"

"It rattles them. There's a difference between dying in a fight you started and being slaughtered while you wait in a dinky trailer. Kinda takes out the romantic stylin'." Misako chuckled.

"Physiological warfare then?" Eve asked.

"It hurts the boys back at the monastery; knowing that they'll get fried before they even see a demon. I mean how many of their men have survived?"

"We estimate a couple acolytes escaped the helicopter crash." Eve smiled. It was probably for the best that a couple escaped. The damage their stories would do was well worth it. Assuming they found their way out of the back woods and then even wanted to go back to the Assembly. "So that's the line grunt side. What about the officers?"

Misako laughed. "Oh yes, the Assembly has two kinds of higher ups. There's the deluded fools that actually believe all the crap, then there's the ones that learn the right things to say but plot and work their way up."

"Which are more dangerous?" Eve asked.

Misako shrugged. "Depends, you know that. The fools are more predictable, but they won't stop. The other ones will ease up but they might just be biding. You learn to be real patient in the Assembly."

"What will they do next?"

"How many men are available?" Misako asked. "Anything more and they'll be putting it all in."

"Are they willing to gamble like that?" Eve asked.

"You know the answer to that Aunty," Misako smirked. "I'm sure you talked to Ucchan about this."

"Yes, but I'm interested in your perspective," Eve reached out and patted Misako's hand.

"Well, it looks like they're going after our gates and vehicles. They might mount a full attack on a base. Sure it's suicidal, but if they have enough men they may think they can overwhelm. The alternative is hitting our vehicles."

"Asymmetrical warfare?"

Misako frowned. "As a starter, anything like that would be the first step. Like they did with the helicopter. Assembly doctrine emphasizes on large preset traps and small hunting teams."

"Yes, those work so great against us," Akane added.

"On the other hand, the Assembly would worry that the Company is raising a demonic army," Misako said.

Eve rubbed her chin.

"Might bring in the Inquisitorial branch. If they think it's worth gambling on that," Misako added the last sentence after some thought.

"The Assembly's internal security force?"

"That's a nice description for the scary freaks that keep the everyone in line. Not as much in battle, I mean when you fight monsters if you don't win the best you can hope for is dying. Rest of the time acolytes worry about the inquisitors."

"Like a political officer?"

"Yeah about right. Someone to watch everyone and make sure you're enthusiastic enough to the cause. Remember when I said there were two kinds of higher ups?"

"The useful idiots become inquisitors?"

"Knew you were smart." Misako laughed. "But I bet you knew all that."

"And there's not that many of these guys? As they're the loyal core?"

"Yes, personal flunkies of bigwigs bishops and the like. Take a lot to get a force of them though."

"Something to think about."

"I still say we go on the attack. I know where more than a couple of their bases are." Misako licked her lips. "We can go out for food."

"Yes, as you said we've talked with Ukyou and know those locations," Eve smiled at the thought of feeding.

"Wonder when Ucchan and Narichan will finish making dinner," Akane remarked rubbing her belly.

"Mom being there's probably slowing things down," Nabiki joked.

"So why not have us take out one of their monasteries?" Misako asked. "Really hit them."

"What makes battle more than violence?" Eve asked.

Misako rolled her eyes. "Controlled violence to a specific application. So what? You're saying we keep that held, hit them there when it's best?"

The blonde succubus shrugged.

Misako's eyes green sparkled. "I get it. We get only one chance to wipe out a base, a real base, for the first time. So make it count, make a statement. We want them to react to us now."

"Lovely plan, Sis," Nabiki sighed.

"I can see worse reasons for killing people," Eve stated, her voice flattening.

"Oh don't sour like that." Misako leaned in and hugged Eve. "You shouldn't be ashamed of what you are. Don't feel bad about enjoying it," she whispered.

Eve hugged back and purred happily.

"Yeah, I'm not sure Misa's the best moral guide," Nabiki cautioned.

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"So what brings you here?" Haruka asked as she poured her guest some tea.

"Yes, are there more demons?" Michiru jokingly asked.

"I'm sure there are," Hotaru muttered as she took a sip, while Chibi-Usa snickered. The Senshi of Saturn went back to the little wooden boxes and light oils in front of her.

Setsuna raised an eyebrow. "Yes, DarkStar has created a sister, but that's not the point. I'm here to warn you about Ami."

"The naughty corseted lesbian?" Haruka smiled and gave her lover a meaningful wink. "We always wondered about her."

"Well, she's become quite domineering," Setsuna remarked.

"It's always the quiet ones," Michiru said as her eyes darted to the other side of the table.

"Well, I think she's going to become a bigger problem." Setsuna sighed. "I don't like this."

"But, she's a continent away?" Haruka remarked.

"It's not a problem for Puu," Chibi-Usa reminded.

Michiru shook her head. "I thought the Inners had to do it as a group."

"Ami's been a busy girl." Setsuna took a sip. "And yes, she could easily teleport from Toronto to Tokyo."

"Do you think she'll come to us?" Hotaru asked as she cleaned one of her sharpening stones.

Setsuna smiled slightly. "I'm actually hoping she does, but I don't see her having that level of hubris."

"If she wanted to get killed, Sunny's much closer." Chibi-Usa remarked.

Haruka and Michiru blinked and stared at the pink-haired girl.

"You three have been training already," Setsuna stated.

"Yeah... Hotaru's even sharpened my sword," Haruka glanced at Chibi-Usa, shook her head, and turned to Setsuna. "What's going on? This isn't like you."

"Oh? I guess I'm just loosening up," Setsuna chuckled.

"Fine don't tell us," Michiru said.

"We shouldn't get too cocky," Hotaru cautioned.

"I suppose not," Haruka admitted. "Ami does want Usagi, right?"

"Yes, but what if her plan is to neutralize all of us first? Have it so it's just her and Mother?" Chibi-Usa asked.

"Well, you four are more... free with what you can do if Ami comes sniffing around," Setsuna said.

"Oh? Letting us be our old selves again?" Haruka smirked.

"Getting any of you four would give Ami more than hitting power than one of the Inners. Hotaru's the heaviest power-wise and Chibi-Usa would be a massive psychological coup."

"Except both of us have already been turned evil," Chibi-Usa reminded. "Mother knows how to deal with that situation."

"Yes, Ami wants to win, she wouldn't copy the plans of failures. Still... I worry."

"Because she has an inferiority complex with other professional lesbian Senshi?" Chibi-Usa happily asked.

Setsuna paused at the red-eyed girl's comment. "Yes, I fear Ami is trying to compete with DarkStar."

"Least she's not competing with us," Hotaru muttered in a dark voice.

"Sorry kiddo, she's reclaimed her tessen, but compared to the glaive or the talismans..."

"Let alone the ginzuishou," Chibi-Usa added.

"Exactly," Setsuna nodded. "At least the others are getting up to speed. Minako's using her sword again."

"Good, she's supposed to be leading them." Hotaru paused. "Is she keeping it sharp?"

"I'm still easing her into things," Setsuna said generating a disappointed sigh in Hotaru. "One of DarkStar's spawn is using a sword made out of Dantite."

"That's a lousy pun." Hotaru frowned. "But is it real demonic metal? All of it?"

"What's this?"

"Combination of Dante and the common ending for steel alloys," Setsuna explained with a snicker. "The material's too rare to have a consistent name. Succubae call it spirit channel, but that's moot."

"So it's a whole sword of it? Not just edging?" Hotaru tilted her head. "That's..."

"DarkStar's grandmother gave it special as a present."

"The sword? That's nice of her."

Setsuna laughed. "No, the gift was just the raw metal. DarkStar's mother made the sword, with some help from an Oskar Nishina."

"Master Nishina?" Hotaru's face lit up. "Oh wow."

"You know him? Who is he? How do you know all this?" Michiru asked.

"He's a sword-smith. It's interesting stuff," Hotaru blushed nervously.

"Yeah, even I've heard of him. Does a lot of custom work," Haruka added.

"So, the Brood Senshi are doing their own stuff," Hotaru nodded.

Setsuna chuckled. "Oh yes, there's definite reasons Ami's so jealous."

"And you really see Ami as more of a threat than Sunny?" Chibi-Usa asked.

Once again Setsuna studied the queen's daughter. There were limits to the gate guardian's paranoia, but she still wondered. "Yes, DarkStar is quite approachable, if you know what she wants."

"Pardon?" Hotaru asked.

Setsuna sipped her tea. "She's on our side now."

"Well that's nice," Michiru remarked. "How did you do that?"

Setsuna shrugged. "Money."

"You had to pay her? We can do that?"

"It's how the Company works. Professionals require payment, even if it's a token amount," Chibi-Usa explained.

"Yes... that's right," Setsuna raised an eyebrow and made another mental note.

"So, what's she going to do? What should we do?" Michiru asked.

Setsuna took a sip, finishing her tea. "Insurance."

"Us or her?"

"Different kinds," Setsuna explained as she poured herself another glass. "Ami's not going to surprise me, not again."

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"Interesting plans you came up with my girls," Ranma remarked as the two walked down the sidewalk.

"We've still got some time." Eve looked at their destination. "Well, first things first."

"Are we underdressed?" Ranma asked as the two entered the deli.

"We're in matching leather jackets, skirts and bodices. I think we're overdressed," Eve dryly remarked.

"Gee, thanks," Ranma said as she scanned the room and found two Senshi sitting at a table.

"Going out is nice and all, but why me?"

"I could have brought one of my daughters, but when I heard that Rei was coming..." Ranma chuckled evilly.

Eve smirked.

Usagi looked up to see two pale women walk over to her. Ranma was expected but the other... the deep blue eyes and tightly pulled back blonde hair were something else. "Another... daughter?"

Rei froze. She had insisted on coming; Usagi alone with DarkStar seemed like a bad idea, but now she was starting to regret her choice.

"She's my sister," Ranma smiled. Usagi was wearing a nice blouse and matching skirt, while Rei was in pants and a sweater. "Rei's met her, haven't yah?"

"The vision," Rei whispered.

"You like watchin' don't yah?" Ranma teased.

"She's a voyeur," Eve added.

"So the blonde demon you saw wasn't me, it was her?" Usagi asked.

Eve smiled thinly.

"Didn't you notice that she was tall?" Ranma asked as she browsed the menu. She was in the mood for a sausage sub.

"Well... she might have grown... becoming a demon does that..." Rei said as she looked over Eve who looked at the raven-haired girl with amusement.

"I'm just happy you agreed to lunch," Ranma smiled.

"Sorry if Setsuna's questions bugged you," Usagi said her eyes darting to Rei.

"No, you guys should know if I'd seen Ami," Ranma said after the four paused to place their orders with the waitress. She used this chance to examine Rei, who seemed to miss Usagi's omission.

Usagi watched the waitress retreat. "I just... I just don't like hiding things from people."

"Ami's working for the enemy now," Rei reminded.

"Yes, it still hurts," Usagi flatly stated.

"That's how life is," Ranma shrugged. "So how's other things, been training?"

"Yeah, Puu's actually been doing it," Usagi said as she sipped her soda.

Rei shook her head; they were only now starting to beat those damn orbs.

"Oh? I can't imagine her training. How's that been?" Ranma asked leaning forward.

Eve's smile shifted slightly. Her sister was rather good at this.

"She has all these crazy light balls. They fire everywhere," Usagi frowned. "It's a real pain."

"Sounds stressful, so that's it?"

"Yeah, it's just these glowing ball games," Rei grumbled. "Course, Setsuna's got no idea how to teach."

"We're working better as a team," Usagi defended. She quieted down as their waitress deposited their sandwiches. Noticing Eve's large grinder submarine sandwich, Usagi started to watch the blonde demon eat.

Ranma smiled and began to chew on her sub. She wondered how long it would take Usagi to notice that she had a sandwich to eat herself.

"Wow, they've got good food here," Eve noted while pausing to take a sip.

"It's okay. I'm sure it's nothing like a nice human liver," Rei stated, as she nibbled at her club. "Are you okay?" she asked Usagi, after noticing that she had hardly eaten her sandwitch.

"Uh yeah, fine... fine." Usagi nervously laughed. She clumsily picked up her lunch and moved her gaze from Eve to Ranma who was happily munching on an Italian sausage. She pulled her collar, and took a bite.

"Yeah, human's good, but you can't compare a fresh kill with something prepared. Totally different food." Eve said.

Ranma nodded. "It's the difference between something that's still got that fresh... life to it, meat that you killed yourself, and the more refined and prepared taste of something that was slaughtered a while ago."

"Sounds... interesting," Usagi coughed. "At least you're having fun."

Rei tilted her head and stared at her princess.

"Not like that," Usagi blushed.

"I'm... goin' to the bathroom," Ranma said, getting up.

Watching her go Rei frowned. She looked at her cup then at the blonde demon. "Me too," she grumbled, following the redhead.

After using the toilet, Ranma was inspecting her reflection. She decided to increase her makeup just a bit more; she was a succubus, might as well be more sensual.

Rei soon took the sink next to the redhead after going to the bathroom. "You're not doing anything funny are you?"

"You're the one that's been spying on me," Ranma replied.

"I was just using my visions to look out for threats," Rei glared. "Besides it was about two weeks ago that I saw that vision."

"Really?" Ranma decided not to tell Rei that the feeding happened only a couple days ago. "So, what? You confused Eve with a demon Moon Princess?" she smiled showing her fangs.

"Yes, I'm sorry that I found that scary."

Ranma chuckled and gave a wink.

"You're just having a ball aren't you." Rei turned and washed her hands.

"Pretty much," Ranma admitted.

Back at the table Usagi was trying to talk with Eve. With just one demoness the distraction level was a bit more manageable. "So, you're a succubus now? What... what made you go? Were you injured?"

Eve put down her lunch. "No, I was fine... physically. Emotionally..." she shrugged. "I didn't have anything else."

"Ranma is very affectionate." Usagi looked down.

"So, when are you going to start teasing Sunny back?"

"Huh?"

"I noticed how you look at her," Eve smirked. "Want some hints about what she likes?"

"Well... no... thanks," the teenager blushed.

"Anytime you need any advice just ask," Eve smiled.

"Thanks," Usagi smiled. "You seem close to Ranma. Have you two been friends long?"

"She's my longest and best friend." Eve paused and sighed sadly.

"What's wrong?"

"That's why I became a demon." Eve looked at Usagi in the eye. "I'm a grown woman, well was a man, and my first real friend was a teenage single mom succubus."

"I'm sorry." Usagi reached out and put her hand over Eve's. "What about family?"

"Same thing." Eve's pout deepened.

"You couldn't have picked better family than Ranma."

Eve blushed. "You really are a sweet girl."

"You are too."

"No, I'm a monster," Eve sighed.

"That's not true," Usagi's eyes hardened.

"You don't know what I've done."

"Doesn't matter."

"No, this was before I became a demon."

Usagi narrowed her eyes. "No, what I mean is that Ranma would never, ever let a monster into her family, let alone be her sister. Do you know what that means? How much she trusts you?"

Eve stared at the younger blonde.

"I don't know you, but I do know Ranma."

"Yes, that's true," Eve smiled. "Things have been better."

"You're so lucky to have someone you can trust like that."

Eve seemed to glow with joy. "Yes, I am." She noticed Usagi's growing frown. "I'm sorry."

Usagi looked up briefly. "It's not your fault."  
She sighed. "It's not theirs really."

"Yes, they've been corrupted."

"It still hurts."

"Then get them back. Punish the person that did this too them too," Eve offered.

"I will," Usagi promised. She looked over to see Rei and Ranma exiting the bathroom.

Rei smiled in relief when she saw Usagi still human. The other blonde was still a shock to her. She was attuned enough to sense the... unnatural and this Eve woman clearly counted.

"Did you two have a good chat?" Ranma asked, sensing Eve's joy.

"Yes, you've got a good sister," Usagi said brightening a bit.

"And Usagi's a good friend," Eve added.

"Oh, that's just creepy," Rei said as she sat down. "Least you two have different hairstyles."

"That and Eve's almost a foot taller," Ranma added.

Usagi looked down at her chest and then back up at Eve's, while the German blushed slightly.

"So Setsuna told me about that fight in the convenience store and Minako's abduction," Ranma said. "You guys should be worried."

"Oh? Thanks for the insight." Rei sighed.

"You guys are getting better. Setsuna's training seems to be helping."

"Let us know when you want some real training," Eve smirked.

"Really?" Rei skeptically asked. "Aren't you new at the magical girl thing?"

"Well you guys don't need training on how to cast spells, you need better teamwork and fighting skills."

"Setsuna's been helping us with that," Usagi pointed out.

"Seems like she's doing it somewhat well," Ranma admitted.

Rei raised an eyebrow. She did not think they had told Ranma enough about the training.

"Well, if we hear anything about Miss Mizuno we will tell you," Eve assured.

"That's good," Usagi said.

"What do you think her next plan is?" Rei asked the two demons.

Ranma looked at Eve who gave a small nod. "Whittling down the Senshi one by one."

Rei's eyes widened. "Really?"

"It's that or getting Usagi," Eve remarked before taking another bite. "And really, she's a Senshi too, will just make getting the rest of you easier."

Usagi chewed on her lower lip. "Yeah that's why we have to stop her."

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"They're here," Mars said as she looked around the empty lot.

"Who?" Princess Venus asked as she stepped forward.

"DarkStar and her brood," Sailor Moon guessed as she kicked away a broken box.

"That's fast," Sailor Jupiter shook her head. They had just called in the brood a few minutes ago.

"Where?" Venus asked looking around, she didn't hear a helicopter or see any flying demons, and the rooftops seemed clear of silhouettes.

Sailor Jupiter saw movement in the corner of her eye and turned to see Sailor DarkStar land a few feet from her.

"Not bad, you kept someone watching your backs," Ranma evaluated as she sniffed the air. "I don't smell Merc or her flunkies."

"Yeah, we came up empty, too," Mars grumbled.

"I don't like it," Venus had drawn her sword looked about. "It's a trap."

"Well you hear about Mercury setting up... what - a giant crystal around here and end up with what?." Ranma's eyes scanned the debris-strewn field. Abandoned buildings loomed around them.

"There is something magical here," Mars stated as the group went to the edge of the field. Setsuna had told them about this tip and they finally got the chance to strike

"Yeah, she's got something planned," Jupiter grumbled.

"You did the right thing calling us," Ranma allowed. She followed the Senshi as they entered one of the abandoned buildings. Venus and Mars had flanked Moon while Jupiter took the rear. Ranma shrugged; things were working well enough. They walked down a corridor and the quartet of Senshi stopped halfway through a storage room.

"Oh God, that's it," Princess Venus remarked at seeing the dark blue crystal that was floating in the far end.

An image formed around the two foot tall crystal that solidified into a hologram of Mistress Mercury. "Ah good, you're here. I was worrying that I might have to call off your little training mission." The image of Mercury smiled a bit at the redhead in the back. "Ah, hello DarkStar, are you proctoring?"

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "I was called in to help."

"Just destroy it." The edge of Venus' sword glowed as she stepped forward past some boxes. Just then to the left of the blonde a thick spray burst out of a small crate. Princess Venus screamed as a few gallons of golden gel splashed over her. Scrambling, she tried to wipe it off her, but it stuck to her skin. It came off her armor easily enough, though with big smears.

The golden goop spread over her body, and seemed to just appear on her skin too. A pain blossomed in her temples as her vision shimmered. The gel started to solidify and turn into familiar gold plates, but in much greater number. What had started as a decorative armor that only covered select areas was rapidly turning unto a highly form-fitting full suit of armor. She tried to pry the segments off but her armored hands could not grip onto any of the edges.

"Venus," Moon cried as she ran over but stopped a few paces away.

"Don't! It could get you too," Princess Venus pleaded as the gel finally started to rise above her neck. She screamed in terror; she had not expected this. It rapidly formed over her head and solidified into a full helmet with a pair of thin arched eye slits. The helmet had a feminine face formed into the gold that matched Minako's but was cold and harsh. Within the complete encasement Minako's yells were suddenly halted, and the eye slits began to grow a bright red.

The shapely armored figure stood to attention and sheathed her sword. Glowing eyes focused on the holographic image of Mercury.

Ranma frowned. It looked like Setsuna's paranoia wasn't unwarranted.

"Stop it!" Flames started to grow around Mars form.

"What did you do?" Moon yelled as she readied her scepter.

"Shame it absorbed your hair," Mercury shrugged. She waved her hand and a long crest formed on top of the golden helmet. Like a centurion's it went front to back. However this one was made of shimmering golden locks and was far longer in the back than normal and streamed down her rear.

Mercury tapped her chin. "Still needs something more." She looked to DarkStar and gave a saucy wink. A pair of red horns then spiraled out of the golden helmet and grew to a length of four inches. Together with the glow from the eye slits and the chest and back bows, they were the only non-gold on her. The golden figure stiffened her back and then changed her stance as a pair of large metallic demon wings grew from her back. The armored gloves shifted and their fingers lengthened to talons.

The human Senshi stepped back in blank horror.

Ranma cracked a smile and then started snickering.

"This isn't funny!" Moon shouted.

"Oh but it is," Mercury chuckled as well. "Venus, fetch me our princess if you please. We need to... train her."

"Yes, Mistress," Venus said in a monotone before she shifted her head to focus on Moon. Naturally, the golden lips did not move. She wanted to run a glove over her armored body but knew keeping her poise would be important.

"Ranma!" Moon asked as she backed away.

Ranma immediately stopped laughing, and brushing past Jupiter, strode up to Venus. "So you're now a flunky of Akumi?"

Venus's eye slits flashed brighter. "I serve the Queen."

Ranma smiled thinly. "Good. You know what I'll do if you draw, right?"

Venus turned her head between the demon and the queen. She noticed that the demon's figure was becoming wreathed in shadows and her hair had started to shift and rise as if it were in a strong wind. Even if Venus could not sense other demons, she knew they would be there. DarkStar never went into battle alone.

"You should know my stance in this Senshi crap." A grin had returned to Ranma's face and she started to laugh. "Sorry, but man. You look silly. I'm surprised she didn't give you a tail."

"You're just going to talk with her?" Sailor Moon asked in an oddly calm voice.

"I don't fight lightly," Ranma stiffly replied. "You're free to try to blast with your purifying magic."

Behind Venus the hologram of Mercury reappeared. "I knew I forgot something. Thanks Sunny!" After she said this a golden tail with Russian-gold fins grew out of Venus' back bow.

Ranma sighed and shook her head. "Do you want me running around in a black corset and ice skirt, Akumi?"

"You'd look good in it," Mercury agreed.

"No way. I'm not going to freeze my crotch."

"Stop this banter!" Jupiter shouted. "Look at what they did to Mina!"

Venus turned to Moon. "While these two talk fashion, maybe we should just get started?"

"You're still in there," Moon said with a bit of a smile.

"Nice to see you care," Venus said as she reached for her sword. She was happy her mask kept the same haughty expression, it would not do to have Moon see a mirthful grin.

"Minako no!"

Ranma noticed Venus' arm move to the hilt. "What did I tell you?"

"But she is armed as well. " Venus pointed to the kaleidoscope in Sailor Moon's hands.

Moon looked down at the little cylinder. "Hey, this doesn't count."

"I heard that thing shoots out a thick beam of doom?" Ranma asked, curious to see that weapon in action.

"Then shoot me with it," Venus said as she drew her sword: a silver crystal weapon of comparable length to the wielder's height.

"Flashy," Ranma dryly remarked. She did wonder how Nariko's blade would fare.

As Venus charged forward and Moon fired. The thick energy beam struck golden armor in a bright explosion. Venus fell to her knees as bits of gold dripped down from her chest.

Tears in her eyes, Moon leveled her weapon at the prone form. Mars and Jupiter came in from behind. After finding lightning ineffective, the brunette attacked with her fists, punching the armored backside. Venus' wing unfolded and knocked the brunette to the ground.

Quickly turning, Venus held out her free hand. "Venus Love Me Chain," her monotone voice intoned as a series of golden chains bound Jupiter's form. Sighing in pleasure she turned to see Mars attacking, as expected. As the flames harmlessly hit her healed chest she thrust forward with her sword.

"Better," Venus flatly stated as she cornered Rei who's arms had started to glow in flames. The armored figure was in mid downward swing when Usagi jumped in.

The sparkly rod came up and caught the edge of the golden sword. "No," Serenity's daughter swore as she strained against force.

Venus paused and was punched by the now unbound Jupiter. The attack did not do much damage, but it knocked her off balance. The helmeted figure turned and her eye slits flared brighter.

"You forgot we learned how to get out of that stuff," Jupiter snarled as she readied an attack.

Venus stopped and turned to see that Mars and Moon closing in from the other side.

"Well, this is disappointing," Mercury sighed as her hologram flickered and eventually shut off. The crystal was briefly visible before it exploded in a flash of blinding blue light.

Mars jumped in front of Moon, who saw the demonic image of Venus vanishing in the brightness. As the Senshi pulled at their eyes the pain eventually dimmed and they saw a room empty of Venus and DarkStar.

"Ami you bitch!" Mars screamed.

"So that's it? She's really gonna pick us off one by one?" Jupiter asked.

"No, we've got it handled," Usagi said with a little smile.

"What?" Mars asked.

"And where's Sunny?" Jupiter inquired.

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Venus landed on the ground with a heavy thud. Golden wings folded back as she stretched her neck. Her glowing eyes spotted a store window on the darkened storefront. The metallic figured strutted over and gazed at her reflection.

She stared at her frozen expression and ran an armored claw over her chest armor. She then moved to one of her horns and ended up poking at what her blonde hair had turned into. Turning, the figure looked up and expressionless eyes watched a red-haired succubus land a few feet away.

"Enjoying your new look?" Ranma asked with a little smirk.

Venus tilted her head.

"I guess your little plan to scare them went off well," Ranma noted, trying to smell out the girl within the suit. It seemed quite contained.

The golden girl flexed her hand and looked back to her reflection.

"Oh, I see. Akumi's slaved you into a mindless automaton, that just happens to be vain," Ranma noticed the lack of response and sighed. The armor did give her a perfect poker face. Almost perfect, Ranma amended as she noticed Venus' posture shift.

The succubus smirked and continued. "I'm not surprised. Mercury even let that inept fool Shampoo stay free, but she saved something... special for you. You just happen to be turned into something that makes you look like a robot? You're an obvious ploy. Just a pretend warrior. Not even a real succubus." As Ranma stepped forward, the shadows followed her. "You don't even know what you're pretending to be."

Venus instantly shifted her position as she seamlessly drew her sword. The crystal blade was held inches from the amused succubus. "I am not a joke," the golden figure flatly entailed. "This weapon was forged by the Queen itself and is the same material as the Ginzuishou."

"Well that's nice." Ranma's grin grew to where it revealed her teeth. "Just be glad you can act better around your princess than me," she said sidestepping the blade. "So are there any Senshi that aren't... corrupted? Or is this all just a game to train up Usagi?"

"The Queen is none of your business," Venus swore as she lowered her blade.

"Yes, she has her hands full with armored and corseted Senshi," Ranma laughed.

Venus' glowing eyes seemed to flicker on and off.

"I just wonder if you know what you're getting yourself into," the succubus cautioned as she inspected the detailing on Venus' armor.

"What?" Venus asked as she adjusted her posture.

"Well, you'll find out soon enough." Ranma advised. She sighed and looked at the golden figure.

Venus tilted her head slightly.

"Well, tell Mistress Mercury to stop by whenever she gets bored with playing and wants to be a professional about it. I mean, gold armor?" Ranma shook her head, and turned away.

"Wait!" Venus had been pleased with the results, the armor was surprisingly accommodating and comfortable; it really was a pleasure to use. "You're treating me like some toy."

"Eh?" Ranma raised an eyebrow. "You're a playing a minion while serving a girl that's also pretending to be a super-villain."

"What if it's not an act?"

"Then you just ended up encased in armor of her own design. Real smart move there." Ranma flexed her fingers. "You can play your little magical girl games, but don't forget that some people don't play games."

"I know who I serve," Venus asserted as she looked around, once again there was an absence of silhouettes or other indications that she was being watched, but that meant nothing.

"The best part," Ranma smirked as she circled the figure inspecting it. "Is that Akumi won't even question me letting you go. She and I do have an... understanding."

Once again Venus's eye-slits flickered.

"Oh? Surprised that I've got my own schemes?" Ranma leaned in and whispered into where Venus' ear would have been. "Sorry Mina, but I have my own priorities, I can't baby sit the Senshi."

Venus tilted her head. She did not know how much the demon knew, but it seemed very dangerous to her mistress' plans.

"Playing the silent robot bit?" Ranma nodded. "It's a much better act."

As Venus stared at Ranma she flexed her talons experimentally.

"Akumi did to a pretty good job making you, I guess," Ranma allowed. "The demon theme's a bit played, but the armor does seem effective."

"I'm glad I meet with your approval," Venus mechanically replied.

"Good, good!" Ranma laughed. "Act as if you are the armor. I think you can fool the Inners." She paused. "But I don't know if you'll be able to fool Akumi."

"The Queen is the only one that matters."

End ch18

Once again, I'd like to thank my pre-readers. They're the ones that made sure this story was readable. DGC, J St C Patrick, Pale Wolf, Wray, Solara, Kevin Hammel, Ikarus, and Jerry Starfire.


	21. Chapter 19 Reveal and Repurpose

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Josh Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.

http://jtemple. website Temple of Ranma's Senshi as always is wanted.

Chapter 19 Reveal and Repurpose

"So Minako _has_ been taken?" Setsuna asked after entering the apartment. She tapped a flask discretely placed in her jacket coat but pulled her hand away.

From her seat, Makoto tilted her head. It was odd how Setsuna stressed that verb.

"That bitch, Ami got her too," Rei grumbled. She was folding strips of paper and making a slowly growing pile.

"We're running out of Senshi," Makoto sighed. She looked to the other side of the couch and sighed again. In the brief moments where Rei was not folding or writing, her hands would spasm.

Setsuna nodded and walked up to Usagi who was silently sitting on a chair facing the window. "What do you have to say for yourself, Princess?" she flatly asked while standing behind the blonde.

Usagi strained her vision. She could almost make herself believe the glint on the building across the street's roof was a scope. "Well, the plan worked, perfectly."

Setsuna nodded. "But there's no response from Ranma?"

"Not yet," Usagi picked up her glass gave it a glance and then put it back down.

The older woman frowned.

"Plan? What... what are you talking about?" Makoto slowly asked.

"May I?" Setsuna inquired.

Usagi nodded.

Setsuna turned to the couch. "Minako is a plant. She's going to lead us right to Ami."

Rei stopped folding and looked up. "That whole fight was an act?" Her eyes were cold.

"Maybe," Setsuna shrugged. "It doesn't matter. We'll still find her."

"That's why DarkStar was there and why she left early," Makoto's eyes widened in realization. "She's going to follow Minako... right to Ami's hideout."

"Ranma has resources at her disposal to covertly track Minako. This was important for our backup plan," Setsuna explained.

"You mean if Ami really has corrupted Minako," Rei shook her head. "You knew. You knew Ami got her claws into Mina! And then what?" She stared at the green-haired woman. "You used her as bait? And it doesn't matter if Ami really does turn her into a robot, because your demonic mercenaries will take care of it. Usagi, why did you listen to her?"

Usagi slowly turned her head. "It was my idea, Rei. After... Minako came to me. We both knew what Ami wanted."

Rei stared. "And... and DarkStar?"

"I hired her." Usagi smiled. "It's really amazing what she'll do if you set the right price."

Despite the mood, Makoto smirked. She congratulated herself on her ability to avoid laughter.

"Minako knew she was the next one. Ami abducted her to learn the best way to... turn her, and tonight was the first time we'd have run into Ami since the last time," Setsuna said.

"Perfectly cold and logical," Rei grumbled. "You sure Ami wouldn't be proud of this?"

Usagi narrowed her eyes. "Again. Minako volunteered. Are you angry that I kept this secret from you two?" She chuckled. "I'm sorry I don't have that luxury anymore. Pluto's right. We cannot beat Ami. She knows our moves, our powers, our minds. She has built herself to defeat magical girls."

"So you changed the rules?" Makoto's smirk turned into a grin.

Usagi nodded. "Setsuna, what are Ami's weaknesses?"

"She's very bright and used to be very shy and meek. Mistress Mercury is now quite domineering and is always calculating; she plans. This gives her certain... vulnerabilities."

"Oh, being intelligent and planning ahead are vulnerabilities?" Rei skeptically asked.

"It just requires the right enemy," Setsuna smirked.

Makoto paused and stared out the window. "I see... wow... so that's why you hired her?"

Usagi nodded.

"Wait... DarkStar?" Rei asked. "What does she have to do with it?"

"Think about it. Ranma gave massive headaches to Setsuna, a very cold and calculating person."

Rei blinked. "Of course... Ami went out of her way to avoid angering her. She's... she's afraid of Ranma?"

"Why not?" Setsuna looked out the window and smiled. "DarkStar is everything Mistress Mercury is not. Impulsive, passionate, professional, connected, ruthless, charismatic, murderous. For all her damage, Mistress Mercury..." she laughed. "Mercury is a poser compared to DarkStar. Compare their fighting styles."

"They're both very good and always win."

Setsuna tilted her head slightly and seemed to... listen. "Mercury can beat you all, but that's different. For one thing Mercury hasn't killed any of you."

"So what? DarkStar's a real monster? Is that it? Ami's jealous?" As soon as the words left her mouth Rei jumped up and turned towards the door which eased open.

Dressed in dark purple leather boots, pants, bustier, and coat, the pale redhead stepped in. Behind her the door was closed by a blonde woman who almost towered over the other demon. The blonde wore a dark silk grey suit skirt that seemed to be Setsuna's twin.

"Ah, I see Rei's gotten better," Ranma smiled broadly. "Nice fire by the way."

Rei looked down and extinguished her flames. "So you know where Ami's hideout is?"

Ranma stepped forward. "You told them, Usagi?" She shrugged. "Eve? Evaluation."

"Their door was trivial to defeat. Blinds are drawn open. Only one responded with any proficiency. Of the two who knew we were coming, only Miss Meiou seemed to know exactly when we would enter."

Ranma grinned. "That's not quite what I meant." She stepped up to Usagi and handed the blonde and an envelope. "I was surprised. Minako actually tried to evade us," she said as she pulled up a chair and sat down facing Usagi. "Though a golden robotic succubus doesn't exactly... blend in.

"Your wings are giant and purple," Makoto noted.

Ranma sighed. "Anyway, Minako did lose me. Of course that's when the surveillance swapped. Akumi's got herself a nice little mansion."

"How do you know that's really where Ami is? What if she just stopped there?" Rei asked.

"Very good question," the redhead brightened. "That is why we're late. It took a bit to get surveillance setup. Care to explain, Sis?"

Eve's eyebrows rose for a brief moment. "The target wanted to guard the location against detection surveillance; she tried too hard. So anyone with... discretion in their methods will immediately know that spot for what it is. That level of interferences is not... natural."

"Granted, it's still an assumption." Ranma shrugged. "Maybe, Akumi's clever enough to use this as a distraction, but it's still something we can watch. We are your backup."

"You just keep smiling," Rei groused.

Ranma shook her head. "I warned you that keeping them in the dark would make things worse."

"That was my decision," Setsuna interjected. "I was worried that Ami would take someone else, that Minako would be too obvious."

"So?" Ranma asked as she leaned back. "Minako knows the plan. You're putting an awful lot of weight on Ami not breaking her."

"Minako didn't know about your role." Usagi gripped her glass and sunk her head. "She thought everything was on her spying on Ami and then returning to us."

The redhead smiled thinly. "Not bad. My involvement tonight will increase Akumi's jealousy."

"We hope it will start affecting her performance," Setsuna agreed.

"Taking Miss Aino in this manner suggests desperation or a desire for theatrical drama," Eve stated. "Perhaps, Miss Mizuno feels her progress has stalled and felt forced to act now, or perhaps she has a more elegant way to show off her new toy."

"Toy? That's our friend," Makoto said, indignantly.

"To Miss Mizuno she is just that." Eve shrugged.

"Is... is there any Minako in her?" Usagi asked Ranma.

The brood mother nodded. "The robotic stuff was an act, a poor one at that. She seemed to be having fun in that suit though."

Usagi smiled. "Good, that's good. Ami won't know what'll hit her."

Ranma's smile grew and her teeth began to show. "Excellent, when does the strike start?"

"We've got to confirm the location ourselves," Setsuna said, taking the envelope from Usagi. "Continue your own surveillance. Do your best to keep it hidden from her, that way if she spots you..."

"She'll think we don't want her to see us," Ranma laughed. "I can see why you love this spy stuff, Sis."

"Physiological torture is more challenging and intellectually satisfying," Eve agreed. "Of course there's something to be said for the traditional methods: blood, sweat, and tears."

"You truly are an artist," Ranma smirked when she saw the barest hint of a blush and pheromone change in her sister.

"She's talking about torturing people," Rei flatly stated. "Usagi, you can't be in league with people like this."

"Yeah, I know that. I kill and eat people, gonna freak out on that?" Ranma's voice was innocently confused.

"And that is why Ami's jealous," Setsuna smirked. "You are casually inhuman. You don't play at being a dangerous blood-thirsty creature. There's no act, no apology, no drama. You just are."

"That's not admirable!" Rei cried. "We can't be with killers."

"What about all the 'monsters' we killed?" Usagi quietly asked. "Many of them were sentient, some were even human once. The Shitennou?" She continued, her voice growing louder. "What about ones that are _still _human? Those cultists? You burned several of them to death. I cut one apart with my tiara and crushed the skull of another? Am I a monster?"

"No, you're our princess." Rei looked down. "You're Queen Serenity's heir, you wield the Silver Crystal. I know how good you are."

"Queen Serenity was not just some peace-loving holistic sappy ruler. You know that she built her empire through conquest right?" Setsuna asked.

"She took over the Earth by making deals with demons," Ranma happily added.

"Liar," Rei glared. "She saved the Earth from a demonic invasion."

"I was there," Ranma sighed. "Setsuna was there too, and Queen Serenity was one of the few friends I had in that life; I helped her take over the Earth."

"The Terrans felt cornered. They lost their royal family and ended up with a 'tamed' succubus inheriting the throne. They could not defeat the invading demons on their own, but to ask for Serenity's help would result in their subjugation," Setsuna explained.

"But, Serenity would have helped them. Her rule was good." Rei defended.

"So? Benevolence of a ruler is moot to those who value independence. Not everyone wanted to follow Serenity. That's how things like Beryl and Diamond start." Setsuna pulled out her flask and glanced at it. "I say this as the biggest supporter of Serenity's plans for Unification."

Makoto raised an eyebrow. This looser and more open Setsuna was disturbing.

"It came down to me. I was the granddaughter to the head of one of the demonic armies, a Senshi in the service to Serenity, and the Queen of Earth." Ranma closed her eyes. "It didn't end well."

"Serenity did help BlackSky destroy House Vephar," Usagi offered.

"Yes, and the chance to take Vephar's territory, that was enticing to Grandma."

"What happened?" Rei asked.

"After I... died, BlackSky and Serenity made a deal. As you know, two demonic Houses invaded the Earth. Vephar's forces preferred to eat and turn just about anyone. She had a lot more numbers, and more land back on the homeplane. Grandma, BlackSky was more careful in who she took, and had less territory. It was a... shaky truce. Vephar killed me because she thought I was making a deal to get her House destroyed."

"A rather perceptive evaluation," Setsuna stated.

"So, what was the deal?" Rei repeated.

"Serenity would wipe out Vephar's forces on Earth, and spare BlackSky's. BlackSky would then be allowed to take her broods back home."

"But... weren't some of them human?"

"Quite a few."

"Why did BlackSky give up on Earth then?"

Ranma chuckled. "Think about it. The bulk of Vephar's forces, including her most powerful were on earth. Her holdings on the homeplane were still guarded... but easy pickings to an entire House flush with veterans."

"So BlackSky would rather take some territory on this demon dimension than rule the Earth?"

"Of course, a risky guerrilla war against Vephar's demons, the Terran forces, and Serenity and her commandos all at a chance of ruling Earth versus avenging my death by utterly destroying House Vephar and taking a continent of much more valuable land."

"I guess." Rei shrugged.

"Succubae are very attached to their Homeplane. They believe it is a sanctuary made specifically for them by the creator of their species. A place where they would no longer be enslaved. This makes the land in those territories very valuable. Naturally, Earth, being the home of humans is important, but it's not their... homeland," Setsuna explained.

Ranma blinked. "Yeah, that's right." She should have expected Setsuna to know all of this. Sailor Pluto had been around for a long, long time.

"So my mother made a deal with a demon to control another planet," Usagi surmised.

"At least it was cleaner than what she did when she took Mars," Setsuna shrugged. Normally, dredging up the past made her numb, but tonight she felt more alive, more connected. Her memories were more vivid, more tangible than they had been in centuries.

Rei's eyes narrowed. "Pardon?"

"This was about thirty years before Earth's demonic invasion. Serenity came and it looked like diplomacy would win. The nobles on Mars were quite amiable. Then the Martian military tried a coup. It was quick and bloody, but they got power."

"I remember hearing about this," Ranma noted.

"Serenity's response was quicker, and bloodier. She sent in her wraith. They got that name because they struck fast and seemed invisible. They just wore cloaks that matched the colors surrounding them, and used magical staves designed to kill quietly, efficiently, and accurately. They would drop onto the planet and cause havoc."

"Good guys. They had less magic than any competent sorcerer, and those staves would have mediocre range in today's world but they knew to duck and shoot at anyone in fancy robes first," Ranma evaluated.

"Yes, anyway. Serenity used them to soften the target, do reconnaissance, and set up the gates. Then the bulk of her armies would teleport in. Of course... her boys got a bit exuberant. By the time the regulars arrived her wraith had killed the entire officer core and gutted the capital. Serenity's Senshi helped, but it was really the Royal Commandos that won the battle."

"Okay, I get it. Queen Serenity was a sovereign and a commander-in-chief," Rei stated. "And I guess she did a lot of... difficult things to get where she was."

"You don't mind her subjugation of your planet?" Setsuna asked.

"My ancestors didn't. You said they agreed with Serenity."

"That was likely out of fear and self interest. At that time only they and the Earth had resisted Unification. The Martians knew their days were numbered. Only the Terrans has the population and magical reserves to resist Serenity. It took a massive demonic invasion to weaken them enough to be taken. None of the other colony worlds stood a chance."

"She wanted peace."

"In her image," Setsuna reminded.

"Why are you doing this? I thought you supported her!"

Setsuna narrowed her eyes. "Yes, I swore total allegiance to my queen and do not regret it. But I knew exactly what Queen Serenity was. You don't. Only two people here have any idea what the Queen was really like, and what swearing to her, to her heir, means."

"DarkStar and Usagi, right?" Rei asked.

"It's good that you're at least that clever. Yes, Ranma understands. One cannot become Serenity's friend and conspire to sell a planet and not understand her. Usagi..." Setsuna's face thawed and she began to smile. "Usagi, you are your mother's daughter. I'm confident that this won't overwhelm you. You've shown great strength in that."

"I don't know if I can do what... mother did," Usagi admitted. "Taking over planet after planet."

"Well, that's not a worry for you. Earth's the only inhabited planet in the solar system," Makoto offered.

"In this plane of existence and by humans, sure." Setsuna weakly smiled.

"Ja, there are plenty of demons and other things out in the universe," Eve added.

"And you fight them too," Makoto noted, the blonde demon's casual intensity was... wrong. One should not be that at ease with being intensely focused.

"Exactly, in the broadest terms we are all on the same side," Ranma agreed.

"Well if the KGB... well.. FSB's Seventh Directorate and the Papal Expeditionary forces can be on the same side." Eve frowned slightly at her slip. "So why not us?"

"Who?" Rei asked.

"The first is a branch of the Federalnaya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti, the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation. They were formed to deal with the NH threat within the Soviet Union and its successor states. The second are special forces troops the Vatican hires from Switzerland," Setsuna explained. "The Russians have manpower but their sphere of influence and funding is limited. The Vatican has the opposite problem."

Eve nodded.

Setsuna smirked slightly at the blonde. "Of course both are eclipsed by the stellar professionalism and reach of the Company. Not surprising really. The Russians tried to copy your model, but were hamstrung by the massive, paranoid organ of state that was the Committee for State Security, and the Vatican's always had manpower issues."

"Is this really necessary?" Makoto asked with a frustrated sigh.. "Are we going to have to worry about priests and Russians?"

"The priests don't fight," Setsuna corrected. "That's the Assembly of Man. I told you, the Papal Expeditionary force is Swiss soldiers."

Eve wondered why Setsuna had yet to mention the Sisters of Purity. They were a key part to Vatican operations.

Ranma shrugged. "If we were in Europe it'd be a different story, but so far they don't care. No, we get all the nuts on this continent. Enough power plays and history though, what are you going to do about Akumi?" She asked again with a fanged smile.

Usagi took a sip and paused to collect her thoughts. "We, need information from Minako. I don't want to go in there blind. I'm sure Ami has planned for this. If we just run to her lair, she'll be prepared: traps, weapons, and an escape route."

"Don't delay too long, that's just as bad as doing nothing," Ranma looked at her watch.

"It is time," Eve stated as Ranma got up.

"Leaving already?" Rei asked.

"Well, you don't seem to be making any definite plans now, and unless you want us to go in and rescue Minako and stop Ami." Ranma looked at the magical girls and her voice became more sympathetic. "I'm being sincere. We can help you."

"You've already helped immensely," Setsuna reminded, tapping the envelope she held.

"And when we do strike Ami, you'll be very useful," Usagi said with a dark little smile.

As she watched the two succubae leave, Setsuna reflected on her Princess. She really was starting to become her Mother's daughter.

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"Venus has arrived," Sailor Virgo said with a little bow. She concealed her ill ease at the golden figure.

"Wonderful," Mercury said as she stood up and crossed the main-room to her latest acquisition. The analysis of the Time Gates could wait a bit. The metal succubus stood ramrod straight. "How do you feel Mina?"

The figure's eyes dimmed slightly in their red glow, but remained silent.

"Oh, already?" Mercury's smile grew as she stepped around the figure. She leaned in and ran a hand over the cold metal cheek. "Is this how you're going to play?" she asked amused when the armored girl pulled her head to the side.

Venus pulled her head straight again.

"Senshi, what is your purpose?" Mercury icily asked.

"To serve and train the Queen," Venus replied in a monotone.

Mercury flicked the blonde hairs that made up Venus' crest. "Accurate words" Mercury turned around and walked back to her workstation. "Virgo, show Venus her new accommodations," she said almost dismissively.

Easing back into her throne Mercury watched as Virgo led the armored sword-woman to a golden altar built into an alcove in the wall. As soon as Venus sat down, golden tendrils reached out and plugged into sockets that were exposed by a subtle shift in Venus' armor. Responding to the tugs of the cables and tubes, Venus laid herself down and shortly her eyes dimmed.

"Connection successful. Power-down cycle has commenced," Orion said from her workstation. "Fluid exchange and body maintenance are queued. Data insertion starting... now." She felt vaguely unsettled with all the euphemisms, but this was important work, and so far it was going successfully.

"Good, good," Mercury muttered. Her attention back to the data on her display. She looked up and saw Virgo standing at attention. "You're free to go. I'd suggest training though. Venus will probably want to spar once this is done."

Virgo bowed and headed for the training room.

"And Venus has finished powering down, transfer process starting," Orion noted.

"Fine, keep an eye open if anything goes wrong," Mercury muttered. She switched to another screen and looked at a dataset overlay. "It would work... fascinating."

"So the spells really do block the gate's power?" Orion asked.

"There is a strong correlation between the effect our benefactor's spells have on matter and the things that the Silver Millennium scientists found invisible to the gate's senses. Of course this could all be a plant," Mercury admitted suddenly frowning.

"Planted data? To lull people into thinking they can escape surveillance?" Orion rubbed her chin. "Quite possible, Mistress. Queen Serenity and Sailor Pluto could have prepared false data. The scientists would think they had discovered weaknesses to the gates. If any were tempted to sell that information..."

"Serenity would have an excellent trap. Their attempts at secrecy would act as a beacon. Carefully played, she could use this to watch the deepest conspiracies against her."

"Fascinating, and frightening," Orion admitted. "If this is true then, Setsuna knows everything, and has let it happen."

"We would be her pawns," Mercury closed her eyes. "I tell myself that that facility on the Moon would be impossible for Murdock to break into, but that's cold comfort. We've seen Millennium secrets escape before."

"The Path's book," Orion nodded. "But our surveys of it have shown nothing about the Gates."

"Yes, it dealt more with the powers of Serenity, and it's helped us escape purification." Mercury sighed. "I cannot escape the possibility of this all being Setsuna's doing."

Orion chewed on her lip. "Does that worry you? With all respect, Mistress, Sailor Pluto was one of the Queen's strongest and most loyal supporters. She was key to Unification, perhaps our goals are in line with hers."

"That would explain why she let us do our work," Mercury frowned and scrolled through the records. "If Setsuna has total surveillance of us, then there is nothing we can do but press onward." She had plans for dealing with Setsuna but they could not be communicated, not now.

"If I may, personally, I have my suspicions as to Pluto's power," Orion said. "If we accept that Murdock was allowed to operate by her, then that means that Mamoru's death was fine with her. We know our queen, no true servant to her would let her true love die, not like that."

"That's why I worry, I don't like what I'm learning about Setsuna. Her actions at the Fall..."

"What about them?" Orion asked. "What did she do when Beryl attacked?"

"The records on that are wiped, by the old Queen. Dated exactly at her death.  
"Granted, that's not a troublesome detail for someone like Serenity, but it's too neat."

"Pluto would never betray her queen." Orion stated.

"Yes, I would rather it if she could. That would make things simpler. There is a nasty secret about all of this."

"The gates are an odd construct," the auburn-haired girl agreed

"Yes, it is unlike Serenity's other creations. The testing and checks for the Silver Crystal were not as involved, and that thing can alter reality. It's more powerful than some chronoscope and temporal displacement drive."

Orion frowned. She could see her Mistress was starting to go in circles. "Murdock still had to get this information. Even if it was planted, he still had to get it."

"It's probably another eldritch book," Mercury admitted.

"One full of magical spells."

"And we know what happens to books like that." Mercury chuckled. "Okay, do a research on all ancient tomes about time travel, and any cults associates with the same themes. Include ones about visions of alternate worlds and teleportation too. These fools often have no idea what they've really got."

Orion nodded and eagerly went to work. It was good when her mistress had a direction and a goal. Paranoid worries did not suit her.

"DarkStar," Mercury stated. Her hands frozen.

Suppressing an expression of pity, Orion turned to the blue-haired girl.

"She was around too, it was brief but... Setsuna knew her." Mercury rubbed her forehead. "That gives her a reason to let Mamoru die and let Murdock 'sabotage' the summoning. Setsuna picked Ranma; Setsuna knew she was DarkStar reincarnated. This can't all be her plans, it just can't be."

Orion silently watched, worried that her mistress would get into one of her "moods".

"I can see her doing this, but I can't see a reason for it!" Mercury snarled. "I can also see her being tricked and used, but I can't reconcile that Pluto with Serenity's closest advisor."

Nodding Orion went back to her work.

"I'm really starting to worry for Usagi. I think she's trusting the wrong people," Mercury sighed and decided that another glass of wine would not hurt.

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Bishop Fortson frowned at the report. The losses had started to mount up. It was small compared to that forest debacle, but they were still destroyed. He looked up when the door to his office opened.

Wearing white masks with long hooked beaks and large goggles, a pair of inquisitors entered the room. Both had large, wide-brimmed, puffed black hats that concealed their heads and connected to the hoods on their long floor-dragging charcoal cloaks. Thick black pants and heavy boots peaked out from within their coats. Their gangly arms and gloved long fingers just peeked out of the sleeves. They separated to allow a tall man with grey hair and eyes enter; he had a contemplative and serene expression and smiled warmly at the Bishop.

"High Father Corvine," Fortson said, immediately bowing his head.

"Rise," Corvine gently stated. "I just completed my tour, impressive facility."

"Thank you, Sir. It's been fortunate that the mercenaries have not discovered us," Fortson allowed, wondering what had prompted this visit.

"You've shown care. None of the Assemblymen sent to attack those demons and mercenaries knew this place even existed. The surveillance has also narrowed their focus to the city itself," Corvine explained as he sat down in a chair opposite Fortson's desk.

"I knew that even the most loyal Assemblyman might..." Fortson raised his hand and gave a dismissive wave.

"Our enemy's methods are quite unholy. Your wisdom has kept this facility safe," Corvine said pleasantly.

"You have been gracious enough to approve my requests for more manpower, no doubt your appearance will hearten the men."

"It is good that they recognize my concern for their well being. Doubtless, they know what they face." Corvine studiously avoided looking at the papers on the desk.

"That is why things are different now," Fortson reminded.

"Yes, I've noticed the men waiting," Corvine mentioned offhandedly.

Fortson forced his smile to broaden. "It's all part of the plan. We know how they operate, but caution is in order."

"Yes, you can't just call them up or attack their base," Corvine noted.

"Well, that will happen... eventually." Despite his efforts, Fortson's eyes flicked to the two inquisitors flanking the door.

"Yes, a cunning second stage," Corvine seemed to allow. "You also have contingencies in case this trap has the same result as all the others," he idly mentioned leaning back in the chair.

Fortson paused. "I wouldn't dare use these men wastefully," he eventually allowed.

Corvine's eyes closed slowly. "I wonder. Is that because you are weighed down with the value of the lives of the men you control? Perhaps, it's because you've finally sated this morbid hobby of feeding demons? Personally, I think it's because of simple arithmetic."

"High Father?" Fortson ventured.

Corvine opened his eyes and smiled warmly. "Come now. You know you've exhausted your own men, and had to make your case to have more transferred. While this did not endear the other Bishops to you, the importance of your mission required their submission."

"My original orders were a simple recovery of two lost acolytes. The expansion to... to... wiping out a rival organization was unexpected." Bishop Fortson immediately regretted his words, but silence would be more damning.

Corvine nodded, his gentle smile never leaving. "Your loyalty was always your strong suit, and you've learned. As I've said you've handled this mission well... so far."

"Thank you, High Father," Fortson bowed his head and pondered. Corvine never stumbled with his words; he was always serene. "Does something, well, trouble you, High Father?" he asked, suddenly.

"Your concern is most welcome."

Fortson looked up and was shocked to see an almost genuine expression of joy on his superior's face.

"I am troubled," Corvine shrugged. "We seem to have underestimated things. Our supposed allies, organizations that should be working with us against monsters have turned their backs on us. All of them have started to fall towards evil, but what can you expect from mercenaries, papists, and atheists."

"We have always held the highest standards. We do not work with the impure," Fortson softly said. He knew a speech full of bravado and force, one that could rally, but right now it was useless.

Corvine rubbed his chin. Eventually, he gave a slight nod. "Yes, I'm glad you see things that way." He rose to his feet. "The aftermath of your plan will be quite delicate, but I'm certain you can handle it."

"Thank you," Fortson bowed his head again. "I will do my best to honor the Assembly of Man."

"Yes you will," Corvine amiably said as he left the room, followed by the two inquisitors. Preparations were being made, just in case.

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Nabiki rotated her wrist and the foot long blade flipped open. It had the same slight red tint as her sister's sword blade. It was an amazing improvement over the all steel prototype. She reached out and slid a piece of paper onto the blade and watched a sliver cut off of it. She turned the knife over and then tried the other blade. Unlike the short secondary "false" blade the main blade ran the full length of the knife and seemed to cut motes of dust that drifted onto it.

"It holds an edge fairly well," Master Nishina stated as he inspected a scabbard. He turned to a different demoness and glared. "You scratched it."

Nariko blushed, "I was sparring and Akane's claws came at me before I could draw."

Nishina relented. "It's not much damage. The coloration is off, but it can be anodized again, and these are supposed to be used." After putting on a set of protective gloves, he then pulled out the blade and started inspecting its length. "Any balance problems?"

"Nope."

Nodoka walked over. "I'm sorry, but are you saying it blocked Akane's claws?" The materials scientist immediately picked up the scabbard. "I know that typical niobium-titanium alloys have only above average resistance to the crystalline cleaving."

"There's no such thing as a typical niobium alloy," Nishina said as he continued his inspection. "How's the grip?" he asked Nariko.

"Good, the pattern keeps them from getting slick," the demoness said, eyeing her weapon.

Nishina nodded. He did not like using metal for the handle, but conductivity trumped aesthetics. He turned to look at the pair of folding daggers, even those were all metal.

"Did you put energy into the blade?" Nodoka asked as she relinquished the scabbard to Nishina.

"I was about to draw it," Nariko explained.

"Well, you're taking care of the blade itself," Nishina appraised, before returning the blade to its sheath.

"Thank you," Nariko said taking back her weapon and giving a small bow.

"I'd like to run some tests," Nodoka said, stepping up to her granddaughter.

Nariko looked down at the cradled sword. "Okay."

"Just don't break it," Nishina cautioned.

Nariko nodded as she and Nodoka went to the opposite end of the laboratory.

"Why didn't you put a spring in these?" Nabiki asked as she practiced flipping her blade open. There was a spot for the thumb to rotate them open, but there was also a mechanism that converted the correct rotational acceleration into an opening motion. The action was nearly identical to the test types that she had been practicing on before.

"Springs break." Nishina stated. "If your wrists are broken then you shouldn't be holding a blade."

"I suppose," Nabiki said as she flicked her thumb just as she flipped her wrist. The result was the heavy blade flicking out and locking into place.

"You'll get the knack." He smiled when Nabiki opened the weapon with her left hand. "Like that. Now are you certain you don't want wooden grips? If I use the right species and varnish, it will patina wonderfully from skin oils and other fluids."

Nabiki looked at the steel sections. They were rather plain, especially compared to the metal of her blades. "What do you have?" she asked, knowing full well that Nishina had only given her one of the knives.

"Well, American Hornbeam, Rosewood, Chloroxylon that one has a nice grain, but I'd recommend Cocobolo. It's a nice wood: fine texture, extraordinarily dense, very strong, very resilient to damage, moisture, and handling."

"Good qualities, I can see why one would use it for knife handles."

"Gun grips too," Nishina sighed. "But these days people want fancy composites. It's not a perfect wood. There are some downsides." He smirked. "You have to be careful, most people are allergic to its sawdust so you have to have a collection system if you're going to work it."

"How fitting," Nabiki dryly remarked. "So can you show me the one you put wooden grips on?"

Master Nishina smiled and pulled up a case. He opened it and handed a large silk-wrapped bundle. Inside was the twin to Nabiki's knife. Deep orange, almost golden, wood with darker irregular traces shined under a glossy, almost oily surface. She reached out and found the wood almost wanting to mold to her hands. With a little smile she flipped her wrist and the blade shot out.

"Now this... this is a handle worthy of its blade," Nabiki remarked looking at the entire two foot-long weapon.

"Yes, your grandmother is great at weapons, but she doesn't aim to give them a soul. Most of the time her brilliance has that happen anyway, but..." His voice lowered. "Sometimes, she needs help."

"You've already made the other grips haven't you?" Nabiki smirked.

"Making four twenty-five centimeter grips takes only a bit longer than making two of them," Nishina shrugged. "Besides, I figured you would want, something more expensive than just plain steel."

"The blades are priceless," Nabiki dryly remarked as she closed her knife.

"I didn't want you to be jealous of your sister's scabbard," Nishina innocently stated as he took the all metal knife and started to carefully remove the grips.

"No, I'm pretty sure you wanted to make pretty and lethal weapons." Nabiki leaned in and whispered into the weapon-smith's ear. "You know you're going to get a great big hug when you give me a matched pair?"

"The perils of my profession."

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An elegant woman with rich black hair sipped her cocoa, leaned back with a broad smile, and closed her eyes in pleasure. Eventually, she opened her eyes and focused on the woman sitting across from her. "So, how have you been, granddaughter?"

The other woman blushed slightly. "I've been doing well, contracts are up and, as you know, I'm a mother."

The elder demoness nodded. "And where are they?" she asked.

'They'll both be here soon, Grandma BlackSky," the brunette assured. There should be a few greats in there, but BlackSky insisted on just grandmother. "I must say I am surprised that you came here. Mother said you don't spend much time on Earth."

"And how is she?"

The younger woman chuckled. "Same old, same old, she still plays with demon hunters foolish enough to chase her," her hand went to the hilt of her sword in memory.

BlackSky raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well, I suppose it works out. Look how much you've learned, Yohko."

Yohko forced a smile. "Well, I'm no longer some broodling you know." She was about to mention that she had been a demon for ten years. but stopped. It would be meaningless; her grandmother could not even remember her own age to within a hundred years anymore. "I told you already; I'm a mother."

BlackSky put her mug down. "That's what I'm here about. Do you have a mate?"

Blushing, Yohko poked at her cup and looked out the cafe window and at the darkened street. "No... I never really found the right girl."

"Don't be embarrassed, sometimes it takes time to find someone," BlackSky gently said.

"Tell that to my daughters," Yohko joked. "So why did you ask? Playing matchmaker?"

"Would I?" BlackSky innocently asked.

"This wouldn't happen to do with those rumors I keep hearing? The ones that talk about a certain demoness returning across the Pacific? My clients have started making comparisons."

"That's the one. She's got a lovely family. Amazing mother, but-" BlackSky shook her head. "The poor dear doesn't have very much in the way of peers, and you're an older mother."

"I suppose I could try calling her," Yohko allowed. "Is she really a freelancer too?"

BlackSky nodded. "I talked with some very nice gentlemen when I was there. She seemed quite attached to them, but making deals with humans of that nature runs in the family, doesn't it?"

Yohko raised an eyebrow. "Really? I suppose there are worse allies."

"Like magical girls?"

"So those rumors are true too?" Yohko shook her head. "I knew there was less action in Tokyo, but..." she bit her lip. "Maybe I should go visit; my girls would love a vacation, and talking with some succubae their age would help." She sniffed the air and smiled. "There they are now," she said as the door opened.

Two succubae entered the room. One wore a very well-filled, frilly almost-pink dress with a lot of flounced detailing and ruffles. Her dress had black edging and was complimented by a black and pink choker and a ruffled black headband. Thanks to a puffed petticoat her dress came out to a wide circumference but it hardly made it to mid thigh. Her shapely legs were covered in a pair of pink stockings. Pink stud earrings were matched by a pink pearl necklace that nestled over her cleavage. Pastel pink lipstick and eyeshadow contrasted greatly with her pale skin. She carried a pink parasol with embroidered edges and a curiously thick lacquered handle and a porcelain doll in a matching outfit.

The other wore a plum yukata with a snowflake pattern, and had more subdued makeup that was still rather stark, given her complexion. The one in the dress had platform shoes and black ribbons tied her hair into a series of long curled spirals. The other wore more subdued but still elegant low heels, and had her hair styled more naturally and freely.

"Cute, their hair and dress colors are swapped," BlackSky remarked.

"That's them," Yohko got up and hugged her girls. "Please tell me you changed after the hit, Scarlet." She whispered into the ear of the more fancily dressed of her daughters.

"They didn't expect someone dressed like her," Scarlet's sister assured. "It was an easy job."

"Lovely name," BlackSky remarked picking up the one English word.

"It's a nickname, her full name means Scarlet wings, in our language."

"And of course they ended up red." BlackSky laughed. It was obvious that "our language" did not refer to Demonic Latin.

"She smells familiar, Mom." Scarlet shyly said questioningly, looking at the English speaking demoness.

"She's your great grandmother by several times, BlackSky," Yohko said as she led her daughters back to the table. "So the mission went off okay?"

"All gone," Scarlet's mate assured patting the other girl's stomach.

"Good, I'm proud of you girls. We'll talk later in more detail, but first -" Yohko then formally introduced her daughters to her grandmother.

"What does the other one's name mean?" BlackSky asked.

"Winter child," Yohko said after translating the question for her daughters.

"Lovely. I'm very glad I brought presents."

Yohko's daughters knew enough English to get excited at the last word.

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"What do you think the Senshi will do?" Eve asked her family as they sat in the commissary.

"Usagi should have us go in and take care of things," Misako stated as she poked at her breakfast. The meat was gone, leaving just some soggy pancakes.

"That's not what she's going to do," Ukyou stated after she sat down with a new fresh mug of coffee. She then handed a mug with tea to her mother and one with hot chocolate to Akane. "You still pouting?" she asked her mate

Misako nodded.

"I'm sorry you didn't get your normal ham; they had steak and eggs but you ate it all," Ukyou glared, at the put-off teen.

Snickering, Akane took a sip from her cup. "Thanks, Sis. Well, should we care what Akumi does?"

"Her plan is to control Usagi. Reports peg her as an insanely powerful magical girl. Useful to have," Ukyou reminded.

"Power's not everything." Misako's nose twitched, and she rose to her feet. "They put out more bacon, sausages too!" she happily cried as she left the table.

"Misako has a point. That's the Company's central doctrine. The correct application of force to defeat a more powerful enemy," Ukyou stated.

Eve raised an eyebrow, but continued eating.

"They finished my knives," Nabiki proudly stated as she put the twin weapons down on the table.

"Master Nishina and Grandma do lovely work," Nariko noted as she sat down.

"Shouldn't you two eat?" Ranma asked, as she looked over one of the knives. It had about the same weight as the prototype. "Heavy wood?"

"We already ate," Nariko assured.

"Yes, Nishina was dying to do some woodworking," Nabiki smirked.

"It is very pretty," Ukyou said as she ran her hands over the other weapon.

"Maybe I should have asked for wood on my gun," Misako noted, as she ate some sausages.

"I thought Sasha was perfect?" Akane teased.

"Well..." the green-eyed demoness blushed.

"You're the only one left, Akane," Nabiki smirked as she pulled her knives back and slid them into leather slings that connected to her belt.

"Wow, you can really conceal a pair of giant folding knives," Ukyou teased.

"It's no giant handgun." She turned to Nariko. "Or a full sword."

Ranma rubbed her chin. "Nabiki's got a good point. You sure you don't want anything, Akane?"

Akane shook her head. "I wanna be like you."

Ranma smiled broadly.

"There are few better people to emulate than your mother," Eve added.

The redhead blushed.

"Yes, Mommy really is the best." Nariko's eyes twinkled.

"Now that's too much." Ranma sighed but was interrupted by a ringing on Eve's phone.

"Captain Jarvis, here," the blonde answered, and listened briefly. "I see," she stood up and motioned to Ranma. "I think we should go to the command room."

"What's up?" Ranma asked her demeanor becoming serious. "This about Akumi?

"Probably not," Eve allowed. "Just before dawn, one of our patrols spotted an NH on our wanted list and trailed him. Surveillance scan came in, it looks like we may have found another enemy force."

"What pattern?" Ranma stood up and stretched.

"V. Going to make a morning operation interesting," Eve smirked.

Ranma nodded. "Girls, get your gear ready and wait in the motor-pool. Nabiki, are you comfortable with your blades?"

"I've been training with the prototypes," Nabiki assured.

"Good, Aunty Eve and I will talk with Jacob. Then we'll probably go."

Misako watched the two briskly walk out of the room. "So vamps, great. Disgusting sacks of trash. Over-dramatic morons bemoaning their undeadness."

"Well, we can kill a whole mess of them," Ukyou offered.

"They don't even taste good," Misako pouted. "Being all corpsified."

"She's got a point," Nabiki reluctantly agreed.

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"So no more succubus stuff?" Virgo asked looking Venus' form over with a critical eye. The horns, wings, and tail were gone. Though the gold features were still quite lovely, if cold and impersonal. She at least was a spirited sparing partner.

"A jest on Mistress Mercury's part," Venus said flatly.

"Be nice if you could still fly," Virgo grumbled as she looked at the bookstore's back door. A bare field separated the building they were perched on from their target.

"My wings are merely retracted," Venus stated.

"Okay," Shampoo chewed her lip. "Do your fancy eyes detect anyone in the shop?"

"Two life signs. One is wandering around the shelves another is at a counter."

"You can actually see inside there?" Shampoo raised an eyebrow.

"Energy signatures matched to the layout captured from when we surveilled from the front," Venus said with what Virgo could swear was a hint of pride.

"We'll go when the customer leaves." Virgo muttered.

"You're displeased?"

"No, stealing old books is just what I wanted to do." Virgo turned back to the frozen face. "Is this what you wanted for your first mission?"

Venus tilted her head, in seeming incomprehension.

Rolling her eyes, Virgo turned back to the book store. "Don't pretend around me. You're more than some goody-goody robot. You're a girl in a suit."

"This is me, the metal is my magic, it is... integrated," Venus stated, eye-slits blinking on and off.

Virgo frowned. "So, you like this?"

Venus paused, her eye-slits dimmed. "It is not without... pleasure."

Imagining the body-covering metallic suit Virgo coughed. "Right... least it doesn't slow you."

"The customer is leaving," Venus stated.

"Those eyes are handy."

"The Mistress' work is the best. Don't be jealous though. I'm certain she has plans for you as well."

Virgo shivered slightly and jumped off the roof. Her skills and her Senshi powers made it a trivial endeavor and as she summoned her swords she wondered why she felt that way. Venus' suit made her a better warrior. The whole reason she was serving Mercury was to get the power to destroy that demon. After applying a crystal to the door that Mercury said was needed to defeat the warding that protected it and freeze all the cameras in a twenty yard radius, she drew her swords.

The door sliced open and she rushed across the storeroom. The scent of dust and aging paper crept into her nose and slightly receded when she entered the front room. A portly balding man with a patchy beard stared at her slack jawed.

His expression became even more disbelieving and scared when the golden armor of Venus entered behind her. Sweat dripping down his brow, he started to chant but was cut off by a glowing blade that seemed to materialized at his throat.

"Shut up. Hands still," Virgo ordered.

The bookshop owner gulped but closed his mouth. He watched as the metallic woman locked the front door and drew the blinds. What had to be a gynoid or perhaps a golden golem turned and bored the red slits that passed for eyes onto him.

"Mr. Incognito, you recently spurned a most generous offer from an interested party," said a flat voice emanating from the golden golem, despite its frozen lips.

"I-" Incognito started but was cut off by more pressure from the sword at his throat. The girl was dressed absurdly, somewhat like the rumors that had been plaguing the city. At least he knew they were not involved with the Company. That organization cornered the market on "forbidden tomes" and was second only to the Vatican in the size of its library.

"Silence," Virgo reminded. Mercury had warned them about him.

"We do not require your life, but things will go faster with your assistance," Venus stated.

Incognito nodded slightly. He preferred not to read too deeply into his wares. He was simply a distributor. Of course he was quite careful as to what he sold to his customers. He liked repeat business, and that was hard to get if a buyer purchased a grimoire from him and then went mad and killed himself or someone else. He also liked avoiding prison or worse, so he was careful to whom he sold his books.

Along the way he learned enough to protect his wares and until today, his life.

"Do we have your assistance?" Venus asked.

Mindful of the blade poking his skin he nodded slightly.

"Good. I will give you the list of required books: All nine volumes of the _Revelations of Glaaki_, _Chronoscopic Travelers_, _Turba_ _Philosophorum _in the original text_, Cthaat Aquadingen _the Brownian translation, the full eight page pamphlet version of _On the Sending Out of the Soul,_ _Unaussprechlichen_ _Kulten_ in German, _Liber_ _Ivonis_ version of the _Book of Eibon_, and an unabridged copy of _Kryptographik_."

The bookshop owner stared. It was an... eclectic mix: a book of codes, one involving summoning beings from the deep, a pamphlet on... astral projection, and various other books on dark magic and history. He was impressed that no nonexistant books were asked for. He did make plenty of money selling "Necornomicons" that were just Sumerian gibberish.

No legitimate... hobbyist asked for books like that. Dabbling delineates on the other hand... They were people who read the publish claptrap written by that New England dandy and his cronies and asked for "Necronomicons", "Pnakotic Manuscripts", or "Dhol Chants".

Incognito did give Howard credit, much of what he wrote was... correct. It was like learning about POW camps by watching a comedy sitcom set in one.  
There was barbed wire and guards and prisoners, but the tone of everything was too sanitized. Something completely horrifying had been turned into... entertainment.

"Will you sell us these books?"

Blinking at the word sell, Incognito nodded again and looked down at the sword.

"Good, Virgo will escort you."

Virgo grumbled and stepped back enough to let him walk forward. She was hoping he would try something, and she would be able to kill him. Unfortunately, the sweaty, scraggly man was cowed into submission. A little force and he became happy to sell these books to them.

Standing at his side with her blade at his neck and, Virgo escorted him to the back room. This gave Venus the opportunity to plant her surveillance devices in the front room as well. The placing of a couple in the back room was what had delayed Venus' entrance.

Virgo could see why tracking this man's interactions was important to her Mistress, but she felt that killing him and burning the store to the ground would be a simple way to cover their tracks.

Perspiring, Incognito pulled the first couple of books off their shelves, and started unlocking the individual cases that contained the others. It was odd, they were not even asking for his rarest or most valuable books. Did they not know he had a copy of the _Celaeno_ _Fragments_, or that he had in a lead-lined box the first printed copy of _De Vermis Mysteriis_ commissioned by Ludwig Prinn himself, complete with margin notes and corrections to be put into the next version.

He pulled out a small wooden crate and started putting in the selections. The multiple volumes of the _Revelations of Glaaki_ took up a good third of it. Sighing, he dropped the thick, leather bound folio that contained one of his two original 1783, Salem printings _On the Sending Out of the Soul_. The folio contained the preserved pages in a sealed case and had an exact reproduction in the opposite pocket. It was an expensive piece, but he liked the composition.

"Nod if that's all," Virgo said, taping him on the neck

Incognito took stock and shook his head. He still had to get _Liber_ _Ivonis_ and the Friedrich von Junzt's definitive work on cults. He could have pulled off the common version that he kept on an open shelf out front, but he knew that these women wanted the undiluted, uncensored, original version.

Placing the final two books into the crate he closed it and used the complementary padlock that he kept with all purchases of a certain... caliber. He immediately raised his hand and offered the key to the purple-haired woman.

"So, this is all?" Shampoo asked.

Incognito nodded and found himself turned around. He saw that the golden figure had been standing in the doorway that separated the front and back rooms of the shop. It was completely still and looked indistinguishable from a metalwork statue, with a pair of red lights.

"The transaction is complete." Venus stated. A seam opened and the figure pulled from within the golden shimmering contents of her chest a full-sized bar of gold and placed it onto a workbench to her left.

Despite the blade at his throat, Incognito smiled. What would money matter to a being that could make a golem like that? Of course she did sound like a petulant teenager when she called, demanding those books. If real, that bar had to be at least ten kilograms. A bit above his asking price for those books, he guessed. More than enough to replenish his stock, and buy a few new items. He knew someone willing to pay quite handsomely for a _Testament of Carnamagos._ It would also allow him to put in some much needed security improvements.

Virgo noticed his eyes light up at the bar and laughed. Mercenaries were all the same.

Stepping over and picking up the crate, Venus turned to Incognito. "If the goods meet the Mistress' satisfaction we will do business again. Hopefully with less hassle."

Incognito nodded, and breathed a sigh of relief when the blade finally lifted away from his neck. He watched the two girls back out of the store and awkwardly close the broken door.

He gave a brief incantation and reactivated the wards, sealing the back door in the process. The cameras would have to be setup again, but they were not an immediate concern. Turing towards his workbench he wondered how they had defeated them, those wards were supposed to keep out any magic, human, or nonhuman. He sighed and chipped off a piece of the bar. It was certainly soft enough and looked real. The weight was also right.

He knew he'd have to do a full alchemical test on it. Not just to tell if it was real, but to make sure it was safe. At least gold was easy to exchange. He was still sitting on some difficult to fence diamonds that another client had paid him with.

As Incognito went to the front room and reopened his shop, he started humming. All in all it was a rather peaceful meeting. At least they were sane, and willing to pay. As to what they did with the knowledge that was none of his concern.

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A woman with brown hair that was tied behind her right ear and spilled down one shoulder sipped her coffee. Her patience had paid off. Geneva was a large city and it was only a matter of time before she found a place that brewed it properly, including the zhezva pot.

Her companion, a younger looking woman with much shorter hair, looked up. "How can you drink that stuff? It's got the grounds sitting right in the cup." she asked cutting open a wax-sealed envelope.

The longer-haired woman sighed and put her cup down into its metal holder. This cafe even had proper ones made out of glass. "Arisha, there comes a point in one's life when one has to take the time for the extra little pleasures."

"Da, that is why we're doing this." Arisha Dva said as she extracted a few papers from the envelope. The cover letter had been translated into a few languages. She immediately went for the original one and started reading. She always had a gift for languages, one which the Motherland had decided to use. "It's simple enough, A'deen," she said after finishing.

Galina A'deen frowned slightly "Oh? That sweating lawyer made it sound quite the challenge."

"The mission may be," Arisha explained waving a hand. "But the reasons behind it are simple," she passed a photo over to her superior.

Galina studied the image. Japanese with a rather good dye job. It did not seem worthy of her and her team. "Pretty girl. Revenge? Daughter of some minister, some businessman? "

"Doesn't say, but the letter does warn that she's got... abilities."

Taking another sip Galina considered the photograph. It was not the worst job they had taken, but the compensation was suspicious. "Just her? All nine for just her?"

Arisha pulled out two more photographs. Each had a group of school girls and each one was numbered. "There's instructions and information on each. In a little binder. Handwritten," she said flipping through it. Arisha paused and stared at the binder.

"What?" Galina's eyes widened. "Are you okay? We had just taken care of your-"

"I'm okay," Arisha assured. "It's... well, we always knew that the Japanese and the Fascists had their scientists working together."

Galina looked at the images. "Are you saying..."

"Why not? Just because the NSX Program failed doesn't mean-"

"We did not fail," Galina said icily.

"No, we performed beautifully," Arisha sighed. "But, that wasn't enough was it? The heads of the program, of our nation... they failed. And now..."

Galina nodded. It made sense. Project A had a huge impact on post-war research. Of course, the Japanese would have dabbled in it too. It seemed that they had hit the same "production" barrier too. "Now we've got a job to do."

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"We're not sure how many are at the location, but initial surveillance reveals a group of cabins, an old camp. So probably a medium flock of V's. We'll proceed with the quarantine and our teams will move in and clear the buildings," Eve said repeating the earlier briefing.

"Remember, these ones might not die in sunlight," Ukyou cautioned. "So, they could be ready for us."

The rest of the brood nodded. Undead patterns tended to have a hodgepodge of abilities and weaknesses. Ranma stretched out and leaned her head on the bulkhead of the APC. "We never did figure out the details of that last nest of vamps," she murmured.

"Alexia's brood was more pressing, and it's clear that the vamps went to ground," Eve shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised if they were feeding someplace well outside of the city, like Barrie. If they're smart they can pick a different small town every night, take teenagers, runaways. If they're careful, it would just be noise in the missing persons' stats."

"Yeah and if they were smart they wouldn't kill to feed," Misako reminded.

"Could be nice vamps," Akane suggested with a hardly concealed smirk. "I'm sure there's a reason for a known enemy NH and her buddies to lurk about here."

"Right," Nabiki shook her head. "Least we're getting out of school." Even if the battle was short there would still be plenty of work afterwards, likely the whole day would be shot.

"Yeah, I was going to try to tell Sam and Nami... something," Ranma shrugged her shoulders.

"Really? It was the parent-teacher thing wasn't it?" Nabiki asked.

Ranma nodded. "They're great, they know something's up and-"

"They're just waiting for you to tell them," Nariko said as she held her sword between her legs.

"Yeah. I can see it now," Ranma's voice rose from her normal low and powerful contralto tones to something cuter. "Hi guys! Well guess what, the reason there's all this weird stuff is because I'm actually a succubus that works for the government killing monsters. Oh yeah, the rest of our little clique consists of my demonic spawn, and I'm also the reincarnation of a demonic queen and my ancestors have tried to take over the Earth."

"They'd probably nod, and the one that was right would pay the loser." Misako smirked.

Ranma sighed. "Probably." There was a tingle in her mind. "Are we there yet?"

"No," Eve said tilting her head. "White check the scanner!" she ordered to the agent operating the NordStar system sitting next to the driver.

"Got a few really weak echoes. Maybe a-" White's response was cut off by an explosion in the vehicle ahead of them. "RPG! North side of the road!"

As Eve called command with the situation the driver in the convoy moved their vehicles but more rockets launched from the woods to the North. One hit the front of the brood's vehicle and Eve ordered them out. "We have wounded, that's our priority. Misako you clear the woods. Ranma, start taking them out at range. Rest help get the wounded off the south shoulder."

Ranma jumped out of the vehicle and put it between her and the North side. She could feel the Assembly patterns more clearly, but they were still quite weak. Looking around she could see more forest behind her and a squat two story brick building further up the road on the South side.

The redhead looked up to see two of the APCs were still firing the machine guns in their turrets. The men in their would also be calling base, so reinforcements would be coming, unless this was not the only ambush. She caught a glimpse of another missile streaking in and hitting just below the turret armor.

"They got all four vehicles!" White stated as he applied first aid to the gash along Stanford's arm. It and the break in his wrist happened when the steering wheel bucked up in the crash.

"Right, we'll split up the rescue then," Eve said. "Misako, Ranma, some suppressive fire please."

Misako eased around the edge of the truck and started firing Sasha into the woods. She raked the gun across the trees. Most of the grenades hit lumber, but they stopped more RPGs from being launched. A pair of DarkStar Bursts were then summoned to suppress things further.

"They're further up the hill more to the East, change ten meters left," Ranma said sensing through the DarkStar bursts. She then accelerated one of them and slammed it into a group of assemblymen.

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Nariko helped an agent pull out another body. The lead vehicle had been hit the hardest: the armor had failed and the blood was thick. Akane had been sent to watch the injured and get them to some cover off the road, while Aunty Eve had stayed behind in the second vehicle to make things out. She helped Lieutenant Patterson down and smiled weakly, at least his injuries were not too threatening.

She turned to see, Nabiki was leaning over two bodies. Henderson was obviously dead, the other... Nabiki tugged at his tags, but it was just a procedure. "Nariko! Over here, you're strong enough, right?"

Nariko jumped over and nodded. The increased gunfire reassured her. It was clearly HOG fire. She looked at Morrison and frowned, his vest had kept him from dying outright at least. He was unconscious but the D stamped into the metal was consent enough.

"Nariko go out and help, I can do it," Eve said stepping into the broken vehicle. Her eyes were bloodshot and tears had been on her cheeks.

Nariko nodded. "I can..." She saw the hurt in Eve's eyes.

"Wetherhold... declined," the blonde said tersely as she climbed over to Morrison. She gave a small nod and energy blossomed around her and Eve as the blonde sunk her teeth into him. A sudden group of explosions was ignored as Nariko fed Eve who then fed it to her new daughter. Eve smiled peacefully at the young demoness and then collapsed over her.

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From his position, Paladin Griswold could see the group of vehicles pass. His team had been given the warning earlier today and he had made sure his men were ready. He tensed up when their comrades attacked. It almost looked like the big vehicles would not stop but then among clouds of smoke they stalled and the demons got out. Some began attacking the diversionary team to the North while the rest scurried to other vehicles, they were soon followed by some mercenaries. Disturbingly some of them started to look to the South as well. Time was short. Especially given the high power of that one grenade launcher, but following the mission plan was the best way to help them.

"Concentrate on the redhead!" he shouted to his men as he kept watch on the lead demoness. Fire springing up around her body, her wings spread and she made a dash for the North side. "Now!" At his command eight men with rocket propelled grenades and three with heat seakers fired. Two missed and had their attacks hit pavement. The demoness turned and even managed to flare a bright aura. Just as the first rockets started to come in. Some were deflected, some were disposed of, the rest...

The explosions obscured the results briefly but Griswold soon saw the results. With the larger warhead on the heat-seeker, he knew he should have waited on them, but the results were good enough. The right half off the body looked like it was crushed and the left arm and left leg were ripped off. Most importantly the head was hanging on by a bare thread.

Given the damage, he weighed pulling back his men or telling them to fire a second volley. His indecision was cut short by a 40 mm grenade being shot through his window, followed by every other window and then the doors to the building.

"Misako! Stop firing," Ukyou yelled over the radio as she sprinted over to the abandoned building "Cover the back!"

Seeing the collapsing brickwork and smelling the gore, Misako raced around the building firing into the side as she passed it. Popping around the corner she saw a small squad trying to get into a truck that faced a wooded path and her aura immediately sprung out, ensnared the men, sucked them dry, and clawed at the newly blighted grass under them. She then turned to the rear of the building, twenty meters away. "There's nowhere for them to escape this way," she said over here radio. She saw a man poke his head out of the back door and launched a volley of grenades at him.

"I've got the front Misa-chan," Ukyou coldly assured to her mate's headset. "Just kill them all."

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In class, Usagi snapped to attention. "Ranma... oh God." It was a tenuous link, but she felt the connection to one of her Senshi... sever. She excused herself and ran to the bathroom. Gasping she looked at her reflection. Despair filled her, she had experienced this sensation plenty of times, but it did not ameliorate things.

Across town, Setsuna looked up from her notes and frowned. She did not expect something like this, not this soon. The princess was her priority, she had to make sure Usagi did not do something... rash.

In what was assumed to be a secure location, Mercury suddenly glared at her scanner. The burst of magical energy coincided with the feeling of death. "Orion, Kill everyone not a demon or WIC trooper."

"Are you sure we shouldn't wait-" Orion's interjection was cut off by a slap from her mistress.

"What for Virgo and Venus to return from their little bookstore mission?" Mercury glared. "Then it'll be too late. We go. Now." She grabbed Orion's unresisting hands and activated the teleport.

Suddenly appearing on a wooded slope, Mercury unfurled her tessen, and motioned for Orion to get behind her. The first thing that struck the pair was the smell of burnt powder, sulfur, blood, and pine trees. A constant chorus of gunfire was peppered by heavier explosions and the shrill screams of the dying.

"Sounds like the fighting is further down the hill," Orion could just make out a ribbon of road down the slope and see the plumes of smoke.

"Good, they'll probably try retreating through here." Mercury whispered coldly.

"So, we're going to avenge DarkStar?"

Mercury laughed for a couple seconds. "Oh no, not at all."

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Eve woke up at the shaking on her shoulders. She looked down and saw a slim woman in ill-fitting armor and uniform peacefully sleeping in a pool of blood, waste, and organs. A connection more powerful and direct than any she had experienced pulled her to the newborn demoness. Folded under her were greenish-blue wings and her hair seemed to be a similar shade.

"We've gotta get out of here." Nariko said, thankful that Eve had not been out for long.

Eve nodded and scooped up her... daughter, intensifying the connection.

Nariko drew her sword and hopped out of the broken vehicle. She first saw the brick building up the road progressively turn to a pile of rubble. Just before the last bit collapsed a dozen of disheveled men clambered out. "Like rodents from a stricken vessel," she muttered before leveling her sword. A Lightning Devastation attack trimmed their numbers as she ran in and closed the distance.

Nariko saw her blonde sister raise her weapon. Each shot took one side of the group while Nariko went for the center. Unsurprisingly, the agents firing on the building stopped, but surprisingly the Assemblymen did not even bother to raise their weapons. They stared transfixed with frightened eyes and were slaughtered. Only a couple ran away, the rest stared with uncomprehending horror as Nariko's sword did its work.

The two that ran were shot by Ukyou as the blonde emerged with a tiny little smile. She wobbled slightly but leaned over to hurriedly and horridly feed on her kills. Misako bounded from the other side of the building and rushed to her mate.

"You didn't say it was going to hurt you like this," Misako whined as she hugged her stricken mate. "You said they were already scared out of their minds."

"Misako, Ukyou, on your feet," Nariko ordered as she still sucked in energy from her kills. "Eve's got a new spawn. We're not losing anyone else today."

Ukyou stood and sniffed. She had been with Nabiki when they went to the trail vehicle. At least the casualties from that had been stable enough, and then there was mother...

"Close up the perimeter," Eve ordered into her headset, as the group crouched down and went to the shoulder behind the brood's vehicle. A drainage channel on the side of the road provided a makeshift trench and triage station. Some of the agents had positioned themselves in the forest behind them, just in case.

"Support's en-route, will be here in a few minutes, Ma'am," Lieutenant Patterson said as he knelt down.

"Good," Eve put down Morrison and smiled despite herself. "The rocket-teams were taken out but it sounds like the diversionary group's still active."

"If you're doing the D program, we've got someone in bad shape." Patterson motioned to the casualties. Most were able to hold their weapons and were actually firing. The few that the surviving medic was tending to were much worse.

"We've got only one left with D," Agent Trenton, the medic, stated as he gave more painkillers. "I was hoping Red would get to Graham but... Thankfully you're here. The other two, he came to me unconscious and she's not that bad."

Agent Lytle slowly shook her head while whispering. "No thanks."

"I'll take over here," Eve stated as she kneeled next to the gasping man.

Noting that Misako was wearing her energy storage earrings, Nariko ordered her to go over and help Eve. She then turned back to Patterson. "Where's Akane and Nabiki?"

"They're with a squad we scrounged up recovering the body. They insisted." Patterson shivered, something... strange was going on over there. The Assembly had reduced their attacks and was obviously trying to regroup. Akane was certain that the loss of their friends in that building had demoralized them.

"Glad that you listened," Nariko said giving the officer a hug. "Once they get back we'll take out the enemy. You guys can cover us and guard the wounded. How's it going, Akane?" she asked over her headset.

"Angry, very angry," Akane stated as she watched the blood around the body... boil, in greater and greater intensity.

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Mercury froze another fleeing man and shattered off a leg before Orion lunged in and stabbed the fallen man in the chest. A tall man in a cloak holding a pair of long blades suddenly appeared and ran up to them. He threw them at both girls and both parried. One better than the other. Orion's deflection was less complete and the blade sliced through her right am and got stuck to the hilt.

Successfully blocking his knife, Mercury fired a blast of freezing ice and was shocked when the man leaped over it and flipped out another pair of blades.

"I don't know who you're working for but this isn't a game little girl," Father Pierce laughed as he slammed into Mercury's tessen, almost knocking them out of her hands.

Mercury gritted her teeth and with her spare hand launched a barrage of razor sharp icicles into the man's chest. He leapt back in surprise, and she smirked, most of them had pierced his armor.

He threw another blade and Orion was barely able to block away from that one. Smirking, he stood to his full height revealing that his chest had healed. "For the life of me, I can't see why my comrades had such a problem with you girls."

Mercury glared and fired another blast that was nimbly dodged. Pierce came in and stabbed forward nearly cutting her neck. "It's just luck that you ran into some scared acolytes first. One of my Paladins could take you out before you even saw him," he taunted as he danced around Mercury's attacks.

"You're the one playing," Mercury sneered as she jabbed forward with her tessen. "Don't you care that your men are being slaughtered?"

Pierce laughed and dodged an abortive stab by Orion. "I care that they're actually pulling back. We actually did it. That demon bitch is gone."

Mercury's smirk grew. "Oh?"

"I saw it, myself. She was blown apart. Her head's gone off, her chest is jelly, road kill. Shame about the South Team, though."

Mercury laughed. "Oh and now you think, what... that you can kill me and your men can melt into the forest?" she asked as she dodged his attacks. She wondered how Ranma could do it. These bastards could heal way too fast.

Pierce simply smiled, and renewed his attack. He slammed his blades down and had them just barely countered by her fans.

"You took off her head? Broke her body? Destroyed her heart maybe?" Mercury laughed. "That might have worked against any other demon, but not her."

Pierce blinked and felt a screeching noise rush over his being.

"I think she's pissed," Mercury used his distraction to stab him in the neck. Pierce pulled back and frustratingly the rapidly bleeding gash started to heal before her eyes. She raised an eyebrow at his shock. "You regenerate yourself and are _surprised_ when other people do it?"

Down on the roadbed the writhing blood shot back into the body and began to twist and shape. Earrings shimmering, her head snapped back into place as black and violet tendrils started to form around her body and ooze about the pavement as it lifted up and began to solidify. Missing chunks initially started as inky black shadows that began to solidify.

Knowing the demon was weakened, an enterprising Assembly sniper decided to fire, and hit her in a mostly reformed chest. The feeble violet shield did not protect her vulnerable flesh and a gigantic hole was torn through her body. The demon's eyes snapped open and a pair of DarkStar bursts appeared in her shadow-wreathed hands and launched at the man, seeking their goal. Her wings spread and she shot off up the mountain. She was hungry, and could smell plenty of food

The assemblyman got off another shot, this one went higher and tore out part of her shoulder. The wound was quickly filled with shadows. The demoness found a group of fleeing men and tore into her prey. There was no martial arts, no moves, no finesse. She ripped into them and began to feed. Two tried to raise rocket launchers but found their arms and feet cut off by thick purple beams. They tried to crawl away but could not get very far before a more solid demoness descended onto them.

By now much of the brood and a detachment of agents had commenced the counterattack and started going up the hill.

One retreating group of assemblymen was surprised to find a small demoness carrying a pair of blades that looked about half her height suddenly appear right in front of them. The more observant in the group noticed another demon behind her.

Their shock was short lived as she pounced and the redish blades cut open their throats. Some fired and managed to wound her, but it did not hinder her. It was not stealthy or quick as they gurgled and died, but the battle was well beyond that point.

"Icicle Parade!" Nabiki shouted as she shot explosive ice shards into the remaining men. One had actually managed to dodge and pull out a pair of Assembly blades. Behind her Akane sidestepped and used her explosive shadows to get any of the stragglers.

Nabiki laughed and readied her blades. He managed to parry her first blow but was pulled back when he noticed her knives started to sink into the edge of his swords. She then spun down and used one knife to parry him while slicing across his outstretched foot with the other.

His foot healed but he found himself off balance. Finding one of the knives thrown at his head he put up his blades and managed to block. Unfortunately the momentum of Nabiki's knife was still enough that the end of the knife hit and broke his nose.

Worse, it left his midsection open and Nabiki ran the other blade diagonally across his chest, sticking it in its full length. Nabiki giggled and began to feed. Akane knelt down and had a brief snack herself.

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Much further up the hill, Mercury's smile broadened, at the pained screams. "I told you, she's coming."

"It doesn't matter," Pierce said as he stabbed forward. Once he got past this girl he could escape and be part of the next attack.

"Oh? Got another attack planned then?" Mercury asked. That made sense, especially if all this was just to kill Ranma. She smirked; she knew what she could do for DarkStar. She flipped her tessen and cast a wider spell. Ice shot out around her coating everything other than Orion in an eight meter radius in a thick layer of ice.

Her mirth died when cracks formed around the Father and in an explosion of ice he broke through the frozen prison. "Should have just killed me," Pierce grumbled as he flexed his hands. He ran up and kicked towards Mercury while making a sideways stab.

Mercury blocked with her tessen and sidestepped... to allow Orion to stab forward with her staff. The bladed weapon went through the assemblyman's chest and popped out the other side.

Pierce dropped his blades and tried to pull the weapon out of his chest. He gasped when he found ice creeping around his hands and screamed when the tendrils started to spread and burrow into his flesh.

Mercury removed her finger from the staff and shook her head. Another spell froze Pierce's boots to the ground, and once again instead of a mere encasement the ice wormed through his feet.

"This healing ability is very convenient." Mercury said after making sure that Orion was firmly holding the staff. "The blade missed your heart so I don't have to worry about that, and unless you rip your hands and feet apart, you can't escape."

Mercury stepped a bit down the hill and cocked her head. "Wow... it's starting to quiet down. Guess no one else's making it out." She then noticed a shadowed figure moving down below her. Mercury could hardly make it out as it bounded between the trees, what she could see was the lethal efficiency. Everytime the demoness moved she killed. Those that tried to fight her died the quickest, but even they were... artistically dispatched. Mercury did not need much detail to tell when a person was torn apart.

Once the carnage was over she gave a little wave. It was best to be pleasant. The demoness noticed and with a few flaps of her wings closed the distance. "Hello, Mercury." Ranma smiled, showing her teeth.

Mercury looked at the gore streaked demonic Senshi and took a moment to compose herself. The effects of DarkStar's fighting style were... vivid and assaulted her nose. Under the gore was the expected and abbreviated leather uniform. Violet eyes bored right through Mercury, and deep, deep crimson hair spilled down the demoness' back and seemed to twist and writhe.

"What are you doing here?" Ranma asked looking around and seeing the collection of frozen corpses and one not as frozen or dead.

"I heard some shocking news. Some bad people tried to kill you." Mercury shook her head. "And then some of them tried to run away when the big bad demon just got angry at their tricks."

"Really?" Ranma dryly remarked. She could feel her family, so that was okay, and the fighting had quieted down. "And who's this?" she asked, walking up to the frozen father.

"Just a little present," Mercury stated innocently. "He was running away right at the start." She put a hand in front of Ranma.

The redhead looked down at the hand in front of her and raised an eyebrow. "What? He's in quite a bit of pain. Nice job on holding him. Did he give you much trouble?" Ranma teased.

"I've kept him on ice so you can eat him later. However, he was bragging about his plans. I think the Assembly's got something else in mind."

Ranma's smile warmed. "It's nice to see that you're a sensible girl. Eve will really enjoy this." She moved her hand to her ear and frowned. "Damn... I lost my headset."

"Probably around the time you got your head blown off," Mercury remarked.

"It didn't come off all the way. And how did you know that?"

"Senshi powers, we can sense when one of us dies. Course, I knew that wouldn't stop you. It was then easy to find the big explosion."

"And you decided to come and help," Ranma shook her head and walked up to the silent Assemblyman. "Guess your little plan didn't work." Ranma forced a smile and turned away from him.

"I'll be right back," the demoness said as she took off down the hill aiming for the closest friendly unit.

"Did it work?" Orion asked.

"We're still alive," Mercury muttered.

They watched as Ranma ran back up the hill. "Okay girls, can you move him without killing him?"

"It'll hurt like hell, but his regeneration will take care of it," Mercury appraised. She then cast a spell that lifted his feet out of the ground and added ice to keep him from thrashing.

"Good."

The trio then started to laboriously move the body down. As they got further down the hill the damage increased. Most of the trees had fire and bullet damage and every dozen yards was a different pile of broken corpses. Every time they met up with a brood member the little demoness insisted on hugging her mother which stopped the procession.

Mercury tried to keep her composure, but the mundane nature of the brood and agents disturbed her. About halfway down a group of agents had run up with a litter that made moving the prisoner much easier, though Orion's staff was still in the way.

Eventually, the litter was carried entirely by agents while the demonic and rogue Senshi watched. They reached the road and found a mess of company vehicles both damaged and fresh. A helicopter orbited above them and more agents marched about. The normal practice of quarantine and cleanup had started.

One of them ran up to Ranma and gave her a quick hug. "Hi Kas," Ranma said after the embrace. "You're out here?"

"I'm just happy you're okay. The reports..."

Ranma nodded. "What's the total? I know my girls are okay," she could actually feel more than the normal six. "but..."

Behind her balaclava Kasumi frowned. "We've got eighteen casualties. Half aren't too serious, the serious one have already be evaced. Six KIA."

Ranma turned to the prisoner. "I see."

"It could have been worse. Captain Jarvis..."

"The D program," Ranma stated. She could feel them. She turned to see Eve slowly walk out of an idling APC. "Two?"

"Yes, Morrison and Graham," Eve gave a weak smile.

Ranma ran up to her and gave her a hug. "But... you're too young."

"Did that stop you?" Eve asked. "Anyway, your girls helped me a lot." Captain Eve Jarvis straightened up. "I heard you have a prisoner you'd like me to interrogate?"

"Yes, apparently he knows what their plan is," Ranma smirked.

"Bring him to the vehicle. We can do it in back." Eve crisply ordered the agents carrying the litter.

"Wanna watch?" Ranma asked Mercury. "It's very informative."

"I guess." Mercury looked to see the man being lifted into the interior of the APC and start to be tended by a medic while Eve started a recorder and began to flex her fingers.

"Sudden remorse Mercury?" Ranma smiled coldly. "These bastards just killed a bunch of my friends. They were trying to kill me, my children and everyone I care about. I don't mind doing what it takes to stop monsters like this. Do you?"

"I'm the one who captured him."

Ranma narrowed her eyes. "That's why I haven't kicked you out. You tried to help us. I can respect that."

"I'm still loyal to our queen," Mercury reminded.

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"How're they doing?" Ranma asked as she looked at the sleeping forms of Eve's daughters.

The new brood mother gave a slight smile at the two young women on either side of her. "They'll be okay." Her expression hardened. "It's time for the debriefing?"

"Almost," Ranma's eyes widened. "Oh man... I've gotta call Usagi."

"You didn't call her yet?" Eve raised an eyebrow and moved her arms to better hold her spawn.

"Things have been hectic," Ranma shook her head and walked to the phone in one corner of the empty barracks room. After getting the communications officer, she connected to Usagi's apartment.

"Uh... yes?" Usagi asked in a very hesitant voice.

"Hey it's me, Ranma. Calling to say I'm fine. Heh, guess Mercury didn't call you, figures. She refused to come here, I can see that. She wouldn't be caught dead in a jammer-net."

"Oh... yeah I felt that. I fell onto the bathroom floor," Usagi mumbled. "So you're okay? Mercury, what happened?"

"Ambush, lotta good people killed. Mercury actually came and helped. Captured the enemy leader." Ranma brightened. "Anyway, sorry for scaring you, gotta go. I need to kill a lotta people." Despite Usagi's confused protests Ranma hung up and turned to her sister. "Wanna go?"

"Sure" Eve gently poked the blue-green haired demoness. Morrison slowly opened her eyes and looked at the blonde officer and immediately nuzzled into her side. "Momma... Ma'am?" Morrison asked her eyes confused. She looked down at the dog-tags that dangled over her neck. She suddenly remembered the explosions, seeing Andrea get knocked over with... him as the vehicle stopped, and then... nothing.

Morrison's mouth worked experimentally as she realized the body she was happily leaning against "I'm..."

"Agent First Class Morrison," Eve said as she turned to wake up her other daughter. Morgan's eyes opened quicker and immediately locked onto her mother. "Wow..." she whispered.

"Come on girls," Eve ordered as she had the two stand up and looked them over. Morrison had not lost much height and was still a rather tall woman. Graham on the other hand was rather short and had lost enough height to where she was only a few centimeters taller than Ranma. They were handed some female dress uniforms, which showed off the figures of the expected caliber.

"How bad?" Morgan asked after she finished buttoning up. The skirt was odd but she knew better than to question mother, even if she was not her mother and just Jarvis. She briefly smiled at her page-boy length coppery red hair. It at least looked better than the last time it had gotten longer than a buzz. Looking at her reflection, she angled her body and was... impressed.

"It's up to seven. We lost one in surgery." Eve frowned. She did not like it, but people did have the right to choose.

"It's only us?" Morrison asked as she put on a sidearm. She noted one upside; her guns were going to get much bigger shortly.

"Henderson died before we could get to him and Gordon didn't get hurt," Eve stated, listing the other two D program members on the mission.

"What about Andrea... Mom?" Morrison asked a bit hesitantly.

"Mom works in private." Eve clarified. "Lytle? She'll pull through."

"The enemy?" Morgan asked putting on her own sidearm. She was wondering where her rifle had gone and was more than a bit curious.

"Some... surprising reinforcements came and blocked their escape. After Ranma reformed, it quickly became a rout," Eve said as she opened the door out of the barracks room. A pair of agents standing guard at the door watched the quartet of demonesses leave.

"Keep a watch on them," Ranma leaned over and whispered to her sister. "They're still shocked. Ukyou was like this when she first turned."

Eve nodded.

"It was an ambush. Aunty Red was the target," Morgan concluded.

Eve nodded and lead the pair into a conference room. The Commander and the Colonel were there as well as Lieutenants Tendo and Patterson and Major Saotome. Captain Jarvis and her daughters saluted and took their seats.

"We've gone over the recording from your interrogation, Captain." Jacob stated. "Miss Mizuno's help was quite fortuitous."

"It gives us an option for the next step yes," Eve tersely agreed as she held her girl's hands.

"The Assembly obviously feels that open war with us is a fair price for assassinating Miss Saotome," Commander Stillwater noted. "The manpower alone to do this..."

"The prisoner noted the necessity of having two teams, and even gave the base camp for the Diversionary, Northern team. It was a fair plan. Have one attack sure to force us to stop and engage them. Then once Red is drawn out, eliminate her with a second team. In that respect it did work. They even had preplanned escape routes. They didn't intend to stay and fight us. This whole ambush is just phase one for a larger plan." Eve concluded.

"I'd argue that the real phase one was them spying on us enough to learn our routes and timetables." Jacob remarked. He then looked at the transcript of the interrogation. "If I'm reading this correctly they discovered the Pattern V nest first and used it as bait. They knew that we'd eventually find it and it was far enough away that this was the most likely road we'd take." He flipped the transcript back to it's first page.

"Yes, Sir." Eve nodded.

"This Father... Pierce. He wasn't supposed to know the next phase was he?"

"No, Sir." Eve shook her head. "He was almost... proud to have gotten the information out of his superior. He seemed quite confident that the next phase would kill us all."

"A massed assault on a Company base," Jacob frowned. "It would explain the decreased activity the AOM has been having, in addition to having lost so many man before today."

"Many of the known safe houses and training bases have emptied," Stillwater sighed. "Captain, you took care of this man. Did it sound like he was being lied to? That his bosses were just giving him some story to make him feel he might survive?"

"He sincerely believed it, and he did have his men prepare escape routes." Eve looked around the room. "This was the most organized AOM action we've seen yet. I don't buy that it's just a plan to kill Red. No, the Assembly feels that WIC is building a demonic army."

"I'm sitting across from some pretty strong evidence that they're right," Major Saotome dryly noted.

"Yes, they've planned more, and we don't have much time. If they haven't started the next phase they will any moment now."

Stillwater paused for a second. "Agreed. Mission approved."

"That's it?" Ranma questioned almost rising from her seat. "You agree with all of my plans?"

"Yes. Why is there a problem Miss Saotome? You helped come up with this plan," Jacob had gotten Miss Saotome's note and agreed with her. "I'd rather kill them on their doorstep than on ours."

Jacob smiled and activated a wall display showing a map of the area with a few pinpoints. There was a single red blip immediately due West of Algonquin Provincial Park "The first helicopter is already on route, and the HIMARS vehicles and their escorts have already left. It was clever to put their base far enough North to escape our sensors, but now we can try netting them."

"No statements to keep me from going off doing something stupid?" Ranma asked looking at the assembled officers.

"It's not like we'd try to stop you." Stillwater shrugged. "Or would want to. Your plan sends a distinct message. Captain Jarvis and her... girls can escort you to your transportation. We'll tell you as soon as we get confirmation."

"Thank you," Ranma bowed and left the room to get to the waiting helicopter. She was then followed by the other succubae.

"Patterson, Tendo, you two know your responsibilities, get the rest of the brood in and net anyone that manages to get out. Complete clean. No prisoners. Patterson, you're senior, take charge." Jacob ordered. "Do not. I repeat do not enter that facility. If they've got half a brain they'll have booby trapped the whole base. Dismissed."

The two Lieutenants nodded and left to get with the rest of the troops. Kasumi still had her men, but Patterson's had been reduced to just him and Stevenson.

"I hope the Assembly hasn't left their base yet," Major Saotome muttered.

"We're moving as fast as we can. Father Pierce said that the next attack was going to take place at night." Jacob shook his head. Of all the lunacy. "Major you should go with Eve and her spawn."

"They're not going on the mission are they?" Nodoka surmised.

"Miss Saotome decided that two newborn demonesses would be a liability in battle, and that Jarvis herself would be too drained and distracted. I agreed with her," Jacob said.

"They would benefit from a family presence," Stillwater added.

Nodoka nodded and a smile grew on her face. "Sergeant... Graham, she's a sharpshooter right?"

"Yes she is; perhaps a visit to your lab would be beneficial to them," Jacob agreed.

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"We're not going!" Morgan said with a hint of a whine escaping. "I'm ready."

"No, you're not. None of us are." Eve stated as she watched Ranma's helicopter leave. "Your Auntie's right."

"Our friends get to go," Morgan murmured as the trio went back to the elevator and began to descend back into the subterranean base.

"Language," Eve hissed.

"Morgan's right Mom. We're fine," Morrison said before they went through a security checkpoint. The new species of the two agents caused a brief delay that was resolved by the calling of another officer.

"Oh good, you three didn't leave. I was worried about that," Nodoka said as she looked at two new... grandkids.

"Major can you tell Mother that we're good to go?" Morgan pleaded. "I don't need to be too active. At least let mother go!"

"Yeah, we can stay with you," Morrison offered, as the quartet snaked through the corridors.

"They make a good argument," Eve allowed, smiling broadly.

Nodoka spun around. "Oh no, I've spent too much time around demonic grandkids to be played like that." She opened the door to her lab. "Both my eldest daughter and commanding officer have ordered me to keep you three out of trouble."

"That seems hardly necessary," Eve started.

"Don't make me pull rank." Nodoka said as soon as she got the demonic trio inside. "I do have some ideas on what we can do." She frowned when the two newborns sullenly slumped on her lab couch. There was one sure way to cheer up sad succubae.

"You two have very pretty hair, and you've got your mother's eyes Morgan," Nodoka smiled.

Morgan who until today had brown eyes blinked. She looked down at her slim hands and shivered. "Mommy..."

"It's okay," Eve said reaching around her shoulder. The blonde looked over and saw Morrison about to cry as well. "You'll be okay."

Nodoka frowned. "Would you like to talk about weapons, then?" She then stood up and moved in to join in the group hug. As this happened she made a note to get out the large mirror. These girls needed some help adjusting.

End Chapter 19

Once again, I'd like to thank my pre-readers. They read through my most egregious mistakes so you don't have to. DGC, J St C Patrick, Terra, Pale Wolf, Wray, Kevin Hammel, Ikarus, and Jerry Starfire.


	22. Chapter 20 Retain and Retrian

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Josh Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.

http://jtemple. website Temple of Ranma's Senshi as always is wanted.

Chapter 20 Retain and Retrain

To: General Anderson Operations Centre 01

From: Colonel Jacob Edwards WIC Toronto

On this date, elements of the Assembly of Man ambushed a WIC convoy enroute to a Pattern V nest. There were 7 agents KIA and over 26 AOM. Given our contractors, exact count of enemy casualties will take some time. Speaking of them, Miss Saotome was the intended target. Attached information indicates the advancement of her regeneration. The weapons created by Master Nishina and Major Saotome performed well and proved pivotal in the combat.

The D program saved the lives of two agents. They will be put under Captain Jarvis' direct command. She had fought well and did not falter. I believe that she will be a good core for a possible new unit being formed from this program. Miss Mizuno also assisted and helped with the capture of Assemblyman that gave us the location of their base, which is currently under surveillance. Her risk is being evaluated.

As per your earlier orders, long-range assets have been released and will be used in the counter attack. That operation is currently commencing. Miss Saotome has agreed to spearhead this mission while our forces maintain the quarantine.

This seems to be the culmination of the recent AOM surveillance. Once they learned enough about our movements, they would strike, and attempt to eliminate our "demonic advantage". Following that, they would attack in force. Our operation will counter this.

As mentioned before, Miss Mizuno is quite busy. Her recent abduction and transformation of Miss Aino into a "golden succubus Senshi" has prompted Miss Tsukino to hire Miss Saotome and by extension WIC. This schism in the Pattern Silvers has given us a favorable position.

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"May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't."

"Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men."

-General George Patton

Ranma flew just above the trees. The helicopter had let her off and she had to wait just long enough. To her relief the first helicopter on the scene had found a huge Pattern A signal in the suspected location. It was rough but they did not dare let the helicopter get any closer than necessary; it was enough to get targeting coordinates.

The Blackhawk that had dropped her off went back to sweep the areas to the South of the base. There was still a chance that the Assembly had left for their attack and that this was just a decoy.

"HIMARS is almost in range," Maya Iverson's voice said into Ranma's headset. She could now just see the base. It was active, her senses were quite clear on that. "I can see it now, and I can smell the bastards. Lots of them, right on some mountain, wow... how arch-villain can you get. It's a wooden building on top. Pretty large. I dunno if they've had time to dig into the hill." The redhead smiled cruelly and circled back a bit. She did not want to arrive first.

Just under twenty-two miles to the South a blocky green truck pulled off to the side of the road. In addition to the two APCs guarding it, the truck was ugly and skeletal enough to have to be military in nature. As soon as it stopped the large box on its bed angled up and opened.

The truck was a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, and carried one MLRS six-pack, half the capacity of its treaded and larger cousin the M270. Moments after it stopped and the box angled to the proper position a pair of 227 millimeter diameter and 3.94 meter long missiles shot out of the Multiple Launch Rocket System block.

As the pod rotated back into back into position the truck started to accelerate and pulled back onto the road. It had been stopped for less than a minute before resuming its motion.

Back near the mountian, Ranma could just make out the streaks coming in from overhead. She idly wondered what Jacob had done to get approval for these things. Fins on each of the missiles guided them to slightly different locations. Each rocket contained over two hundred pounds of high explosives and was fused to explode upon impact Both struck the monastery on the summit which was blown apart by the pair of large explosions.

Ranma's enjoyment at the explosions and the reduction in life she could sense was interrupted by Maya. "What's the status?"

"They hit," Ranma said as she flew in. "Top building's gone. Can still sense 'em, they've probably burrowed in. Maybe around the mountain too." She adjusted her wings and was shocked to see movement on the East side of the hill. "I'm seeing some guys, and cuts into the mountain to the east. Big clearing." Ranma was miles out but could see them moving around, like ants out of a knocked-over nest.

"We suspected that's where their vehicles are, firing another volley. Stay clear." Maya's even voice stated.

Ranma landed on the upper branches of a tree and strained her vision. It was not a long wait. Three missiles came over came over and split apart well above the clearing and burning mountain. By straining her eyes she could make out what had to be hundreds of little objects.

Her smile broadened as nearly two thousand bombs exploded around the mountain. Each one had a fairly simple seeker in it which adjusted its own fins to give some guidance. Each one tried its best to find something warm to kill. A parade of explosions ripped through the trees, destroyed outbuildings and vehicles, and slaughtered men. Whether they were trying rescue people from the monastery, get to their vehicles or simply figure out what happened was immaterial.

Soon enough the sounds of the explosions died away and the sounds of fires, secondary explosions, and screams became obvious. Despite her stealth, the succubus whistled The fires nicely complemented the reds and oranges of the quickening sunset. "Maya, that'll do."

"Is anyone alive?"

"Yeah, I guess they had enough time to make a few bunkers. Specs did say there were some tunnels here already.," Ranma laughed. She could _smell_ maybe half of what was there originally. "I'm going to start the next phase," she said as she took off and flew towards the burning base.

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Once the rattle of explosions stopped Father Oswald pulled up his head. "So who's left?" he asked looking around the concrete room, and frowned at the widening cracks. Most of the tunnels had been built in here to support the old mine below them, but now...

"B, C, and G groups are okay. I can't raise anyone in the monastery or outside," an acolyte at a radio said.

Oswald sighed. "Send a team to look at what happened by the main entrance. But be careful. I don't know what the hell did this."

"What about the top?" a paladin asked, leaning on his gun.

Father Oswald laughed. "Those first explosions, that's what. Everyone go to the armory. Get heavier loads." He rubbed his eyes. "We'll send a team to the number three tunnel. If it's clear we'll leave through that."

"No," a stern voice said from the passageway that once lead to the surface building. Bishop Fortson stepped into the room flanked by the High Father's Inquisitors. For once he was glad for their presence; they were the ones that had rushed him down into the mountain.

"Sir, we've lost a third of our men, at least. No one's responding from the outside," Oswald shook his head. "We've got to regroup, and then get out of here."

Fortson glared. "That's not feasible. We will not run; we cannot run. This is the best place to choke them. We knew there would be reprisals, and this is their cowardly answer." Fortson grinned at the assembled men. "This is the best they've got. They'll have to come into this mountain if they want to take us, and that is where we hold the advantage. You're correct. Go to the armories and secure all the entrances. Once they get into the tunnels, we'll destroy them."

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Ranma landed close to the edge of the cluster bombing. Destroyed vehicles, broken bodies, and burnt weapons were spread before her. Ranma smiled and moved past the ruined outbuildings, which were connected by a series of trenches and machinegun nests. Shadows crawled about, dancing under the burning wreckage; the demon's smile grew and she studiously avoided any unexploded ordinance. Everything was ravaged and the few survivors Ranma found on her way were impolitely dealt with. "Maya, tell those rocket-guys I owe them a few beers," Ranma whispered into her headset.

She looked up at the steel entrance to the underground tunnels, it had a slight roofed overhang which gave it some protection. The train tracks built into the ground seemed to indicate that this was once a mine. "I'm going in, radio silence," Ranma said as she jumped over the door.

The entrance had survived well, and she could smell that people had survived inside. If they had any sense they would cover the door and be ready for a demon to burst through.

She landed on the slope above the entrance where she found a likely spot. The ground had cracked and started to collapse around what was once an air vent. She sliced off the vent cap and fired a pair of DarkStar Bursts that looped over, out, and shattered through the large doors of the front entrance.

Gunfire immediately responded, and was followed by the now intimately familiar sound of rocket propelled grenades going off. Soon, with no enemy trying to burst in, it all quieted down. She smiled, knowing that the already nervous assemblymen inside would only get more apprehensive. A mental state like that was much more likely to cause mistakes.

After a few more seconds she launched another diversionary attack. As the gunfire restarted, she flared her aura and jumped over the narrow vent. It bent a bit but a DarkStar Burst broke through the elbow and the part of the layer of concrete that made up the roof of the entrance chamber. Concrete shattered and rained down in chunks killing a few unluckily enough to be immediately underneath.

Nimbly landing, she fired DarkStar bursts at the men in the far corners who had rockets and their unfortunate reloaders. In that time the people in front of her closer to the entrance had managed to turn around and face her.

Shadows welling around her, she slowly rose to her full height. Her eyes scanned the crowd that surrounded her and watched as they fidgeted and tried to look away. Her nose detected the smell of urine. At least the people in the close circle had their guns up and shouldered. _So, they had that much sense_, she thought as her aura flared. They shot, and she immediately dropped to the ground.

Friendly fire took out much of the crowd causing panic and confusion. Going low, she darted forward claws and tail filaments outstretched. Those in the circle who were shot had already fallen were soon joined by a quarter of the remainder who were now missing legs and feet. She rolled over, fired two DarkStar bursts to the quarters to her left and right, and raked her eyebeams over the last quarter opposite her.

Most were only wounded by the severe slices and physical trauma. Some even tried to lift their weapons, but a barrage of fireballs landed among them and ignited splashing their magical napalm loads. As they died she pulled in and started draining, if she had more time she would have taken a few snacks, but this was business.

The men furthest in the room had enough sense to fire. Her aura mostly held and she ducked to the side and used her beams to cut them down. She then ran to the far end of the room and looked through the doorway, and saw that there was one corridor that went down deeper into the mine and another that went up through a set of stairs. She could hear heavy footsteps.

Nostrils flaring and soaking in the enticing, heady scents of blood, gunpowder and offal, she paused and glanced at a fire-evacuation map bolted onto the wall. Eyes twinkling she decided which way to go.

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"Bishop, this is Oswald," the father's scratchy voice came out on Fortson's radio. "We got to the main entrance. C group is gone. Looks like a bunch of demons." Oswald dryly swallowed. The room was a charnel house. It did not look like his men got anyone.

"You're sure of this?" Fortson asked.

"Sir, I'm up to my knees in torn-apart bodies," Oswald pulled one of the corpses and frowned. There was a whole set with even more worrying wounds. "Some were shot too." He kicked a piece of concrete away and looked up. "Oh God, they came in through the ceiling, and the rest took out the doorway."

Looking outside, he squinted out onto the flaming hillside.

"But they didn't come in? Why?" Fortson could think of a few reasons why they would pause, but none that helped him.

"I don't know, Sir. Both the G group stations are still okay. There's nowhere else for them to go," Oswald's apprehension grew. He looked to the dozen men with him. Most were shaking and were wary of the doorway, at least they had that much sense.

"Are you sensing any demons? They're probably waiting out there for you." Fortson asked.

"No, nothing." Oswald said leaning forward and looking around the burning wreckage. Nothing was moving. His head then exploded and was followed by a distinctive crack a second later.

Half a kilometer down and inside one of the less ruined buildings, Sergeant Smith worked the action on his rifle. He was quite pleased to have taken this role on the quarantine force. Taking aim at another enterprising target that tried to run out of the battered entrance, he fired.

Mechanically, he took sight, and found a fool that was not crouching low enough. He frowned, these bastards took out Graham? They did not even have the sense to fight back, which was fine with him. After taking his fourth kill, he called into his radio. "Smith here, Red's right. They're snooping around the main entrance. I've got them bottled up."

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"Oswald!" Fortson shouted into his radio. "What the hell happened?" He pointed to one of the men in the communications room. "Go down, meet G group to see what they're doing."

The paladin nodded and left the room and started running down the stairs.

"Why did they pull back?" Fortson remarked. "They got right through C group."

"Maybe the strength of our defenders gave them pause, and they retreated," the radioman offered hopefully.

"That would be nice, but I wouldn't bet on it," Fortson looked to the two Inquisitors. "It's time for you two to do your job. Go down to the mine level. They're going to come in. Junction off the number three tunnel and the main entrance. It's got to be one of those two ways."

The goggled men nodded and went down the stairs.

"They're not taking anything from the armory?" the radioman asked cautiously.

"They don't need anything like that," Fortson leaned back in the folding chair. "They're toying with us,"

"Sir! Paladin Babbage's calling," the radioman said.

"Yes?" Fortson asked taking the call. "Is your post holding up?"

"Yes, no one's gotten past the main entrance, but Sir, Father Oswald's dead. Sniper. His team's being picked off. Should we help?" Babbage's voice cracked.

"No, stay put." Fortson sighed. "That's what they want Son. They've baited that room nicely, but it's a trap. Stay put. You're getting some help."

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As Ranma slinked in the corridor, she paused to listen. Her ears managed to keep her from running into to anyone, aside from an unfortunate acolyte carrying a box of grenades. Maps always made places easier to get into. It had taken a few tries digging around on the summit, but people tended to think that passages choked with flaming wreckage were impassable.

Even people who should know better, like those fighting a demoness with extensive fire powers. Ranma just had to find an entrance with the right balance of enough damage to look impassable, but not too much to actually be that way, and she was in.

She leaped in and released a pair of fireballs. The female acolyte's frightened and pained scream was cut short by a glowing claw slicing through charring meat. Crouched over the flaming body, the redhead bit the shoulder and paused to savor. Rising from the lumpy smoking smear, she eyed the grenades. She flared her nose. Marveling at how there were not even patrols to avoid, she followed the scent. Tilting her head, she noticed a pair of acolytes guarding a door.

A pair of eyebeams sliced though the head of one. As blood streamed out of the two holes in his face, his partner looked over in shock. It only took a second but by the time he turned back the demon was almost upon him. Fortunately, his gun was still on target and he fired.

Ranma idly felt the bullets splash against her aura and one of them even pierced it, and tore into her sides, but her focus was on her prey. She fired a jet of napalm and the man ignited in a panic, turned and kicked him in the right arm breaking it and twisting his body. She then reached over and dragged her claws over his face; the bones of his eye sockets jaw and nose giving only the barest resistance.

Abandoning pretense of silence, Ranma sliced the metal door's hinges off and looked inside. Her nose had been right. Inside was a collection of large and small arms, ammunition, and a fair bit of explosives. The pair of large tanks in the back looked especially ominous with their warning labels and connecting pipes.

She shrugged and tossed a few fireballs around the room and ran. While that map did not list such rooms as armory or command post, it did list stairwells, and Ranma was determined to get to a different level as soon as possible.

She dropped down the stairwell, and sliced apart a small checkpoint. Ranma was turning first soldier was into an interesting splash of blood and sculpture of entrails when she noticed another one and pull out a radio. One purple beam bored through he radio spreading molten plastic fragments which landed on his face, which was irrelevant as the other beam sliced through his jaw and up into his soft and hard pallet. Meanwhile, the last man used this distraction to take careful aim and empty his magazine into her stomach, which flared purple before being shot.

There was a loud flat explosion that shook the ceiling and smoke started to pour down the stairs.

Holding a hand to her perforated and bloodied side, Ranma laughed, kneed the momentarily distracted man, and ripped the gun out of his hands. "Not bad, try to slow me, allow your buddy to call for help," she said as she slashed across his chest. "But, he should have called first thing."

Recalling the layout of the facility, she went down the narrow corridor. There should be a major junction down and after a left turn. It would be sensible to guard such a place.

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"We've got to get out of here!" Johnson the radioman shouted, as the smoke thickened. More importantly, to him, were the even larger cracks in the ceiling.

"What was that?" Fortson shouted.

"I can't raise the south stairwell team, or the armory guards. They're on this level, coming for us!"

Fortson's face paled. "They took out the armory?"

"Yes, that's what that big explosion was. At least the men are already armed. It could have been much worse" Johnson looked up glad that the ceiling had not fallen on them... yet.

"Yes... it could," Fortson rubbed his forehead. The armory was supposed to be the most secure place. It was already holding explosives. It seemed perfect to store the device there. The whole aerosol system was now worthless. "You're right." He stood up. "It's just going to burn and smoke us out. Like this it's more a risk to us."

Johnson nodded, already packing up the radio system.

"At least we've still got two more aces." The tunnel incineration system may have been knocked out before it could even have been used, but at least he still had the Inquisitors, and one last trick in tunnel three.

Once they made it to B group by tunnel three, Fortson had them check out the situation.

"Oh no..." Johnson gasped. "We've just lost Babbage and his team."

"Raise him again," Fortson ordered. He looked down the corridor. There were only two options, back into the mine passages, or out the small discreet exit.

"I got him!"

"Babbage!" Fortson asked. "What happened?"

"So that was his name?" a female voice paused. "He actually had a bit of sense. His men were not too shocked at having the enemy appear behind them. If he was the one in charge... ." Ranma chuckled. "I actually had to heal. I mean I _needed_ to drain you scum, more than just a little fun."

"You will be destroyed, unholy monster."

"That's the spirit!" Ranma's tone brightened. "You went through a lot of effort to invite me over here. Made sure I was quite angry. The least you could do is try. This is what you wanted right?"

"It's too late for you," Fortson smirked. "The Inquisitors will get you."

"Oh, why didn't you use them before?" Ranma knew from her former acolyte daughters that the Inquisitors were the most powerful of the Assembly forces, and were used almost entirely as a means to keep the Fathers and Paladins in line. "I'd think that you'd have tried the extra scary guys a long time ago." Ranma blinked at the silence. "Hello? Huh, fine then," she switched off the radio and went down the smoky hallway. Her eyes focused when the larger Assembly pattern became more obvious.

She could sense two of them, and saw their long coats but marveled at their masks and poofy hats. _This is a joke right?_ she though eyeing the pair, and wondering how they could hear or see with any skill. They looked scary, or at least a juvenile thespian's idea of scary. At least they were each holding the expected pair of glowing blades. A pair of DarkStar Bursts were launched and guided towards them.

The Inquisitors flashed back just before the orbs hit and even twisted when the spheres changed their course to match. The explosions were followed by several rakes of eyebeams before Ranma closed in.

Huge gashes and bloodstains bloomed over their black sliced and torn coats. One had lost his hat, revealing a bald, veined head. With surprising quickness he put up a blade and blocked Ranma's claws. The other came in and tried to decapitate her, not even slowing when Ranma disembowel him with her tail.

She pulled back, shooting a fireball right at the hatless one's face. His aura flared and protected his head though the heat seemed to scorch his mask. The other one pulled back slightly and the hatless one charged in.

Parrying a thrust Ranma blocked his left arm and then extended and broke his right at the elbow. She then twisted and sliced through the shoulder. Dropping down, she avoided the other one's blades while she fully removed the arm of the hatless one.

Tossing the arm down the corridor, Ranma leapt back and was unsurprised to find the hatted one had healed his chest and was now covering the one-armed Inquisitor. She growled and after deflecting the first one's blades and slashing his face made for the one-armed one.

His partner managed to stab his blade through her side, but Ranma had grabbed an arm with a quick claw extension cut his hand apart. Still sliced open, she caught a glimpse of his right arm mostly regenerated. She tore the blade out and felt her flesh knit together. At least she had plenty of food before this fight. Between her two foes, she twisted and saw some acolytes down the corridor aiming a rocket launcher.

Once the rocket fired she knocked the less injured of her foes into it and returned to the armless Inquisitor. She grappled him to the ground and tried to slice right through his chest, mincing most of his organs; she had separated most of his head, when she suddenly jumped away and watched a rocket hit the mutilated body.

She flicked off a DarkStar Burst which followed the rocket team even when they ducked around a corner in the corridor intersection. Ranma turned to the hideously alive body and was about to feed when she was knocked away by the other Inquisitor. He smelled of cooked meat and burnt leather. Most of his coat and cloak was torn away, revealing a pulsating, strangely throbbing body.

With increased vigor, he fought Ranma and did his best to keep her away from his prone partner, who was beginning to heal anew. She sighed and blocked her foe's blades while the shadows darkened around her. Knocking past him, she got closer and extended some of them to the injured Inquisitor, who tried to get to his knees.

He stumbled and slumped back down in a bloody mess as the tendrils fed energy to their mistress. The demon's feeding was interrupted when the other Inquisitor slashed through the inky mass with his glowing blade. Ranma glowered and the room grew to near total darkness.

She tried to dodge another attack of blades and despite having her chest pierced, knocked the healthy Inquisitor into the rising bloody mass of his partner. The two tumbled into each other and landed in a heap. Before they could recover Ranma fired a DarkStar burst at the two and only after repeated strikes with the magical shrapnel did she remove the blade embedded in her own chest.

It came out painfully and was surrounded by rotted flesh, but her body was regenerating. The bloody hole closing, she leapt onto the mass and started cutting apart limbs and organs.

As this happened, the pile thrashed and knitted itself together. A mangled torso headed with half a skull and with two and a half arms and a tiny knee coming out of the belly button even tried to rise out of the mess and tried to grab her. Violet eyebeams ripped apart the gibbering mass and her shadows started to consume it. Sickened, Ranma pulled back and sprayed it down with several fireballs, setting it alight.

The mass of flesh was eventually reduced to an ashen smear and collection of brittle bones. She stepped forward kicking away a broken mask and a burnt floppy hat. "So that's the best you've got? Cheap monsters. Not even as bad as Ucchan had warned."

Stretching her neck, she calmly strode towards the corridor juncture. There were still targets alive in this facility.

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"Bishop, we've lost G group," Johnson quietly said. He looked up from his radio and down the length of the tunnel. Even here the smoke was starting to curl and waft down.

Fortson nodded. Part of him had prepared for this. If the Inquisitors failed... he looked over the remaining men. Most were behind metal and concrete barricades and had their weapons trained on the narrow bend in the tunnel. The enemy had to come through that opening. Behind them was the rest of tunnel number three; it extended down the mountain and to an unused side passage. When the men last checked their emergency vehicles were still there.

"Men, we've got one last chance to avenge our brothers. When it comes through here hit her with everything. It'll slow her down, and then we can stop her," Fortson said in a tired, but conspiratorially confident voice. All his men had to do was hold her in one spot long enough, then she would be trapped.

The battery powered lights the corridor seemed to weaken, especially down towards the rest of the tunnel system. A barrage of black orbs shot out and bent around the dog-leg in the corridor. The first two hit the metal plates being used for protection. Some failed, men screamed as they were hit. A few of the more exuberant troops opened fire.

Rockets shot off and were followed by machinegun fire. Fortson frowned; he could see the bullets and explosives disappear harmlessly into the smoke, meanwhile the black spheres could shoot out with impunity.

"Bishop! She's coming!" one of the remaining fathers screamed as he dragged a wounded acolyte further back.

"Pull your men out, and hold!" Fortson yelled as he stared down the corridor and waited. The rockets stopped firing as the men inched further down the narrow corridor. Only a pair of machine gunners, were still shooting, keeping her at bay. A pair of purple beams shot out and tore into one of them.

Twisting the handle of the detonator, Fortson smirked. He had her. The explosives were buried into the rock, muting the effect, especially when compared to the rockets that had been fired previously. Stone and concrete cracked and the ceiling at the bend collapsed, sealing the tunnel.

Fortson strained his eyes to inspect the chamber. Satisfied, he allowed a brief smile. "Out of the tunnel!" He gave one final look and turned around. Hopefully she was crushed by the weight of the mountain; if not, there was still a few yards of solid rock between them and her.

Sensing nothing, he ran down the tunnel and found the door already open, the camouflage netting already discarded off to the side. A few large trucks were parked around and men were already loading them up. "Good job men, we did it," he praised the men who were still suspiciously watching the trees surrounding them. An irate and highly lethal demon being excellent motivation, the engines started quickly... and loudly.

They piled in and began to maneuver down the small forest path. It was not far until a larger trail. Fortson ordered some men to lean out and watch with their weapons. They were not safe yet. He wanted more distance. He had to tell Corvine what happened.

Fortson's small smile evaporated, just as he could sense demons, the explosions started. The first of the trucks blew apart under the barrage, followed by the last one. His men spilled out of the other vehicles and started to fire into the woods.

A splitting headache formed and his eyes blurred. He could see his men starting to become disorganized, and then the enemy gunfire died down. A sickly green mist came up and started sucking his men dry. Already shaky, many of them screamed and tried to run back to the vehicles, which was when the lightning hit.

On the opposite side men were being impaled by icicles that then exploded into gory messes, others had their weapons become wreathed in shadows and explode in their hands, the metal shards turning to shrapnel. Then came the fireballs and the screams of men burning alive.

Fortson himself gaped and tried to push back his headache when he was knocked down. Pain grew in his shoulders from several deep cuts and he could hear the distinct sound of demons feeding. He looked up and saw a blonde woman smile and raise her gun.

There were a few shots and then blonde made sure to remove his heart and other key organs. She then checked with her sisters and spoke into her headset. "This is Ukyou, we caught the group trying to escape from the tunnels. Who's left?"

She smiled hearing the response. "Good, we'll be coming back in."

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Ranma sipped some coffee and waited in the armored transport. "That's the only group to escape the mountain."

"That matches our patrols," Kasumi allowed as she looked over a recently printed map of the area. "That initial strike took out everyone topside."

"But did anyone make it out before that?" Ranma asked leaning back a bit.

"Our first sweeps came up empty and we haven't detected anyone else. That's all we know." Kasumi looked at her former fiancee. "You're looking good."

Ranma fluffed the deep red hair that spilled down to past her hips. "Well a good meal does wonders," she smiled toothily. "At least we got these bastards back."

Kasumi gave a little nod. "Yes, there were enough here to cause some real trouble. I guess they thought that once you were killed the rest of us would be easy to kill."

"And destroy the your horrible demonic soldier program?" Ranma smirked.

"Their actions started it," Kasumi reminded. She turned to see her sisters and the rest of Ranma's spawn return. "Hello girls."

"Hi Aunty!" Misako smiled as she put her gun down. She turned to Ranma. "Thanks for letting us have them, Mom."

"They tried to collapse the mountain on me," Ranma stated.

"You just jumped back, out of the way," Nabiki dryly remarked.

Ranma coughed.

"You do look good, Mom," Misako noted. "And anyway, Ucchan got Bishop Fortson. Damn fool shit himself." She laughed.

"He was rather pompous," Ukyou allowed. It had been shocking to see the effects of the MLRS strike; it was amazing anyone was left alive. "So how was your mission?"

Ranma shrugged. "They tried. That bishop guy had a few tricks; he did manage to escape."

"And then we heard their trucks," Nariko smirked as she cleaned her blade. She handed some of her cleaning supplies to Nabiki.

"Thanks Sis," Nabiki said.

"You sure you had to go into the mountain by yourself, Mom?" Akane pouted.

Crossing her hands over her ample chest, Ranma narrowed her dark violet eyes. "Yes, I wanted to finish them, and this way you guys could capture anyone that got out."

"I guess that works," Akane allowed.

Ranma stood up and hugged Akane. "You girls still got plenty to eat."

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"Well that was successful," Jacob remarked looking at an overhead view of the former Assembly base.

"Assuming we got them before their strike force left," Stillwater cautioned.

"I doubt it. If their plan was to attack us in a weakened state they would not have left this many troops and vehicles in reserve." Jacob sipped his water. "No, we took out something two, three companies in strength. With minimal losses on our part."

"Counting today's earlier casualties?" Stillwater shrugged and looked at the transcript of Ranma's report.

"Yes, it's all part of the same mission. They thought they could destroy Miss Saotome, and then neutralize us."

"Instead we got quick enough intelligence to get them before they even left," Stillwater raised an eyebrow. "They had to have known their ambush failed, and they were still there."

"Yes? They thought it was secured. The late Father Pierce was not supposed to know the location of their base. So they waited, maybe they were going to try another ambush, maybe they figured a big attack was no longer worth it. They also tried to lay a trap there. Miss Saotome did say there was a lot of booby traps and prepared defenses in that mountain," Jacob shrugged.

"Their defenses were formidable," Stillwater allowed.

Jacob smiled. "Good thing the general allowed us to use our MLRS capability."

"It gives a good impression. We repaid them with a fury fifty times what they did to us."

"We? Miss Saotome was responsible for at least half of the casualties."

"I appreciate her sympathy." Stillwater narrowed his eyes.

Jacob nodded. "This will be interesting to follow. This is more than their last attack. The losses from that were a sixth of tonight's. Our intelligence has shown that their bases and training camps had drained. This..."

Stillwater smiled thinly. "This hurt them. A bishop was killed, a fortress destroyed. Mountains of equipment, arms, and vehicles. They lost Inquisitors tonight. Their Fathers are getting strained, and even the hordes of acolytes add up."

"The plan worked. Kill everyone outside, trap the ones inside, and pick off anyone that tries to escape."

"Simple plans work best. I suppose Jarvis could have had an interesting chat with the Bishop, but there's still records in that facility. Searching will be difficult. Miss Saotome was rather exuberant." Jacob almost laughed.

"I'm more concerned what the remaining Assembly forces will do. This was a massive commitment towards defeating us."

"According to our reports, a force that size would be the bulk of their regular troops." Jacob paged to another document. "Yes, one Bishop would not have that many men under his command. Had to have been from higher up."

"Yes, a big wager for them." Stillwater stroked his goatee.

"I think it's appropriate for pressure to increase on other fronts too." Jacob suggested.

"I'll kick it up to the general. I think the idea of massive reprisals will appeal to him."

"He did let us use the big guns." Jacob reminded.

"Indeed, and that Pattern V camp is still out there," Stillwater stated. "The larger target took precedence, but that group should still be destroyed."

"The strike is already being planned. We'll do it at ten-hundred hours."

"Good. How is the cover story going?" Stillwater inquired. "This was in a remote area, but not that remote. You don't have explosions that size without someone noticing."

"We're going with the war-game excuse. Some testing of missile systems, dummies of course. Also add in a few demolitions work, including the destruction of an abandoned mine. Top it off with some training of their men by an eager military contractor."

"The actual Canadian forces being used?"

"I've placed a call with Joint Task Force Two."

"They have been grousing that we've taken their territory." Stillwater reminded. They and the Canadian Special Operations Regiment had been quite cross with the Company contract.

"Yes, well as good as Canadian Special forces are, JTF2 is trained for Counter-Terrorist operations, not fighting eldritch monsters. We'll bring some of them in. Show them some equipment and give them the training."

"Yes, use an actual covert training mission to cover this up. That fits with our main cover." Stillwater allowed. "And the bodies, lotta cleanup there?"

"They're soldiers. Only two select teams will come in, and they should have some idea what their country is facing."

"Even if it's not really the Assembly," Stillwater chuckled. "Well, it is in our contract to start training them."

"Yes, but I'll keep the demons under wraps. For now"

"Still, this will keep Land Force Command off our back."

"It is their country," Jacob pointed out.

"Yes, and if anyone can handle it JTF2 can. Their work in Peru and British Columbia was exemplary and the rescue of that Peacemaker Team was top notch."

"We'll see how it goes. Not everyone takes well to knowing the full story." Stillwater rubbed the bridge of his nose. He had not wanted to deal with the local military but this was a convenient time. "If things go very well, maybe we can have Captain Jarvis start to liaise with their team."

"She may be busy with her extra responsibilities," Jacob reminded.

"Yes, the D program is getting its first real test. Your evaluation of Graham and Morrison?"

"They both have the personality to deal with it, and there's already a support structure in place for them. We'll just have to keep a close eye on their progress."

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"I rather like this design," Morrison said as she pointed to one of the schematics.

Nodoka smiled. "It started when I began building a weapon around a proposed 17mm round. Fascinating challenge. One of the more surprising aspects was figuring out how to give a magazine with reasonable capacity but would not be unwieldy. A horizontal magazine with staggered rounds, could allow for forty rounds and be only forty centimeters long."

"That's a ridiculous round," Morgan said as she looked over the properties of the proposed munition.

"Not really," Nodoka countered. "There's plenty of large calibers in our work. The Barrett XM109 fires a 25mm specialty round. Lots of options and is stock available. The 17mm is just adapted from anti-material sharp shooting roles."

"That gun's almost impossible for a human to use." Morgan blinked. "Oh... oh my."

Nodoka's eyes lit up. "Did you ever use that Barrett, Dear?"

"It was okay. I didn't like that it wasted it's potential. The thing's only 46 inches long, they could at least have put a better barrel on it. It was also being held back.. they had to cut it down so much just so it could be... usable" Morgan's voice trailed off with the realization that it might no longer be such an unwieldy weapon. The action was a bit unusual too. Unlike many sharp shooters she was not married to bolt action, but it was more stable.

"It still put the bullet at the maximum range," Nodoka stated.

Morgan shrugged. "A good gun should be like a custom sports car, that thing... it was a concept car. It looks great at a convention with a busty girl on it, but it's not for real use. They had to rein it in too much."

"Really now?" Nodoka turned to one of her aides. "Ayanami, go to the armory and sign out the XM 109. I believe we have two."

The young Science and Technology agent nodded and walked off. On her return trip she would be irritated to find that the gun weighed over thirty-three pounds.

Morgan raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Daughter, you challenged her," Eve said giving the diminutive sharp shooter a pat on the head.

"Well, I bet you can't make this," Morrison mischievously smirked, pointing to another monstrous gun design. It was in a bullpup configuration and had some similarity to a submachine gun, but it was really a weapon unto itself.

Nodoka chuckled. "Oh? That's the 17mm gun you pointed out? More work, total rebuild I can request the test gun. It's just a single shot, but it'll fire the round."

"You did make these," Eve said pulling out her sidearm. She gave Morrison a little wink.

"Much simpler task."

"Yes, making a long-rifle to Morgan's specifications would be easier," Morrison teased.

"I don't even know what I can do," Morgan sighed. Her body felt too strange too familiar. The body was so... alive and connected, but it did not feel... herself.

"We'll take you to the range tomorrow," Eve assured as she put an arm around her.

"Don't worry girls, you'll be fine. Eve will be a wonderful mother to you." Nodoka said her eyes locking onto the blonde demoness.

Eve blinked, and decided to do what came naturally and held Morgan closer to her. She then felt the young demoness start to drain her, and pulled Morrison over as well.

Nodoka smiled. "Good." She started making some notes on her clipboard. Her phone rang. "Yes? Oh wonderful. Of course, send them down."

"They're back?" Morrison asked, sleepily opening her eyes. She knew the mission was a success but it was nice to know her... aunt and cousins were coming back.

Nodoka nodded.

"I can see the benefits of such a large round, Grandma. Even at sedate speeds, it can impart a huge amount of power, and the dimensions allow for some very creative specialty rounds. But I'm worried about the logistics. I mean to even get it reasonably fast will require huge pressures and as a result lots of weight," Morrison said.

"Misako's gun weighs almost as much as your sister," Nodoka gently stated. "I exaggerate but the nature of your bodies removes many constraints."

"Physical, training will also start tomorrow," Eve added. "You don't have school so that's good. You have a whole slew of abilities you need to learn."

"We can fly," Morgan muttered. She blinked. "We can fly?"

"You knew what the D program meant right?" Eve asked as she continued to hold each girl to a side.

"It's a great idea when you need some life insurance, it's another thing when you find yourself sporting an amazing rack," Morgan muttered as she lifted her breasts.

"You get used to it," Misako said as she and other succubae entered the room.

"How are you girls doing?" Ranma said as she ran over and hugged Eve and her daughters.

"Are the numbers I've been hearing real?" Nodoka asked. It was obvious that her daughter had fed quite well. Her hair was quite glossy and... active.

Ranma turned and gave a satisfied smile. "We annihilated them."

"Mother did most of the work," Nariko added.

"Good work," Nodoka put an arm around her daughter. Noticing the crimson hair curl around her arm, she resolved to purchase a bigger brush. "Hopefully, things will calm down a bit, you've already missed most of the school week."

Ranma nodded. "Hopefully day after tomorrow. It's not too long, I've already asked Drake to pick up out makeup work."

"Is Master Nishina around?" Nabiki asked.

"He's in the commissary having a late dinner," Nodoka said.

"Good, I want to show him how my blades held up."

"He was very proud of those grips."

"I should go see him too," Nariko said before following Nabiki out.

Ukyou looked at the two new succubae. "I guess my second gun will be postponed again."

"No, I decided to place a larger order with our internal supplier," Nodoka said. "The next batch should be here in a couple days."

"Excuse me," Ayanami said as she lugged a gigantic gun-case into the room. She knew her boss had her family in. The scent of succubae fresh from battle was quite distinctive. She put the case onto a workbench and opened it up.

"Oh yes, that is a... stark gun," Nodoka said appraising the weapon.

Eve allowed her daughter loose and Morgan walked up to her grandmother.

"How you doing?" Misako asked crouching down to Morrison's eye level. "You killed one of us with a just a knife right?"

Morrison nodded at the coifed woman.

"Good, you'll make a great succubus," Misako patted Morrison's knee.

"There's more to us than being violent and lethal," Akane noted.

"Yes, we have to be sexy and sensual, and I think she's got that too," Misako said, causing Morrison to blush.

"Misa-chan has a point." Ukyou agreed. "If she can become a proper succubus, anyone can."

Eve raised an eyebrow.

Misako coughed. "You've also got a very scary and intense mother too, but don't worry. You're healthy"

Morrison blinked. "I forgot about her!"

"Who?" Eve asked.

"Andrea," Morrison's lip quivered. "I should go and see her."

"I'll take you up," Misako said as she and Eve helped Morrison to her feet.

"So you think, I'll be okay?" Morrison asked as the pair made their way down the corridors.

"Aunty Eve is better at hiding her emotions, but she's strong, and lonely." Misako shrugged. "She wants someone to care for."

Morrison gave a little smile as they entered the medical rooms.

"Yes?" Dr. Covington asked, not looking up from her chart. Things had been stable for a bit, but the situation could always get worse.

"Agent Lytle, Ma'am. Can she take visitors?" Morrison said as she gave a little salute.

"She wasn't that bad, some breaks but should recover fine." Covington allowed as she looked the young demoness over. It was what she expected, not nearly as surprising as Captain Jarvis was. "Don't stay for long though," she said pointing to a bed.

Morrison passed the other wounded agents, and exchanged pleasantries with the few that were awake.

Andrea Lytle watched them approach and pull up seats. "Well you wondered what being female would be like," she chuckled at the blue-green haired demoness. She was about the right height and had some of Morrison's more solid build, but the skin tone was completely different and the body had all the sleek and very female curves of the species. Most notably her facial structure gave just enough of a hint as to who the woman was.

"Yeah," Morrison coughed and pulled at her skirt.

"Dress uniforms? Well, the captain is strange."

Misako smirked.

"It's good that you're okay," Morrison offered weakly. She could tell Andrea was confused "I mean... it was bad today."

"Red took care of them," Andrea stated, coldly.

"Young and the other missile guys did a lot and Smith helped too, that'll make Sis jealous."

Andrea chuckled. "Sis, now? Next thing you'll want to hug everyone and happily purr."

Morrison crossed her arms over her chest. "No I don't."

"Oh yes you do," Misako teased. "Just hug her, she won't mind it."

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"It's a fruit basket." Mistress Mercury said, glaring at the woven whicker container. It contained a few nectarines, a couple sour apples, a smattering of plums, some strawberries, and, of course, passion fruit, She closed the thick grimoire and steepled her fingers. "I trust it's been checked out?"

"It's clean, nothing magical or technological. Though the note was... odd," Orion coughed and motioned to Virgo who handed the oddly thick pamphlet over. The cover showed a lovely rugged landscape with a dark blue, lake surrounded by heavily forested rolling hills. Lettering on the bottom said "Greetings from Algonquin Provincial Park"

Mercury opened it up and found on the inside cover surprisingly sloppy letters stating "Akumi: we couldn't have done it without you." It was unsigned. Though photos in a pocket on the opposite cover revealed who had sent the note.

Virgo swallowed nervously; she was still shocked by the images.

Mercury's eyes widened when she looked at the first picture. It was another landscape but this one looked to be a snapshot from, appropriately enough, hell. The ground was chewed up as if attacked by an angry god. Bodies and parts of bodies were scattered until they became too indistinct to make out. Vehicles and buildings were similarly ruined and marched up the hillside until they came to the shattered foundation of what had to be some kind of building.

Morbidly curious, she flipped to the next picture. Her hand spasmed in shock as she stared at a corridor that was literally choked with corpses. There were burns, clean slices, ragged tears, shrapnel damage, and wounds Ami could not even begin to contemplate. Bite marks and missing chunks of flesh stood out to her more than the frightened, frightened eyes. At least, not many of the cadavers had heads let alone eyes.

She turned to another photograph and saw a large room. Instead of a heap of dead, the entire floor was covered in a disturbingly even layer of biomass. Wide arcs, fine sprays, chunky splatters, and big droplets decorated the walls and ceiling of this chamber.

Another photo showed a stairway and a... pile. It was only by counting boots that Mercury could tell that it was two people that had died. Yet another image showed a perplexing pile of ash, bones, and heat-warped blades. Her lip quivered as she flipped through the photographs. The carnage ran together.

She knew what would happen to Pierce. She had even been there to watch Eve... work on him, and had been relieved to see it end. Mercury knew what they would do with this information., but still...

The part of her that was inquisitive, thirsted for knowledge and wanted to prove how bright she was began to count. Mercury flipped back through the images, and tried to make sense. Even the raw, cold numbers were horrifying.

There were weapons, they had all been armed, it was their base, and they were still completely slaughtered. She flipped the pictures over and tried to see if there were any comments, remarks, reasons why someone would send this.

"She wanted you to know," Orion stated.

"Demon wanted to show off, tell you what she can do," Virgo added.

Mercury raised an eyebrow. "Yes, very perceptive Virgo." She frowned and put the photographs down. It hurt her head.

"She also knows where you live," Virgo reminded.

"You're right." Mercury paled. She wondered how much of this message was showing off and how much of it was a threat.

"We teleported back yesterday, she couldn't have followed us."

"So, she's known for longer," Mercury rubbed her forehead. "Great, how long has she known?"

"It's addressed to here using your... birth name," Orion hesitantly said.

"Really, I'm surprised she didn't list it as 'Secret Hideout'."

"Well, we can check for surveillance?" Orion asked.

"That'll tell us where they're watching us now," Mercury hissed. "Still that's good to know."

"She tells us she knows your secret hideout is by sending pictures of her killing people in their secret hideout," Virgo slowly said.

"How would our defenses hold up?" Mercury asked Orion.

"These images show DarkStar tearing apart a mountain citadel with trenches, lots of weapons, concrete bunkers, and well over a hundred men. We live in a converted brownstone townhouse, and there's four of us."

"There's more than numbers."

"Yes, there's also skill," Virgo stated. "We're doing well, Venus especially, but..."

Mercury looked over to Venus who still had upgrades being readied while on the golden alter. "Was this just her? Did her spawn help? Did WIC?"

"I can study the pictures in detail... but it looks like demons did this. I don't know how many," Orion allowed.

"And there's even more of them now," Mercury sighed and finally reached for her wineglass and a new bottle.

"She could really just be saying thank you." Orion shrugged. "A demon thing?"

"It's still a message. She wants you to know what she can do."

"And what I did." Mercury frowned. She had killed quite a bit to be honest more back in Japan than here, but it was always... She shook her head. The Assembly was foolish enough to attack DarkStar, they had it coming to them. That could be the message being sent: This is what happens to people who think they can fight me.

Orion nodded and had the photographs spilled out on her workstation. She pulled a magnifier out of a drawer and started examine for anything... noteworthy, and to count.

Mercury eyed the fruit. "They even thought they had killed her. She was really damaged, but that just got her mad."

"Worse than Pluto," Virgo muttered.

Mercury laughed. "Maybe, maybe, she is worse, but I can almost understand DarkStar. Everything she does makes sense. I know what she wants; I just can't stop her."

"And Pluto?"

"I don't even know what she is," Mercury grumbled. She flipped her recently purchased copy of _Unaussprechlichen Kulten_ open. "Take this book. On the one hand all these cults... it's rather depressing. The fall of the Silver Millennium let all these vile monstrosities creep back into the world and they started preying on ignorant humans. On the other, it's full of deluded ramblings: lurker beyond the threshold, star out of time, keys of the gate. It's all nonsense. Of course, a primitive cultist wouldn't understand a magical construct this complex."

"So they're worshiping old junk? Broken things from old magical kingdom?" Virgo asked.

"Why... yes. Some of them, some cults actually worship monsters, others merely worship... artifacts. How'd you guess?"

"Old village had plenty of old stuff. Elders said were sacred artifacts, but didn't know how they worked half the time."

Mercury nodded. "Yes, and we've got a time travel device, which of course they thought was some kind of god."

"They did?" Virgo asked.

"There's a strong correlation between the spells that we were given to block Setsuna and the apparent 'blind spots' of the gates," Orion explained. "The spells we're using are also similar to ones discussed in that book."

"The Path of the Will shows that some of the Silver Millennium era knowledge was passed down. Over the years it got corrupted by all the translating. They thought our Queen would become some silvery monster," Mercury laughed and took a sip of her drink. "So it stands to reason that tomes dealing with the gates would similarly be warped.

"Spells to block out spying machine become spells to ward off evil spirits," Virgo surmised.

"Yes, that's about right." Mercury sighed, an alert came on her display and with a thin smile she got up and walked over to Venus' alcove. "At least this is working well," the darkly dressed woman stated looking over the gold figure.

Running a hand over Venus' exquisitely detailed face, Mercury opened a hatch in the golden figure's stomach. After briefly marveling at the golden contents she typed in the authorization code, and sealed it shut. The new material being pumped in had enough time to connect and adapt. Golden liquid began to flow and solidify, especially around the joints. The limbs seemed to get longer and the frame expanded several inches, the plates growing to match the larger figure.

Extra armored plates formed around the elbows and knees giving more protection while allowing for mobility. Shoulder armor came out and became two overlapping circular arcs. Boots went from pointed and stylish to heavy and articulated. Plates formed over the golden stomach becoming thicker and with a fine seam down the center.

Skirting became heavier and more solid. Cleavage disappeared as the collar spread across forming a large protective triangular plate. Finally, the golden gel expanded over the face smoothing the features. Ears and lips were covered over and the nose was pulled in and the entire face was smoothed. The only details were Venus' currently dimmed eye-slits.

"There, that's better," Mercury said gliding her hand over the polished featureless face. She punched a command in the alter and stepped back as the cables and piping retreated. Their connection ports were quickly covered by armor and the figure's eye-slits flared with a bright red light.

The figure pulled itself upright, and paused. The armor had changed, and new routines and programs were activating. "Mistress," Venus said, bowing her head down.

"Are you sure the time is right?" Orion asked.

"Virgo, your assessment?" Mercury asked.

"Golden-girl wants to learn and does it well, but she's not ready, still playing at warrior." Virgo noticed that Venus' head tilted ever so slightly towards her.

"She still acts like a magical girl?" Mercury shook her head and put her hand on Venus' armored knee. "We've got to break you of that habit."

Orion coughed. "Still, even when Venus is trained..."

Mercury frowned. "I can't beat DarkStar. I have no idea what Setsuna's even doing. That leaves one person."

"But the Queen is protected," Virgo reminded.

"That's exactly why we need Venus."

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Lying down, Morgan sighted through the scope of the immense rifle. Controlling her breathing, she adjusted weapon's position ever so slightly and it shifted ten meters laterally down range. She paused and savored the moment. Sergeant Graham always felt connected to the target, linked by the power of the weapon, but now it was... different. For one thing the scope was more responsive and even took relative orientation and ballistic trajectories into account.

She depressed the trigger and a twenty-five millimeter shell fired from the weapon. Obeying simple kinematics, it raced forward at well over twice the speed of sound. Even at this velocity, it still took two and a half seconds of waiting for Morgan to see the results. The target then exploded as the large high explosive round hit it and sliced through the inch thick armor.

Remaining still, she inspected the damage. The large burnt hole was offset a couple inches to the left. She frowned. At least the reloading action was smooth enough, though part of her still wanted to work the action manually. Moving to another target she fired again and found this one hitting more symmetrically.

Putting in a fresh magazine she went out another half kilometer. She was starting to understand why the Soviets liked female sharp shooters. It was all fine muscle control, add the succubus edge... she did not even have to adjust her sight. The widgets in the scope automatically compensated for air pressure and gravity. The weapon seemed... eager to help. Two and a half kilometers out was still perfectly clear. She knew her eyes were helping too, the clarity and range they gave her was shocking. The concept of not needing any special night scopes was thrilling too.

This time she fired at the first target, and immediately shifted the gun as it automatically reloaded. After acquiring the third target and depressing the trigger, she heard the first giant bullet impact. It was followed by the two others.

Moving almost imperceptibly, she swiveled to check the other targets. They had all hit, though the second one was the worst, accuracy-wise. She fired off the two remaining rounds, this time taking more patient shots and was pleased with the results. She ejected the magazine and slowly rose to her feet.

"Interesting show," Nodoka remarked putting down her binoculars.

"Barrett built a fair weapon. It's just not for humans," Morgan allowed. Even throttling it back as much as they did the weapon was still just barely usable... in human hands..

"How's the BORS?" Nodoka asked referring to the Barrett Optical Ranging System. It would automatically determine targeting corrections using the tilt and position of the gun in addition to range, temperature, barometric pressure.

"The gun..." Morgan's eyes flicked down to the weapon in her hands. "It wants to help. What's the fail-safe like?" She did not want to have the scope ruined because it ran out of batteries or a wire snapped off.

"Power-off and the projection stops. The scope is fully functional in mechanical mode. It can be disabled manually by pressing the off button, which is a mechanical disconnect," Nodoka assured.

"That's good." Morgan twisted her neck.

"Is it worth pursuing?" Nodoka asked.

Morgan looked down at the weapon. She had spent the morning practicing on it, and had found it had... potential. She could almost feel what the gun wanted to be, what it could be, if someone would just let it. It was also a good way to work out the feelings from last night. Being with Mother had been comforting. She looked back to her grandmother. "Yes... it could work."

"There is room for improvement." Nodoka went on. "It's essentially a scale up of their fifty caliber version. Their receiver is good, but we can increase the velocity. The higher pressure will have to be compensated for, but I was thinking of a new barrel."

"Oh?"

"It's not even four feet long; we can make it bigger. That will help give it more range."

Morgan looked down. She was already beating her old records. As a human, Morgan had preferred a slightly more manageable weapon, and had enjoyed the lead flower sabot system, but this... Where could she go from here? There was no point if she did not challenge herself, this body demanded that. She had to admit that the weapon was fairly short. The bipod was only a few inches short of the muzzle brake. "Yeah.. that sounds good."

She put the weapon down and started gathering spent casings. The shells were very large in her little hands and made a big stack in a spare container. After cleaning up she looked at her old weapon and frowned. It was a good gun, but it felt both large and yet too light. It was designed for a body that was both larger and weaker.

"Good work today," Eve said as she walked up and noticed the status of the targets. She hugged the short succubus.

"Wow, that one's over one and a half miles," Morrison said checking out the range markers on the sharpshooter range. Her own test gun was sitting next to her sidearm.

Morgan blushed slightly. "How was your pistol work?"

"Good, I think you'll like it. Major Saotome made a very accurate gun," Morrison said smirking a bit at her sister's nervousness. "SO, what did you think of that test type gun?"

"The 17mm?" Morgan shrugged. "The round has promise, the weapon itself was just a simple frame. But increase the rate of fire... I guess it'll work."

"Yeah, for close to medium work it could be real devastating. Didn't even strain my shoulder" Morrison had found the recoil suspiciously manageable.

"Come on, it's time for a snack," Eve assured as she lead her girls away from the range. Morgan whimpered a bit and decided to hold onto the rifle, while Nodoka took more notes and picked up the 17mm test gun.

"It's not even noon yet," Morrison said.

"You're going to be doing more physical training later," Eve explained. "You had a good start this morning, but we're going to start flying today."

Morrison and Morgan nodded slowly as they walked to the small commissary in the B facility. "How did the S&D with the Pattern V go?" Morgan asked. Their early morning training had been cut short by Aunty Ranma and her spawn leaving for that mission.

"Destroyed," Eve remarked. "They found some indication that the Assembly was watching them too."

"So, they were bait." Morgan shook her head. She looked up to see part of the brood, her brood, eating at some of the tables.

"If it isn't the bashful sisters," Misako teased.

"They still slept nude with us," Nabiki remarked.

Morrison coughed as she sat down. "Sorry, this is... new." She looked to her mother and was unsurprised to find Eve had a blank face. Morgan's similar expression wasn't unexpected either. Sharpshooters were a strange lot. "Oh come on, it _was_ a bit strange to sleep with a bunch of amazingly good looking nude women."

"Really? I didn't know you struck out with the ladies, Rich" Morgan plainly remarked as she put her gun down on one side of the table.

Misako gave the rifle a slightly jealous glance.

Richard Morrison rubbed her forehead. "Yes, I don't have an androgynous first name."

"To be fair, you did nuzzle right onto my side," Eve reminded.

"That's what succubae do," Morrison pouted.

Ranma smirked. "Don't worry, it's surprisingly easy to be one of us."

"Though it takes a lot of hard work to do it right," Misako added.

"Yes, a tackle box full of makeup," Nabiki smirked.

Misako glared.

"The service is going to be later today," Eve suddenly interjected.

Morrison looked down. Henderson was gone, Wetherhold too. She did not know Franklin and Porter as well. It was not the first time friends had died.

"I know," Ranma nodded and looked to her quieted spawn. She coughed.

"Maybe, Akane, Ukyou, and Nariko need help setting up the training equipment," Ranma casually remarked. Misako and Nabiki stiffened. The redhead then noticed her mother was still writing on her clipboard. "Cooking up something good for the girls?"

"Oh yes, I think the girls will be quite pleased." Nodoka said with a little smirk.

"So Aunty, how was the mission today?" Morrison asked.

"Easy, only one of the vampires had any skill." Ranma remarked. She felt a familiar tickling in the back of her mind and placed a call with her phone.

"He tried to dodge Sasha." Misako chuckled.

Morrison blinked. An automatic grenade launcher was a good way to get suppressive fire against a high-speed NH, but she doubted if "Sasha" was used in such a restrained manner. Misako was able to manhandle her bulky weapon with unreal ability. The young succubus paused, remembering her own experience manhandling her new sidearm and that monstrous 17 mm round. The ability was all too real.

"Lousy vampires, they turn to dust as soon as you start cutting them up," Nabiki grumbled.

"You still got more to eat than I did," Misako pouted.

"You saturated your guy with grenades at forty meters. There wasn't anything left!"

"Jackass kept jumping around." Misako smiled. Once a bit of shrapnel sliced off his left foot he became trivial to take out. "Then he cried when he got a little booboo."

Ranma smiled and turned to Eve's spawn. "So are you girls ready for more training?" She blinked, yes that was definitely a familiar sensation.

"Oh yes," Morgan nodded, stealing a glance at her gun, while Morrison grinned and nodded.

"Yes, Miss Saotome, you do have two clients in the entrance hall," Maya said at the other end of Ranma's phone.

"Thank you," Ranma then closed her phone and stood up. "Nabiki, you're coming with me. Eve, start the physical training with your girls as normal. Akane and Nariko already have the lessons planned out."

"Why me?" Nabiki asked as they left the room.

"Usagi's brought someone." As Ranma approached the foyer in an adjacent building she could sense the two Senshi. Neither seemed fully... human, and their connection stuck out, it was like looking at an anchor from the seabed, where a slight chain ran up to infinity.

Ranma stepped into the waiting room and motioned for the four agents to leave. She slowly looked at her two guests, both appeared ill-at-ease. Usagi was expected, as was Setsuna honestly. Ranma could imagine being under a teleportation jamming field was not something the Senshi of Pluto enjoyed.

Usagi's eyes shimmered as she watched the redheaded figure confidently stride in. Her hair seemed to flow around her and freely mixed with the shadows, while a leather bustier and leather pants clung to her form.

"I'm sorry for the guards, but this is a secure facility. So, what brings you out of school?" Ranma evenly asked crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Usagi blinked back a tear and ran over to the demoness. "You're okay!" she yelled hugging Ranma and resting her head on the redhead's shoulder.

Ranma returned the hug and gave a light chuckle. "I did call you and say I was okay."

"And then you said you were gonna kill a lot of people."

"Yes." Ranma smiled and with some regret let Usagi pull away.

"How many?"

"Half were taken out by Steel Rain."

Usagi blinked. That sounded like a demonic name. "SteelRain... so is she a relative of yours?"

Ranma laughed. "Not exactly."

"It's slang for the bomblets in a type of medium range ground to ground rocket system. Basically each rocket contains hundreds of smaller explosives. It's very... effective," Setsuna explained.

Usagi's face paled. "You... you bombed them."

"Of course."

"Why?"

Ranma flicked one of her bangs aside. "To kill them. Made my job easier," she said in a slow, flat tone.

"How can you be so cold?"

Sensing the blonde's tone, Nabiki stepped a bit closer to her mother.

"They came at us first," Ranma idly said, inspecting her fingers. "They wanted a war with me. They wanted to fight the Company. Fine. They got their fight."

"But..."

"Nowhere does it say that I have to fight fair." Ranma raised the corners of her lips. "You know this."

"How many?" Usagi shuddered. "No, I don't want to know. You killed them all didn't you?"

"Yes. Better in their mountain hideout than down here, where someone else could get hurt."

Usagi looked down.

"I don't know why you're fixating on this. You felt what they did to me, to my friends. They killed. I can regenerate from that stuff, humans can't. Ami felt it too. She actually came to help. She wasn't bashful either. Neither are you; I saw what you did in that toy store."

Usagi narrowed her eyes and stared Ranma eye to eye. "That was different."

Ranma's grin turned to a smile. "Yes it was. The Assembly only attacked demons and soldiers, at least they had that much. I can respect them for keeping it.. professional."

"But... well.. yes." Usagi blinked. "So, why was Ami there?"

"Well, she teleported in. Helped us capture someone that knew where their base was. Quite helpful."

"She helped you? But... she thinks you're corrupting me."

"I think Akumi wanted to prove herself to me. That she could help. Though that Assemblyman did give her some problems. Her pretty uniform was all cut up," Ranma flatly stated.

"I'd assume she also did it to get on your good side," Setsuna added.

"Probably."

"Was... Minako there?"

"Nope. Just her and Orion."

"Why didn't she bring Virgo and Minako?" Setsuna asked.

"That's a very good question. She could have used more help." Ranma rubbed her chin. "They might not have been available."

"We can check to see if there was any other disturbances yesterday," Nabiki offered.

"Thank you," Setsuna said.

"What if Minako was imprisoned and... Virgo was guarding her?" Usagi asked.

"Possible, but Merc's not one to waste an able body on guard duty. Not when she's got a perfect metal prison already made."

"She might not trust Minako alone."

"Maybe. Ami might be worry that Minako could be more than a... test subject. After all isn't that what your plan was? Make Mina into a double agent?"

"She was supposed to contact us but has not," Setsuna said with enough distaste to convey her opinion of this plan.

"Ami won't hurt her. That's not her aim. She wants me to be this proper queen she's got in her head. She's trying to... well... teach me. Hurting Mina pushes me too far."

"Oh?"

The corners to Usagi's lips rose. "Yes, she'll worry that I'll sic you on her."

"Indeed, but what does she want Mina for?"

"Turn her to her side. New armor, new mentality. Ami's showing me what she can do. How she can 'fix' us all." Usagi's hands clenched. "We're not broken."

Ranma's eyebrow rose briefly. That was an interesting plan. Mercury was still trying to prove her worth, prove her value. "No, but you do need more training."

"Yes, I've stepped up the pace," Setsuna said. "I'm inclined to agree with Usagi. Ami's plans for Minako are to transform her into a fully armored warrior. That first coating was just a test, Ami's would want this perfect. She is showing how she can take a random Senshi and turn them into a lethal warrior."

"She's trying to impress me," Usagi sighed.

"Nothing like a little kidnapping to do that." Ranma wondered about Mercury. Sure, Mina could be acting the whole time. If the suit was fancy enough, she could even be converted to Mercury's side. Though that probably involved a fair bit of mental manipulation. Usagi and Setsuna had to know this. Mercury and Orion were both mentally altered. Ranma once again looked to Nabiki who shrugged.

"So, has your own surveillance picked anything up?" Ranma asked Setsuna.

"It's definitely the place. You're right the she went overboard on the protection. Once you know it's there..." Setsuna trailed off. The protection was too good. It was exactly tailored to block her powers, and not just the parts cataloged by Serenity's research mages.

"Anyone coming and going?" Ranma asked.

"Just Virgo and Minako. It looks like Mercury has them on little missions. Probably to get more information. That may have been why they were unavailable yesterday." Setsuna remembered Usagi's face when she told the princess about that; it was worrying. So were the books that Mercury was looking for. If she got her hands on that kind of knowledge...

Nabiki knew her mother's worry. Usagi was too paralyzed to act, and seemed to be throwing every bit of initiative to Mercury.

"Ami's numbers will continue to grow. You should stop her. We can do this."

"She's not a threat to you," Setsuna reminded.

"That's because she knows what happens to people that take my family."

"She could still take an agent. Try to get at you that way. Make a spy or something." Usagi looked out the thick doors.

Ranma laughed. "Ami's more afraid of them than she is of me."

"Really?" Usagi's voice was skeptical.

"She expects a demon-queen Senshi to be a challenge and scary, but 'normal' humans? They're not supposed to factor into things at all. For all her talk, she still thinks like a magical girl."

"You're a magical girl too."

"Maybe, but I never thought like one. I've always been a martial artist or a succubus. Now I'm both. Mercury's making the same mistakes she's accusing you of making. For one thing she's underestimating humanity."

"What, but she's human."

"Irrelevant. She hasn't worked her head around what humanity can do. Shame, Janet seemed to have a pretty good grasp on that."

"What do you mean... 'what humanity can do'. She's a human."

"No, I mean what normal humans can do. People without a magical junction to a whole planet."

"Huh?"

Ranma exhaled. "You see, I've realized something part of why humans with the right tech and training will trounce any NH. It can be quite bloody, but the outcome is eventual."

"Didn't you just beat a bunch of well-armed humans?"

Ranma nodded. "Only because they were amateurs, that and other humans softened it up first. The Assembly had a real good defense set up, but they were expecting a demonic hoard, not Steel Rain. Once their lines broke, I could slip in. That's the human advantage."

"Well of course, we're the good guys."

The redhead gave a charitable smile. "They, demons and the like, kill because they can. Humans... humans have made it into their business, institutionalized it. Humanity got its _start_ surrounded by superior predators. Things that had fangs, claws, night vision, stronger bodies. Stuff that could outrun a man and climb up a tree right after him. What did humanity have?"

"Minds. Humans were smarter," Setsuna stated.

"Yes, and the first thing humanity applied their minds to was killing. It's not fair to kill an animal with a gun, a bow, or even a flint knife..." Ranma shook her head. "And that's the point."

Usagi blinked. "That's different. In an actual fight..."

"What? Humans shouldn't use the advantages they made for themselves? NH's don't play fair. Why should humanity?"

The blonde stared.

"Humanity wasn't done; they got even more advanced. Science, industry, research, all for one thing: death. Eventually, humanity formed institutions and professions around it. Tactics, teamwork, spying. All to put the right people, with the right weapons, in the right spot."

"That's... horrible. You make us sound like monsters." Usagi gasped.

"Do I?" Ranma shrugged. "Humans know death inside and out and are always coming up with new ways, new methods. I can slice a person's head off with a single claw. A human came up with the idea of building a machine do it for them. Primitive man learned how to kill predators. Modern man's doing the same thing."

"Most of the time humans kill each other," Setsuna reminded.

Ranma shrugged again. "Yes, yes they do. Cruel as it is, that innovates. It creates a need, a motivation. Ideas are pursued, designs are developed. This is what humanity offers."

"It's not that simple!" Usagi shrieked.

"No. Humanity's not that simple." Ranma agreed. "However, why it has still survived is that simple."

"Ranma's right, Usagi. Look at what your mother did. She made the Senshi. She setup her navy, and equipped her commandos. She did this by organizing her mages while other kingdoms concentrated on flashy and impressive-looking spells. Other mages learned their own magic; hers learned how to teach, how to enchant, how to produce. She worked on effective spells. From making soldiers that could quietly kill from far away to acquiring the power to destroy a planet."

Usagi rubbed her forehead. "Yes, I know. My mother took over and frequently killed to do it."

"It's not bad. She honestly believed that Unification was the best for humanity, and it worked. Humanity advanced by leaps and bounds under her rule," Setsuna stated.

"And was almost destroyed by a jealous noble in league with dark powers," Ranma reminded.

"Not humanity's best moment." Usagi sighed.

"You couldn't be more wrong." Ranma lifted up Usagi's chin. "You know the numbers Serenity's forces faced. You can't imagine what it was like for the normal soldiers. They weren't going to be reincarnated. They knew it was the end, but they still fought."

Usagi stared into Ranma's violet eyes. "They all died. Everyone died."

"You're half right. Serenity lost her armies, she lost her life." Ranma's voice sharpened slightly. "She lost her daughter when the fool killed herself. But humanity lived. Earth survived. Her armies held long enough to make sure that would happen."

"Some victory."

"For humans? That's enough."

"Why is a succubus that has clearly been talking about humanity in the third person so strongly cheerleading for them? You've killed a lot of humans."

"I've also killed a lot of succubae, and I still like my species." Ranma nodded to Nabiki slightly. "I chose my side." She pointedly looked at her watch. "Now I've got a memorial service for some friends soon, so what do you guys want?"

"Fair enough," Setsuna allowed. DarkStar had chosen the same side back then. The difference was that she had more initiative now, and broader support.

Usagi gave a dry, surprisingly cynical, smile. "It's great that I have the approval of one of the architects of Serenity's Unification. I know exactly where you stand with humanity."

Sailor Pluto smiled wondering if Usagi was talking about her or DarkStar. "I suppose you do."

"It's not all roses with humans. They adapt. Look at history. We know what people are capable of, what they can do, but it's still worth it. That's why people will fight and die for these ideals: country, duty, species, planet, honor." Ranma rolled her wrist as she recited the list. "But we also know that it really comes down to fighting for the people you're with. The guys right there with you."

"You going to lecture me on that too?" Usagi glared.

Ranma shook her head. "No, that's one thing you understand completely."

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Corvine looked around the circular table. The other council members were present and the doors to the chamber had just been locked. He cleared his throat. "It appears that Fortson's entire force was wiped out." His grey eyes watched the assembled men and women shift nervously.

"There were three hundred men there, the bulk of the Assembly's forces," Catharine Longmans, the youngest looking person at the table, stated. "Well, how many casualties did they get?"

"Yes, that mountain was a death trap. For all his flaws, Fortson knew how to dig in." a stout bald man named Futhark admitted.

"I would guess his little ambush had to have failed, given that the mountain was attacked," Catharine stated sourly.

"That 'little ambush' fared better than the mountain defense." Corvine shook his head. "We killed some of their men, then they responded by blowing up the entire base. Surface defenses were obliterated. Still the mountain would have held but..."

"DarkStar survived the initial attack?" Futhark asked.

"Sources confirm that she is still alive. We can only conclude that something went... wrong in the ambush. WIC and the demons learned of the base and counterattacked."

"Knocking them out before they could attack." Catharine picked up a glass of water and stared at it. "But Fortson had planned for that. Those mercenaries should have died by the score trying to storm that fortress."

Corvine kept his eyes from rolling. "That's why they didn't. There have been reports of missile testing in the area. Stories of war games being conducted with the military."

Catharine leaned forward. "So they had the army attack it? Artillery? Planes?" She paused and whispered briefly to the man on her right.

"We are still researching the means that they got in. I'm certain DarkStar was a significant factor."

"If she survived, she would fight there," Futhark stated. "History is our guide here. DarkStar never looked down her nose on support. She's not too prideful to accept help."

"Especially when it comes to killing her enemies," Corvine agreed. "Yes, WIC uses its technology to rain fire down and then sends in the demons to mop up."

"There were two Inquisitors there," Catharine stated.

"Obviously, they were insufficient."

"Same as the Assembly itself," Futhark sighed. "What of other assets? Fortson wasn't handed everyone was he?"

"There's our remaining Inquisitors, the other Bishops, a smattering of fathers, and some green acolytes left. Everyone else was pushed over to Fortson," Corvine said after consulting his notes.

"So essentially everything was wagered on this operation? That does not speak well." Jameson, who until now had been silent, finally stated.

Corvine turned to the robed man. "Risks have to be taken, and that is what the Assembly of Man is for. We had tried eliminating DarkStar and her spawn, but that required progressively larger operations. We still had to weaken the WIC presence there. Fortunately, Fortson came up with a plan that minimized the risks."

"He still failed." Jameson stated.

"And that's because this council underestimated our enemy. Fortson did his best, he planned well, and even kept it secret. Of course those converted acolytes were convenient motivation. Always good to get some revenge for inspiration."

"And it happens so frequently with demons," Catharine noted.

"The situation is even worse," Futhark added, glancing at Jameson. "Several monasteries and other facilities have recently been targeted."

"WIC," Corvine ventured. "Fortunately most of those places have been emptied."

"Yes, the Assemblymen there were already killed. In one day we have lost an army."

Jameson raised his head. "Perhaps that is inevitable. It has become clear that our forces have become inadequate. Both Corvine's toy soldiers and Catharine's spies have proved inadequate."

Corvine stared at his notes.

"What? My group has been bringing in fresh information and is the only one still on target!" Catharine calmed herself, and rubbed her eyes. "We had people in place, our end was going fine," she said in a calmer voice. "I have only had one operation exposed and burned."

"Yes, it was your asset that started it all," Futhark dryly remarked.

"It is time to suggest... alternative means," Jameson smoothly stated. "While there is still a part for our conventional means," he gave curt nods to Corvine and Catharine, "it is also obvious that our current roster is insufficient for our future plans. Do we agree on this?"

Corvine reluctantly nodded.

"I still think there is hope in the intelligence angle," Futhark said, to Catharine's surprise.

"Things are positive, but this is a long term plan... and the Company and DarkStar would still be a problem."

"Yes, our lack of decisive action has allowed DarkStar to become a problem," Jameson said looking to Corvine. "Did she not start out as a lone demon easy to eliminate by a team of Fathers?"

"That is a supreme underestimation of her ability," Catharine stated. "But yes, we should have destroyed her from the start." She turned to Jameson "So what is your plan?"

"Recently my assistant has been courting a group that can provide us with the manpower and expertise that we so painfully require."

"Expense?" Futhark asked.

"Is that really relevant?" Jameson asked. "If we fail at this the world will be destroyed."

"At best, at worst it'll fall under the complete domination of monsters," Corvine added.

"Yes, it is our responsibility, but if we spend all of our resources now we will not have them for later," Futhark cautioned.

"I'll show you what these clients have to offer; I'm certain you'll agree they are well worth the money," Jameson assured with a little smile.

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"And so missing out on his mom's strawberry shortcake the Poky Little Puppy went to bed feeling quite sorry for himself," Eve said as she finished reading the slim book. She smiled warmly at the two young women nestled up to her. "Thoughts?"

Morgan frowned at the final picture and gave a little yawn. "I liked the Silva Succubus story better, Mommy."

"The story's sweet, but it's sad too." Morrison pulled her head up off of her mother's lap and twisted her body for more comfort. It had been a busy day.

"Thanks, for humoring me," Eve patted Morrison on the head.

"No, I liked it," Morison said with a slight whine in her voice.

Morgan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's nice." She then gave a reassuring hug.

"Andrea's right we're all huggy and sappy now." Morrison muttered, turning her head to look up at her family.

Eve coldly looked down at the young demon. A small smile formed that quickly bloomed and spread across her face. "We've changed. We're succubae. It's our nature now."

Morrison blinked. Mother was right. That Captain Jarvis was her mother was evidence enough. The... power was frightening and comforting.

"I have to go to the bathroom, be right back," Eve said as she lifted Morrison up and put her down on the couch they were sharing. She got up and walked out of the living room and passed through the kitchen.

Soun and Genma stopped their low chatting and looked up at the blonde. Soun looked over to his friend and gave a little nod. He knew what Genma wanted. "Sorry, but I've got to call the Drake," he said obviously excusing himself. He hesitated by the door and turned to the tall woman. "Thank you for helping my daughters. It's nice to know that they're being led by someone that cares." He gave a little bow that the officer reflexively returned.

Eve's face contorted into confusion briefly before returning to her customary expression. "Huh."

Genma chuckled. "It's hard for him. He still sees them as his little girls." He motioned to the seat across from him at the kitchen table.

"And you?" Eve asked sitting down.

The older man laughed. "Oh that's a good one."

Eve frowned. "Yeah, you never saw your child like that."

"I raised him to be a man among men." Genma smiled wistfully. "I suppose it worked out pretty well." He sipped some sake from his glass.

"She's a happy mother of five and you see how she dresses."

"It's not very girly is it?" Genma countered. "There's also the Art. Very dedicated there. Even the Master's impressed."

"She still training with him?" Eve asked.

"In the dojo. Let them have their fun. He's an old letch and she..." Genma shook his head, and sighed. "Well, she won't take his crap."

"She doesn't take anyone's."

"How was that last battle? She seemed to have more of a spring in her step when she came back," Genma delicately stated. He looked at the bottle and offered a glass to Eve.

"Yes please." Eve downed a couple fingers of the liquor. "I wasn't there, but yeah, it was big."

Genma looked into his glass. "They were those cult weirdoes, right? The pretend priests?"

Eve nodded.

Leaning back he shrugged his shoulders. "At least she's got a good friend in you. Sister, I guess. I'm not the most.. moral person; so I really appreciate that she's got someone to count on. She needs that. needs someone she can look to."

Eve's eyebrow raised. "Oh?"

"I know, I know, Ranma dotes after her Mother." Regret entered Genma's voice. "But you're her age, or close enough, and you're like her."

Eve stared.

"I know what you do. You interviewed me once, remember?" Genma asked dryly.

The blonde shrugged.

"You're too hard on yourself."

"I know what I am," Eve stated.

Genma smirked. "Even with Ranma's help?"

Smirking, Eve reached out and refilled her glass. "She does have that effect on people."

"That she does."

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Part of the University of Toronto library system, the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library was the largest collection of publicly accessible rare books in the country. Hikaru browsed his list with a slight smile. Most hobbyists looked down on such places: they were too public, too open, and too little "good" information.

He agreed with their statements. This was entirely the wrong place to get _juicy_ books. That was why he liked it. He could research the details, the minutia, the stuff most of the hobbyists overlooked as "too boring". Its mundanity made it safer. From one of the upper levels of the mezzanine containing part of the stacks he noticed someone walk into the door.

Not breaking stride, the person had waved his hand and collided with the unresponsive opening. The young man paused and with a rueful shake of his head grabbed the door handle and pulled it open. He walked through the next set of doors and stepped into the lobby and looked up onto the many levels of books.

Hikaru sighed and looked down at Rod Ferris. He was a competent researcher and had access to some interesting tomes, but Rod seemed too... exuberant. This was not the field for impulsiveness.

Briefly watching Rod confound a librarian and deal with the elevator, Hikaru shook his head and returned to his list. He was not surprised Rod knew he was here. If one could not figure out where a... colleague was researching, then that person was hardly cut out for the job of learning eldritch information that man was not meant to know.

"How's the bindings going?" Rod asked with his customary slanted smile, but Hikaru could swear that he detected a hint of unease behind that lopsided grin.

"Just fine," Hikaru muttered putting down his clipboard. "So what was so urgent that you drop in unannounced?"

"Well there's been an incident." Rod's eyes darted to the shelves full of books. "I'm not sure if you'll be safe, you've done some business with..."

"The bookstore? That's old news," Gos raised an incredulous eyebrow. Places that sold eldritch tomes did not stay secret at least not to those already in the know. "And I only went to Incognito for a few mundane books."

"You don't like him?"

"He's a businessman. He doesn't care who he sells to, that's dangerous." Hikaru pulled out a pen and absently wrote a note on his pad.

"Dangerous enough to get some magical girls after him," Rod said, his not exactly amused smile returning.

"Yes, he has attracted some... official attention," Hikaru shrugged. He knew about the rumors: men in black, magical girls, grey commandos, and white devils.

"Well, that's not what I'm talking about." Rod's expression turned to a full smirk. "There was that explosion. Same night as Incognito's... closing." Despite himself, Rod was fairly impressed that Hikaru knew about the bookstore "robbery". Rod only knew because of a personal relationship.

"Police reports indicated it as a training exercise. There's some conflict with the forestry people about proper permissions." Hikaru shrugged.

"There's more to it than that."

"Of course," Hikaru nearly suppressed his urge to roll his eyes. "There's obviously more... federal troops in the city, and they're not just after Azifist cultists."

"Oh, a conspiracy!" Rod's face brightened. "You mean there's more to this than some terrorist lunatics? You know there's no confirmed connection between the Azifists and Al Qaeda." He chuckled darkly.

"Both have death-cults full of useful idiots." Hikaru rubbed his forehead. "People do believe what they want to. Accepting terrorists trained by the Soviet bloc and then later down in the Middle East..." He shrugged. From a... historical perspective, most current events were like wasp hives: complex, impressive, dangerous but ultimately transient and easily circumvented.

The emphasis in Hikaru's mind lay in the "most". He knew it could be still be wishful thinking and confirmation bias on his part but the evidence was starting to mount. Today's research was starting to add to the picture.

"Humanity knows it's not alone. There's clay tablets in the Smithsonian and the British Museum that had to be dated using Potassium-argon. It clearly predates humanity, but people don't care."

"Artifacts of Pre-human civilizations fall into two categories: the fraudulent and the boring." Hikaru shrugged. In his experience journalists were exceptionally gullible and ignorant, and why not? They only cared about the "narrative". Ancient, incomprehensible, tablets did not fit.

"I dunno, Shinichi Fujimura was a bit of an artist, though he didn't have the scale and initiative of Dan Idaho."

Hiraku nodded. He knew all about that archeologist. He claimed to have evidence that a "precursor civilization" had destroyed itself though uncontrolled genetic and industrial manipulations.

It made a good splash with newscasters interested in framing environmental issues, until it was revealed that the archeologist was actually a confidence man that had been in and out of prison for setting up doomsday cults and then skipping town once he got all their money. The conned journalists had quickly tried to forget about the incident, which, Hiraku reflected, was helped by a news cycle measured in seconds and the implicit assumption that the consumers would not know any better. After all, they were the ones making the news. If it was not reported; it was not news.

"I hear he's writing a book about it. Sure to sell well."

"More with the healing crystals people than the black helicopter ones." Hiraku muttered, strongly suspecting that that was Dan's plan from the start. Scandals did make great publicity, something that no self-respecting... hobbyist wanted.

"So, the stars are almost right, eh?"

Blinking, Hikaru snapped out of his rumination and stared at Rod. "You've seen it too?"

"Astronomy is rather specific on the subject. Are you familiar with the work of Oswald Bridge?"

"Astrophysicist, excellent amateur billiard player, brilliant mind, standard cycle of discovery, theory, disillusionment, discreditation, and finally madness."

"You left out the part where he subdued his fiancee and conducted a... detailed search."

"Is this relevant?"

"His work was on the gravitational resonance of various stellar objects," Rod smirked. "Of course at the end his work was considered just another cautionary tale like Blondlot and his N Rays."

"Where is this going?"

"You know as well as I do. Civilizations rise and fall, not all of them the same species. The archeological record is clear on this. We are at a crossroads."

"We're always at one. The tomes and books have been pointing to that for decades."

Rod smiled, his face contorting into an unpleasant, predatory glee. "Decades? Consider the timescale. For a book carved in basalt and found in a bog in the Welsh countryside, that's a rounding error."

"That would explain the heightened presence."

"You can feel them too? Impressive."

Hikaru raised an eyebrow. That was a basic survival tenet. "So, things are... coming together?"

"If you want to call it that. Things are going to get interesting." Rod smiled broadly. "But what if..."

"What?" Hikaru leaned forward slightly.

"What if, I am not... right?"

Hikaru sighed. Dealing with Rod was like this: two steps forward, three back. A phone rang down at the librarian's desk down on the ground floor of the lobby. Hikaru raised his eyebrows to see the librarian look up from her desk and stare right at him and Rod. "Maybe whoever's on that phone is," Hikaru sarcastically remarked, his voice a bit hollow.

Rod leered conspiratorially. "It certainly has a certain element of... possibility."

Hikaru looked down to his notes, and looked down to the still staring librarian out of the corner of his eye. "Uh, yes. Well maybe. Things are risky."

"It could just be your parents calling," Rod offhandedly said.

"That would be better," Hikaru allowed.

"Than being picked up by anonymous gruff men in a black van?"

"These things happen," Gos gave an apathetic hand motion.

"I suppose you wouldn't mind being put into intellectual bondage." Rod's voice became serious. "It's not like you care what's done with the information you gather."

Hikaru stared. He felt as if he had been slapped. Rod was least responsible person he had known, who was he to judge him?

"Oh don't worry. If those weird Goth girls haven't gotten their attention, I'm sure you're safe," Rod said his voice once again jovial, but now there was a distinct undercurrent of malice.

"They have gotten a lot of attention," Hikaru admitted.

"I wouldn't expect anything less." Rod's voice was now its irreverent self. "You have to admire their ability to not care, and not worry about people judging them."

Gos raised an eyebrow. "They're not open. Ranma and her friends are very private."

"There's a difference between showing discretion and living in shame." Rod waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh?" Hikaru was not sure if this comment was directed at him. He preferred to be left alone and knew that the right outward appearance would help facilitate that goal.

"Sometimes I wonder about my sanity." Rod said, perhaps to himself.

Hikaru held his tongue.

"What if I am too sane? Like in the way a baker, a single mother, a barber, a radiologist, a barker, or a metallurgist is too sane."

"Oh I don't think you need to worry about that." Hikaru was not one for dry and sarcastic commentary, but it was too obvious.

Rod made a point of looking at his watch, even though it was upside-down, and was flashing all zeros. "Well, I've got to go to the auto-parts store and get some new Sierpinski gaskets for my Dodge."

Not knowing much about cars, Hikaru simply nodded. After Rod left, he paused to wonder exactly why his... friend had come. Things had been getting stranger and stranger.

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Walking into the small shoe store, Svetlana adjusted her coat with a slight sigh. The capitalists were certainly out in force. Pulling off her sunglasses she glared at the collection of high heels. She had been raised a rather practical girl and had been taught such things were Bourgeoisie frivolities. Besides, the stores in Paris had much nicer quality. Rome too, for that matter, but she had other issues with that city. They all did. Despite her distaste for consumer excess she still wore nice coats and kept her blonde hair shampooed and held back with fairly expensive hair clips.

"Your head's in the clouds," Galina coldly stated.

"I've been thinking," Svetlana said, putting the ill-made leather pump down.

"It's that bad?"

Svetlana slowly turned and looked up her commander. "This could be a problem. A real... opportunity."

Galina nodded. "Can we do it?" The two women stepped out of the store and she caught a glimpse of Vosem and Shest across the street. Vosem in her long hair and generous figure and lanky Shest in her pixie cut could almost pass as a couple.

Svetlana looked straight ahead, her eyes recalling the rooftop view from earlier in the week. "We need to make sure we're not fighting them." Her hand went out and stroked her arm.

Galina nodded. Finding the right city had been one thing, setting up a viable operation was a whole other issue, but her girls had made her proud. "Our client seems to be under their protection." In this case the person paying them was most definitely not their client

"There's no pressure," Svetlana reaffirmed "We don't have to beat them... much."

"You do know why we lost right?"

Unlike her comrades Svetlana did not hold the delusion that they had not been beaten. "Superior organization and economic models."

Galina looked around and her eyes studied the bustle. Even now she could tell which side any given city had been on. "Unpredictability. It doesn't matter how brilliant your intelligence organs are, if your enemy changes on their whims, if even they don't know what they'll do."

Svetlana rubbed her left arm again. "We will wait, and we will strike."

The pair walked a few dozen yards in silence and then by seeming coincidence ran into another young woman. During their warm exchange of greetings and handshakes a document could have passed between them. There certainly were enough people to cover a good pass or they could have done a brush-pass without even breaking stride.

Instead the trio of girls kept idly chatting as they walked. "You're right. Krasny is in town," Chetyre said just holding her voice even.

Galina's lips thinned. "Is she still angry? Did she yell at you?" _How dangerous is she? Were you spotted?_

"No, she was very pleasant. She had more important stuff than me. It looks like she's mellowed out, but I guess she's had a bad breakup. Fought with her boyfriend for a week."

"That's a shame." Galina held her relief. Despite it all, they were the best. Chetyre knew the dangers that came with sloppy work. "See if she's on the rebound?"

"I heard she's seeing someone new, yes." Ivanova Chetyre allowed. She took a sip from her water bottle.

Galina stopped and turned to face her subordinate. "You didn't flirt with her boyfriend did you?"

"No... of course not." Ivanova looked down. Her tradecraft was solid. It could rival anything that came out of Dzerzhinsky Square. It was just... "She's the jealous type. Kransy could just be paranoid."

Galina smiled. "I wouldn't blame her, given her looks."

"There's also her other girlfriends," Svetlana said and was quietly thankful for the distance her role afforded.

"There's also her birthday party. Huge turnout." Ivanova shook her had. "She's a bit miffed that we didn't come. Not to mention all the people that crashed the party."

"Oh? How big was it?"

"About three hundred or so, real nice. At a resort out in the woods. Fireworks too."

Galina's eyes sparkled in interest. "Wow, she must have been one happy girl."

"I haven't heard of a party that size in years," Svetlana added.

"Yes, she seemed pleased with her presents. Her friend Johan helped with the cleanup too. Stayed after the party and rolled out all the drunks passed out on the floor." Ivanova added. It had taken some digging but a lithe girl with the right accent could get in with any forestry official.

Pausing to decode, Galina chuckled. "Oh yes, that's wonderful news. Truly." She looked over to the other side of the avenue and caught a glimpse of Vosem and Shest boarding a streetcar. Good. they still had to do some surveillance at the school.

"What of Dwa? When will she and her friends come back?"

" Arisha and the rest are coming over here shortly. Their ballet competition in Tokyo is wrapping up. Only a couple other teams even showed up." Galina explained. The problem with codes was that their mere presence was often enough. If anyone were seriously trailing them, it would not matter what they said or how they tried to disguise it. On the other hand, some precautions were only prudent.

"Good, I think she'll like the climate here, It's a bit like home." Svetlana twisted her neck and looked up at the cloud-laden sky. "Having the whole team over here will be good for them. Can get a nice break before the next stop on our tour."

"Oh, it gets better," Ivanova coughed. "Some of Johan's little sisters have joined her cheerleading squad."

Galina stopped. The amused and slightly weary expression and look that would have been at home on any Comparative Literature Graduate Student, Russian of course, vanished and was replaced by a deep coldness. "Really? Huh. Good for her."

Svetlana and Ivanova turned to face her and waited.

"I guess we were wrong on Zaichik and her friends." Galina's face broke into an broad and pleased smile. "But no matter. I think we'll be just fine here."

"Are you sure? Kransy's got a very impressive team on the floor, and we're gymnasts not cheerleaders. Totally different work."

"Then it's up to us to show what we can do," Galina stated with pride. "We'll prove ourselves. We are over here representing our motherland."

Svetlana nodded and allowed a brief smile to pass over her face.

Ivanova inhaled. She was apprehensive, but there was nothing else for them to do. It had been quite some time before a mission that was truly a challenge. Recently their work had been just enough to keep their skills and bodies maintained. It would be good to test their limits.

"Is Kransy really that popular?"

"Oh yeah, I saw her yearbook, full of signatures," Ivanova said, referring to the dossier she had slowly constructed over the last week. The data on the power scrying results alone were quite disquieting.

"Excellent," Galina said resuming her stride with renewed confidence.

"We don't need to go head to head with her," Ivanova advised.

"Fortunately, she's not our client, so we can be more flexible with her," Galina smirked. Work was always a large portion of dull methodical preparations followed by a small period of intensity. The most pertinent question remained... what was the caliber of their opponents?

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Morrison frowned into the mirror; reflected back at her, a young green-haired succubus pouted cutely. She sighed which caused interesting effects on her chest. Flicking her hands dry she rose up to her full height.

A blonde stepped out of a bathroom stall and observed. "Are you okay?" she asked as she washed her hands. Morrison could not be sad about today's training, she had flown beautifully, and even nailed her landings.

"Fine, I'm just struck by how hard it is to not be drop-dead gorgeous," Morrison darkly muttered. "I really shouldn't complain. Mom's been great and the rest of you..." She smiled warmly but it faltered and the woman looked down at her high heeled boots and grey slited silk mini-skirt..

Ukyou stepped up and patted her hand. "I know. It'd almost be easier if Eve sucked at being a mother, or if you had been altered."

Morrison chewed her lip. "It's horrible to say that. I mean the others... they were brainwashed."

"Not exactly. Akane really did become Eclipse... still is, I guess. And our little sister... well... I don't think even she can think of herself being anything else. And Ryoga... well he and Aurora hated our mother before, but a mother's love just overpowered all that hatred... and changed her. Our bodies... we become what our bodies are." Ukyou's grip rose from Morrison's hand to her shoulder and drew her into a hug.

"It's just... I'm an agent. I've been trained." She leaned onto her cousin and could almost feel herself start to purr.

"So? It's okay. You should have seen how nervous and apprehensive Eve was at the start." She hugged the new demon tighter. "It'll work out."

"I know." The base shrink was quite definite on that. Normally, the consolers dealt with issues arising from repeated and grisly carnage and exposure to the macabre and eldritch. Morrison's situation was clearly the later. Succubae do not get gender dysphoria or species for that matter, or at least not for very long. _What they were, we were_, Morrison mentally corrected, _susceptible to going feral._

"Look Richard." Staring into her eyes, Ukyou noted the shock Morrison saw at the use of her first name. "You're going to make it through this."

"That's what scares me," Morrison admitted in a quiet whisper.

"What?"

"I'm not like Mom or Morgan or you, I don't have problems with my family. Aside from not joining the Corps like the rest of them."

"It's okay, Nariko's still on great terms with her father."

"Yes, but she can go see him and cry in his lap."

"They're Marines right? I'm sure they know..."

"Know what?" Morrison said crossly. "My father knew enough to not be ashamed when I signed on. He was courteous enough to overlook the obvious cover story."

"What's going to happen now?"

Morrison smiled ruefully. "Say someone dies on a secret mission? With the military they can't tell the family how the person died or why or where. Just that they're not coming back. In WIC it's even worse. Guess that's an upside to most of us being alone."

"You didn't die though... you could..."

"What? Write letters?" Morrison sighed. "It's easier this way."

"You don't have to give up like that."

"Really? Are you going to see your family? I know you've got a father back in Japan."

"True, but I would end up killing him and slowly feeding the remains to Mom." Ukyou growled. "Moron's the reason I spent years painfully binding my breasts."

"Ouch." Morrison shuddered, she could imagine what that pain would be like. Becoming newly and intimately familiar with breasts would do that. She found that out when she flopped down onto the bed and then ignoring that first-hand warning tried to sleep face-down. Though sleeping in one brood-pile did mitigate things

"Look, if you're thinking about giving up on your human life," Ukyou sharply inhaled. "What human life? You're a Company girl, always have been, save the girl part."

"You're right. I didn't have anything, save the occasional phone call with my family." Morrison straightened up.

"And you're worried a sudden swap to letter writing would be suspicious?"

"To them? They're not dumb. The black sheep of the family goes off to some obviously black bag outfit and suddenly stops talking. What should they make of that?"

Ukyou pulled away. "I don't know. It's not an easy question."

Morrison nodded. At least her new family could be in on the secret.

"The Sam and Naoko thing is tearing at Mom," Ukyou mentioned as the two walked out of the bathroom. "She wants to tell them, but..."

"It's supposed to be a secret." Morrison eventually said. She then opened the door to the Major's lab and blinked. Morgan's eyes were happily sparkling. Morrison turned to see what had captivated her sister. Sitting in a complex and padded pair of vises was a Barrett XM109.

Or it used to be, the already large weapon had seemed to grown by well over a foot. Most obviously, the twenty-five millimeter rifle had a new barrel. Inscribed on it in block text was was: WIC Munitions. Below that in a formal copperplate was "We do what we must because we can."

Nodoka stepped up. "Our head machinist Gladys came up with that idea. She thought it needed more."

Morrison nodded grimly.

"Don't worry, we can put something on your guns if you want. Apparently, she came up with a whole poem." Nodoka said. "I'm sure she's come up with something nice for you girls."

Morrison nodded and turned back to the large gun. Noticing the stock, she smiled. It had been reduced in size, to better fit Morgan's light frame. So, the new barrel had to be even longer than she first thought.

"What do you want?" Major Saotome said as she checked the readings from a laser level. She gave a little wink to Ukyou. She also made a note to talk to Morrison later.

"I didn't think it was coming in this fast." Morrison marveled.

"The machinists are quite good. Especially if they don't want Gladys mad," Nodoka agreed. Her own caution had remained high until after she had inspected the metalwork herself. "There's still more work to do. The receiver and other parts need to be reinforced."

"Even more power?" Morrison coughed.

"Why not? We can use conventional low-velocity 25 by 59 mm grenade and something with more speed," Nodoka explained.

Morgan's eyes gleamed.

"How much range do you want to give it? " Ukyou said, wondering if Misako would be jealous. This weapon was much longer than Sasha.

"This isn't for range but penetrating power. Kinetic energy does go up with the square of velocity." Morgan explained.

"We've still got to test out the ergonomics." Nodoka said making a note on her clipboard. She made another to talk with Ukyou.

"Practicing sounds good," Morgan said eyeing her new gun. Her arm was gently pulled by her sister.

"Can we talk?"

Morgan raised an eyebrow. "Sure." She followed her sister to the far end of the laboratory. "What's wrong?"

Morrison looked into her calm blue eyes. "How are you doing?"

Her eyes briefly flicked to the side and Morgan hesitated. "Well, my shooting's better than it's ever been."

"There's more to life than that."

Morgan leaned onto a counter. "Why complicate things? It's rather nice being a species that has no pretenses. Where being a killer's normal; it's expected."

"We already had that," Morrison remarked.

The corners of Morgan's lips pulled up into a cold grin. "Yes, handy that."

"Things are going to be different," Morrison suddenly smirked. "Aren't you worried about what will happen when you make your next kill?"

Morgan raised an eyebrow.

"We eat our kills. Mom did it too."

The russet-haired girl rubbed her forehead. "Well, I've hunted. I ate afterwards."

"So we'll just go to the morgue and cut up some steaks? Maybe make jerky?"

"Nah, the meat wouldn't be as fresh then. Oh well."

Morrison smirked "Aside from that... how are you doing?"

"Just going with it, I mean... we've kinda got a second chance here." Morgan frowned. "Well, we're still agents."

"Like death would get us away from the Company," Morrison smirked.

"At least the uniforms are better now," Morgan idly said.

Morrison raised an eyebrow. "You spend most of your time in Ghillie suits."

"Still can look good the rest of the time."

"You're starting to become one of them," Morrison teased flicking Morgan's bangs.

"I'm not the one wearing eyeshadow."

"Misako said it looked good." Morrison quietly said. It had been easier to just let Misako put the makeup on her. It was not like anyone would really care. Succubae were suppose to look good.

"Look, don't worry about it." Morgan hesitantly reached out and squeezed her sister's hand. "So you let yourself get a little makeover. Who cares? We're Company. We're past caring what other people think."

"Mom, Ranma, the Colonel, Stillwater?"

Morgan blinked. "Fine, but you think they care about that? No matter what happens, one thing won't change. It can't change."

"The oath."

"Sure, there's some new... fringe benefits, but the job is the same."

"Okay, but if you start to feel..."

"I'll talk to you and mom," Morgan said as she put her hand to Morrison's shoulder. The two walked back to the front of the lab where Nodoka was inspecting the sniper rifle while Ukyou had two Standard Succubus Pistols stripped and disassembled in front of her.

"So you finally got a second gun?" Morrison asked as she slid up to the table. It was odd. The gun was not heavy, and the recoil seemed normal. It was only when she tried to use a forty five caliber that the scale became obvious.

"Yes," Ukyou said giving an exaggerated pout to her grandmother, winking was too obvious. "Hmm... not too much wear." She inspected the components and mulled over them. "Oh these are for you." She handed a new slide to her cousin.

Morrison picked up the part and looked at it. This time, written under the WIC Munitions logo was: _For the good of all of us. For the ones who are dead._ She smiled and turned to Nodoka and gave her a hug.

The scientist's smile grew when a slight purr came from the young woman. "I wanted to surprise you." The "blank" slides would be returned and could easily have new inscriptions placed.

In addition to the new weapon, Ukyou had a slide replacement as well. Despite starting with a conjunction, the first message was simple enough. The sentence on the other gun was more baffling. "But there's no sense crying over every mistake. You just keep on trying till you run out of cake."

"What kind of sense of humor does Gladys have?" Ukyou asked

"Gladys Coulton's first job was for Republic Aviation making parts for fighters. She and some of the other girls would put together... care packages to be delivered with the planes."

"They thought the boys could use some encouraging photos?" Morrison ventured.

"Nothing too... improper. It's how she met her husband John. She sent a photo and he wrote her a song."

"Sounds like a nice couple," Ukyou sighed.

"He was shot down over Korea."

Morrison imagined the old widow scowling over the metal, searching for any flaws, and then finally chuckling as she wrote a message into the steel.

"But why cake?" Ukyou asked staring at one of her guns.

"She was a fan of cheesecake, apparently," Morrison deadpanned.

Ukyou shook her head. Sometimes the Company could be a bit... eccentric. The constant pressures from the work had to be it.

"Gladys is looking forward to more work. She enjoys a challenge too." Nodoka chuckled. Engineering was more than science; it was applied science.

"I wonder if Jacob will give me any pointers." Ukyou mused as she reassembled her guns

"You know about that?" Morrison asked as she stripped her weapon and replaced the slide.

"One of his nicknames is Gunslinger and he wears two guns slung low on his hips. I suppose it could all be rumor and him 'looking cool', but that's not something WIC troopers do is it?"

Morrison smirked. "So you've never seen him fight then?"

"The chance hasn't presented itself."

"He likes to use the ranges real early in the morning," Morrison hinted.

"That's just him shooting targets. I guess I'd see if he's fully ambidextrous."

Morrison chuckled. "He has his ways."

"I can ask him then, I guess. You think he'd train?"

Morrison nodded. "Yeah, it's not a common skill, even among us. Normally, a rifle's more practical."

"Well, we're not normal are we?" Ukyou asked holstering her weapons. "So how's Grandma's work with you? Going ahead with that 17mm monster?"

"It's smaller than Morgan's."

"Yes, that's kind of the point," Nodoka said as she approached. "Hers is a long range anti-material and _special­_-anti-personnel weapon. The WM 17S HSMG is a much lighter and compact weapon. It is roughly in the shape of a FN P90."

"Heavy Succubus Machine Gun?" Ukyou ventured.

"Willard Munitions Seventeen millimeter Shoulder-mount, Heavy Submachine Gun," Morrison clarified. "So, it got approved? We were just doing the single-shot testing."

Nodoka nodded. "Yes, the case was made for a weapon between the SSP and Misako's IGMG. A... conventional rifle," Nodoka shook her head.

"Has prototyping started?"

"Yes, we know how the bullets perform, so fabrication is the next stage," Nodoka said as she went to a cabinet and pulled out a box of 17 by 65 mm WIC custom.

"Wow," Morrison picked one of the shells up. "I'm still amazed at these. They're shotgun sized." That was fine when she was using them in a single shot gun, but having a semi-auto fire these...

"Well the twelve gauge is 18.5 mm by 70 or 76 mm," Nodoka said as she picked up one of the relatively blunt bullets.

"Still, they're big," Morrison said as she hefted the bullet, and wondered when she could fire the test gun again. The whole casing was reminiscent of a.50 Browning Machine Gun but shorter and with a larger slug in the head.

"Why don't you just make an autofire shotgun system?" Ukyou asked.

Nodoka nodded. "I thought of that, but less accuracy. With the HSMG you'll have a forty round magazine."

"What about temperature?" Morrison asked. "Pressure's one thing, but the heat expansion and wear..."

"Thermal management did require some creative solutions," Nodoka allowed. It was wonderful to deal with such... robust users. Though that was a mixed blessing. She had to make the weapons rugged enough so they could be used as a blunt weapon and be able to block blunt and bladed weapons. "But I've got some good natural convection cells and good radiating sections. It'll hold."

"Really?"

"Oh yes, it's going to be a very solid weapon," Nodoka stated. The weight limits for succubus weapons were quite the blessing. Which was to say: what weight limits? Ergonomics was the main concern; the weapons had to be easy to hold and have good balance.

"What about barrel wear? I mean if this thing can hold a forty round magazine..." Morrison asked as she rolled one of the bullets in her hand.

"Based on the data from the test rig, I think I can get an acceptable lifespan. A good protective coating will help. The barrel will be easy to replace though," Nodoka assured. "However, it'll take some time to build the 17mm gun. We should talk about something in the meantime. I can adapt one of our larger machine guns, make the belt feed from an under-slung box. It's not exactly the ideal role."

Morrison nodded. The primary reason for the bull-pup design on the HSMG was to allow its use in buildings and close-quarters.

"Well, you don't need it to be terribly accurate," Morgan smarmily said as she turned and looked cutely at Nodoka. "So when can we go to the range?"

Nodoka chuckled. It was easy to keep her girls happy. "After I get the requirements from your sister on her gun. Then we can test the 17mm rig more too."

Morgan smiled and after loosening the vise, put the end of the gun on the floor and leaned it on her shoulder. The weapon extended past her shoulder and ended several inches above her head.

"Good, we can meet the others," Nodoka added.

"Well, Mom and Nariko are still home with Nariko's dad," Ukyou said.

"He is a good father for her," Nodoka agreed.

"Our Mom's there too, right?" Morrison asked as she rummaged around for the 17mm test gun. It was a single shot rolling-block weapon, that was reminiscent of a wall gun, a very heavy bore gun too large to be fired from the shoulder. They were leaned on walls and ledges and were a formidable if bulky defensive weapon in the 16th through 18th centuries.

"Yes, Eve's there too," Nodoka said, wondering if her... other daughter, was trying to get more permanent housing.

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"So you want a house?" The Drake asked looking at the stern blonde. This was his responsibility. Being a Company associate opened a lot of doors for his real estate and land development business. Most opened on their own and could not be closed until he did what was expected of him. At least, finding an appropriate house would be easier than a facility that can be used as a paramilitary base.

"The closer to here the better," Eve nodded.

The Drake looked to his older daughter. "Well, I can look. I'm certain some of the neighbors are concerned. I'm sure with the right offer..."

"It would be handy," Ranma smiled. "It would give us more space."

"Alternatively we could expand this house. I'm sure Soun wouldn't mind," The Drake offered. He had just talked with his old friends yesterday and it was certainly possible.

"That might allow for more concentrated security." Eve nodded. "Possible."

"Another house could work too, like if they share a border," Ranma offered as she sipped some tea.

Drake Kuno looked at Eve. "So you've got some kids. Agents and succubae? They'll be a handful."

"Tell me about it." Eve warmly smiled. She pulled out her phone. "Yes? Oh really." She turned to her sister.

"What?" Ranma asked.

"You've got some visitors. Sam's driving up with Nami," Eve said.

Ranma blinked. "School's out already?"

"Time flies," The Drake said as Ranma got up and went to the front door. He had taken the afternoon off, but still knew when his school let out.

Watching Sam, somewhat clumsily, park the car and get out, Ranma opened the door and stepped out to meet them.

Naoko blinked at the redhead's hair. "Sunny? What happened?"

"Clearly she took a few days off to go to the spa and get her hair done," Sam dryly remarked putting her mother's car keys away.

Ranma's eyes looked down. "Uh, let's talk inside."

"Right," Sam nodded.

"So, what's brings you guys over?"

"We were worried." Naoko said after entering. She looked out and saw the principal sitting with some striking blonde woman.

"Yeah." Ranma sighed.

"Sorry if we... interrupted anything," Sam said looking at Principal Kuno.

"Maybe we should talk out back," Ranma said leading her two girls out to the side yard.

"So where's your... cousins?" Naoko asked.

"Aside from Nariko Kuno of course," Sam stated.

They crossed to the back yard and Ranma sat down on a bench under a large oak. "I don't know what to say, I mean..."

"We're not pressuring you," Sam assured, sitting down next to her pale friend.

"We just want to make sure you're okay."

Ranma gave a bitter laugh. "I'm feeling great. Course if you knew..." she shook her head, causing her long tresses to spill over Sam.

"We're not stupid," Naoko said, while Sam tried to get Ranma's hair off of her.

"I know," Ranma sighed. "It'd be easier... oh well."

"So what is it? Alien?" Naoko asked.

"Vampire?" Sam offered.

"Demon?"

"Werewolf?"

Ranma's blush had grown to almost human levels and she began to sputter. "Uh... what makes you say that?"

Naoko pointed to Ranma's hair, many of the strands still clinging to Sam.

"Oh."

"We know you're doing something," Sam looked down and rubbed her eyebrows. "I mean the flock of lesbians. Akane's new look. Tatewaki and Nabiki leaving and replacements showing up. That and the well... effect you guys have on everyone."

"We do look like this," Ranma said pointing to her chest.

"That's not all," Naoko said, noting the use of we.

"And look at our uniforms," Sam said pulling at the dark violet material of her seifuku.

"They look nice." Ranma said absently.

"Yes, very complimentary. They fit great and stay real clean too," Sam said dryly. She decided not to mention the absence of sticking on the seams.

"Look, don't worry," Naoko said kneeling down in front of Ranma. "You know us, we're not going to reject you. It's not like you're a cannibal."

Ranma's eyes widened.

"And even then it depends on who you've eaten," Sam added.

"Sunny's always been a good friend, I'm sure they had it coming. Hypothetically, of course."

Ranma twiddled with her fingers. "Well... there's a reason I look this way."

"And why the rest of your friends do too?" Naoko asked.

Ranma slowly nodded. "Oh yeah. It's even related to my... well you know that secret."

"That you're a lesbian? That's not much of a secret. Or does it have to do with the scary secret agents you hang out with."

"Are the sunglasses really that obvious?" Ranma asked.

"Oh no, not at all," Sam said, remembering the van parked on the street, or the other people hanging around the property.

"Well, we'll start simple. I work with those 'secret agents', though they're more soldiers."

"Using your badass martial arts skills?"

Ranma laughed. "Yes, that's right."

"Well, unless you're insanely, insanely good no real group would use a high school girl, not without some training. So there's got to be something else," Sam mused.

"And it's probably related to all the weird fights and missing persons going on," Naoko added.

Ranma nodded. "Yeah, there's a lot of bad people out there, and we fight them."

"And the rest of your... family is in on this too?"

"Even my mother. She's a Major and builds all of our weapons," Ranma said quietly.

"Good thing to keep secret," Sam gently stated.

"There's more isn't there? Some young... counter-terrorism girls, well, that doesn't make any sense, but even if it did. Why dress all sexy?" Naoko paused. "No why... why ooze sensuality?"

Ranma rubbed her forehead. She had risked worse rejection than this... or had she? She never knew her mother before meeting her, and she knew she would lose Kasumi as a lover. She chewed her lip for a moment. "I think you can guess," she said as her horns slid out into view.

"Cool!" Naoko gushed.

Sam reached out and poked one. "Cute little things."

The redhead purred slightly. "Really?" Ranma asked looking up.

"Well, I was right," Naoko smirked and held out her hand.

"I should have known vampire was wrong," Sam grumbled as she opened her purse. "You're nowhere near emo enough, but I thought maybe the media portrayal was wrong. You're pale, seductive... have fangs."

"That describes most of the mythological beings," Sam reminded as she affected a chipper smile.

"But you guessed demon?" Ranma asked.

"Well... not demon generally. With the body and clothes." Naoko left the unsaid question hang in the air.

Ranma chuckled. "Yes, yes I'm a succubus."

"The rest of them are too right? That's what happened to Akane."

"And Nabiki..." Sam blinked. "And Tatewaki? Oh wow... you mean Nariko's?"

The redhead raised an eyebrow. "Yes, she's my eldest daughter."

"Daughter?" Naoko was curious. "So.. what, you turned them all?"

Sam interjected before Ranma could respond. "Duh. How else would they become demons? I guess some other demon could do it."

Ranma idly scratched her horns. "Yeah, there was this bad demon, she turned Akane, Nabiki, and Misako. I had to kill her," she said nervousness being replaced by happiness.

"That's when Akane and Nabiki left school for a while. And then they came back and your 'cousin' had died," Sam remarked.

"Yup, that's it. Was really sucky time. Before that I was having all these mother issues and then had to fight this evil selfish bitch."

"I don't know how I'd deal with having kids, especially ones my age."

Ranma shrugged. "The body takes care of a lot of it. We mature quickly and all that."

"Wait, so... you're a succubus right?" Naoko asked. Something was off. It explained things, but that did not exactly put her mind at ease.

The redhead pointed to her horns, and after a moment summoned her tail.

"Oh wow," Sam said as she grabbed the spade-ended appendage. "Really cool."

"So, how come you're a lesbian? I mean aren't you supposed to seduce guys? I mean you're all lesbians right? Sam and I are the only ones in the group that like guys."

Ranma paused and half-heartedly tried to wriggle her tail out of Sam's grip. "I think Misako likes guys. Akane's more into Nariko. Nabiki's still looking for a mate."

Sam let go of the tail. "Well, if Tatewaki became Nariko. Maybe there's no males."

"You need males, or maybe Nariko is the male of the species," Naoko countered.

"They could be hermaphrodites." Sam said. The thought was creepy, but not much more than that demons existed.

"How do they impregnate then?"

"They're sex demons, does it matter? I'm sure they find a way."

Ranma blushed and made a point of hiding her tail.

"True." Naoko tapped her chin. "So, a secret military organization is using sex demons as some type of elite soldiers? What to fight other sex demons?"

"Sounds like that show you had me watch last year," Sam muttered.

"La Blue girl didn't have a military organization in it."

"Well, we don't just fight demons. Pretty much any supernatural or secret organization, but it makes a lot of sense to use succubae. We're strong, fast, heal really quick, great sense of smell, can see in the dark, and there's the flying."

"You can fly?" Sam asked her eyes twinkling.

"What's a demon without wings? Of course she can fly. That makes sense. Good reasons to use demonic super soldiers. So, who's that blonde woman? Your handler? She's gotta be government."

Ranma nodded. "She's also my sister."

Naoko raised and eyebrow. "Since she doesn't look Japanese but is pale and well..."

"A knockout." Sam offered.

"So who isn't a demon?"

"Well... anyone that's male, and... well, Mom, Kasumi, you girls. Uh... that's about it."

"And Kasumi's part of this too? I mean she's gotta be right?" Sam asked. Kasumi's past incidents in High School made it too much of a coincidence.

Ranma nodded. "Yeah, you two... well you're my only friends... that... I was keeping it a secret from."

"We know why you weren't telling us."

"Yeah, normal superhero reasons. Protecting us and all that."

"Secret agent sounds less lame. Superheroes are down there with magical girls. Silly uniforms and no killing," Sam sighed. "That nonsense is how you get the same damn enemy popping up again and again."

Ranma raised and eyebrow. "Huh?"

"You're a cannibal Sunny, and even if that's just eating other demons, that's still something namby-pamby 'good guys' don't do," Sam explained giving Ranma a hug.

"There's also you being a demon. Heh, a demon named Sunshine. That's too cute."

"My Dad's idea. Well, Drake helped on that." Ranma wanted to sigh, but she was being hugged.

"It's okay, Sunny."

"So, if your mom is human, how'd you become a succubus? Is your dad a demon lord or something?" Sam asked.

Ranma laughed. "Oh man, that's hilarious. No... no. He's human. I've just..." The redhead shook her head. "Do you two believe in reincarnation?"

"Does it matter? I mean you're a secret agent demon-girl," Sam smirked poking Ranma's horns.

"It does make sense." Naoko added. "Well, it explains the scary pale Goth girls."

Ranma inhaled. It was going to be a long story. "Well, it started with an ancient magical kingdom..."

End Chapter 20

Once again, I'd like to thank my pre-readers. They read through my most egregious mistakes so you don't have to. DGC, J St C Patrick, Terra, Pale Wolf, Wray, Kevin Hammel, Ikarus, and Jerry Starfire. Other thanks go to Stratagemini, Trimatter, PH Wise, Dorin, and others previously mentioned for some future planning.

I'd also like to give J St C Patrick special thanks for giving this chapter his attention and going over with again and again despite being very busy. I'm honored that he used his time to help me. Thanks.


	23. Chapter 21 Restoration and Regret Part 1

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Josh Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.

Temporary Backup Site.

Other website Temple of Ranma's Senshi Seifuku

C&C as always is wanted.

Chapter 21 Restoration and Regret Part 1

Three people sat on a bench in a back yard. It was a brisk fall afternoon. Of the three the redhead of the group was much more at ease and natural than normal. Naoko was amazed by the change, normally Sunshine was sensual (to be fair she always exuded a sense of sex) but restrained. She often would have an air of exasperation and fear about her.

Now however, she was still sensual and restrained but she was... open. There was a frightening conviction to her. Below the serious Goth girl mask was a serious succubus.

Naoko chewed her lip. It was not much of a change, but that made sense. Why would Sunshine bother pretending to be something she was not at school? Like a Goth? It would be easier to just try to act like the human version of her demon persona. The problems cropped up in that humans did not have children who were their own age.

"And let me tell you, reincarnation... it sucks." Ranma leaned back, and looked up at the sky. Part of her wanted to fly; it would be neat to show her friends that... but she was trying to limit the time spent in the air at her house. The neighbors had started to... comment.

"Least, you got a better life than the first time around," Sam offered. "I mean you had to deal with... what, how many sides?"

"There were the two invading demonic armies, the Terran kingdom, and a... goddess-like Moon Queen with her own expansion plans," the redhead looked at the four extended fingers and frowned. She was sure she was forgetting a group.

"And you just happened to be related to all of them," Sam noted. "If it was anyone but you, I'd think you were lying. That you were some creepy fangirl that thought she was a video game character. Cute purple tail or no."

"You think I liked it? Grandma and Serenity were nice." Ranma noted their blank faces. "Grandma BlackSky. She headed the smaller of the invading demon armies."

"And Serenity was the Moon Queen?" Sam asked. Once you accepted the far-fetched and insane premise, it was fairly straightforward. A power-hungry Moon Queen would want to take over the Earth. Especially, if she had the rest of the Solar system. And what better time than when the Earth was weakened by a demonic invasion? That Queen could even make herself out as the hero, and if she aligned herself with a succubus connected to both the demons and the Terran Royal family...

"Yup. Good leader, but guess she got soft in the head when she became a mom," Ranma frowned.

"We don't have to worry about that with you?" Sam teased.

The redhead swiveled her head, causing her eyes to lock onto her blonde friend. "No. Motherhood woke me up. I saw what I really was, what the world was, and knew what I had to do. It was the only choice I could make. I'm a brood-mother."

Sam was transfixed by the pair of purple pools. There was no glow, no eye-shine, but she could tell that her friend was not human. Compared to the eyes, the redhead's horns were minor additions. The deep violet depths revealed a being of raw vitality. She had expected demons to be... undead. Instead her friend was alive, more alive than either of them. Here was a being that controlled life: she could take it, consume it, shape it, even create it.

Sam cleared the throat. "Nariko was your first."

Ranma blinked, and when Sam looked into her eyes they were less intense but the pattern was still there. It was like seeing a hidden picture. Once she saw the leering old man made out of tree branches; it was impossible to not see him, or in this case, even when they were not glowing she could tell that Ranma's eyes were not human.

The redhead nodded. "Yes, and... I didn't see.. I didn't want to see. Acknowledging what she was... what I was."

"Denial is a powerful thing." Sam agreed. It had been a long time before she let herself see what her parents were. It was easier to pretend that their parties were just normal social events. If she faced the truth... she would have to confront them or accept what they were doing. Neither option appealed to a teenage girl, with her own sexual issues.

Ranma nodded, and leaned onto Sam's shoulder. "Then there was the guilt. Nariko... she never gave up, she put her faith into me. She thought I was the greatest."

"Certainly explains the mug," Naoko glibly stated and immediately regretted it as Ranma's eyes started to water.

"She didn't deserve me. I wasn't good enough. I had abandoned her!" Ranma blinked back her tears and steeled herself. "She didn't care though. She didn't want some perfect mother. She wanted me." Ranma smiled. "She believed in me."

"Tatewaki was very stubborn," Sam said.

"Nariko is too. No matter how much I pushed her away or tried to forget... she was there, waiting. Then, once I accepted..." Ranma looked down.

"She forgave you for what you did?"

"No." Ranma said in a quiet voice. "She never blamed me. Having Mommy was enough for her. She did help me forgive myself though. She hated to see me sad."

"Awww, so her faith in you turned your life around?"

Ranma smiled. "Yeah, started being a sappy demon mom, for them."

"It must be great for them to have such a supportive Mom," Sam wistfully stated.

"Yeah, and my own mom's been wonderful. She helped me through this and never rejected me."

Sam nodded.

Naoko blinked. She knew Sam's mother. The woman was very understanding, much more than her own mother who had some very stiff and rigid ideas about sex.

Sam chewed her lip. "You saved Tatewaki's life in that school attack, but what about the others?"

"Same story really. I had to save them. Akane was shot by Kasumi, and Ukyou-"

"What? Is she insane?" Sam asked.

"Oh no, she was turned into a demon by Alexia, and was sent back here to try to kill me, or at least cause a mess. Fortunately, Kasumi and Nariko stopped her, but you can't stop a demon easily."

"Alexia... didn't you say she was your cousin... the one that died?"

Ranma nodded. "She was a selfish, insane bitch. Grandma exiled her, and she figured killing me would get her back into Grandma's good graces."

"But BlackSky doted over you, and destroyed a whole demon army when you were killed... the first time." Sam was starting to wish she had been taking notes.

"Thanks for implying that I'll die again." Ranma shook her head. "Alexia had heard the stories of DarkStar's life, but she thought I was a traitor, working with the humans. Seeing my relationship with the Company proved it all over again in her mind."

"What kind of moron was she?"

"The kind that gave herself a deep carrot-like tan."

Sam looked down at Ranma's bone-white skin, and recalled that the rest of the clique... brood, were the same pallor. "What did she do? Paint it on?"

Ranma nodded. "Misako said that it took half an hour every day, not counting the time in the tanning booths to set it."

"Why waste time with spray-on tans? Isn't that what magic's for?" Naoko asked.

Ranma held up her arm.

"Yeah with skin like that wouldn't you fry in the sun?" Naoko paused. "Wait... no I've never seen you get any color."

"It's just how we are," Ranma shrugged.

"So, you had to save Akane, but that doubled your kids," Sam said.

"Yes, I was starting to really get deep into it." Ranma paused wondering if she should mention her birth form. They knew that succubae changed genders, but it did not really matter. At the very least she would tell them to call her Ranma before this was over.

"And the others... Alexia grabbed Nabiki?"

"Actually yeah, but not before Alexia turned Ryoga." Ranma smirked at their blank faces. They had no idea who Aurora was, let alone Ryoga or Acolyte Hibiki. "He was a grade school rival of mine, who ended up joining a cult. Got some glowing aura powers, an umbrella sword, and went after me. Partnered up with another rival from my childhood too."

Sam and Naoko exchanged a flat look. "You're kidding us?" Sam slowly asked. She sighed. "No, you're not."

"Yeah, my life's always been weird. So, Alexia found it a wonderful opportunity. Ryoga was a good fighter, but not good enough to defeat her. Alexia also got a kick out of turning a male demon-hating acolyte into a primping succubus. So she made Aurora, an aggressive girl that hated me just as much as Ryoga did."

"What about his partner?" Sam asked.

"Ukyou?" Naoko guessed.

"That's her. Well she was... afraid. Like Ryoga, she'd joined the Assembly of Man to get revenge on me. They offered them powers in return for fighting demons. That I ended up being an actual demon seemed like proof to them.

"But Ukyou, she was worried. She started seeing the Assembly for what it was, a cynical cult that used its members. She saw Ryoga being turned into a true fanatic. She wanted out. After Ryoga was turned, she defected to the Company.

"She still hated me, but she was at least happy to be out. Even started to warm up to me. I'm shocked when I called her cute she didn't try to mount me."

"You are a succubus, who wouldn't want to have sex with you?" Naoko smirked.

"Tease," Ranma stuck out her tongue. "Then came the attack. Aurora wanted to show off her new body, and take Ukyou as her mate. Guess that worked out in the end."

"So Ukyou was taken?"

"No just wounded. Ukyou had talked enough with me and Nariko to realize that demons can be... well..."

"Human?" Sam ventured, idly running her hand through Ranma's rich hair.

"Close enough." Ranma adjusted so Sam could get a better grip, and maybe get both hands in. "That's how I got my third daughter, and lost my first friend."

"Huh?"

Ranma looked down. "Aram Kowalski, he died in that battle. Remember what I said about the Company? He went down fighting. The rest of the Alexia story's a mess. She took Akane remade Eclipse. She stole Nabiki. She had a habit of turning everyone she could get her hands on.

"Most of them she neglected and they turned into simple minions. Easy to make but physically young and mentally..." Ranma's tone became venomous. "It was horrible. They were her daughters. She used them. When they died she just made more."

"What about Aurora and Eclipse and whoever she made Nabiki into?" Sam asked.

"Oh, her daughters?" Ranma gave a bitter laugh. "They were dress-up dolls. You should have see how she had them dress. Akane wore practically no clothes, too much jewelry and slut-war paint, Misako was in evening wear, tanned and used a tackle box worth of makeup, and Nabiki was made into a pink little sister."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "They're kinda still like that, Sunny."

"Welcome to the fun world of succubae. Sure we can fly and look great, but we're also sexually dependent violent killers that can be dominated and warped by our mothers."

"Why not just reset them back?"

"Wait, you can fly?" Naoko interrupted.

Ranma blinked. "Well, yeah. Big wings and all."

"That's so cool! Can we see?"

"Not here, but I know a place."

"Makes sense, you are a demon." To herself, Sam repeated the statement. As long as one accepted that part, the rest was... mundane. "So why didn't you just fix your girls?"

"Because then I'd be like Alexia. Eating her body is close enough for me. It's not like there's a switch to reset them. At least Akane had the first time she was my daughter to aim for; she was pretty okay. Bit of a stubborn, mouthy girl at times."

Sam nodded. "Sounds like Akane."

Naoko snickered.

"But Nabiki and Misako... Misako didn't even have that name. She was just a poor succubus that had seen her beloved mother ripped apart by her worst enemy."

"But Ryoga was tricked by Alexia! Alexia was a monster that used her." Sam gave her hands a rest, but left them on Ranma's back.

"How does that matter? Alexia created her, and sure the love was cynical and twisted but it was all Aurora had. Love is a powerful thing. Aurora couldn't go back. The Assembly would kill her on sight; they've tried a lot. She's too female to be Ryoga. I'd have never taken her, but Ukyou was insistent."

"But you were her mom." Naoko stepped closer and knelt down to Ranma's level. "You said that succubus mothers are powerful, wouldn't that really mess with her mind?"

Ranma nodded. "She had a breakdown. We tried our best."

"You did good," Sam said. squeezing her friend's hand. "Misako isn't as mature or responsible as Nariko, but she seems very happy, if a bit too loyal and... strange."

"Yeah, she's figured that since I killed Alexia, that I'm a better mother. Training and battle's only reinforced that."

"That explains her... exuberance."

Ranma gave a little smile. "I can even see some Ryoga in her when she taunts in battle, but the point is that I didn't force her to be something. That'd be wrong; I helped her become who she wanted to be."

"So Nabiki wants to be Nabiki Saotome? Cute and little and pink?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Nabiki wanted a mother. She's also pretty vain, but didn't like putting in all the effort to look... good. She was an opportunist. Being a demon gave that to her."

"So the pink's just a side effect?"

"I could remove it, but would it be worth it? I could have made her bigger too, forced her to be the middle sister, but why should I force her mind to some human ideal? Overcoming what Alexia did to her is hard enough without me adding new baggage."

"But she's not overcoming it if she's still the cute little sister," Naoko argued.

"Neither is Nariko by staying female and being a nice big sister." Ranma paused. "I guess overcome is the wrong word. We can't change what we are or what we've been made into but we can adapt and make the most of it. I wanted my daughters to be more than Alexia's dolls."

"Okay," Sam eased back. "So... reincarnation. Did that Moon Queen do it too? Is she running around here?"

"She reincarnated me but..." Ranma shook her head sadly. "No, her kingdom came out ahead and lasted for a while after I died. Then she had kids and," she raised a hand and flipped it over, "it's the one thing she screwed up as. When her kingdom fell she sent her daughter and the others forward."

"Others?"

"Yeah, whole gaggle of magical girls." She rubbed the bridge of her nose.

Naoko gave the redhead a long stare. "Well... they did work for a magical kingdom on the Moon."

"Magical girls? With the silly speeches and creepy fan-service uniforms?"

Ranma sighed.

Sam tried to imagine a lacy and bowed girl waving a sparkly wand standing next to a gruff agent in black body armor holding a large rifle. It did not work. Her attempt to match up a magical girl and a succubus worked better, if much more graphic.

"The problem... the problem is that they got these powers. They got them before they learned how to fight." Ranma chuckled. "What made it worse was that it worked. Apparently, they beat a lot of bad guys, even saved the world a few times. All while standing in front of the enemy and making speeches."

"Wouldn't that get you shot?" Sam asked.

Ranma shrugged. "I dunno, before my time. I'm new to this, didn't know there were rules. I just figured: kill the bad guys."

"Are they at least powerful? Do they know how to fight?"

"They've got some serious magic, strong and resilient too, but as for their close-in fighting..." Ranma gave a noncommittal wave of her hand. "They're getting better." She laughed. "Course that's why little Akumi split off with her evil club."

"Akumi?" Sam asked.

"Evil club. How much have you been keeping secret from us?"

"I'm a teenaged mother of five, a succubus, queen of the earth... I think, part of one of the larger global conspiracies, and it's that Ami and Janet were lesbian lovers that turned evil is the one you guys are shocked at?"

"Huh," Sam rubbed her chin. "Well we knew those two were lesbians."

"They were only a little bit less blatant than you," Naoko added. "So are all the new transfers magical girls?"

"There's Rod and Hiraku."

"As weird as they are? They're probably KGB or dentists."

"Probably," Ranma agreed, making a note to ask Eve about those two.

"So... let me guess. Ami and Naru started wearing black... leather, getting more... aggressive. Maybe some increase in curves?"

"Not every lesbian is a sensual femme fatale," Sam admonished.

Naoko simply pointed to Ranma.

Ranma coughed. "She did start wearing that corset, and the ice skirt, and then the evening dress."

"That's... not comfortable," Sam said raising an eyebrow.

"Neither are the heels she wears," Ranma agreed.

"We can't all wear big boots with clunky heels."

"They're comfortable and practical."

"Less than a flat boot," Naoko reminded.

Ranma pointed to herself. "Succubus, remember?"

"So, you have to wear sexy clothes?"

"Used to. Was a curse I was under, where I was stuck in a leather mini-dress."

"Just one dress?" Sam wrinkled her nose.

"Magic clothes. Anyway, it got better when I came to school here," Ranma gave a sarcastic smile. "I had two sets of clothes! The leather miniskirt and my uniform."

"That's what you meant when you said you made that uniform?" Sam asked.

Naoko blinked. "I thought you liked it. You girls wear it now; we wear them now!"

"Explains the lack of seams," Sam muttered.

"Yeah... I've had some... changes. Whole demon mommy thing. It wasn't fun alone, being stuck with a stupid name." Ranma then found herself being hugged by both her friends.

"It's okay. We're not going to reject you," Naoko assured.

"Yeah, we remember the sad Sunny," Sam added. "It makes sense to us."

Ranma purred. "Really? You're just going to... accept me?"

Naoko broke the hug. "We knew you were a scary, serious lesbian with something strange going on with your 'cousins'. This just explains it."

Sam chewed on her lip in thought. "So, being Sunny's a new thing?"

"Uh, yeah."

"What was your name before that?"

"Ranma," the redhead said automatically.

"But Ranma's your brother."

"Who we haven't seen in months," Naoko added.

"The last time was at a coffee shop when he was with Nariko." Sam noticed the slight blush on Sunshine's cheeks. "Come to think of it... I've never seen you with your brother."

Ranma sighed. "Do I really have to say it?"

"I dunno, maybe Sunny's brother is off with Tatewaki."

Sam shook her head. "No, he's with Nabiki Tendo." She turned to Ranma. "So you were a guy. Huh, and so were Nariko and Misako."

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Yes, and we're more girly than Nabiki, Akane, and Ukyou. I know."

"You, 'girly'?" Sam laughed.

"I'm wearing tight leather and dark eyeshadow," Ranma pouted.

"Yes, but that's just you. It's like your hair. It has to be open and wild like that."

Naoko nodded. "Yeah, can you imagine it braided up?"

"I don't I think it would fit her," Sam said running her hand though the thick mane. "It's hard enough to believe that you can put it up for school in that bun-ponytail thing of yours."

Ranma shrugged. Her hair mostly behaved itself.

"So dark conspiracies, magical girls, guns, sex; sounds fun," Naoko evaluated.

"You're kidding, right?" Sam tugged an eyelid to get an eyelash out of her eye. "It's a miracle Sunny's sane."

"You know, my name's really Ranma?" the redhead asked.

"Awww, so we can't call you Sunny anymore?" Sam pouted half seriously.

"Don't you try to be cute on me." Ranma grumbled.

"You think I'm cute?" Sam laughed, and wondered if she should be more forward and try asking a guy out instead of waiting on him.

"Now, you got her started," Naoko sighed.

"It's a real compliment to be called cute by a succubus," Sam defended.

"I guess," Naoko relented.

Ranma rubbed her forehead. "Guys, I'm not some fashion expert."

"You made your own school uniform."

"That was magic." Ranma flatly stated as she looked out into the woods behind her. At least there was some form of argument, it was still odd. "So you guys are.. okay with this?"

"The school's been attacked, there's been rashes of bizarre murders, strange men and black helicopters about and we end up with a group of vaguely-scary Goth girls that are really good at martial arts."

"Frankly, it's a relief that you're just a demon."

Ranma blinked. Sometimes, her friends could be pretty weird.

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With a warm smile that never reached her eyes on her face, Galina A'deen stepped out onto the balcony of the suite she had reserved for her team. The luxuries their self-employment offered were rather nice, and it was the least she could do. There would be few chances to dominate a hotel's kitchen with special orders, including sending out for some of the more exotic items.

Galina turned to see lanky Ivanova still cradling the bottle as the other girls poked at her with empty and full tumblers. It was a horrible rot-gut, and Galina was amazed to find it available outside of the Motherland. There was no cap, just a non-resealable foil cover, but Ivanova loved it. She said it reminded her of home. That bitter irony caused the smile to finally reach her eyes.

Arisha stepped onto the balcony and stared out into the city. "The girls seem to be enjoying themselves."

"It was good that you found that bakery. It was nice to have some proper black bread." Galina muttered as she watched them. Ivanova had pushed the others away and as she slumped onto the couch the bottle slipped. Twisting as she fell, she reached out and grabbed the tumbling bottle by the neck. Impressive reflexes aside, she was still soaked.

"Chetyre's getting clumsy again," Arisha noted without turning.

Galina's mood dropped and became icy cold. "Not even going to entertain that it's just drunken silliness?"

"We don't get drunk, and you shouldn't hope that it's just an accident."

"She had cleared her physical. Interface is fine, structure good, her power cell is good for ten more years."

"Wonderful, it'll outlast the rest of her," Arisha dryly remakred

"I'll have Svetlana and Sem look her over again. They may have missed something."

"Possible. It's not like we know everything. Even with the blueprints, we're still guessing half the time." Arisha gave a bit of a smile. "But we're learning more and more each time."

"I don't even think comrade Scaglietti knew the whole story."

"The Colonel merely headed the research. If anyone's to blame it's that stubby zampolit that hovered about him. It's traitors like him that cost us. Self-important little political officers and functionaries, they acted like tin-pot Tsars. That held us back. Proletariat sentimentality, we were the future. We were supposed to be a Technocracy from the start. That was how the New Soviet Man was to be made, and lead humanity to a better age."

Galina frowned. She did not want to dwell on the past, not tonight. "We can be that again, the situation..."

"The situation? Oh yes, the Motherland is sharpening its sword and strengthening its shield. But to protect what? Yes, impressive restorations in the Organs of State, but not in the ways that matter. Who does the sword work for? What does the shield protect now?"

Arisha's eyes flared as she spat. "A checcka pig and his oligarch- let's be honest- bourgeoisie cronies. Hah. We were warned about the seductive call of capitalism, and look what it's doing to our homeland. Look what it's done to us."

"Yes, there used to be twelve; a quarter of us are gone already. We can't keep doing these missions forever."

"What are we supposed to do?" Arisha asked." Our homeland has fallen and the West's decadence keeps growing."

"Yes, they're afraid of being offended. Maybe that's something, nationalization is just a euphemism."

"What? Human Rights Commissions and Speech Codes?" Arisha smirked. "Those don't count. Sure, they regulate speech and operate outside of the court system, but so did the Volksgerichtshof. Now granted no one over here's started executing people for distributing pamphlets, but they are prosecuting people for 'offensive speech'. The State being the moral arbiter for everything is something the Fascists did. "

"And the Motherland," Galina mildly reminded.

Arisha's brow furrowed. "That's different. That's the whole point. Political doctrine is everything. Without the correct ideology, the organs of the state just exist to keep power. Without an actual reason for it all, controlling the populace..." She shook her head. "There's a reason the Fascists copied so many of our methods. It shouldn't surprise us that the West is doing the same too."

"The checcka did spend years cultivating 'useful idiots.' " Galina allowed.

Arisha nodded. "Even here in this client-state of the Main enemy."

"Yes, the capitalists were most cruel, letting puppet nations actually think they're independent and that sovereignty means something." Galina smirked. "The Europeans are busy building their own guiding bureaucracy, covering such important continental issues as sizing playground equipment and inappropriate names for livestock."

"If anything this, all shows the decadence of the West. The fools actually thought Batista's usurper had created a paradise, or that we were misunderstood. They were such pathetic traitors; it really was for the best that we got to them first. Better than the Chinese, at least. Yes, and when we fell... Thousands and thousands of people with carefully crafted political beliefs found their focus... gone."

Galina raised an eyebrow. "Poor deluded fools."

"Indeed."

"So, where are you going?"

"This gives us some future options. I mean, if the West is creeping this way..."

"What, take advantage of things? Help things get more secure? Make some "Totalitarianism With A Smiley Face'?" Galina tiredly asked.

"Sure, toss in a few other buzzwords. Make some harmonic multi-cultural sustainable collectivism. The romantic fools would lap it up; people love being able to save the world. Where else can you get a feminist anti-war club, a militant Maoist cult, and a Sharia law advocating alliance rally for the same 'revolution'."

"All had been fraternal socialists allies in the past. That's why the same people fell for Worker Solidarity," Galina remarked leaning out onto the balcony.

Arisha glared. "You still believe, right?"

Galina turned, eyes narrowing. "Believe? Faith is an opiate, whether it's for religion or ideology. Anything that cannot be logically deduced from actual evidence is weakness, an illusion. Communism is perfect. There is no arguing about that."

"Then why the doubts?"

Laughing, Galina turned back to her subordinate. Her politicizing of everything was annoying, but it was proper doctrine. Politics were everything. "You should know why. It's the whole reason we were made."

Arisha sighed. "Yes, I know. Communism is perfect; humanity is not."

"That's where we were supposed to come in. A new age, the latest development, the New Soviet Man." Galina looked back into the suite at her "men" and smiled broadly.

"But it was canceled. We were... too expensive." Arisha clenched her fists.

"The politburo would rather purchase more arms trying to match some actor and his CIA flunky. Never mind that they had a project that could truly bring about changes. Their ideology demanded it, but we saw how much they cared about ideology."

"You think Comrade Scaglietti was.."

Galina leveled her gaze "There were questions, people wondered about his loyalty. Especially on such a radical project."

"But his father was a communist guerrilla. He died fighting the Blackshirts."

"Italy was a mess then." Galina sighed. "Mussolini was a classist traitor, abandoning his socialist roots. He worked for a socialist party and wrote for _Il Popolo, _and edited _L'Avvenire__ del Lavoratore_."

"Yes, _Future of the Worker. _A promising publication." Arisha clenched her fists. "To think that a man who seemed to be such a... respected socialist would betray us so completely. He invented Fascism. He twisted something that would benefit, all workers, all of humanity, into something just for his country. How petty, how power hungry."

"At least Il Duce's _comrades_ were able correct him in '45." Galina shook her head.

"Mussolini's why Scaglietti's mother fled East."

"Yes, for someone whose father rallied against the very birthing of fascism, all they could see was his Mediterranean blood."

"His loyalty should never have been questioned!" Arisha bristled.

Galina took a sip. "His loyalty to what? The Party? The Motherland? The Politburo? International Worker Solidarity? The Glorious Future?"

Turning, Arisha stared out at the city before them.

"If anything, he was too trusting, he put too much... faith in his _superiors_. By the time he realized what was happening..."

"It was too late."

"And almost too late for us."

Arisha glowered. "Yes, the humiliation of being... saved by those opiate peddlers."

"Better than being liquidated by a State betraying its ideology, or maybe we would have been sold off to foreign governments, like so much other military hardware."

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"Any news?" Usagi asked after Setsuna entered the apartment.

"Ami's been busy," Setsuna sighed as she sat down on the couch. "She's made a few changes." She pulled out a few photographs. The first one had a golden figure and a purple-haired woman in an approximation of a Sailor Senshi uniform.

Usagi frowned at the smooth and bulky figure that, hopefully, was merely concealing Minako. "She took her face."

"Yes." Setsuna pulled up another photograph.

Makoto looked in from the kitchen. "Where'd you take these from?"

"We have been watching Ami's lair," Setsuna stated.

"Is it me, or is Naru growing up?" Usagi muttered with a deep frown.

"Ami has been turning people, look at what she's doing to Mina," Makoto said walking over to get a better view of the photograph.

"What's the sick dominatrix doing this time?" Rei asked as she left her room. She looked at the photo of the golden figure sword fighting with a purple-haired woman. "Damn... she's making Mina into a real toy, isn't she?"

"She's gonna want to make the rest of us like Mina," Makoto muttered.

"Why not? Ami's trying to show off how much 'better' she can make all of us," Rei sneered.

Usagi stared at the pictures and clenched her jaw. The image of a corseted Ami teasing her old auburn-haired friend loomed in her memory. Her gaze slowly went to the glowing red eyes of Venus' blank face.

"This isn't good," Makoto grumbled.

"What are we going to do?" Rei asked. "It's just going to get worse. It's only a matter of time before Ami gets another one of us."

"So what? We can't just wait for her to come and get us." Makoto turned to Usagi. "You have any ideas?"

The blonde blinked and slowly worked her jaw. Eventually she found her voice. "I can't let this happen. I can't let Ami do this to all of you."

"Finally in the mood to mount an assault?" Makoto idly asked.

Usagi narrowed her eyes and turned to Setsuna. "Make the call."

Setsuna raised an eyebrow. "To Ranma, or should we call the Company instead? They are her... business contact."

Usagi nodded. "To the Company. I'll call Ranma. We need to do something. Ami has to be stopped."

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Morgan leaned down on the roof top and idly adjusted her Ghillie-suit so that it covered her head. At least her wings could be summoned at will, she noted. As handy as they were, they were conspicuous even when folded up. A less obtrusive and more violent object, her tail twitched and moved below the outline-concealing coverall.

Similarly concealed was the massive bulk of the WIC Munitions 25mm SSS. Even with matte paint, a sixty-two inch weapon gave a noticeable silhouette, and needed a similar method of concealment.

Her position on the roof, and even the roof itself were selected not just for its own views, but the proximity to other perches. An intelligent enemy would have their own sharpshooters in place. She licked her lips at the chance. Her new weapon practically begged it. She had always been a predator. Demonhood merely increased her options.

Settling down, Morgan focused the lenses and began the main part of her mission. She inhaled and expanded her senses. The brownstone was unassuming, even the various energies emanating from it were unassuming. Her attention slowly moved, and she was able to sense Pattern Silvers and her... mother and family. Command had also radioed in: overhead surveillance matched what she could smell. They reported that orbiting aircraft also detected no visual activity... yet. It was about to begin.

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A blaring alarm broke Mercury from her sleep. Righting herself, she tossed aside a silk sheet and the still-dazed form of Orion. After Mercury summoned her computer, her eyes widened at the display.

A disturbing arrangement of symbols appeared around the perimeter. "Orion! Transform! Call Virgo!" Mercury ordered. She was about to activate Venus via the golden Senshi's alcove, when a sustained series of explosive thuds started up.

"What the hell's that?" Orion asked after completing the call to Virgo.

The thudding gave way to a loud crack followed by much closer explosions. "The brood." Mercury frowned at the display over her eyes. Apparently, magical shielding was one thing, but an automatic grenade launcher was another.

"Teleport?" Orion asked.

Transforming to her battle armor, a corset and ice-skirting, Mercury shook her head.

"They jammed us? What do we do?" Orion asked, wondering which self-destruct system they would have to use.

Mercury was about to advocate the survivability of surrender when the camera feed from the foyer caught her attention. The whole room was ruined, valuable woodwork and tiling had been thoughtlessly destroyed, but there was an upside. Instead of seeing leather-clad demons or armored agents, she saw a different group rushing in.

The blue-haired woman allowed herself a slight smile. "Looks like our queen's taking a personal interest."

Orion's mood brightened. "So we're not doomed?"

Already in her Senshi Seifuku Virgo stepped into the room. "The upstairs is still clear, Mistress."

"It's still early," Mercury said as she flipped her tessen at the opening door. The war fans rapidly cooled causing some ice to fall to the floor.

Virgo's glare quickly vanished. "Who's attacking?"

"Senshi. We've got some leeway." As her composure reformed, Mercury adjusted her silver ring with its single obsidian stone. "Orion, when we leave, set the storage charges. Even if you've _seen_ me do it. Virgo you and Venus will close in while we cover them. We've just got to delay them."

"The demons are here too?" Virgo asked as she gripped one of her blades.

"Oh, yes," Mercury laughed as she locked down the interior compartments of the house. "Our Queen's trying to prove she can fight with the big girls."

Another explosion went off, this one almost beneath them. "Remember, we've beaten them before."

The trio went down into Mistress Mercury's throne room. Venus was already standing, facing the armored doors. While the doors themselves were being damaged, the translucent-blue sheen of the shield was holding.

One final hit and the shield dropped, Mercury rotated her tessen and a few dozen icicles shot into the hole, where they met an iridescent ripple and were flung aside. Mars and Jupiter were the first through, and were caught by Virgo and Venus' blades.

Eyebrows going up, Mercury noticed that her former friends did not pause but cast spells right onto their foes. Arm flaming, Mars punched Venus in the side and caused some golden armor to drip onto the floor,

Her forwards pushed aside, Mercury watched as Sailor Moon strode into the room. Her pace was brisk and purposeful. Standing behind her and to the side with her staff leveled was Sailor Pluto.

"So, you finally decided to be proactive?" Mercury forced herself to smirk. "Orion, please entertain, Puu. The Queen and I need some privacy."

Eyes still narrowed, Sailor Moon kept moving forward. She held her scepter at her side, but it seemed to be dead weight.

"No speech on how your love will save me? No comment on justice? I'm surprised. Maybe all this working with demons is affecting you. Did it feel good to buy the services of a man-eater?" Mercury quietly asked as she looked up to see how Virgo and Venus were doing.

"Why are you doing this?" Mars demanded as she tried to block one of Venus strikes.

Venus seemed to pause. The face featureless, save the even glow of its red eye-slits. Finally seeming to use its entire surface, the golden warrior spoke. "Understanding will come after the Mistress improves you."

Across from them Virgo grinned. "Outsider-girl has gotten better," she said after grounding a bolt of lightning with one of her swords which then absorbed the energy.

Jupiter chuckled and stepped back to get closer to Mars.

"They can't win," Mercury dryly noted as she motioned for Orion to attack.

The auburn-haired girl lunged forward, locking staffs with Pluto. The green-haired woman paused briefly, almost as if she did not know what she held in her hands. After Orion's blade sliced a gash over her cheek, Pluto straightened up and flipped her staff over, nearly knocking Orion's away.

Shaking her head, Mercury strode forward to meet her queen. "It was a good try. You used your allies, you even got into my throne room." She clapped her hands. "I was even scared when this began? Do you know why?"

Still silent, Sailor Moon stepped forward. She looked around and saw her friends fighting... each other. Her gaze lowered.

"You could have brought the demons in. They would have beaten us, easily. And we could have stayed alive. Probably like them, but in for a penny in for a pound." Unsummoning a tessen, Mercury reached out and touched Sailor Moon's shoulder. "You hesitated."

Sailor Moon shivered at the contact but she still stepped forward. The blonde started to whisper, it was a quiet almost defeated voice.

"I know why you really came. You've learned, but only enough to realize that you need me." Vanishing her other weapon, Mercury put her right hand around her queen's side and. "Is that why you're here? Don't be ashamed, I'll make sure the others still look up to you."

Unresisting to the contact, Sailor Moon nodded, but the whispering did not stop.

Mercury leaned her head in. Bright pain cracked into her chin as Sailor Moon jabbed her scepter into the blue-haired woman's jaw. She had a brief moment to scream before a giant white light burst from the scepter right into her head. Light consuming her, Mercury moaned in pain and slumped to the floor in a heap.

"You're right. I couldn't win," Sailor Moon said, holding her scepter over the Mercury's gasping form. Her tone was quiet and sad. "Not by playing fair, at least."

"Mistress!" Orion screamed, as she tried to run towards her, but Pluto stepped in and blocked her path.

The blue-haired girl blinked. Groaning, she lifted her head. "Usagi... what's... what's going on?" She looked down and gasped. "What am I wearing?" She winced and poked her jaw. "Oww..."

Hope welled within Sailor Moon. "Ami?" she cautiously asked.

"Yeah," the girl-genius winced again, but her attention focused past the blonde. "Usagi. You've got to help Rei and Makoto!"

The blonde turned to see blood splash from Jupiter's side as Virgo got a hit in. The brunette screamed, and fell when the flat of the blade hit her head. Meanwhile Mars had been cornered by Venus, who was holding her in place. Flames danced around Mars, but all they did was melt and soften some of the golden armor; the grip was held strong.

Sailor Moon heard movement. She turned her back around, and jabbed forward with her scepter. The edge to one of the wings at the end of the handle thrust into Mercury's shoulder and cut deeply, pouring blood over the faceted crystal.

Still woozy, Mercury screamed and stumbled back to her knees. "Stupid sharp thing. Guess trying the same trick back on you was a bit tacky." She grumbled holding her shoulder.

"Why must you be so difficult?" Sailor Moon asked.

"Knock her out, and finish Virgo," Pluto said as she kept Orion at bay. She wished she could do more, but...

Sailor Moon nodded. "You'll thank me when this is over," she said turning back to Mercury.

"Maybe," Mercury said as she pulled on the obsidian stone on her ring. It cracked and there was a flash. Unlike the blinding purity of Sailor Moon's attack, this was merely blinding. There was also a smell somewhat like spoiled beets and burning tin.

Blind, Mars felt herself being pulled away and made her move. Flames intensifying, she slipped a hand loose from Venus' drippy grip. reached up, and after some scrambling rammed her thumb and pointer finger onto the eye slits and cast her spell.

A fireball appeared and smashed onto Venus' faceplate, which started to melt. The figure stopped, and dropped to the ground, still holding Mars. Feminine screaming emanated and was then cut off.

After a few seconds, Mars could make out vague shapes. She slowly saw the damage she had done to Venus. At least a blank face gave the hope of a human one underneath, but the molten broken mess that went deep into Venus' head sickened Mars.

She wiped her mouth and stood back up. "Oh god..." In an exchange of one kind of horror to an entirely new one, Mars looked over to see Venus' arm twitch and reach out.

"They got away," Moon said, as she held the bloody scepter at her side.

Mars looked over to see a door on the side of the chamber that was ajar. "Do we..."

Moon shook her head and pointed to the others. "It's just us." She stepped over to Pluto who was on the ground curled up retching.

"That dirty little bitch!" Pluto managed to gasp out in between emptying the contents of her stomach.

"Uh... what about Makoto... and Minako?"

Sailor Moon knelt beside Pluto. "Will you be okay?"

"Give me... moment." Sailor Pluto nodded and rocked back and forth a bit. Her skin had a slightly iridescent sheen.

The blonde went over to the unconscious form of Jupiter. The white light managed to make the cut vanish and her breathing seemed better. It seemed to do. Her frown deepened as she came to Venus.

It looked like a facemask was smashed into an empty helmet. The rest of its armor was heavily warped and melted, even at the joints which moved with difficulty. The figure was trying to sit upright, and one unevenly glowing eye slit stared at Sailor Moon. "Mina..."

"We need to tell the others that they got away," Mars reminded. "They may have stopped them."

"You do it," Sailor Moon said, not taking her eyes off of the golden figure.

Mars nodded and ran back out of the throne room.

Closing her eyes, Sailor Moon sighed. She opened them, and saw the same large, broken, melted monstrosity. She raised her scepter, and with light emanating from it, moved it like a torch over the figure. Golden fluid melted and broke off in thick streams and heavy chunks.

For a brief moment Sailor Moon feared that it would all melt away, but she focused. Minako was still in there, she had to be. Her faith paid off when a slim female figure started to emerge from within the light. A final thin golden coating flaked away revealing human,if tanned skin. A helmet crest, turned to a Mohawk before filling out into a full head of hair.

As solid red eyes faded into blue, the nude figure closed her eyes, and then opened them again. She blinked again, seemingly fascinated with this new ability. Her eyes focused on the other blonde, then she leapt up and embraced Sailor Moon and began to cry.

"It's okay," Moon reassured.

"You got her," Pluto said as she rose to her feet. In a personal affront unique to her, the room seemed off-kilter to her. "At least some good came of this."

"What happened to you?" Mars asked as she led in a couple medics and agents. The armed men and demons rushed to the side door and entered it.

"You girls can smell that, right?"

"The rotten vegetable stuff? Of course." Rei asked as she helped Jupiter onto a litter.

"Part of that special flash bang, well, she added a scent that I'm especially allergic to." Pluto gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. She needed to focus. "Mercury escaped, didn't she?"

"We think she slipped into some tunnels under the building. It looks like she dug into the access conduits under the streets," Captain Jarvis stated after consulting with her subordinates. She gave the blondes a passing glance; they both smelled like Pattern Silvers, at the least. "None of our sharpshooters saw them get out. We've put some people in the tunnels but..."

"Even if they dead-end, she just has to get far enough to be outside jammer range." Sailor Pluto said, finally feeling a bit more herself.

"It was not a total loss," Eve stated, she wanted to admonish them for turning down direct support. A bit more help and things could have ended tonight, but the client, Miss Tsukino, had insisted on doing things her way.

Minako coughed and spit up a bit of golden slime. She stared at it and looked around the floor. For some reason, the pounds and pounds of golden ooze and armor had just vanished. She turned back to Moon, who was still hugging her. "You saved me,"

Eve nodded, walked back to the side door resting a hand on her holster. She wished Ranma was here, and briefly marveled at having family that she could rely upon for emotional support. She looked at the tunnel and sighed. It was likely that the enemy had already left, but even a routine search would be more satisfying than... this. But someone had to be here, and she would rather the rest of her family be out in more useful positions.

Mars got up and followed Jupiter as she was carried to the APC. Her magic would heal her, but she was out of it for a while.

Sailor Pluto looked around and noticed the smoke curling around various book cases, electrical equipment. "She must have linked self-destruct charges to her equipment. She would keep a copies of it all on her Mercury computer, so losing this wouldn't be much of a loss for her."

"The building's going to go?" Sailor Moon asked, as she draped a Company-provided blanket over Minako.

Sailor Pluto shook her head as she poked some of the melted slag. "I doubt it. She doesn't want us dead, but she wouldn't want us to have her data. Though I would check for charges. Ami strikes me as the kind of person to have multiple self-destructs for her lair."

"You've got me," Minako flatly stated. She blinked and then repeated herself in a confident tone. "Oh wow... that's what it's like to sound human again," she laughed. Reaching down, she cupped her chest and laughed.

"Are you okay?" Sailor Moon asked as she shifted out of Senshi form.

"I'm soft again! Oh, you've got no idea..." Minako quieted down and looked at her skin. It was skin, but... the tan and the slight sheen were... She shook her head.

"She made you into a tool." Pluto stated.

Minako nodded. "I was... programmed. She... she was making me for you, Usagi. As-" she stopped. Thinking about having a working jaw again had distracted her. She shook her head again. "She had reformed me as a present for you."

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Shouldering the modified M2 heavy machine gun, Morrison crept through the tunnel. It was a bit odd to have her eyes exposed. Training had shown that the standard-issue goggles were mostly superfluous and, worse, would sometimes conflict with demonic senses.

A pair (kept in case dust protection was required) was still pulled up and over her helmet, which only needed slight modification. Morrison once again thanked Mother that her horns were small enough to not interfere that much. The rest of her armor had been modified by Major Saotome. It was lighter than the standard issue, allowing for more flexibility and mobility. With her new strength the weight differences were not readily apparent, until she took to the air. Then every pound shaved off became a blessing.

Her mind concentrated on the task as she moved forward, careful to keep the long barrel of her gun free from obstruction. A hand reached out and squeezed her shoulder. She stopped and let Gabriel step up and whisper into her ear.

"No reading," Gabriel said as he pointed to his scanner. Technically he was picking up several Pattern Silvers and Pattern D's, including one standing before him, but nothing of their quarry.

Morrison nodded and knelt down. Before her, she could see a couple sets of heel prints. The disturbed dirt and dust was faint, but had given enough of a trail to follow. As she pointed and made a motion indicating tracks, part of her wondered how anyone could walk on a narrow spike under their heel.

Eventually, the tracks vanished, and the group halted. Smelling a bit of ozone, Morrison sniffed the air more intently. The buzzing in the back of her mind had decreased and she stepped forward, over the last tracks. "Residual?" she quietly asked Gabriel, while the other men in the team stood back at the ready.

Looking at his display, Gabriel simply nodded. They were far enough from the jammers for the effect to weaken.

Frowning slightly, Morrison's hand tightened on her weapon's new grip and calmed herself. The silence was deceptive. In addition to the obvious scents, she could hear her own heartbeat and those of her team, but that was it. They explored further and found where most of the tunnels linked to blocked doors or dead-ended. She supposed that mechanical and other noises could interfere, but still, anyone else in the tunnels would have to be a long way off.

She slowly rose back to standing. "They're gone," she quietly stated, and motioned for the team to pull back. Only at the end when she had to turn around did she experience difficulty in rotating the long gun in the passageway. Emerging into the damaged room, Morrison blinked at the sudden brightness, and was a bit surprised at all the people still around.

"Status?" Captain Jarvis asked. turning away from the two blonde Pattern Silvers.

"They went underground and teleported once they were out of range of the jamming. They might have gone further, but we probably got their teleport location."

"So, she escaped?" Usagi asked as she adjusted the blanket draped over Minako.

"Aerial recon didn't pick up anything?" Morrison asked.

"Pattern detection doesn't work as well underground. Teleporting is even more of a challenge.."

"You have a helicopter up?" Rei asked.

"Drone plane with scanners," Eve explained. "We're testing them out."

"They can stay in position much longer than a helicopter," Morrison added.

She blinked at the young agent and looked between her and Eve. "You're one of the new demons?"

Morrison raised an eyebrow. Her wings were folded at her back and her tail was swishing behind her.

Usagi bit her lip. "Sorry, it's just odd. I mean... succubae are supposed to wear little leather miniskirts, not... body armor." It was no sword or wand, but at least the giant gun seemed proper enough.

"Better than my getup," Minako groused.

"Mom won't let us wear bikini-uniforms yet," Morrison said with a false pout.

"We should have some standards," Eve dryly remarked.

"At least we got you back," Usagi said as she hugged her rescued Senshi.

"And Ami can't have destroyed everything," Sailor Pluto said, clutching her head. She detransformed and blinked her eyes before standing back up. Inspecting the broken remains of Ami's equipment had intensified her headache. At least the "Venus Alcove" was still working.

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Over fifteen hundred yards away, Svetlana idly watched the collection of vehicles and armed men. They seemed strangely tense, probably due to the suspicious calm. The energy surge A'deen had detected had potential.

Ivanova, her spotter, had flashed her sensors and picked up some strong magical signatures. Further evidence came in when a pair of their secondary targets had left the building and got into a waiting truck. They also split their time watching the area between them and the target for anything suspicious in a window or roof.

Adjusting her cloak and easing closer to the building ledge Ivanova activated her radio. "Galina, this is Tri, confirmed Senshi, request targeting orders."

Back at the hotel and using a holographic display, Galina looked at the images that Tri had sent her. She paused, tonight was supposed to be reconnaissance, but if the opportunity presented itself...

Galina smiled thinly and looked at the other girls, now clustered around the rune-circumferenced display. "Yes, if you see Zaika, do it."

"Understood," Svetlana said as she focused on the front door while Ivanova scanned the rest of the building. Her ash-grey weapon opened, revealing a red inner barrel and gave a slight blue light as muted patterns on her feet sprung into being and began to rotate against each other. Soon the fruits of their patience entered Svetlana's sights.

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As Setsuna lurched out of the building, she grabbed onto the door handle of the brownstone. She turned to see Usagi helping Minako down the steps. A smile briefly crossed Setsuna's face, Usagi had done well tonight and Minako had been saved. That made Ami's escape and knowledge of one of Setsuna's weaknesses more palatable.

She knew the books Ami had bought, and had read them long ago, but it would have been nice to know what notes Ami had made. A piercing tingling interrupted her thoughts, the fuzziness in her mind burned away, she flashed to Usagi's side and an iridescent blue glow burst from her skin, instantly coalescing into thousands of glowing spheres that rose up and impacted with a blue-grey lance that seemed to strike down from the heavens. For half a second, the energy beam burned through several dozen of the spheres before it winked out of existence.

"What happe-" Usagi started before she was pushed towards the ground and carried by Setsuna, who seemed to get them to a waiting APC in the blink of an eye.

"Sergeant Graham, sniper. Take it out," Eve ordered into her headset as she pulled back into the brownstone for cover.

Still wearing just a blanket and being helped by an agent, Minako froze for a brief moment. Then Minako dropped her towel and streaked towards her princess.

Above them, Morgan had seen the blue beam and was already following it to its source before receiving orders from her mother. It was almost opposite from the brownstone-lair from her current perch and had to be over two kilometers away. Admiring the location chosen, she adjusted her scope and saw with still-shocking clarity the roof of a far off office building about even with her perch in height. A female-figure with something long and grey had pulled back to the stairwell on the roof.

There was another figure in an identical grey and possibly red bodysuit with a smaller weapon, who looked like she was covering their escape. Pulling the trigger, Morgan frowned, preferring to take the sniper herself.

Once the 25mm shell was away, she immediately pulled back, keeping an eye on the target for as long as possible.

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Cursing her target's magical shielding, Svetlana was backing down the first couple stairs when she saw Ivanova. Her spotter was rounding the corner when everything above her belly button was consumed by a flat explosion. There was no fireball, just a burst of gore and metal fragments ,large and small, that used to be Ivanova's upper half. Svetlana dove down, but shrapnel still pelted her own shield.

It was not until her ears picked up a sharp booming crack that she was able to detect the source of the attack: a rifle. One with far too large of a payload to be fired by a normal human. "Bastard," she swore to herself as she cautiously eased up. Some small comfort came from her silent Geiger counter.

The enemy rifle was not invincible, a thick titanium sphere within an armored chest, was protection enough.  
Creeping backward, she licked her lips. After she killed this sniper she swore to return, Ivanova deserved better than being collected and studied. At least Ivanova's death had allowed her overeager "friend" to reveal himself, or more likely herself. Galina's questioning was ignored for a few seconds.

Having hearing enhanced well beyond the human range was one thing, but without proper processing it was just more noise. Fortunately, mathematics had no politics. Therefore mathematicians were safe, and the Soviet Union produced some of the world's best. They also had the best people in espionage, so Svetlana had the hardware required to process the rifle's retort, including the delay between it and the bullet's arrival.

Svetlana went down a floor and - after sensing it was empty - used a thin blade that extended from her left index finger to break into the proper office, one with a South-facing window.

She went into position, and her eye automatically dialed into the right range and orientation. Svetlana saw a slightly shorter apartment block and adjusted her angle until she saw the roof. In a pool of shadow was a disorganized pile with a bit of a straight, long object to one side.

"Ivanova has fallen to a sniper. Probably Company, probably not human, I'm going to kill her." Svetlana sighted her eye down the length of her weapon. "Going to radio silence." She turned off her communications system. Her location had been found out. It probably was via her weapon's luminescent beam, but there might be other ways. She was going with passive sensors from now on.

Adjusting her output levels, she depressed her trigger and a thin beam struck out and flashed the pile which exploded satisfactorily. Her attention focused on the burnt remains, which seemed disturbingly mundane and inorganic.

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Morgan pulled back her wings and climbed up the far side of another building. She looked and just saw a thin blue beam appear connecting her previous perch to her prey's building. If the spotter was any indication, her target would be an interesting challenge. Frowning, she was only able to limit its origin to a few windows on the South-facing side of the topmost floor.

Zooming in, she inspected the few windows until she found the telltale mark of broken - in this case, melted - glass. Thanking her new species, she was able to see inside the office, which looked completely empty. There was an open spot where a woman with a very large gun could have been waiting. Morgan gently rotated her gun and scoped out the adjacent offices to see if her quarry had moved just a bit over. She knew how many moments had passed since the beam had been fired, her enemy could not have gone far.

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Doubt entered Svetlana's mind. That had to be a decoy, but the trap had not sprung. There had been no counter-fire directed at the room she had shot from. The other shooter had to be alive, but had not used this chance to fire back. Something was wrong; maybe her location had been found via radio chatter. Her own scanners were not much help. She could detect encrypted radio chatter, but none of it was originating from the height where that sniper had to be stationed.

She blinked at the time on her heads up display. She had been here too long; agents could be coming up the stairs right now. Before making her way to the other side of the building. she adjusted her weapon and pulled out a part of the inner barrel, placing it on the floor.

Once the legs were extended and the little tripod with its meter-long weapon was assembled she ran to an interior corridor and made her way to the opposite side of the building. She could not sense anyone coming towards her, but it was only a matter of time.

Part of her attention was on her secondary sentry. It was a weak weapon with only a few shots, but it would do the job. She remotely adjusted the targeting device and scanned about until she found a rooftop. The silhouette just might have been her prey, but there was enough of a chance that it would not seem like a random shot.

She waited until she had opened a window on the opposite side of the building and was on the ledge when she fired and jumped. Her leap was helped by a runic glow on her ankles, which had previously been covered up.

She smashed through the opposing window and was shocked to find the feed on her sentry was still active.

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Morgan turned to the source of the attack and held her trigger finger. Something was off... the shot had been sloppy. From what she had seen her prey was better than that, more precise and machine-like. She looked into the office and found a single tripod-mounted weapon a couple windows down from the earlier shot. After ascertaining that there was no gunner she saw the weapon's elevation change slightly. Her eyes sparkled; her opponent's nature was becoming more and more apparent.

The sharpshooter frowned at breaking radio silence, but knew she had to tell her teammates. "Remote rifle on top floor, North side, two windows off-center. Decoy," she whispered into her radio, and immediately changed her position to scan buildings behind the office tower.

In one of the stairwells of the targeted building, Ranma stopped to listen to her earpiece. "Gotcha," she said, briefly pausing in her ascent. The other stairwell was watched by two of her spawn, and the elevators were held in the lobby by a squad of agents while Ukyou and Misako waited just inside the lobby.

Ranma silently went up the stairwell and halfway up released a pair of DarkStar Bursts. The two orbs sliced through the door on the top floor and split up. One followed Morgan's directions, while the other hovered among the cubicle farm.

Through them, Ranma could tell that the office building was empty, save for the turret, which was destroyed using one of the orbs. Its twin then went on and focused on a small office on the building's opposite side.

From a roof two blocks away, Svetlana saw a black and violet orb fly near the open window. She had just seen her sentry get knocked out and wanted to destroy that demon, but... firing on the orb would only reveal her presence. She scanned her weapon, hoping for some other target, and for a split second considered just shooting through the lobby. If she had her beam wide enough, it would hit someone.

She eased the pressure on the trigger and shifted her aim. Scanning the rest of the city, she frowned. That was merely a distraction from her real target, and effort to slow her down.

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Mercury glowered at the city below her. The smattering of long-range weapons fire had died down, and the city looked misleadingly serene. "Tonight has not gone well."

"At least the self-destruct went off successfully," Orion gently said, standing on the opposite side of their high-rise condo's living room. She was at the mini-bar.

After slowly turning to glare at her lover, Mercury returned to her window-borne musing.

Orion blushed and went back to the wet bar. She knew she had stocked this hideout with some of her Mistress' preferred reds.

"You stunned Pluto," Virgo said, sitting at the breakfast nook. She had her blades out on the table and was looking them over. "That's good."

"That worries me, but..." she sighed and accepted a wineglass from Orion. "That little stunt with the sniper." She took a long pull from the glass and motioned for it to be refilled.

Virgo paused. Pluto had kept her combat talents hidden; secrets like that were always risky. "She's very fast, and those orbs-"

"No!" Mercury screamed. "You don't get it. That energy... my computer..." Her hand shook, spilling some of the dark liquid on her evening dress. It matched too well. Her books, the data from the Moon, tonight's readings... it left one inescapable conclusion.

"What are we up against?" Orion quietly asked, holding the bottle to her chest.

Smiling slightly, Mercury reached for the bottle and caught herself. She then held out her glass and raised an eyebrow arrogantly. Once Orion started pouring, Mercury continued. "My little distraction worked better than I ever wished, but I never imagined... It's bad enough that our Queen has a new enemy, but we've proven something horrible about one of her most trusted Senshi."

Virgo wanted to ask if this Senshi would start putting her hair up in a bun and wearing corsets, but instead went with a tamer inquiry. "So what kind of monster is Setsuna?"

"How very astute," she remarked thinly smiling before draining her glass. "It had all been very clever. We all thought DarkStar was the real monster, the real corrupter."

"Setsuna's worse?" Orion blinked, as she automatically gave her mistress more wine. For that to be true she would have to be...

Mercury gave a slight chuckle absent of joy or hope. "Our mission remains. Our queen's always been in danger. Setsuna's been playing us all from..." Her mind flashed to the observation room, buried deep under that Lunar complex. The secret had to be that old. "Back to the previous Queen." Mercury gasped. "There's been a monster in the house of Serenity since the start."

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Now overlooking a wide swath that encompassed enough of the battlefield to contain her prey, Svetlana settled down into position. It had been harrowing, but she had gotten enough distance between herself and the unpleasant distractions in the first building. A slight droning hit her ears and after triangulation, she zoomed her gaze in and saw the small plane. With a wingspan of only a couple meters, it was a little plane without a cockpit. Her attention went to the wings. The unmanned craft looked unarmed, though the sensors it carried were more dangerous to her than any missiles.

Her camouflage was good, but that toy was still another set of searching eyes, and shooting it down would just alert others to her location. Svetlana cursed using her remote gun. That would have solved this problem nicely.

After a moment's pause she tuned the sensor data she had already collected. She almost wanted to go to active scan, but it was not worth the risk

Svetlana had other alternatives. Now secure in her position, she went back through what her sensors had recorded when she was moving and found something. The radio waves were encrypted but she did not care about their contents. That an encrypted radio was transmitted on a military band from a high building was information enough.

At that time, backup had not even started to ascend the building, but it did not really matter who had transmitted; it was a lead. Thinly smiling, she adjusted her targeting to that building and watched. There was a chance her target was still there, or would even use her radio again.

One benefit of encryption was that she knew which signals were meaningful and which were less of a priority. The constant chatter took a bit to triangulate; it would have gone faster if she had a spotter to compare signals with but...

Svetlana calmed herself. She knew what she was up against. That rifle had a large charge, large enough to hold a fused-grenade or other explosive shell, but it was still a conventional weapon. Her target was just one person. Given the size of that weapon, the user's mobility, and the local composition of WIC she was up against a succubus. This made her rather formidable in close and medium range. If they got too close, the demon could smell her out.

The good news was that she was up against a demon. Her body may be hardy, but those demonic senses, while honed, were primitive. The demon had excellent night vision, but she could not triangulate radio waves or rifle shots.

A couple kilometers away, Morgan was executing her own search pattern. She was a demon and concentrated on what those senses would bring her. She calmed herself and checked the wind. The distance was in her favor. If she got within half a kilometer any competent NH would be able to smell her out, even in the bustle of a city that almost reeked with energy...

Morgan blinked. Her target would not run away; the dispatching of her spotter ensured that. A sharpshooter and spotter team were close, and retribution would cloud judgment.

She also had to have very advanced electronics, a variable output beam weapon, and at least one remote sentry. Morgan's mind flashed back to what she had seen before her first kill. A tight, grey bodysuit. The uniform was odd, but not as strange as fighting in leather miniskirts and bikini tops. The body armor and weapons seemed rather advanced in tech, but the real oddity occurred when Morgan took the shot.

At first she thought it was unprofessional vanity, wanting to see what her gun would do. Normally, special tungsten-core sabot rounds (inaccurately called Lead Flowers) were used against shielded enemies. While the shield was a bit of a surprise, that it failed was not. The 25 mm by 59 mm round was more than sufficient. She was also able to see what was inside the spotter. It fit with the rest of the high technology and extreme mobility: normal humans could not jump between high rises.

Morgan slowly tracked her scope between buildings and once again pondered what a sharpshooter with such technology would be like. Either the unmanned aerial vehicle had yet to fly over her location or her camouflage was sufficient to evade the UAV's cameras and scanners. The sniper also had very good counter fire, but it was delayed. A thin smile formed as she did the math in her head. It matched up to the sound of her gun's firing. It was interesting to see that capability in a person instead of a vehicle.

As she scanned roofs looking for the tell-tale glow, Morgan pondered. Her enemy was advanced, but there were limits. Given that she had not been fired upon, her target's optics had not been able to find Morgan. This implied that her concealment and cover methods, so far, were holding up.

At the very least her target would have a few forms of night vision. Fortunately, the urban environment produced a lot of noise, deteriorating quality. Even thermal scanning was less useful if one knew where to shoot from.

Morgan's tongue flicked out and felt the microphone of her headset. A slight smile formed. You found your prey by tracking light, sound, heat, scent, all things the target emitted. There was still something Morgan gave off.

It was far-fetched, but so were cybernetic assassins, and paramilitary succubae for that matter. Morgan did not need to worry about how someone could locate her using radio transmissions, only what it would mean given the possibility that they could.

Realizing that many agents were using their radios, Morgan surmised that she had her target's full attention and gave a little smirk. Contacting her comrades would be a challenge; her target could be tracking cellular transmissions too. The demon's eyes twinkled and she slowly eased to the metal wall to the left of her hiding space and with a flick of her claws sliced a small hole that she slipped through. Navigating her long gun down the roof access stairwell she found herself on the top story.

After seeing a pile of three newspapers in front of a door, she listened and disengaged the lock on the silent apartment. After her eyes and nose confirmed the absence of the residents and that they still owned a landline telephone. She picked it up and made her call. It was a risk but, while decoding the electromagnetic broadcasts was one level of advanced technology but monitoring every single landline was another.

It took longer to confirm her identity than explain her idea, but Morgan was fine with that, it was a simple plan. The timing was what was important. She had to reach her next shooting location before the others got into position. After hanging up, she used the fisheye and her nose to check the hallway before returning to the stairs. It would not do to run into anyone else who lived on this floor. While her "friend" might not be able to monitor every landline it would be smart of her to keep an eye on any calls to 911. Especially panicked calls about seeing a demon with a giant gun.

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Standing on a busy sidewalk, Shest looked up at the sky with dread spreading across her face. A few others would nervously glance up, the loud explosion still fresh on the minds of many. She fingered the edge of her coat.

"Are you sure I can't go to the party?" she asked, desperation creeping into her voice.

In a hotel across town, Galina sighed. "No, we can't risk it. We go in like this and it'll spiral out of control."

"I'll just go in and get her. I don't think she can hold her liquor and I don't trust her driving home," Shest asked chewing her lip.

"Could you really get the keys away from her?"

"I'll get her before she notices. You know how I can just slip in and out," Shest offered.

Galina closed her eyes. "She's already at the party. Don't you want her to help Ivanoa or just run off? They're... partners. You know what that means. Remember the Maltese Falcon?"

Shest blinked and recalled Humphrey Bogart's lines as Sam Spade. "Da. 'When a man's partner is killed, he's supposed to do something about it. It doesn't make any difference what you thought of him.

'He was your partner and you're supposed to do something about it. And it happens we're in the detective business. Well, when one of your organization gets killed, it's-it's bad business to let the killer get away with it, bad all around, bad for every detective everywhere.' "

"It's something even those in the West understand. Should we have less honor than those that only care about money?"

"I should still help her."

"How? She's not answering our calls, and you don't even know where the party is." After not receiving a response, Galina continued. "She'll have to do it herself, I trust Svetlana's judgment."

Stopping her walk, Shest stared at a large restaurant window. "I understand, but this was reconnaissance and there's already been one loss."

"It might become three if you come blundering in. Svetlana does not need a distraction."

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Svetlana stewed and shifted her neck slightly. She was starting to wonder if her prey had run off. Still receiving plenty of encrypted chatter, she was inclined to doubt that. WIC was still hunting her. They had even started infiltrating that first building. Her eyes widened and she formed a wicked grin. Her capitalist friend thought she was so clever. So she had figured she was being tracked by her radio broadcasts, and returned to the one high place Svetlana would not find encrypted radio emissions unusual.

Svetlana adjusted her position and was not shocked to find no visual signature. Her friend was rather good at hiding. Her computer locking down another location, Svetlana checked its overlay on her internal heads up display. The capitalist demon was waiting on the next-to-top floor in a corner room that was staged back from both the windows. Adjusting the aim Svetlana had to admire her foe's tactics. That spot gave a good view, and was far enough back to give good protection, nice concealment, and a viable escape route. There her friend had a reasonable view, but could securely communicate and direct the other mercenaries. Unfortunately for the demon, Svetlana's weapon was not limited by mundane things such as walls and floors.

She held her gun and after a sufficient charge depressed the trigger. A thick blue beam arced out, slicing through the roof of the building on a diagonal and blew through the walls in that corner and exploded obliterating the entire room.

The radio signal winking out, Svetlana immediately went to her feet, knowing that the mercenaries would track her beam. She was several kilometers away from the nearest agent but there was no reason to waste her head start.

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"Impatient," Morgan stated as she watched the beam destroy the corner of the building from several blocks away. Normally, going from one sniping perch to another was the most dangerous part. Instead, Morgan took the stairs to the garage of one building where she entered the waiting unmarked Company car which drove her to the current building she was perched on. The locations and the requirement for total radio silence were all in her original call.

The rest of the plan was waiting. First was waiting for someone to place a radio within the right spot. It was bulkier than a headset, but was capable of making the exact same broadcast, and was set to do it whenever it heard the correct signal, from a phone line plugged into it.

Then came waiting for Morgan's cybernetic friend to bite at the shiny lure before her. A lure that looked like WIC had figured out their radios were compromised. People liked to think they were being clever, especially when they could unravel someone else's less-clever scheme in the process.

On the roof of a building she picked for its ability to watch over areas that could target the lure, Morgan's eyes hardened as she rapidly traced the path of the highly destructive but highly visible weapon back to its source. It winked out just before Morgan reached its terminus but she was able to see a figure get up and start to back away.

She was over three and a half kilometers away, but Morgan clearly made out the bodysuit and large weapon. Happy to oblige its mistress, the modified Barrett Optical Ranging System adjusted the targeting for the range and other factors. Morgan aimed and took the shot.

Keeping the moving figure in her sights she counted down. Even for a round going at over three times the speed of sound, it would take three seconds for the payload to reach its destination.

_Too slow,_ Morgan scowled as she gave a follow-up shot with a longer lead on her target. She saw the first round explode on the staggered wall behind her target and blow up against a flickering shield. Damaged, the target was still moving when the next shot hit, it overshot her but the concussion blew her down and knocked her gun tumbling away.

Her blood heating up, Morgan shifted her aim to that heavy weapon, and with a single 25mm round blew it apart. Her aim settled back to the distant target, sprawled out on the roof. Seeing liquid ooze from of the body, part of her wanted descend upon her prey.

With the prone enemy sighted in, Morgan risked her radio. "I've got her immobile, destroyed her weapon. Permission to attempt-" her tongue came out and licked part of her lower lip. "-capture?"

Back in the first building, Eve asked for the target's location. After receiving it she frowned. Morgan was the closest by far, evidence that this sniper was slowly working a retreat. The blonde weighed her options. This did seem to be a new and unknown group. "Approved, information is highly desirable, but no excessive risk."

Smiling, Morgan spread her wings and took to the air, skimming the buildings. Keeping an eye on the prone target she closed the distance. Eventually she landed on the opposite end of the block, that the tall buildings were giving way to houses and low warehouses. She used her scope to get a hard confirmation and found that her target was still breathing. The wind changed directions and the scent of burnt powder and blood hit her nose.

Her senses heightened, she leapt the street and landed on the final building. Shouldering her weapon, Morgan felt a bit ridiculous. Her gun was never meant to be used within a dozen yards.

The scent of blood and the slight trace of a Pattern filled Morgan and tugged at her stomach in an urge that felt totally familiar to her. Her attention snapped back when the grey body-suited woman pulled her head up. The strong scent of blood had an almost oily undertone. One leg had been blown off at the knee, another was unnaturally twisted above the ankle, much of her torso had been broken apart and was leaking blood and a clear fluid that smelled unappetizing.

Remarkably her head was fairly undamaged save for a few deep gashes and cuts that seemed almost cosmetic despite their gore. The rival sharpshooter coughed and gave a weak smile. "You tricky demon bitch," she gasped in a heavy accent.

"Impatient," Morgan repeated from when her prey fell for the bait, resisting the urge to salivate.

"Smaller beam would have been less visible," Svetlana agreed, reaching up with her good left arm and brushed back a bit of her hair. The demon was still wearing a concealing suit and had even covered parts of her weapon. "Nice gun," she noted appraisingly surveying the long steel weapon. She liked using a weapon that ran at the speed of light, but as current events showed, "slow" weapons were effective, too.

"Careful with that friend of yours, at this range there won't be anything left of me to dissect," Svetlana coughed, her eyes almost twinkling with amusement. The young demon before her seemed almost... bashful and restrained, but it worked in Svetlana's favor.

In a smooth motion, Morgan's left hand went off the stock and pulled out her SSP and only after the over-size automatic was aimed at Svetlana did she lower her rifle and flip her arm into a one-handed carry. "Better?"

"Should call your friends," Svetlana said as she flicked her arm back down and flicked out a cylinder from within her arm.

On seeing Svetlana's expression change, Morgan dropped her rifle and went down. As the blue beam shot out and hit, the succubus, having kept on target, depressed the handgun's trigger.

While high-speed fifty caliber bullets broke through Svetlana's reinforced skull, the beam cut though Morgan's right shoulder and into her lung. Still holding her handgun Morgan checked the corpse. She did not smell any explosives in her, but caution and pain were mixed by the growth of her hunger.

Her claws sliding out, Morgan cut into the body like opening up a tin of ham, though with more hearty flavor.

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Eyes flaring a dark blue, Eve folded her wings and dropped to the rooftop. Body tensed and heart racing, every part of her was focused: protect. The scent of blood, her daughter's blood filled her nose, as she landed and went right to the crouched figure.

Morgan gasped as her rifle was pressed to her chest as she found a pair of immense wings wrap around her body and her mother's presence fill out and spread around her. "Mother," she whispered from within the leathery cocoon.

"It's okay, you did good," Eve said as she hugged her daughter with one arm while keeping her gun outstretched, she did not detect any enemies but that was irrelevant.

Finding her mother's chest, Morgan leaned her head onto it and sighed happily. She could hear the larger demon's heartbeat slow from its panicked pace. Despite the dominance of mother's scent it was soon joined by other familiar ones.

"How badly were you hurt?" Eve asked holstering, her gun once her sister had landed and was able to balance out the embrace.

"Not very," Morgan quietly said keeping her head in place. "I fed fine, Mom."

Eve inhaled and blinked her eyes rapidly. Briefly freeing a hand to wipe, she turned as Ranma landed "How do you do it?"

The redhead sighed and crouched down. She looked at the chewed up corpse without any empathy. She smiled at her sister and niece, and leaned in. "Now you know my motivation," she said after giving Eve a quick kiss.

Eve's eyes flared brightly. "But... I wanted to..."

Ranma smiled, her teeth gleaming. "You understand."

Eve froze, staring into the deep violet eyes. She saw the raw primal power. Here was the soul of a true predator, someone who would do anything to protect her family. Tightening the hold on her daughter, she gasped. "I'm... I'm."

"Like me?" Ranma laughed and wrapped her wings around both Morgan and Eve. She leaned in and whispered into the blonde's ear. "Why did you think I turned you?"

Eve blushed and held her purring daughter. She looked back at her sister's eyes and found herself unable to answer.

Morrison landed and gave a whistle at the corpse, but it was mostly perfunctory. She looked to Ukyou and Misako who had already landed and were providing cover for the others.

"Go on, it's your group hug," Misako said with a bit of jealousy as she cradled Sasha.

"Yeah, we're going to have plenty of time to show our affection tonight," Ukyou added as she watched the young demoness eagerly walk to her mother.

Eve's circling thoughts were interrupted by the presence of her other daughter. The captain's wings automatically parted to allow her access and wrapped back around the two girls. Feeling the two heartbeats of her spawn and the beating from her sister, Eve's mind focused and the answer came. She gasped and her tail straightened at the thought. "You turned me..." She hesitated; the simplicity was too stunning. "You turned me because you knew I would become your sister, fully and completely."

"I knew you'd understand," Ranma laughed as she leaned in and kissed her sister again, this time she did not break away and Eve gasped as a flow arced between them, the blonde felt the demonic power buildup saturate her body.

Her wings flexed and quivered and became more accommodating, curving and swooping the now fully-embraced spawn as the insides softened and molded her spawn to her while hardening on the outside. Her tail spasmed as it greatly thickened down its length before reaching the fins which swelled to a larger spade shape.

A burning hunger gnawed at her, and was then abated by the flow of sustenance from her sister. The excess filled her, deposited in choice locations softening her features and causing her pants and chest armor to tighten. Her hair bun undid itself; her tresses fell about and started to separate. The process increasing her hair's body as it mixed with writhing crimson tresses, and moving over her spawn.

"Nice tail," Ranma laughed as she reached out and stroked it.

Eve groaned. Her mouth moved and she felt her jaw shift as it opened wider than ever before and her teeth sharpened, adding more fangs. She had seen Ranma feed this way before, and had briefly wondered about it. Before her mouth closed, she stuck her tongue out and was surprised it was able to reach to Ranma, who had reached out and was gently rubbing her horns, which felt more sensitive, curved and a bit larger.

As the blonde began to purr, her tail wrapped around Ranma's thinner but longer one. She put her head on Ranma's chest and opened her mouth to gently lick her neck. Her clothing transformed, the armored plating shifting into a bodice and cupping her fuller figure around her chest while covering her waist in a series of pleated plates. The rest of her uniform shifted into a gauzy, stretchy dark blue material that clung to her body from her chest to her legs, which then fused from her ankles to her waist forming a long tight skirt. Her equipment and holsters migrated to a pair of belts slung over her hips.

A dark violet four-pointed star flared into existence on Ranma's forehead and was followed by a similar mark emerging on Eve and her spawn's heads. As the flare died down leaving the purple marks, more power flowed into the demons. Eve purred again and found herself drifting off into bliss.

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"How do you, feel sister?" Ranma asked pulling away from the blonde.

With a bit of a pout, Eve pulled away from the redhead and looked around and was surprised to find themselves in her office. Her daughters were sleeping on either side of her and a large mirror had been added to the room.

"I flew us back to the rally point and got us back to base," Ranma laughed and helped Eve up, and put her in front of the mirror. "Well? Is it everything you wanted?"

The blonde froze. Her hair arced behind her, and had almost as much body and length as her sister's; by the way it was moving, she guessed that it had the same vitality as well. The increase in the size of her horns helped keep them from being overwhelmed by her tresses.

Her face was subtly different. It looked somehow a bit more mature and much less harsh. She smiled and it looked more genuine and loving; she allowed her smile to widen, and found her teeth even sharper. She almost missed the silver-edged four-pointed star on her forehead as it flared purple before vanishing again.

"Better than the silly quartered circle," Ranma chuckled as she summoned a similar mark. "And it's about time we started making more of a mark."

Politely ignoring the pun, the blonde slowly nodded, warmth welling up within her. A heavier tail swung behind her, occasionally playing with Ranma's, and her wings had to be pulled away from her daughters. As she walked she found her hips swaying with more notice, but put that up to how her feet were angled. She found that her uniform had turned into a tight, thin, deep-blue dress that went nearly to the floor while silvery armor with a breast plate and skirting shimmered in the reflection. Armor plating for her chest and pleated skirt shimmered in the reflection. Her weapons were still attached to her belts, and she had her rank and the Company logo pinned to her chest, though it looked almost like an afterthought.

"I think it's cute, kind of like a Sailor Senshi skirt. You have good taste," Ranma playfully whispered.

Eve nodded, finding the material stretchy enough to enable her to walk. She then looked at the bottom of her dress, and blushed. A pair of silvery spiked high heels were attached to her feet, arching her legs up a few inches.

"They're not exactly regulation, but neither is that dress," Ranma teased.

Eve nodded and sat down back between her daughters. Her wings automatically extended and comforted them while she crossed her legs. After adjusting herself to look over her chest she looked down at her shoes. "Well, I can always change them."

"If you want to." Ranma broke away from admiring the view to check her watch and sighed. "We should get back and see how Usagi's doing."

Eve frowned. "We'll have more time for fun later tonight."

"But first we need to show Usagi a little something," Ranma smirked.

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"I'm sorry," Minako muttered. She glanced over at Usagi and returned to staring at a concrete wall. The grey WIC jumpsuit she was in was comfortable, but after being armored, any fabric would be.

"Don't be so morose," Rei reprimanded, looking at Minako, but only after the blonde had blinked did Rei turn away. The priestess resisted her own urge to look up, the blank ceiling of this... basement seemed to press down on her. She avoided the walls, too. Somehow, the attempts to make the place cheerier were even more depressing. Photographs of helicopters and planes and other military hardware seemed to be a bit over the top.

"Give her a break. She was just freed from being Mercury's slave." Makoto said putting her hand on Minako's. The blonde sitting across from her did not move, but her hand was warm. Makoto smiled. "It's okay, we got you."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Minako's lips.

"So what was that?" Usagi asked, pulling back from the table to look at Setsuna, who was at the next table over nursing a cup of tea.

Setsuna looked up and rubbed her eyes. "You were being shot, I moved in to protect you," she flatly stated, noting that Minako winced at her words.

"Well, yeah, but those were just your training balls."

"They're not just for training," Setsuna said, taking a slight sip from her tea. It was surprising - she had not expected to find this quality in a company commissary.

"So what, exactly, happened?" Usagi chewed her lip. Her mind flashed to the iridescent dome that had appeared over her. "Someone tried to kill me?"

"Yes." Setsuna put the mug down, trying not to grin a the sight of Usagi's thoughtful expression, and her firm eyes.

"Find out everything you can about who did this," Usagi stated, she looked over to the demons who were in the other side of the commissary, seemingly chatting to themselves. "Where's Ranma?"

"Helping hunt down the person that did this," Akane shouted.

"We heard Morgan got one of them," Nabiki added as she flicked one of her blades open and then closed again.

Setsuna gave the group a closer look. In addition to Nabiki's idle play, Nariko was polishing the scabbard of her sword while clearly watching one of the doors. Akane had chosen to watch the remaining door. She smiled thinly. Ranma appeared to be giving Usagi her money's worth.

"So that's it? People are just gunning you down in the street?" Rei put her fingers to the bridge of her nose. Things had been much better in Japan. At least there the people trying to kill them had the decency to gloat.

"At least this time, innocents weren't used as bait," Usagi glowered.

"Could it have been Ami?" Makoto asked.

"No," Minako suddenly stated. "Mi- er... Mercury had plenty of chances to do it, killing our Queen was never her intent."

"Queen?" Rei tilted her head slightly.

"The Queen is dead, long live the Queen." Setsuna said with a mix of levity and sarcasm.

"They still attacked when I was leaving. What happened? They must have been waiting at Ami's place."

"Using it as bait?" Makoto asked. "Why didn't they just go after us at our apartment?"

Usagi nodded. "Good point, maybe they were following us. But why then?"

"It's pretty simple," Nariko interjected. "The fight was over. You were all calming down and looking towards the future. If the attack had happened earlier, you would all still be in combat mode. Instead, they took the shot when you were tired, distracted." The demon smiled happily. "Not a bad plan all in all."

"You make it sound like that was a good thing," Rei grumbled.

"It is," Setsuna stated. "Understanding how the enemy thinks is useful. That's how Usagi beat Ami tonight."

"She didn't expect us to come after her. She didn't expect me to trick her." Usagi chuckled. "She expected me to break down, to fall into her arms and ask her to make it all better." The blonde smiled, eyes sparkling.

"She still got away."

"We hit her in her lair. Did you go upstairs? She'd built up a whole life there, and we kicked her out of it."

"And you got me," Minako quietly said.

"Yes, we did." Usagi hugged Minako, who brightened at the contact. "Soon we'll get Naru, and Ami too."

"There's also Virgo," Minako added.

Nariko looked up and ahead. "Oh good, mother's back."

"What, can you smell her? That's just creepy." Rei shook her head.

Nabiki blinked. "What's creepy about being able to feel our mother and family and know that they're ok?"

Giving Rei a dark little look, Nariko stood up and walked to the corridor. Ranma and the remainder of her spawn entered, followed by Eve and her daughters. The blonde was wearing some type of long clingy dress and had an arm around each of her spawn.

Behind them a pair of gurneys with large bags were being pushed along. One of the bags was lumpy, misshapen, uneasily distributed item that did not look like a human cadaver or even one item.

Usagi looked at the tall blonde. Her form looked more mature and meshed with the love radiating off of her. Consistent with her body, her clothes also screamed demonic, complimenting her horns and wings.

Ranma was the only one not carrying large guns. One of Eve's daughters was carrying an immense scoped rifle of some type, that made the other large weapons seem almost human scaled to the moon princess.

Usagi's attention went from the weapon to the two body-bags being pushed down the corridor behind the demons. "Are those?"

"Why yes, they are," Ranma said, smiling a bit.

Rei watched the redhead turn and seem to feign surprise. Which was odd, the demon had to have known the bodies were being moved right behind her.

"Yes, they were both cyborgs of some sort." Morgan's eyes brightened in remembrance. She made a point of keeping herself from licking her lips.

Once again Eve frowned at the damage to Morgan's upper armor, but she had ordered her daughter to try to take her alive. "You did good, Honey," she assured with a hug.

"Is that the gun?" Usagi hesitantly asked, starting at the weapon; it was longer than the diminutive and redheaded succubus was tall.

Morgan blinked. Her mouth opened and closed in confusion. "Well, no. This' mine. Grandma made it for me."

"Grandma?"

"Major Saotome."

"Oh, yeah... Eve's Ranma's sister," Usagi said in a tone she hoped was absent-minded, instead of jealous, as she stared at the length of the rifle. Surprisingly long and almost elegant, the weapon was not bulky. Her eyes were drawn to the inscription written on the side. "We do what we must, because we can," she automatically read aloud.

Morgan gave the blonde a long puzzled stare and with a shrug moved over to where Akane and Nabiki were sitting. She put her weapon down on the table and noticed when Misako followed suit. The automatic grenade-launcher was much shorter than her rifle and elicited a sour glare from Misako and tight smirk from Morgan.

Usagi shook her head as she got up and walked to Ranma. "So... cyborgs?"

"Yeah, people with bits of metal and motors in them, pretty strange," Ranma shrugged. "You wanna see them? Well what's left of them."

Usagi coughed. "Uh... no need."

Rei noticed the frown on Ranma's face and wondered if the demon was disappointed that Usagi didn't want to see dead bodies or for some... other reason. Did the gurneys really have to go down this hallway?

"We've fought droids before. Though I guess these are different. The robot things we've fought before never left bodies."

"These were humans. Heavily modified with cybernetics, but still human," Eve stated with a bit of a smirk.

"How can you be sure?" Rei asked "If they were mostly robotic..."

"The flavor is very unique," Morgan stated.

"Oh hush, like you've ever eaten human before," Misako pouted.

"So not say... a gooish monster made from a glass of wine then," Rei proposed.

"Oh yes Jamanen. Thanks Rei, thanks for reminding us about the creepy monster that could hide in ceilings, turn her arms into swords or trap us inside her." Makoto shook her head. It was horrible, she had to shower for over an hour to get clean afterwards.

"We have fought a lot of them."

"Speaking as someone turned into armor and goop, I can say it's not very fun, being controlled and used like that." Minako added.

"Did you figure out who they were? Why they were doing this?"

"The one that shot at you had some kind of accent, maybe eastern European," Eve stated. "We're going to do a full autopsy, track down where their hardware came from at least."

"So that's it?" Usagi paused. "What's left of them, I mean. And you'll dissect them?"

Ranma shrugged. "That's all we have to go on."

"Least it's over," Usagi sighed.

"Why?" Eve asked as she stretched her back a bit and flexed her wings. "There could be more of them. Their technology was rather advanced."

"So what did they use to shoot me?"

"It's some kind of beam weapon. There's not much of it left." Eve explained, putting a hand to her hip.

"So it was all just cyborgs?" Rei asked. "No magic?"

"I smelled a bit of a Pattern," Morgan said as Ukyou handed her a cup of coffee.

"Major Saotome and Section Chief Ono will look into that." Eve stated.

Usagi nodded. "So, can I go home?"

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"Svetlana and Ivanova are dead," Shest reported, after she entered the bedroom to the hotel suite.

"Yes, we were aware Svetlana had fallen." Galina frowned.

"Svetlana managed to wound the demon, but she was shot and... eaten," Shest dropped her purse to the floor and started to undo her blouse. The old veterans who had trained them in combat had a saying. "As bad as the Fascists were, at least they wouldn't eat you." It was their way of saying that things could always be worse.

"We did want a challenge," Arisha dryly remarked as she watched a replay of the footage Svetlana had managed to broadcast, while jotting down notes on a small pad.

"Yes, little Zaika has some formidable guardians," Galina remarked. "Do we have any idea what the green-haired one used to block the attack?"

"No," Arisha moved to the end of Svetlana's data feed. "But we know that the demonic sharpshooter was armed with a... conventional weapon," she said, highlighting the image of Morgan's weapon.

"Well, that pushes the upper limits of what gunpowder can do," Shest remarked, after she had stripped down to her red and grey bodysuit.

"This matches our intelligence. The demons are a new program, and thus their weapons are adaptations of existing hardware," Arisha stated. "In time they'll have more fitting weapons. It's fortunate that we're facing them now, before they're more properly armed."

"I wonder," Galina stated, studying the image.

"What?"

"Most of our weapons are tailored to our bodies. They're integrated. Our powers and our armor are also part of this holistic approach. It would be unwise to assume our enemies are using the same methodology."

Shest blinked. "These are demons."

"Exactly. It's a fascinating approach. They're transforming existing warriors into these demons, and instead of hyper-specialized weapons they're just upping the same equipment they already know." Galina tapped her lip. "It doesn't give as much of an individual advantage, but does provide a cheaper alternative, and one that's better integrated with their regular troops."

"What of Zaika?"

"I doubt she'd be foolish enough to be alone, but even now she's not using a full guard."

"The smart thing would be for her to stay on base?" Shest asked, before wandering to the kitchenette.

"Our surveillance shows that while Zaika's apartment is being watched, they are alone." Chetyre said, looking over her display.

"Should we attack now?"

Galina shook her head. "They will be on alert now, and clearly we underestimated their capability. We need more about how they perform. Especially the older dark-skinned woman."

"Perhaps, she should be eliminated first? The rest are weaker and disorganized, fraught with internal splintering." Arisha suggested.

"We must be careful. That may end up driving Zaika closer to the demons." Galina noted.

"No matter what our next operation is, if it fails, Zaika will get more worried." Chetyre paused to look at her display and continued. "To be frank, tonight's event should have put her over the edge. The amount of complacency she has is... startling."

"Is it? She's had many, many attempts on her life, and apparently has killed the leaders of all of them herself," Galina smiled thinly. "Right now, some of her forces are in open rebellion. Tonight was a part of that ongoing battle against that faction for Zaika. And she still has not changed her life that much."

"She is either very stubborn or very sure of her powers," Chetyre stated.

"Perhaps, she has faith in her own destiny," Arisha snorted.

"Intelligence indicates she has... fanciful long term plans." Galina allowed. "

"We have learned more about her plans," Arisha reminded. "One source indicates, she desires a revolutionary state with her at its core enforcing tranquility and equality. Others have confirmed that her ideology is strongly on justice and enforcement."

"She definitely has a feeling of importance. People have called her a messiah, a princess, a queen, a goddess. Her family... well, has the white-collar wage-slave become part of the proletariat?"

"If they have no ownership of the means or production and no tangible wealth, then yes," Galina patiently confirmed.

"Then she's not bourgeoisie, let alone royal. Clearly, the messianic messages are just propaganda."

"So, command driven, progressive, collectivist and propagandist?" Galina muttered. "Her ideology could have been pulled over to our side. What a shame."

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Minako hesitantly stepped into the room she shared with Makoto. Mako's half of the room was its normal state while her half looked frozen in time. Walking over to her dresser, she stripped out of the WIC-supplied jumpsuit and put on a skirt and blouse. She looked at a mirror and smiled at the curvy and tan figure reflected back at her.

"Enjoying the chance to be yourself?" Setsuna asked opening the door.

Minako gasped in shock, her eyes flaring a hint of red before going back to blue. "Uh... hi Setsuna..."

"You should be more careful," Setsuna teased, walking up to Minako after she closed the door behind her.

The blonde looked down. "I'm still adjusting."

"You've been through a lot. Are you ready to tell Usagi?" Setsuna asked, suddenly changing the subject without changing her tone.

"Are you?" Minako replied.

Setsuna smiled thinly. "I was just protecting her."

"Right, and guess that's what I'm doing too," Minako replied, as she started tying her hair back with a ribbon. "I'm still a Senshi, like you."

Setsuna chuckled. "Well, not exactly like me."

After raising an eyebrow, Minako turned back to her reflection. "Do the others know?"

"About us? Not so much. Rei has some suspicions that you've been... changed."

"I have," Minako glowered. "Least I'm still a Senshi."

"Of course, Mercury wouldn't have changed that." Setsuna smirked. "She is starting to figure out just how far the definition of Sailor Senshi can be stretched."

Minako nodded.

"Getting you back is a good victory. It'll help our Princess. She's got some confidence back. Especially-"

"Especially now that there's yet another new enemy."

"The brood did kill both of the hitmen."

"There will be more." Minako frowned. "There always is. I still think we should move into Mercury's place. That's a much more secure facility."

"That enemy knows where it is," Setsuna flatly said.

"Like they wouldn't know where this place is either."

Setsuna nodded. "But wouldn't it look bad? One of Mercury's former minions suggest that we move into Mercury's old lair?"

Minako sighed. "Yes, Ami's original plans had us all moving into there, where she could slowly change and improve us at her leisure."

"That was before you unraveled her Mistress Lyra story."

"Nice way she repaid me for that bit of logic. She was a real state trooper, there." Minako shrugged.

"At least she didn't make you into a trial princess."

"Pretending to be the princess was bad enough when I was human," Minako grumbled. "I guess it could take some of the pressure off of Usagi, but she'd never go for it."

"Careful, there," Setsuna smiled.

"I figured you out," Minako started rummaging around in her dresser until she found a compact. "Ami will too; she did send me and Shampoo to get those books.."

"Do you have a list of them?" Setsuna idly asked.

"Course," Minako said, as she pulled out a piece of paper and wrote the titles down. She handed it over to Setsuna who frowned.

"Mina... you wrote this out using an eyeliner pencil." Setsuna shook her head.

"You wanted them right now." Minako started putting on eyeshadow.

Setsuna frowned and scanned the list. "_Revelations of Glaaki_, _Chronoscopic Travelers_, _Turba__ Philosophorum, Cthaat Aquadingen,_ _On the Sending Out of the Soul,_ _Unaussprechlichen__ Kulten_ _Book of Eibon_, and _Kryptographik_."

"Any of it legit?"

"Oh, they're all dangerous books. Most of them won't help her..."

"But?"

"They all have a high chance of driving her insane or attracting transdimensional monsters."

"Yes, we wouldn't want Ami to get corrupted," Minako dryly noted. "What about you? You – I mean – the gates in any of those books?"

"Pardon?"

"Some stuff from the Silver Millennium survived, and it's not like primitive humans would understand it."

"Yes, it would be easy to get a cult using magic and knowledge from that era."

"You're evading," Minako teased.

Setsuna gave a level gaze before breaking into a tiny smile.

"It doesn't take a Conductor to figure something's up with you, and given that you're... you, it's gotta involve the gates."

"And?"

"That's assuming Mistress Mercury's paranoia isn't just her getting punchy, there's got to be something up with you. You're very mysterious and knowing." Minako smiled at her reflection. "It's nice to have eyelids."

"True." Setsuna nodded.

"Well, we've got to worry about the others."

"Oh?"

"Ami knows all about me, and has figured out whatever the deal is with you."

"Yes, that will be a problem."

"I'm certain that you have a plan, but do you need any help with it?" Minako offered as she put on some lipstick. "I mean it's not like Usagi's going to listen to what Ami has to say. Meatball-head is going to trust us over her, she's got that hopeful idea going on."

"You've been thinking things over."

Minako closed her compact and turned to Setsuna. "I've had a lot of time to think."

"Ami didn't have much fun with you?" Setsuna teased.

"Training, testing, and being powered down in an alcove." Minako shrugged. "I really feel sorry for Shampoo; Naru too, I guess."

"Oh?"

"Mercury did lose her test subject."

"You've spent the most time with her. Will she do something rash?"

Minako nodded. "She'll be upset, feel cornered. Shampoo... she was recruited to get to Ranma, but... Naru's the cheese."

"Cheese? You mean Ami will use her?"

"Usagi's relationship with Naru is about all Mercury has left."

"But they're lovers, or has Ami changed that?"

"They're still close. That's why Ami hasn't done anything yet."

"Troubling."

"Did your search of Ami's computers and records turn anything up?"

" 'Course not, the charges she put in nicely destroyed whatever she was working on."

"All she really needs is her Mercury computer." Once again, Minako smiled at her reflection. "And don't forget these cybernetic assassins, either. The princess is really going to need our help."

"It's not like the Mau have been much help," Setsuna admitted.

"Of course not, this is beyond Artemis," Minako sighed. "You saw what he did when I arrived. Furball hardly noticed me."

"That was more shock," Setsuna offered.

"Oh?"

"Or maybe he could just smell you." Setsuna smirked at Minako. "Something like that would shock me, too."

"And no one gives you a second glance."

"That's experience. DarkStar's grandmother can do it, too."

"And Murdock."

Setsuna's grin finished. "About him. What's his role? How often did he meet with Ami? Was he controlling her overtly? Or was he still using Naru as his plant?" she asked in increasing tempo.

"Didn't meet often. He seemed... amused. Disappointed, too. Does he actually know what he's doing?" Minako asked with an arched eyebrow.

"I used to think his ineptness was just an act, but now... Maybe things have gotten out of his control, or maybe that's what he wants us to think."

"I doubt he planned for me to be freed or for Usagi to beat up Ami."

Setsuna chuckled. "No, Ami didn't plan on that. Murdock? Maybe he's built up Ami just for Usagi to tear her down."

"We can guess that Usagi is his real target." Minako paused and shook her head. "Nothing ever changes, does it? It's still some velour-dandy going after the Princess."

Setsuna froze, imagining Murdock dressed in a velour jumpsuit. The idea of stretchy velvet over his grinning body was... upsetting in novel ways. It then shifted to Diamond of the Black Moon Clan in a similar outfit. "Wow... he doesn't dress that way does he? At least, polyester instead of velour?" she asked as she pulled out her flask.

"Nope, still likes poorly-treated bland suits."

"At least there's that," Setsuna sighed. "What about Naru? Is she being used as a way to influence Ami?"

"Why not," Minako shrugged. "Naru does advise her, and is so polite and deferential, and is always there to give her Mistress plenty of wine."

"And there's the sex." Setsuna sighed. "Troubling. Add in these cybernetic assassins..."

"Yeah, least Ami and her minions... we... they.." Minako gritted her teeth and "The plan wasn't to kill any of the Senshi."

"Yes she had the very original idea of changing us, making us better." Setsuna smirked her mirth returning.

"Talking about the first Serenity?"

"She was the one that setup the Senshi."

"Yes, whole 'planetary power' thing. Well, dwarf planets too, and asteroids. Pretty much any rock that's big enough."

"Serenity wasn't using current planetary standards."

"Guess so. She couldn't have looked into her future to see what was and wasn't a planet." Minako looked at Setsuna's blank expression and blushed. " I mean she could, obviously. But why would she care? Why this time period?"

Minako tapped her chin and before Setsuna could respond, resumed her train of thought. "Well, this is the time she sent her daughter and the rest of us too. So, she should have at least checked out this time period." She stared off at one of the walls for a few unblinking seconds. "I know! She wanted to make sure that we would still resonate with the populace. That way, we could be the proper folk heroes to help Usagi takeover the world."

"I don't think Serenity had time to plan all this during the Fall, even after sealing Beryl."

Minako deflated. "You would know."

"Quite. Don't worry about it. Usagi's got you back, and we'll make it through this. We always do.." Setsuna said, reaching for the doorknob.

The blonde looked at her reflection one last time. She evened out her blush a bit more and turned back to Setsuna, giving a slight nod.

End Chapter

Once again, I'd like to thank my pre-readers. They read through my most egregious mistakes so you don't have to. DGC, J St C Patrick, Terra, Pale Wolf, Wray, Kevin Hammel, Ikarus, Jerry Starfire, and Mike Koos.


	24. Chapter 22 Restoration and Regret Part 2

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Josh Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.

Temporary Backup Site.

Other website Temple of Ranma's Senshi Seifuku

C&C as always is wanted.

If you have a problem with the formating, please go to fukufics and read the version on the C&C there. has been a real bear to even get this thing posted.

Chapter 22 Restoration and Regret Part 2

"Fascinating," Section Chief Ono peered into the chest cavity. Even given Sergeant Graham's... incisions the subject's... chassis proved rather difficult to open up. "I can see where the organs were, but there's extensive support struts too. Titanium you think?"

Dressed in a surgical smock identical to Ono's, Nodoka nodded. "Strong, light, not prone to biological rejection." Using a pair of pliers she picked up another piece from her more diminished and already sectioned subject. "I think I found something."

Ono stepped over to the other table, careful to give the two other agents in the room space. In battle-dress, they held rifles at the ready. The pathologist had conducted enough autopsies where the subject was still a bit... lively to appreciate their presence. In a similar precaution, a pattern scanner and a sensitive radio receiver were also active in one corner. Before entering the facility the bodies had been checked with a Pattern Scanner and inspected by a scent dog for more mundane booby traps.

Leaning over the lighted magnifier, Ono blinked. It looked like some kind of hydraulic control but part of the sleeve was cracked exposing some writing. "Cyrillic?"

"Makes sense, this... hardware." Nodoka shook her head. "A lot of it is what you would expect transmitters, chipsets, structural pieces, actuators, but other parts..." She picked up the wand to a narrow-range scanner and waved it over a couple pieces of meat and blood smeared metal.

"Pattern V... no... maybe some S too. Very weak That doesn't make sense, not given Morgan's report." Nodoka chewed her lip. "The canine team has cleared the cadavers?"

"Right as the bodies entered the base. They didn't like them much, but no explosives, other than the remnants from the sergeant's weapon," Ono agreed. "But yes there's no rapid decay of organics." He sniffed and noticed that he was smelling the normal cordite, burnt meat, and such cocktail. "Pattern V's also don't have urea or feces. These cyborgs actually have digestive tracts."

"They do have musculature and skin, those parts do need nourishment."

Ono nodded and started probing the a multi-meter again. He wanted to make sure this thing was dead.

Nodoka frowned at the electrical reader. "Do we know what their power source is?" she asked as she poked a bit further into the chest cavity.

"It could be magical, or some sort of battery or engine. We don't know what their fuel could be."

"But the power requirements are far too large for anything normal." Nodoka's frown deepened as her probing pulled back a structural member and revealed an orange-sized sphere nestled in the chest cavity. Several cables connected to it. Motioning to the guards, Nodoka reached behind her and pulled up another piece of equipment. "Did they do a radiological study?" she asked moving the Geiger counter's probe over the sphere.

"Yes, it came out clean," Dr Ono said leaning in to see Nodoka's readings. "Good shielding?"

"Maybe," Nodoka said as she walked to the fragments that made up the other specimen. "A nuclear battery... well I didn't think it would give enough power or get this small, but I didn't think cyborgs were feasible either." The scientist poked around the debris until she found a similar sphere. It was battered and misshapen and in one location a piece of shrapnel had sliced through the surface revealing a layer of some kind of blue mesh.

At the point of rupture the radiation reading was higher. "There must be more layers in it, maybe some lead after this blue stuff."

"Are the levels dangerous?" Ono asked.

"No, but we should use a lead shielded box for both of these," Nodoka motioned to one of the guards and had him help her move a container to the specimen table. Foam sections were removed, and using a set of pincers, the damaged sphere was lowered inside.

"I'll remove this one," Ono stated as he started photographing and logging the wiring on the undamaged sphere. Nodoka came over and started helping him disconnect the orb. Most of the connections were modular and came out easily.

"Compact, it has to be advanced," Nodoka noted. "There's not much of a Pattern on it though."

Ono nodded and started to lever the sphere out of place with some difficulty. "Damn thing, it weights enough to have some real heavy metals in it."

Once the sphere was added to the other side of the box and the container was sealed Ono looked at it critically. "There has to be something wrong with those things. If they are a power system there has to be a reason they weren't used in other things. They're going to need watching. We don't know if they're shut down or idle or what."

"Expense likely. They're stable enough to be in a combat cyborg, so they have to be hardy. Maybe they are used in other roles. Nuclear batteries are used in space probes, and some isolated facilities. They aren't this small, though."

Ono went back to the body. "Yes, but that might not even be the power system. Though it does connect to this distribution network and right into this processor."

"Did you find anything that could work as an interface?" Nodoka went over to the more complete body and moved that table's magnifier over sections of the ruined bits of metal and bone that made up the cadaver's skull. She looked back at the locked case. There were plenty of new things to learn from these specimens.

Tofu pocketed the electrical reader and walked over to the shattered head, using a long surgical pick he pointed to some bits of jelled brain and electronics. "There's a few areas here, but... it's crude. This technology. It shouldn't work."

Nodoka nodded. "You can't just put computer chips in a person's brain and expect them to work."

"I don't know what this is," Dr. Ono sighed. "That pattern's got something to do with this. Maybe whoever built this found a shortcut."

"Ghost in the machine. Sir?" Agent Gabriel Smith suggested as he shifted his gun slightly. To his left Sophie Addison's eyes went down to the scanner output.

Ono blinked. "Perhaps. Pattern V's are essentially flesh-borne golems reanimated by their former spirits."

"Was that how they got around the technology limitation?" Nodoka asked.

"You're right, this stuff... technically it's advanced, but I wouldn't be surprised to find it in a Russian sub."

"Not many people would have access to this kind of technology and this... magical skill. The smattering of obsolete equipment worries me though. While, there's a few computers in here that appear newer than the rest, and some other things that I –think- are computers, there's also some old electronics too." Nodoka's eyes went to the metal plating that made up the walls, ceiling, and floor of the room. "We can't leave until these things are dissected and tagged.

Ono nodded and resumed his work. "The obsolescence shows either a lack of a need for a total retrofit or a lack of a capability to do it."

"The Pattern aspect also gives production questions. All the hardware can be purchased or machined, but how hard is it to... bind a ghost," Nodoka smiled at Gabriel.

"I can probably get a date from the age of the stuff in the brain here. I doubt they would have repeated that surgery." Tofu said as he used a scalpel and a set of miniature wire-cutters. Once the specimen was loose he pulled it out using a hemostat and put it into a reinforced Plexiglas specimen case. There was still a lot of work to be done, but at least they had a place to start from.

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Morrison stepped into the commissary with a slight smile. She walked up to the table where Morgan was sitting. Another agent, was across from Morgan. Morrison calmly held her hand out for the large German Shepard that was sitting next to her sister. The dog gave her a sniff and then went back to looking at the meal Morgan had in front of her.

"Good, Duke's gotten used to you," George Clymer, the dog's handler, remarked.

"Well, the rest of the brood's gotten them used to succubae right, Sarge?" Morrison asked.

"They still don't like strange demons, humans either," Sergeant Clymer remarked.

"What's wrong, Sis? Mom wants us to go to sleep soon," Morrison happily said.

"Oh, it's that late?" Morgan said feeding a piece from her beef stew to Duke, despite George's cough. "That would be pretty nice."

Morrison held the bridge of her nose. "We have a problem."

"What? Because I'm having a nice meal with a K-9 unit?" Morgan's eyes flashed a slightly brighter shade of blue.

"It's more that you're trying to be ambivalent about being with Mother. You felt her earlier tonight. You know what she's like."

Morgan glared. "I'm not allowed that much?"

"No, you're not." Morrison sighed. "We're not."

"It's not like I was hiding, I'm not delusional," Morgan said petting the large dog. "I just saw them eating here. Duke was brought in special from the B base you know. Good boy, you made sure those girls I killed wouldn't explode or hide freaky monsters."

"You shouldn't be having problems with killing," Morrison stated.

"No, I shouldn't, and you're jealous."

"Of course, I've smelled the kills. I saw mother hugging you first. You..." Morrison sighed and sat down on the opposite side or Morgan. "It was the feeding wasn't it."

The diminutive sharpshooter simply looked her sister in the eye. "I was sloppy. It won't happen again."

"Sloppy? About the feeding or the wounding?"

"I need to file a report with my CO." George coughed as he stood up. Having three older sisters he knew when it was best to leave and go outside for a walk. "Duke, stay."

Morgan watched the man leave. "Do you know much about the canine units?" she asked her sister.

"Used as sentries, trackers, and for security. It's their noses." Morrison said reaching over to let the dog smell her again. She had an idea where this was going.

"It's fascinating really. We raise them and they think we're part of their pack. The Company has been breeding dogs for at least a hundred years."

"What? And we're the next in line?"

Morgan chuckled. "Why not? We're a pack based species too. What do you think of Andrea, now that you two can go clothes shopping together?"

"You're not one to get morose about becoming a 'dog of the military'. We signed away that part of us long before the D Program."

"Yes, no one leaves the Company. Even those agents that are... discharged. Really just go to work for some useful company and moonlight on occasion." Morrison put her hand on Morgan's shoulder. "So what's bugging you? Is it the urge to feed? Did it..."

"No... I mean I was hungry, I'm not gonna deny that, but I don't think it made me sloppy. She just got in a shot, trying to take her alive..." Morgan shook her head.

"Mother made that decision. You did the best you could," Morrison assured pulling her arm around the smaller woman.

"It's not just that, there's the future," Morgan said scratching behind Duke's ears.

Morrison's eyes went to the dog. "What? A Company breeding program for succubae? Isn't that a bit... superfluous?"

"Convenient isn't it? The D program brings in plenty of already trained agents, and our... nature ensures that there will be pregnancies." Morgan leaned into the hug and smiled a bit.

"Red? Well... once she gets Miss Tsukino. Yeah, I can see it." Morrison nodded.

"There's also mother," Morgan smirked.

"Sure, eventually she might go. So what's wrong? Worried that the higher ups aren't doing this out of the goodness of their hearts?"

"Pragmatically, it makes perfect sense. Keep good relations with Aunty Ranma and retain agents that would otherwise be lost. Makes up for the expense of the program. Of course..."

"Yes?"

Morgan patted Duke, and gave the silent dog, a bit from her stew, which he gingerly ate from her fingers. "Well, Mother's an officer, and she asked to be turned. We're the first. It's up to us to show how viable the program really is."

"Getting performance anxiety? You did kill a pair of Russian super soldier cyborgs by yourself."

"You're wrong, not by myself. That other sniper died because she tried to go alone. My trap worked because I knew when to call for help." Morgan paused. "Russian? Really?"

"Yup, heard it from Grandma when I was telling her about my weapon's performance. Didn't even fire the bulky thing. But yeah, there was Cyrillic on a few of the components, some of which were pretty old."

"Anything definite? Or just labels on some parts?"

"I know. It doesn't prove Russians, but not many people would use Soviet era electronics, unless they had too."

"And a pair of cyborgs were sent after Miss Tsukino."

"She does have a way of getting enemies. Dangerous ones too. This one almost got you." Morrison hugged a bit tighter.

"She was a very focused enemy," Morgan snuggled a bit closer. "There's going to be more of them."

"Oh? Could have been a two woman hit team."

Morgan shook her head. "Nah."

"Why's that?"

"Scalability. If someone can build one or two of these cybernetic women then a few more would not be that much more difficult. The design exists and one knows how to install the parts," Morgan explained.

"If that's true then how come there's not legions of them?"

"That's a good question. Maybe it's the same reason that the Schutzstaffel and Fallschirmjager were not able to field battalions using Project A."

"Someone destroyed the factory where they were being built?"

Morgan shrugged. "Maybe they were too expensive for only an incremental improvement. That's the problem any super-weapon has. They all sound amazing on paper, but often prove unreliable or too expensive for their capabilities. Mecha sound cool, but they'll break all the time, get stuck in mud, and cost a fortune."

"While a normal vehicle can do the same job and not be a huge target." Morgan pause. "So what about us?"

Morrison shrugged. "We're not super weapons... soldiers... whatever."

"We have powers beyond humans."

"So does he," Morrison said as she scratched Duke's chin. "We're just another species. It's not like we have to be specially made; it just takes an adult succubus."

"So that's it? We're cheap?" Morgan snickered.

"Why not? What's the main failing all super weapons have?"

"Cost?"

"Yup, that plagues all research projects, especially the ambitious ones." Morrison leaned in. "The money saved can be used to make better equipment. Like that gun of yours."

"It's really just arming and training succubae isn't it?"

"Yes, and you're a succubus." Morrison leveled her gaze at Morgan. "You know about the killing part, but you're gonna want to feed too." The green-haired succubus smiled. "And of course there's the sex."

"I think I can handle lesbian demon sex," Morgan stretched her shoulders.

"It might not be lesbian," Morison teased.

"Oh well," Morgan shrugged.

Morrison blinked. "Huh... so what, the only problem was the kill? Succubae are up close and personal. Would it be hard to be so far away?"

Raising her hand and flipping it over her wrist, Morgan gave a noncommittal grunt.

Morrison sighed. "You should probably talk with Mom about this. This could get bad."

"I was okay, until I got close. That's when the smell..."

"Being wounded didn't help either."

Morgan gave her sister a long stare as exasperation changed to befuddlement before mellowing into apathy. "Yes, food was on my mind."

"We're still young. We've got to grow more."

"Have any other tautological bits of advice?" Morgan dryly asked. "At least Mother's given me some space."

"You loved it when she hugged you," Morrison reminded, embracing the smaller demon herself.

Pausing to enjoy the contact, Morgan smiled. She felt a slight purr form and let it fade away. "It's not like resisting does anything."

"I wouldn't go that bleak, but you were right. We don't need to make this complicated. The job's the same; we've just got to keep at it." Morrison said.

Morgan gave a slight sigh. Feeding had healed her body and being with mother healed the rest of her but it was still... demonic. "And what about you? Have you decided what to do with your family. Your human one?"

The taller demoness frowned. "I dunno. What are you going to do? You still keep in contact with them?"

"Just my cousin. Pa died when his rig fell into the sea, and mom turned all the money the petroleum company gave her into Scotch. She's still in Glasgow, in a potter's field by now. Brother left the rest of us and married some girl. They moved South. Both died in the London Troubles." Morgan stopped and stared at her gun.

Morrison raised her eyebrows. Until now she had no idea why her sister had joined the Company, instead of the SAS or a more... overtly Protestant organization, but that may have given her some clue. "Morgan?"

"I still write my cousin sometimes. She's a nice enough girl. Does welding up in Glasgow."

"Your handwriting the same?"

Morgan shrugged. "Close enough."

"Unfortunately, my family's a bit more suspicious."

"Yes, the skin pallor and alto voice would raise questions, but... ain't that the point? They're Marines; they already know you're up to something."

"Yes, leathernecks are perceptive like that," Morrison said dryly.

"Eventually you're going to tell me why you did that."

Morrison blinked.

"Come on, you've mentioned your family's military history, and you up and decide to do mercenary work. It don't add up. One of these days your going to tell us why you joined WIC," the sharpshooter teased.

"That information has been thoroughly documented by Recruiting and Training Section," Morrison said a bit briskly.

"Yes, and the Colonel and Commander know. Heck, I'm sure Mother's had full access to our files since day one, but... that wouldn't be fun."

"And I was curious as to what made you pick the Company."

"Well, now we've got a bit of a trade to work out." Morgan turned and looked at the commissary's entrance and watched as another demoness walked in. Red eyes narrowed, she walked up to the table and wordlessly sat down.

She was only an inch taller than Morrison but she seemed to loom over them as her presence dominated the room. Nariko cleared her throat "So, is everything okay?"

"Is it that obvious?" Morrison blushed.

"Well, it's making your mother a bit worried. Poor woman, she's been fidgeting all during her meeting. Mother's been trying to help her."

"She's too professional." Morgan stated.

Nariko laughed. "No, Mother told Aunt Eve not to go. She had to keep her from clawing at the walls."

"What? Why?" Morgan asked.

"It's some parenting thing? Independence?" Morrison asked

Nariko nodded. "Independence is important. She's learning that you two are going to feel bad, are going to get sad and that she shouldn't come in and make everything better."

"What if it got serious? What if we started to... spiral apart?"

"She'd tear her way out of the office and run over here, but you two are growing up. Fighting is only part of it." Nariko smiled and pulled a treat out of her pocket and gave it to Duke, who broke his eyes away from the stew bowl long enough to crunch it down.

"Emotional development?" Morgan asked.

"That's close enough," Nariko shrugged. "It's important for you to bond and grow up, and for Aunty Eve to help."

"Sometimes by not helping?" Morrison asked.

"So, why are you here then?" Morgan inquired.

"Well, there's a dog," Nariko smiled as she leaned over to scratch behind Duke's ears.

"That's what brought her over here too." Morgan pointed to her sister. "Sure there wasn't a concern for us? No massive burst of empathy?"

Nariko smiled. "That's a silly question."

Morgan smirked. "The answers are never complicated are they?"

"Why make things more trouble than they need to be?" Nariko agreed. "Your lives are complicated enough."

"Being succubus secret agents?"

Nariko grinned and put her hands on the two sisters'. "Don't worry you guys are doing great."

Morrison blushed, her nostrils sniffed in a familiar scent. "Mother!" she said standing up as the blonde entered into the room, and somehow, despite her dress and heels, managed to sprint to her daughters. Smiling, more with her eyes than her slightly upturned lips, Eve embraced both of her spawn and held them to her chest.

"Sorry for that, the meeting went a bit longer. Morgan's kills gave us quite a bit to talk about," Eve said hugging her daughters a bit tighter.

After entering the commissary after the Captain, George Clymer raised an eyebrow. "Wow, still shocking to see Jarvis... human," he quietly noted, before looking at Nariko. "Emotional."

"What else did the Captain have?" Nariko said patting Duke on the head. The dog's attention was split between Nariko and George.

"Well, have a good night. I know Duke's going to be grouchy in the morning," George said before telling the German Shepard to come to his side.

"A nice early run should straighten him out, Sergeant," Eve said as she walked past the canine-handler.

"Yes, Ma'am."

Eve nodded, and turned to her girls. "Come on, we need to get to sleep too."

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Genma took a drink, draining his sake glass. "I just don't know what to do. It's been such a long relationship. We've known each other for over twenty years, and I can't believe it's... I mean I'm trying to be better." He slowly refilled his glass. "I really am."

Ranma frowned. It had come to this, even her father was asking her for relationship advice. It was not how she had expected to spend her weekend. Though it was nice to take the occasional break from training. "Sometimes people just grow apart. Have you talked about it?"

Genma snorted and glanced over at his... former wife. The divorce papers had been a disappointment, not a shock. They had been apart for over ten years. "What do you think?"

Nodoka raised an eyebrow. "I'm amazed that you're actually being sensible about all this."

"Exactly! I eventually accepted it. Why couldn't Soun?" Genma tapped his forehead with his index finger. "He's supposed to be the sensitive and deep one."

Nodoka chuckled. "In this case I think being maudlin and emotional was a detriment. Succubae are simple creatures, much like oafish martial artists, though with less greed and a bit more impulse control."

Genma turned to face her. "Left-handed compliments? Are you feeling okay?

The officer shrugged and went back to her notes. "Well, I have realized that you have a valuable contribution towards the effort."

Taking a sip, Genma thought over her statement. "The training's not that much. It keeps the Master off my back, and gives me something to do. It's also nice to interact with my grandkids."

"Is spending time with Soun getting that difficult?" Ranma asked.

"It's depressing. He keeps acting as if..." He waved his hand off. "And I thought The Drake had it bad when his wife died, but at least he faced her death."

"You're not comparing that man's interests in negotiable affection to Soun's inadequacies?" Nodoka asked.

"Why not? The Drake's certainly been the best father these girls have had." Genma laughed.

"You have gotten better, Pops."

"Which brings us to his problem." Nodoka turned to her former husband. "You're going to have to accept that you're the better man. It is good that you want to help Soun."

"The Drake's taken him out today, maybe another voice will help him," Ranma offered as she took a sip from her own mug.

Genma shrugged.

"Doubtful, but worth a shot," Nodoka admitted. "Soun can still see his little girls. Not like what we and the Drake had to deal with."

"Is the gender change that important?" Ranma asked.

"Well it keeps us from confusing you with when you were human," Nodoka explained.

"The curse screwed that up for me. I could still see you as you were," Genma added.

Ranma downed her mug and paused as she refilled it. "Yeah, same thing happened to me. So what do we do?"

Genma shrugged. "I dunno, that's why I'm asking for your help."

"Well, we can't do anything to make the situation much worse," Nodoka frowned. If things did get much worse, Soun would have to be put into more... restrictive protective custody.

"Well... can we have Soun actually spend some time with his three daughters. That should clear things up right quick. I can ask Akane and Nabiki what they think of it, they're in the dojo with the old Master right now," Ranma offered.

Kasumi stepped into the kitchen gave a little smile. "Worth a try, but you're underestimating just how deep of a hole my father's hiding in."

"It's really that bad?" Ranma asked.

Kasumi smirked. "There's an obvious solution, just bite Father and get it over with."

"That would make him face up to current events, or have a mental breakdown," Nodoka evaluated.

"Well... it would be a more controlled breakdown," Genma allowed.

"Shouldn't you all be more disturbed by this idea?" Ranma turned to Kasumi. "And you, you don't want to be turned but you're suggesting that I make your father my daughter?"

"We're not being serious. Oh, you got some mail," she offhandedly said as she put a folded piece of paper in front of Ranma on the kitchen table.

"Not only do you guys go through my mail, but you won't even let me have the original," the redhead grumbled as she picked up the photocopy.

"This was a special case, we wanted to check it for fingerprints."

Ranma blinked at the letterhead. "Is this thing for real?

"Yup, the head of the Vatican Expeditionary Force and intelligence branch wants to meet with you."

Ranma turned to her father. "Hey! What did you sell me for this time?"

"That hurts Girl, like I would be foolish enough to make a deal like that." Genma stated with a bit of a laugh. "

The redhead raised an eyebrow.

"Well, we've never been to Italy. Besides you don't need to con a church, helping poor travelers is what they're supposed to do."

"True."

"Maybe it's your mother-" Genma caught himself. "Maybe she has an idea."

"Our daughter is a demon. I think that's enough."

"Doesn't say anything about me being queen," Ranma said, skimming the letter. "Just condolences for those Assembly morons and an offer of some information to help things about... Soviet cybernetic assassins."

"The Vatican is in Europe and communism was a big threat to them."

"They were atheists right?"

"Very much," Kasumi nodded. "Any morality and beliefs that did not come from the State were seen as a threat to their power."

"So... this information is an apology? All, because the Assembly was a bunch of aggressive losers."

"Well Catholics do get angry when Protestants do stupid things in the name of Christianity." Kasumi held back the second part of the statement to the effect that such idiocy was the Catholic's domain.

"What's this about?"

"The Protestants are a breakaway faction that rejected the corruption of the Catholic church and formed their own organizations." Kasumi explained.

"That's what I don't get, from what I've seen the Assembly plays priest dress-up as a way to look... legitimate."

"Yes, Ukyou and Misako are not exactly brimming with theological knowledge or even a basic understanding of scripture."

"Yes, you know more Christian teachings than they do," Ranma smirked with a little wink.

Kasumi raised an eyebrow. "You thought it was cute."

"Well it is nice to see that you do wear some jewelry, and I was a bit surprised when it didn't burn my hand."

Nodoka paused then turned to Ranma. "I wonder if any one bothered to tell you we're Shinto. At least you were when you left." She glared at Genma.

"I made sure to go to temples on important occasions."

"When you wanted something, and don't try to claim it was spiritual guidance."

"The body still needs more sustenance than prayer alone."

"Yeah, Shinto," Ranma chewed her lip. "It's kind of hard to be very religious, you know, when you actually are a supernatural being."

"Oh? The succubae have pretty familiar elements, being a slave race led to a promised land by a messiah figure. Add in some ancestor worship and you've got a pretty solid belief system."

"Coming from someone that ritualistically consumes the flesh and blood of their man-god."

Kasumi blinked. "That sounds like something succubae would do too."

Ranma rubbed her forehead. "Great, maybe this Bishop O'Malley just wants to convert me."

"If you do go over to their side, make sure you at least get some really good soup out of the deal." Kasumi laughed.

"Huh?"

Kasumi sighed. "During one of the Irish famines the Catholics would only give food to peasants that converted, hence the term 'Soup Catholic'."

"Huh, obscure history reference," Ranma shrugged.

"Don't they teach you anything in school?"

"Well, we do miss a lot of days. Fighting cyborgs and monsters and cultists and what not."

"And are you really touting the educational qualities of an institution run by Drake Kuno? I do recall you never graduated from there, Lieutenant." Nodoka stated while doing her paperwork.

"He does fund and staff his little hobby fairly adequately, Ma'am," Kasumi allowed.

"Careful a compliment may spill out," Ranma laughed. "So, this letter legit?"

"Fingerprints match. We've been talking with the Papal Nuncio in Ottawa and confirmed it with the Holy See itself."

"Nuncio their diplomat?" Ranma guessed.

"Yes, over in the embassy in Rockcliffe Manor House."

"Okay, let's see how that goes," Ranma shrugged.

"Just like that?"

"Well, the guys says he has information on these assassins, and we're all supposed to be allies."

Kasumi nodded. "I'll tell them to set up the meeting."

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"So how was your weekend been?" Naoko asked Ranma and her spawn as they sat down at the lunch table.

Ranma tilted her head. "Well, Ukyou made dinner last night. Was really good."

"Oh? Sounds like a wild time," Sam teased.

"This is a bit public to get into the juicy bits," Akane smirked.

"I dunno, everyone knows about the wild sex," Misako added as she pulled out her leather lunch bag and started unpacking her meal.

"How's things going with Usagi?" Sam asked.

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Well... we helped her get a friend back."

Sam gave Naoko a glance. "That's good," the short-haired blonde stated

"Now you're not fishing for dirt, are you?" Nabiki asked as she opened the Tupperware container. "Hmm... is this mine? It smells like pork."

"Oh, that's mine!" Misako said leaning over to snatch it.

"No, we're just your friends."

"Yeah, we don't really care about the greater intrigue. I mean, as long as you're doing the right thing what do the details matter?" Sam asked.

Ranma blushed. "Wow, that's a lot of trust you're putting into us."

"We know you. You don't care about power, you're all doing this because you have to."

Nariko paused. "We do what we must because we can," she said quoting the inscription on Morgan's gun.

"So you don't see any sinister motives on our part?" Ukyou skeptically asked. "I mean, have you met Misako?"

"Aww... thanks," Misako blushed.

"Misako? She's fine, it's not like she's spouting Love and Justice nonsense," Naoko remarked.

"You guys aren't serious?" Ranma blinked. "I mean..."

Sam sighed. "You did tell us, and it's not hard to figure out."

"We've got secret identities too," Nariko reminded.

"That's different." Sam said.

"Yeah I can't imagine you guys dancing about shooting sparkles and glitter," Naoko added.

Nabiki gave a little smirk.

"So what's the deal with Love and Justice being nonsense?" Ranma asked.

"Oh they're fine, but you have to wonder about a person that makes it a point to say she's for that stuff. Isn't she already fighting monsters?" Sam asked.

Naoko chuckled. "Yeah, it's like a guy that constantly says he doesn't care what girls think about him. Obviously, he does."

"Otherwise he'd just shut up about it?" Akane asked.

"He might not want to look like a painfully awkward geek," Misako shrugged as she forked a bit of pork.

Ukyou sighed and went for the low hanging fruit. "Well that sounds about as successful as a girl putting on a few pounds of makeup so she won't look ugly."

Misako shrugged. "I didn't say it was a smart idea."

Ranma turned back to her blonde friend. "So what are you saying?"

Sam looked to Naoko who nodded. "Sunny... don't get stupid. We know how you get around her and..."

Ranma's eyes narrowed, and she felt the slightest hint of a blush struggling to form.

Looking at the nearly luminescent violet orbs, Sam coughed. "We know her too, and it's all... black and white to her. She's not from the same world as the rest of us. My God... it's like she never got above the age where every girl wants to be a pretty princess."

Misako snickered.

Sam sighed. "Okay, you told us that, but there's a reason we believed you. Usagi's a total 'little princess'. She thinks the world will fall at her feet."

Naoko nodded. "And from what you've told us, she can make it happen."

"Usagi wouldn't," Ranma stated.

"And if she tries? How would she make the world better?"

The redhead tiled her head. "What are you saying?"

"Just keep your eyes open."

Sam turned to the other demons. "And if she does get stars in her eyes, you girls better be there to pick up the slack. Can we count on you to be paranoid and suspicious bastards?"

"Don't forget ruthless and cynical," Naoko added.

Akane and Nabiki gave each other sidelong smirks, meanwhile Misako simply cackled maniacally. Ukyou raised a single eyebrow.

Nariko turned her head and looked at her mother's two human friends. "Don't worry. She's sacrificed everything for us; we have to do our best to help her."

"And the best thing about having to kill Usagi, is chances are she'd pay us to do it."

"Misa-chan..." Ranma hissed.

"No, Sunny," the green-eyed girl gave a toothy grin at using their public code word for Mother. "If our little princess fucks up that big, I'd say it counts under the terms of that deal."

"Even if it didn't... could you live with yourself for letting her do... something horrible, just because you want to find out how complete her dye job is?" Sam asked.

Misako chuckled.

"She's a natural blonde," Ranma stated without much thought as she opened a cracker packet and put a bit of cheese on one.

"Oh? When did you check?" Naoko teased.

"During gym, silly," Ranma said before eating some.

"My, my, Sunny's got wandering eyes." Sam shook her head.

"We are trying to warn her," Naoko added.

"It is kind of hard for us to not look," Ukyou coughed.

Sam blinked. "Oh yeah... the lesbian thing. The locker room must be like one big meat market for you guys."

Misako bent over laughing.

"Are you trying to make her explode?" Ukyou asked as she put an arm around Misako and helped her calm down.

"If I find any other double entendres, I'll let you know," Sam smirked.

"So what's with this? I _can_ take care of myself." Ranma reminded. "You girls kind of know what I've done."

"Yes, very strong, very family minded, and good fighter, but you're still vulnerable." Sam looked down at her lunch.

Ranma chewed her lip. "My desire for a mate?"

"Yah," Sam stated.

"Ask your sister for help?" Naoko suggested.

"She is more level-headed," Ranma agreed.

"Yes, very supportive, loving, and scary woman," Sam laughed.

"Speak of the devil," Naoko muttered as she pointed to the far door to the cafeteria. She saw that it was quite superfluous. Ranma's nostrils flared before Naoko got her arm up. At least the redhead's obvious... interest did not seem to be clouding her eyes... much.

"Least she's got them guarding her," Ukyou noted, looking at the trio of girls around Usagi.

"Minako's looking alert," Nariko noted as the quartet moved towards them.

Usagi looked at the silent octet of darkly dressed schoolgirls and blinked. "Sorry... were we interrupting something?"

Misako lifted her head up. "Oh, we're just plotting to kill you."

Minako stepped in front of Usagi who just blinked in confusion.

Ukyou tightened her grip on Misako. "Do you have any tact? Any at all?"

"It'd be nice to assume that's just a morbid joke." Rei's glare went from the demons to the princess foolish enough to hire them.

"Do we wanna know what brought this up?" Makoto asked.

"Don't worry, it's a joke. It's not like we're having a tactical planning session," Nabiki assured.

Usagi sighed and stepped over so Minako wasn't in her way. "So, Setsuna told me that you've got some more information?" Her eyes darted to Sam and Naoko.

"Yes, fine we can have a private chat about that." Ranma rolled her eyes and stood up. Her hand reached out and grabbed her packet of crackers.

Minako made a facile cough. "Do you mind?"

"No, you can come too." Usagi smiled. "Makoto, Rei, we won't be long."

"So how have you been doing? Getting used to being... human again?" Ranma asked Minako as they left the lunchroom.

"It's been taking some effort," Minako sighed. "I forgot my lunch today."

"Eating?" Ranma said offering her crackers.

Minako frowned and waved them away. "It's taking some adjusting."

"Don't worry, you've been doing great," Usagi said giving her a quick hug. She knew from what Setsuna had said that Minako needed a lot of support. "So what do you know?

Ranma glanced at Minako before turning back to the princess. "The Vatican contacted me. They said they've got some info on your cybernetic assassins."

"Catholics? Why?" Usagi asked.

"They're in Europe and those girls had Russian parts in them, and I guess they've got a big spy network."

"They haven't given you the info yet? Planning a meeting?" Minako asked as they walked don the hallway.

"Yeah, plan to meet at some museum in a couple days. I doubt they'd do anything too stupid, but... " she shrugged and ate a cracker.

Usagi frowned pensively and looked at the redhead.

"Cracker?" Ranma offered.

Usagi reached out and bit into one. "Eww... what's in this? Meat?"

"Chicken broth actually." Ranma chuckled.

Minako's eyes widened. "If I didn't know better..."

"I'm going to eat it. It's... just odd," Usagi said taking another bite of the cracker.

"We're Japanese," Ranma sighed. "How's this strange to you?"

"It just surprised me," Usagi said finishing the cracker and taking another from Ranma. "What is this? Some type of demon recipe?"

"Uh no... just from the store. Called Chicken in a Biscuit or something."

"Oh."

"You're disappointed? What that it's not freshly baked using the blood of a kill? And you ate it anyway? What's wrong with you?"

"It was free food."

"What if it was some guy off the street?" Minako asked.

"I'm sure he had it coming. This is Sunny we're talking about." Usagi shrugged.

Ranma raised an eyebrow.

"Back to the Vatican, they have information?" Minako asked.

"They're setting up a little meeting, so things will get... unpleasant if they were lying." Ranma shrugged.

"Because it would be a trap?" Usagi asked.

"Pretty much, and the Vatican doesn't need a war with the Company."

"The Assembly thought differently," Minako pointed out.

"Yes."

Usagi tilted her head. "So, these are good guys?"

"Sure," Ranma stated, apathetically. "The Assembly was small-time. I've killed most of their troops. The Vatican wouldn't lie, least like this."

Minako nodded. "Europe is a sensitive area, especially with the non-human situation, and its past history."

Usagi blinked.

"Sailor V. London. Remember?" Minako asked.

"Oh yeah." Usagi turned to Ranma.

"I'll tell you what they said after the meeting. We know what their bodies are like, but it would be nice to know more of their numbers, tactics, and why they're trying to kill you."

Usagi's narrowed her eyes. "I want to come too. This is my life we're talking about, and I should be involved."

Ranma tilted her head slightly. "Whatever, it shouldn't be a big deal."

"Oh." Usagi paused. "So what's the catch?

"None, it's okay if you want to meet with this Bishop. It does send a message."

"Really?"

"Sure," Ranma said in that same bored tone. Her eyes then twinkled darkly. "Oh, have you ever flown in a helicopter?"

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Clenching her teeth at the vibration, Usagi tugged at the harness over her chest and closed her eyes. It got the jarring out of her vision but the lack of reference made the slight but constant altitude buffeting feel worse. "Ick," she said opening her eyes. "How can you stand this?" she loudly said into the headset that had been provided to her.

On the opposite side of the helicopter Ranma and Eve exchanged a smirk while Commander Stillwater merely raised an eyebrow slightly. "You did insist on coming with us Miss Tsukino, and it is over a four hour trip by car," he casually stated.

Usagi frowned and turned to Ranma. "How can you handle it?"

"I fly every day," Ranma shrugged. "Least we've got a nice view. Not many clouds. You can almost see the States from up here."

"You're exaggerating," Eve noted with amusement as Usagi turned her head and tried to look at the southern horizon. She adjusted her legs so they crossed at the thigh instead of the ankle, not that it made much of a difference given her dress style.

Usagi's stomach lurched and she twisted right back around and looking at the bulkhead across from her.

"You're doing good," Ranma offered.

Usagi nodded and fixated on Eve's clothes, instead of a pair of gun belts she had a large blue leather purse with a silver chain slung over a shoulder and a blue choker with a silver broach with the Company logo and flanked by what she presumed were rank insignia.

"Like the new uniform?" Eve teased letting her horns become briefly visible. She looked at her daughter, felt the connection but there was still... She could only feel one, and a small frown formed on her face before vanishing.

"It's informal much like the suits," Stillwater pointed to his own grey pinstripe suit with its black tie and silver WIC lapel pin. "It gives a bit more elegance than the skimpy skirts of the normal dress uniforms." Stillwater shook his head. "Not sure what the brass were thinking about that.

"You can just do that?" Usagi asked.

"I am the base commander."

"We told you this was a bit formal," Ranma smirked as she smoothed her purple silk dress. Its collar was a bit higher than her normal taste, but Nariko had bought it for her.

Usagi coughed and looked down at the white leather dress and heels she was wearing. "This isn't that bad is it?"

"Oh no it's very lovely," Eve assured as she adjusted the strap to Usagi's dress so it stayed on the shoulder while, Ranma untied it in back.

"The problem is that you don't have it tight enough," Ranma said as she relaced the back and gave a tug. "It's all sagging." She then tied it off, and pulled back.

The blonde teenager blinked, not sure if she was just insulted.

"Yes, much better," Eve agreed, smirking as Usagi gasped for air. "It's a lovely start, Dear. I'm sure you'll fill out grand when you're a little bit older."

Usagi coughed and went a bit green.

Ranma leaned over and whispered to Eve in demonic. "Jealousy or airsickness?"

Eve smiled and noticed Usagi hold her stomach. "Both."

"Well, it's not like we told the pilots to roll the 'chopper," Morrison remarked.

Eve's frown came back again.

"You're doing fine," Ranma whispered to Eve in demonic. At least the language lessons were paying off. Though they only had a phonetic guide for pronunciation, they could understand each other...

"Don't worry Mom, Morgan's having a good time practicing on base. She's getting really attached to her gun." Morrison's good-humored jealousy was plainly present.

"Something wrong?" Usagi asked.

"Eve just misses her daughter; she hasn't spent much time away from her. You understand, I'd hope," Ranma ended tersely.

Thinking about Usa, Usagi smiled a bit. "At least she's having a good time with Hotaru and the others."

"It's not a long flight, we'll be there in no time," Nariko reassured patting Usagi's thigh.

"And then you can talk to this Spook Priest about these Soviet cyborgs trying to kill you," Ranma said and gave a bit of a chuckle. "Sorry, but that sounds just... silly."

"Maternal Magical Girl Demon Queen," Eve gently reminded.

"Torturing spawn of a demon, a Nazi paratrooper and an Ace of Aces," Ranma replied.

"And be careful," Stillwater advised. "This man is the head of the longest running intelligence agency on the planet. He's going to use this chance to see what you're like. He also knows Latin; so no Demonic. He can probably figure out what you're saying."

"I figured it was more than to tell us about this new enemy," Usagi stated.

"He could be chummy, or he could be confrontational. Maybe he'll belittle you or try to confuse you. I can guarantee that he fully intends to make this meeting a beneficial exchange on his part."

"Just talking with me is worth giving up information on a group of assassins?"

"It's what I would do," Stillwater adjusted the knot to his tie absently.

"It also helps their relations with you guys too," Usagi noted. "And... you guys have... dissected two of these cyborgs. So... it's not that much new stuff."

"Maybe, he doesn't know anything about you." Stillwater stopped fussing with his tie. "Unless Miss Hino's school was keeping tabs on their gifted students. Given their Sisters of Purity, a miko with spiritual powers would interest the Church. Of course that doesn't include the basic research even a novice spook would do on your history, especially recent."

Usagi nodded. "Yeah, that came up at lunch. TA is a Catholic school. So... maybe they do know about us, but he may not reveal that during this meeting, or maybe he'd say the school did know about us."

Stillwater gave a noncommittal gesture.

"But if he said they had been spying on us back in Japan, he could be lying, and using that to make us think he knows more or using it to get me paranoid or slip up and reveal something."

"Isn't it a delightful game?" Eve smirked.

Usagi groaned. "And what about you? I mean you're bringing four demons to talk to a priest."

"The letter was addressed to me and used my Company Freelancer title," Ranma noted.

"Oh? Don't they know you're a Sailor Senshi and a Queen?" Usagi sighed. "Or are they keeping that secret. Stupid spies."

"It's okay." Nariko patted Usagi's knee.

"So they know about Ranma and probably her kids, but what about Eve and the agent succubae? What are you bringing them to show off?"

Stillwater stroked his goatee. "Would that really be appropriate?"

"So you're giving them something to think about too? Aren't they your allies?"

"They haven't balked at our employment practices in the past."

"And we don't question their use of the Sisters of Purity," Eve added.

Usagi hesitated an obvious question on her tongue. She thought over that name. "So nuns. Some kind of magic? Are they spies? Or is it more in a fight. I guess with a name like that they'd work on demonic possession. Maybe powers like me." Usagi groaned and felt her brain flip and see the world in a more... complicated way. "Or the name is a ruse and they're really warrior nuns with guns or axes or something."

Ranma shrugged.

"How can you be so calm?"

"They fight so people in our business learn about what they do."

"No, not that. I mean all the lies and secrets. Everything can be taken a different way and how can you trust anyone?"

"Well you try to use your best judgment and work from what you do know," Ranma looked at Usagi. "You may want some help on the first part."

"That was Ami's job. How do you do it? Ami fears you. She'd fight us all the time, but she'd help you. It wasn't until you started helping us that we actually beat her in a fight, and she only escaped because I didn't let you help in the actual fight," Usagi rubbed the corners of her eyes.

"Genius is overrated?" Ranma ventured.

"You can't beat someone at chess when they're playing poker," Eve stated

"She knew what would happen if she messed with Mother."

"The key to all this is simplicity. That's it: just simple, robust plans, with lots of backups. Shit happens, more complexity just means more stuff will go wrong," Stillwater explained.

"That's it? Ami knew what would happen to her. That is simple," Usagi said.

Ranma coughed. "You still have Setsuna."

"Yes. A mysterious and aloof plotter is now suddenly my best chum. She's at my side all the time and has even started training us." Usagi tried looking out at the water in the distance.

"Your pet suddenly isn't being useful, is it?" Ranma offered.

"Luna? Yeah that would scare me." Usagi laughed. "Poor thing, she's trying to keep up with all this, but it's overwhelming her."

"Oh," Ranma dryly stated.

The blonde's eyes turned to the floor and she chewed her cheek. Eventually her thoughts turned to the idea that on the other side of that flooring were thousands of feet of empty air, and came to something more disturbing. "So, what if we get shot at?" Usagi asked with her gaze still on the to the floor. It did not seem very thick to her, nor were the walls.

Stillwater put his elbows on his thighs, interlaced his fingers and rested his chin down on them. "We're hoping for that actually."

"What?"

"The base commander, Sailor Moon, and DarkStar. Pretty juicy target," Morrison stated.

"You're using me... and _yourself_ as bait!"

One of Stillwater's thumbs scratched his goatee. "Yes."

"That's insane!"

"Why?" the commander impassively asked, the gold band on his ring finger reflecting the sunlight.

Usagi blinked. The man seemed to be perfectly at ease, but she would occasionally see bits where his eyes would focus on her, gauging her, evaluating her. "It's just so risky."

"It is?" Ranma blinked. "We're already targets, we might as well take advantage of that and make a nice trap."

"But what if they shoot us out of the sky?"

"Won't be the first time," Nariko stated.

A slight frown formed on Stillwater's face. "I'd prefer that not happen. It's an expensive requisition."

"A joke?" Usagi asked.

"We at Willard International Consulting do not have a sense of humor that we're aware of."

"Well put, Sir." Eve added.

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Really? I was pretty sure you were smirking at the footage of that Assembly base we wiped out."

"Taking pleasure in a job well done is one thing." Stillwater paused. "I'll admit there was some schadenfreude."

Usagi blinked in confusion.

"It's German: means taking pleasure at the misfortune of others," Eve smirked.

"Wasn't that when Sunny killed a lot of people by herself?" Usagi asked.

"Oh no, the artillery crews killed half. It was a wonderful way to say hello." Ranma chuckled. "Humans are very interesting, aren't they Usagi?"

"I'm human." Usagi blushed.

"Of course you are," Nariko happily agreed.

Not hearing even a hint of sarcasm, the blonde studied the demon's face: no smirk, no malice. "Well if we're bait, and the helicopter gets hit.. what'll happen? Guess you guys can fly out but the rest of us... what, would we be carried?"

"Count the number of demons on board," Ranma smirked.

After finding that the number of humans equaled the number of demons, Usagi blinked. "Insane."

"It's worked before," Nariko shrugged.

"I still think this Bishop is being a bit cute, Sir," Eve stated.

"By scheduling the meeting today?" Stillwater gave a slight shrug. "He's showing he knows about our activities with the government, without being too blatant or crass."

"Huh? Government" Usagi blinked.

"Yes, the one that contracted our services," Stillwater stated.

"This a normal meeting? Or are they going to chew you out for the whole rocket thing?" Ranma asked.

"It was within the terms of our contract."

"Your contract with the Canadian government covers blowing up a mountain full of cultists?" Usagi skeptically asked.

"Asks the woman that contracted me with some... odd requirements," Ranma smirked.

"She is trying her best," Nariko stated.

"Sometimes it is not enough to do our best; we must do what is required," Eve stated.

"So that's how you'll spin this? I mean all these demons. How would they take it?"

"Churchill, right?" Stillwater turned to Eve. "Interesting man. Another quotation seems appropriate. 'If Hitler invaded Hell, I would make at least a favorable reference to the Devil in the House of Commons.' "

"I prefer what he would say if the Sea Lion had come off and my ancestors had invaded. 'The hour has come; kill the Hun.' "

"That doesn't answer my question," Usagi grumbled.

"Oh, it does," Ranma smirked.

"That humans can be worse than demons? Yeah, I have fought more humans than anything else here," Usagi sighed. "I just wish I knew why they hated me so much."

Stillwater and Eve exchanged a smirk. "You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life," Eve quoted.

Usagi glared. "Yes, I know that. I've saved the world before. Stupid rock, making it so no one remembers."

"We don't get much accolades either, but then you know it best. ' If you are going through hell, _keep_ going.' " Eve added.

"That's why I'm here." Usagi paused. "That was another quotation wasn't it? What's with you and this guy?"

"He was England's Prime Minister when the rest of Europe had fallen. The enemy looked nigh invincible and at the time the United States had not entered the war." Stillwater explained.

Eve nodded. "And he was saying things like this. 'Never give in — never, never, never, _never_, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.' "

Usagi stared. Part of her wished she head heard these words before, to know that someone else had seen such dire circumstances and had still moved forward.

"Do you know what WIC does? How long we've done it?" Stillwater asked. "We don't have your powers. 'We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire... Neither the sudden shock of battle nor the long-drawn trials of vigilance and exertion will wear us down. Give us the tools and we will _finish_ the job."

"I get it." Usagi lowered her head. "That's how you'll play it to the government? That this was all part of this long war? That you just had to fight them?"

Stillwater nodded. "Things are that important. If you'll permit me another quotation. 'You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.' "

"You're not the only one trying to save the world," Eve said.

Usagi turned to Ranma "And what do you think?"

"It's a bit more easy to swallow than babbling about Love and Justice. There's no need to gussy it up. We fight because we have to. These cyborgs are just more goons the enemy is throwing at us."

"The enemy? Who?"

"Does it matter?"

"I don't know," Usagi sighed. "It is odd. I mean you're German right?" she asked Eve.

"You're Japanese. Are we defined by what our ancestors did?"

"That's an odd question coming from you, Captain." Stillwater raised an eyebrow.

"I never thought I was defined by it," Eve stated.

"Just weighed down by it?" Ranma asked.

Eve smiled a bit. "Not as much as I used to be."

Usagi noticed the demons suddenly tense up and start looking at the windows and reaching for their weapons. She turned and saw the sky shift, and her stomach go into a lurch.

"We're on descent," Lieutenant Hilbert said from the cockpit. "Coordinates cleared with ground crew."

"Landing site looks good," Lindemann the copilot said as the helicopter dropped down.

Usagi looked out and frowned. To the side was a lumpy field. Momentarily distracted from her stomach, the increasingly closer view revealed that it was not a lumpy field, but instead... a field planted on top of a building. Her confusion was cut off as the craft throttled up to retard its descent and jolted as it landed on the parking lot.

She blinked and watched as the others unbuckled and got up. Pulled up by Nariko, the blonde was ushered out of the helicopter and blinked at the collection of soldiers outside the vehicle.

"I told you we had plans in place," Ranma teased as she walked out and started chatting with a group of agents waiting by an armored personnel carrier.

"But that's a... limo?" Usagi blinked and looked at the black stretch car and the group of men in dark suits with automatic weapons near it.

"That's for me." Stillwater frowned and put on a pair of shades. As he walked towards the black car a pair of men detached from the group. Both were appropriately bland and thin with nearly matching hair in the 'easy to manage but professional' style. Even their dark suits were similarly cut, one had a silver WIC pin on his lapel, the other had a Canadian flag on his.

"Has this meeting been moved up?" Stillwater asked eyeing the black car.

"Not as far as I know, Sir." The Company man coughed.

"We merely wanted to give a bit more of a... official veneer to things," the Canadian said as he held his suit coat from being whipped around by the slowing rotor blades.

"I suppose this is a bit much for you," Stillwater said eyeing the military vehicles in the lot. At the edge of the roped off area, the expected crowd had gathered and some of the more... personable agents and some of the local security had started giving a bit of a tour-guide spiel.

"We've had military occupation of our capital before," the Canadian said stiffly as he watched the group of women move away from the helicopter.

"Yes, October '70? Nasty bit there, Gagnon."

"Yes, it was," the spook said tersely.

"So Andre," Stillwater smiled. At least this man had a decent pseudonym. "Your boss at CSIS felt that the black limousine was appropriate?"

"You felt that a helicopter in a museum parking lot was fitting. I suppose we're all allowed our clichés. Your Captain Dewey kept me informed," Andre said motioning to the suited agent standing between him and Stillwater.

"Good," Stillwater said.

"If anything our presence should help give the proper impression with the people you're currently meeting with. Your friends from Rockcliffe Park are still going to be fashionably late, but I'm sure they've seen this little entrance."

"It may take them some time to leave their embassy," Captain Dewy commented.

"Especially if they have to wax up their diplomatic vehicles," Andre remarked dryly. "Shame they don't have any of the Pope's tank divisions for an honor guard."

"And your men will just wait out here until it's over."

Andre shrugged. "It's a nice day."

"And if it gets cloudy some of you may wander in and browse the exhibits."

The Security Intelligence Service agent pointed to two of the men by the long black car. "Well John's a real art lover, Lopez is a real history buff, and Franz really likes the soup they have in the café out by the patio." Andre gave a little chuckle.

"Well I'll have to tell the girls about that. They're always looking for new dishes to taste."

Across the cordoned area Usagi was watching the exchange. "So, the limo's for Stillwater and his meeting. That makes the guys in black and that one guy talking with him... secret agents? For the government not you guys," the blonde clarified.

"Yeah, that's about right," Eve noted.

"And the guy at Stillwater's side? Some other Company guy? He doesn't quite seem... government."

"That's Captain Dewey."

"Huh... I've heard of him before."

"You should have," Ranma smirked. "He's the one that soaked you on our contract."

"Contract, so.. lawyer?" Usagi turned to look at the bland, thin man again. "That didn't seem very fair you know."

"You did have, Setsuna's help," Nariko reminded.

"It's how you make things nice and legal," Ranma laughed.

"Or legal enough." Eve glanced at her watch.

"We're still a bit early, Mother," Morrison remarked.

Eve nodded.

"Should we wait for the Commander?" Morrison asked.

Staring at the building, Usagi tuned out the conversation. The fields of grass growing on top of the museum was only part of the strangeness. The walls and windows of it were very stark and angular, especially the one spiked almost... prow-like thing in the front of it.

"Ugly building ain't it?" Ranma asked after walking up to Usagi's side and prodding her forward.

"I think it kind of pretty." Usagi blinked and went with the group as they walked closer to the building. It's a museum, right?"

"The pre-mission briefing did mention a war museum; it should be interesting," Nariko said in an innocent voice.

Trying to see the smirk she swore was there, Usagi nodded and was led into the lobby. Her eyes widened at the collection of vehicles and weapons. Hung from the ceiling were several planes and a few tanks were parked in the entrance and outside. A slight contrast with the modern war machines idling out in the parking lot. Twisting her neck about, she was on a second floor overlooking a large internal space before, being nudged in the ribs.

"You're acting like a tourist," Ranma whispered to her.

"It's... a bit much," Usagi sighed. "I mean look at all this stuff!" she said waving to a 1:10 scale model of a U-boat.

"Lots of neat stuff, shows what people can make, but you're not here to sightsee. We've got a meeting, one you insisted on being present for," Ranma reminded as they walked down a hallway towards the art gallery.

"Huh, so Stillwater is with us too," Usagi noted looking behind her.

"We've really got to work on her situational awareness," Eve sighed to Ranma.

"Oh yeah," Ranma's eyes went over a few aerial images of bomber formations and black flak clouds. Her attention then went to the other people browsing the room as they passed through. She had yet to smell anything abnormal, but humans had attacked Usagi before. "Isn't Setsuna training you?" Ranma politely asked. Her daughters had already bugged their training site.

"Yeah, she says I'm getting better." Usagi turned to see an oil painting from the perspective of an aircraft carrier's deck. Frozen in time, it looked like hundreds of planes were diving towards the ship, some were being destroyed by anti-aircraft guns and others were being taken out by other planes.

Eve stopped and looked at the painting. "Good taste," she said leaning in with a critical eye. "Pacific. Ahh it's from the _Hornet_."

"The meeting should be in the next room over," Morrison said as she folded the map and adjusted the large bag at her shoulder.

"Check it out," Ranma nodded to Nariko and Morrison. The two young succubae eased into the room, Morison with her hand going into her bag and Nariko clenching a long cloth-wrapped bundle.

Ranma, Stillwater, and Eve waited while the next room was given a brief sweep. "I've found it!" Nariko shouted using the code phrase for all-clear.

"Wow, you're not going to miss it," Morrison added.

Following the group Usagi stepped into the next room. Embarrassment over lack of awareness vanished when she saw it. Transfixed she walked forward, closer and closer to the painting. This had to be it.

It was the ocean. Rough seas consisting of waves of various sizes piled onto each other until it was one vast churning mass. Above, the sky was a collection of bruise-colored clouds and darker wisps and other riotous structures of vapor that mirrored the liquid below. The painting's scale added to the vastness.

Dominating one wall the painting seemed to loom over the occupants. Several meters in height it was still much wider and seemed to wrap around the viewer in a panoramic view of a raging, churning world.

Usagi found herself following the waves, and was shocked to find a dark ship. Almost the same grays and blues as the seas it was easy to miss at first. Sails ripping, it had several masts and the detailing on the decks and rigging showed a remarkable effort on a vessel that looked like it would be swallowed by the enormity of the seas around it.

Looking at the sides she noticed something that could almost be hints of red color. She blinked; the ship was firing its guns. Following the line of fire, she spotted another ship, this one with more minute splashes of color. Its guns were firing but the decks were also on fire and several small boats swarmed around it.

After a bit she recognized that they were not rescue boats, but armed craft: boarding parties. Her gaze drifted off and she found another ship, this one listing heavily to one side and being swamped by a following wave. The artist had felt the need to detail all the crew being washed off even as they tried to fire their guns or make it to boats and escape.

The blonde twisted her head and found her eyes resting on another part of ocean. This one appeared clear until she realized the bits of wreckage and floating bodies. Further inspection revealed sharks preying on the swimming survivors, and even a few tentacles bursting out of the water. A bit away a larger ship's crew was divided between firing at a pair of darting vessels and various... things creeping up the sides of the hull.

She closed her eyes and when she opened them found her view had shifted to another spot, this one with a group of immense ships firing on each other. Some were still hidden in fog, but they all looked too close and too heavily damaged to survive the battle.

Usagi tilted her head and saw more ships and more battles. It was all a jumbled mess, and looked to be just as many ships were being destroyed by the waves as by the cannons as by things rising from the deep. She stepped back, her stomach lurching more angrily than before. Her heel wobbled and she managed to steady herself

"Pretty intense," Ranma almost reverently said. "You can almost smell it."

"Most people say Kaster's 'Wilander Earl of Worcester at the Battle of Mammon Plain' is his superior work," Stillwater remarked.

"The one in the British Imperial War Museum?" Eve asked. "That one has better detail, and takes fewer artistic liberties.

"Oh?" Usagi asked, her eyes scanning over the maelstrom.

"Yeah, things like having shields on the wrong side of the soldiers on the opposite side. Gives better symmetry. Here, Kaster put in far too many ships. There's never been a battle like this, especially ships from all these time periods, Cogs, Man-of-Wars, Junks, Ship-of-the-Line, and so on."

"I doubt there was an Admiral Walsall or a Battle of Belphegor, Sir," Morrison noted.

"Indeed, here, he's just giving the impression of the battle," Stillwater noted, looking at his watch.

"Let's the viewer fill in all the details," Usagi said with a shiver.

"I guess if this Vatican guy wanted to make a point, this painting would do it."

"Cheerful," Usagi dryly remarked. She twisted to see the demons change their stance and start to move their hands to their weapons.

"Wonderful," a boisterous voice said as a man in dark clothes walked into the room. He was broad-shouldered and barrel-chested. Wearing black slacks and buttoned-down shirt; the notch in his shirt collar and white insert seemed to be the only concession to his station.

At least clothing-wise, a large silver cross hung from a leather cord at sternum level. Usagi blinked, it looked upside down. She then noticed a pair of silver cufflinks and frowned. At least compared to his necklace they were subtle. Behind the priest was an old nun in a habit and eyepatch to one side, and a tight lipped man with short brown hair that had to be from some sort of military unit to the other.

The priest almost walked past Usagi and stared at the painting. "Photos don't do it justice, even prints can't get the raw presence of it." He turned to Usagi and chuckled. "I didn't think you were going to come too, Princess, but this does involve you," he added almost absently.

Still grinning he turned back to the painting and sighed happily. "I've seen much of Kaster's work. One of his earlier pieces is in a library off to the side of the Basilica, and of course there's the one in London but this..."

"Fascinating," Stillwater politely stated. "It's good to see you Bishop." Technically O'Malley was early, though it was a near thing.

"Agreed Commander," the bishop smiled. "So you must be Miss Saotome, a pleasure." He said with a slight bow.

Ranma raised an eyebrow "O'Malley?"

The bishop nodded. "First, let me formally apologize for the actions of the Assembly of Man. We've already forwarded what information we have on AOM members trying to seek refuge in Catholic Churches." The Irishman's tone darkened. "Even by protestant standards those men are scum."

"Thank you," Ranma warmly replied, while internally wondering why the Vatican would have such hostility towards the Assembly. She supposed it could be some political thing. Her attention went to the elderly nun; the scent was hauntingly familiar to that of a Pattern Silver but it lacked the smooth refinement. The power was contained but it was raw and rough, hardly the smoothed and faceted constructs that lay within the Silvers.

The demoness smiled slightly and almost laughed when the old woman returned the expression. The Sisters of Purity seemed to be quite... interesting.

"Why is your cross on wrong?" Usagi asked.

"We are the sinister and secret part of the Church," O'Malley smirked.

Eve raised an eyebrow.

"Bishop..." the nun hissed.

O'Malley sighed. "Yes, Mother Temperance. It's the Cross of Saint Peter. He was the first Pope, and we're the Papal Expeditionary."

"So all those rock bands trying to be Satanic are just... morons?" Ranma laughed.

"You're a demon, should it surprise you that they got the basic symbols wrong too?"

"Fair enough," Ranma crossed her hands over her chest. "So what do you know about these cybernetic assassins?"

"Much," O'Malley smiled that broad moon-faced grin again. "But I'll start with what we don't know. We don't know who assigned the hit, why, or even who the target is."

"It's clearly Usagi."

"Well yes, the girl of magic with such interesting rumors around her." he turned to the blonde teen. "If you really do have the Holy Grail we'd be most interested in that. It is our Lord's favorite cup."

Usagi's eyes widened and she looked away, back at the painting.

"Is this a time for joking?" Ranma asked.

"I was." Still looking at Usagi, O'Malley frowned. "So what about the rumors about the future?"

"That's not your business," Usagi stated.

"No, but it could explain why someone sunk a lot of money to kill you," O'Malley chuckled. "This of course, assumes you're the target."

"So what do you know?" Stillwater asked.

"We know who these assassins are, who built them, what their purpose was, and why they're freelancing now."

"That was the gist of your letter," Stillwater agreed.

"They are Russian. Their bodies would tell you that much. To understand why is to realize what the Soviet Ideology was like. Firstly, despite the evidence to the contrary, they're atheists," O'Malley looked among the demons and smiled. "Now don't get me wrong, as religions go, it's very succinct. No missed mass to feel guilty about either. If they'd just ended it there they wouldn't have had such a mess."

O'Malley sighed and spun one of the small cross cufflinks using the opposite hand. "Now Communists... poor bastards. They gave up religion only to make it all over again. Their leaders promised a 'Glorious Future' a 'Worker's Paradise' if only the people were faithful and obedient. They put all their power in their leaders who ruled like god-kings, what they said was truth, events that they approved of were history.

"Here's the problem: there's no God to blame when things go wrong, and they tried to put heaven on earth. Classic rookie mistake. I mean, God's very accommodating, you let him do all the heavy lifting. If your religion is wrong, no one will find out until after they're dead."

"That's very cynical," Morrison noted.

"Well, that's how the Communists saw Religion, as an opiate. Something to keep the masses down. That's why they copied our methods, to help control their own populace. But there was a problem... the very equalizing, romantic appeal of their Ideology... is what made it impossible to work." O'Malley laughed.

"Huh?" Usagi asked. "Pretend I don't know much history."

"Communism presumes that people will purely work for the good of society. That they will submit to the state in all things: the redistribution of capital and resources to their very opinions and ideas. It's a design where everything is done for the people. Eventually, they believe that people will be so nice that there won't even need to be a government. People will just do it because it's right."

Usagi smiled a little. "That sounds nice. Very fair."

O'Malley sighed and reached into his black coat and pulled out a small flask. "So you're one of those?"

"People being fair and working for the good is good," Usagi glared.

After taking a small swig, O'Malley laughed. "You know what people are like. How would you make them behave? The communists did it by controlling every aspect of a person's life, treating them as a resource, a cog in the machine, something that needed constant guidance and correction."

"I think she'd wave a magic wand and wish it all better," Ranma darkly noted.

"I see," O'Malley shook his head. "Well, the Communists didn't have magic... not like that at least, but even they had to admit the truth about humans."

"And that is?" Usagi glared.

"We are a mean, greedy, selfish, and deeply flawed species. There's a reason Original Sin has traction. People aren't always noble and don't work for the best. If that were true, the world wouldn't need people like me."

"Soldiers? Spooks?" Usagi asked.

"Priests." O'Malley corrected. "God has the ability to make people perfect, though He doesn't do that until it's too late, but the Soviets didn't have God. What they did have, was the New Soviet Man project."

"They were planning to make people better?" Eve smirked. "The Fascists had a similar program."

"Naturally, International and National Socialism have a lot in common."

"Making people better is bad? How cynical are you people? I mean isn't that what you want? You're supposed to be a priest. That's what I'd do-" Usagi froze and closed her mouth.

O'Malley looked over Usagi critically while the room went silent. The blonde teen looked around and saw people tensing and their hands begin to move.

The bishop began to laugh. "Oh my no... sorry. Messiah? No thanks, already got one." He looked at his flask and took a sniff. "Have you tried the Jews? They still need one."

"A joke?"

Stillwater cleared his throat. "Miss Tsukino, his God thinks it's a miracle to use divine powers to furnish refreshment and booze for a beer-blast, metaphorically. He actually used wine."

"And our vision of heaven is a wake where the publican doesn't kick you out because it's sunrise," O'Malley smiled.

"And your tab is always on the house," the stiff military-man said finally speaking.

"Quite correct Oberstleutnant von Silenen," O'Malley sighed. "As I was saying, they wanted to make people better. More... in-tune with the system. This is why they were so big on education.

"They felt that they could mold the New Soviet Man and Woman by indoctrination. They had some results, but there was still that pesky humanity."

"People are still people," Ranma nodded.

"Indeed. Even the Anglicans didn't say that man could perfect himself." O'Malley, pocketed his flask. "The Garden of Eden says it all really. God gives us everything we could ever ask for and then adds a bright big Button marked 'Don't'."

The bishop turned to the painting. "But I guess I can see why some people wish to make us the kind of species that wouldn't press the button."

"So the Soviets tried a more active method?" Ranma ventured.

O'Malley smiled. "Quite right. Research like that needs a lot of resources; the Red Army got involved. They loved the idea of more reliable and obedient soldiers."

"The cyborgs?" Usagi guessed.

"The scope of the project had... expanded a bit." O'Malley felt it was a good time to fidget with his cufflinks again. "Perhaps a drink, that is some food would be in order. The café downstairs comes highly recommended."

"I did hear they have a good soup," Stillwater allowed. Outside would allow them to have a bit more control over the situation, and reduce the potential for surveillance. Though the government could have bugged the whole building and exterior. As they left the room, he motioned for Eve to make the required call... discretely

"So, the Soviets, in trying to make people into better, more obedient subjects, made these advanced cyborgs?" Usagi asked as they exited the gallery section.

"It was really the union of two ideas. Sooner or later everyone tries to make super soldiers. Though some people are more sensible at it. They don't put all their eggs in one basket." He turned and grinned slightly at Stillwater.

"And the Soviets were very paranoid. The idea of giving such advanced and integrated powers to a single person. They wanted to be certain the Combat Cyborgs were reliable. It's bad enough when the occasional pilot lands in Japan or a NATO country, or heaven forbid a submarine's officers mutiny and defect. Losing one of these soldiers was too much to contemplate"

"And once the system was proven... they would start turning more people. Start with the soldiers, and then go into the general population," Eve's eyebrows raised as they went down the stairs. "Ambitious."

"Naturally," O'Malley chuckled as the group crossed an exhibit on biplanes and cut towards an exit. "These were men that thought boldly and dreamed big. It was not enough to want to rule the world they wanted to change humanity to make it into their world. One is almost compelled to admire the sheer audacity."

"So how did it fail?" Ranma asked. "If their plan worked out, they'd still be around."

"And have started on their quest to change humanity for the... better," O'Malley nodded.

"They were really trying to help people?" Usagi asked. She was trying to catch up with the conversation and with the faster walking group as they exited the building using a set of side doors.

"Ostensibly. Their whole brochure was a world without greed, hate, class strife or poverty. Where everyone would work for the good of the people and no one would want. Of course you can't just make a wish and have it all better," he tapped his flask but thought better. "Not everyone will want to submit to your utopian schemes, and then what do you do?"

"Liquidating unbelievers is always an option," Eve stated as the group walked up to a patio that was next to a café off to one side of the museum.

"It's always so... messy," O'Malley sighed as he sat down.

Usagi hesitated looking around her. All the other tables were empty and she could see some people in dark suits out in the parking lot and idly chatting with men in more... aggressive armor and weapons in the grass outside the museum.

"Short of closing the museum, the security here is as tight as it will be," O'Malley said noticing Usagi's unease.

The teenage blonde pouted as she sat down. "How do you know so much about these cyborgs?"

"How?" O'Malley laughed as he leaned forward. "You want to know how we know so much about these Soviet Assassins? We helped them! Considerably!"

"What?" Usagi's shock bled into confusion when she saw Stillwater and Eve looking on with blank faces while Ranma was cleaning under one of her fingernails. At a nearby table Nariko, Morrison, and O'Malley's entourage watched with what looked to Usagi as mild interest.

"You also wanted to know how the program failed?"

"Funding," Stillwater stated from behind his folded hands.

"That's the short answer," O'Malley allowed. "Super weapon projects are always plagued by that fault. You sink untold resources, manpower, and money into a project and it creates what: a few hardly-guided missiles, a giant tank that can't cross bridges and breaks down easily, or a handful of super powered soldiers that were found to still be mortal."

"The knowledge gained from these programs is often far more useful than the immediate results," Stillwater reminded.

"Yes, to the benefit of the victors, who can pick over the remains of an enemy willing to indulge in such flights of fancy." O'Malley pulled out his flask. "But we drift. Money was only part of why the program was canceled. If the Politburo still had their original... faith in the program they would have been willing to cut funding to their nuclear arms first.

"No, the program failed because they became worried. A program this size had many researchers. Most had worked on ways to make minds more pliable to indoctrination and ways to get soldiers to last longer in the field before fatigue and stress kicked in. They had more esoteric information, too."

"There were rumors that the Soviet had captured documentation about Project A." Stillwater stated.

"Yes, the Red Army captured a group of German scientists trying to escape to Yugoslavia. Two of them were researchers on Project A. We don't know how much they gave up before they died, but we do know their information was not particularly helpful, at first. It wasn't until many years later that they got a researcher brilliant enough to use the data." O'Malley took a sip from his flask.

"The Soviets did not want an army of ghouls?" Ranma asked. "Sensible."

"A blunt force that depends on raw quantity to overcome the enemy? They already had that, and with more intelligence and control."

"What's all this?" Usagi asked.

"The Nazis tried to make an NH army in WW2," Stillwater explained. "The Allies stopped them before they got any real results."

"And the Soviets then got a mess of the research, but didn't know how to use it in their own super soldier program. Until, some big brain figured it out and made these cyborgs?"

O'Malley smirked and put away his flask. "Perceptive. Yes, the 'big brain' was a doctor called Scaglietti. He was the one who figured out how to integrate cybernetic components with human flesh. As you already know, some of those components are rather... crude. Project A's necromantic research included the ways to bind and modify flesh."

"Giving a shortcut," Eve noted. "They couldn't make real cyborgs using their level of technology, but they could use magic to link it all up?"

O'Malley nodded. "This was the first stumble in the Scaglietti's part of the program. Only some people could accept the 'treatment'. This greatly limited the number of people that could accept the modifications. Reducing an already small pool of politically optimal candidates."

"So expensive and unscalable." Stillwater noted.

"The situation degraded further. Other scientists were unable to reproduce Scaglietti's results. The Politburo thought that Scaglietti was hiding something and started to get –more- paranoid."

"But it's magic, it might not have been able to work for anyone else," Usagi said.

"Either way, Scaglietti's masters were getting increasingly impatient with the gap between the scientist's rhetoric and his results. A fanatical communist, Scaglietti was obsessed with the perfection of humanity, especially when it went hand in hand with proving his own brilliance.."

"He must have felt that that result was just within his grasp," Eve noted. "That he just needed a bit more time to perfect them, and then he would be able to show them all."

"Yes, the Politburo then began to worry about him succeeding. Ignoring their expense the Numbers were quite formidable."

Stillwater made the deductive leap. "He numbered them. Only the successful subjects?"

"Of course."

"How many?"

"Twelve. Out of God knows how many victims only a dozen survived and were still 'useful'. All were female, which was highly suspicious. One died in training. That was when serious questions started to be openly asked. Scaglietti promised perfection. Though I suppose that they could be killed came as a relief."

Ranma smirked. "So the Soviets themselves stopped the program. They didn't want to pay a man to make invincible totally obedient soldiers. They were afraid that they'd be the first ones he send them after."

"Yes, they were more concerned about their own power than allowing the unfettered expansion and perfection of Scientific Communism," O'Malley shook his head "Scaglietti was not pleased. He felt that the Politburo was corrupt and that they were standing in the way and cutting off his funding because he was not ethnically Russian. He also believed that the program was being sabotaged by the KGB, which was livid that such a program was still under military control. I'm sure both contributed."

"So what happened?" Usagi asked.

"Regrettably anti-climactic. During a visit to Moscow, he was accused of being counter-revolutionary and planning to stage a coup. He was arrested and summarily executed. This gave a small window for the Politburo to organize a response."

"They thought the Numbers were unreliable?"

"Our agent had an oversight position in the program. His conscience compelled him to provide us with information; it also compelled him to try to get the program shut down. Unwittingly he contributed to the order to have them executed.

"The man had assumed that the project would have been quietly dismantled and the Numbers would be turned over to their various Spetsnaz units. Instead the Red Army was going to come in with tanks, artillery, and air support. Once the mess was cleaned up the program could be restarted, with someone more frugal and... reliable."

"So that's how you came to save them?" Usagi asked. "You're the reason they're free and trying to kill me."

"You mentioned restarting the program. Did they?" Eve asked.

O'Malley pulled out his flask and took a sip. "When we rescued them, we made sure there was no research material left at the base."

"But you said others were trying to repeat Scaglietti's experiments," Eve reminded.

"Yes, I did. They all failed. It seems that Scaglietti had kept some part of the process a secret, his own little edge."

"Still..."

O'Malley sighed. "Yes, someone could have figured out what the missing part was. Or maybe they figured out a new process, one superior to Scaglietti's. We don't know. Even if the Soviets were to throw even more funding at this project... it still had to have failed."

"Why?" Usagi asked.

"Same reason Scaglietti's had to have," Ranma stated. "The Soviets failed. They didn't have an army of super soldiers to hold their empire together."

"They didn't fall because of military weakness, it was economic," Eve corrected.

"Fine, there's still not an army of cybernetic soldiers loose. That many couldn't be covered up."

O'Malley nodded. "I'd bet money that the Soviets kept dabbling in cybernetics, but... not on this scale, and they didn't get any-" he hesitated for the briefest bit of a second, "-spectacular results."

"You don't think they're building a secret army and just waiting for the right time to strike?" Eve asked.

"Frankly, I'd think that time has come and gone."

Usagi sighed. "You're still going in circles," she grumbled narrowing her eyes. "This isn't about an imaginary maybe group of cyborgs. You still saved the group that is after me."

"They were going to kill eleven teenage girls whose only sin was to have been indoctrinated into that belief system. They were the few who had survived hellish experimentation. What would you have us do?"

"You saved them, but then what happened? Why are they after me?"

O'Malley sighed. "For the money."

"So they're just assassins for hire? There's no reason for it?"

"I'm sure the person that paid them had a very good reason for it," Ranma noted.

"But why are they like this?"

"Do you know what it's like to lose faith?" O'Malley asked. "These girls thought they were the chosen. They believed they would lead a new era in human history. Then they find out their that creator is a traitor, that they're too expensive, that troops have been sent to kill them all, and that their rescuer is the Church."

"Impressive," Stillwater said.

"We tried to help them. We at least kept them from killing themselves, or running back to Russia. Then they'd kill themselves and a large part of Moscow would be destroyed. Eventually, the shock wore off and they left our care."

"You didn't keep them?" Usagi asked

"We were their liberators not a new set of warders. They were not particularly violent. They had only been trained in combat, they had not been used in battle yet."

"You believed they wanted to lead normal lives," Eve noted.

"And they did... for a time. We lost track of them and rumors started floating up about a group of 'hit men' that could take out even the most protected targets. Standard line really. They were the best, never failed, and were quite expensive."

"Why did they do it?"

"It costs quite a lot of money to keep their bodies in combat condition. I think they were doing it to prove that they could. To show the USSR just what a resource they had thrown away. They had the thrill of the hunt. The Soviets would still try to track them. We were looking for them. INTERPOL and NATO were also interested in those that could get in and kill such... secure people."

"And then the Iron Curtain fell," Eve said with a little chuckle.

"That's when things got... worse. They had outlived the empire that had built them, outlived their creator. Their only purpose was to continue their path, and find a mission that wasn't... boring," O'Malley said the last with a wide grin.

Usagi blinked. "That's it?"

"Pardon? I thought I talked for quite a while."

"Yes, there's a lot of background, but it really sounds like I'm being hunted by a group of powerful, well-trained super-cyborgs because they think it'll be a challenge!"

"I'm sure you could always disappoint them on that count," O'Malley offered.

"It's just..." Usagi shook her head. "How good are they?"

"No one's ever been able to get a firm lead on them. They are quite good at infiltration and have some impressive firepower. I've got a file on what we have been able to learn about their abilities, which should compliment what you've learned from the two casualties."

"You sound impressed. Has anyone else killed one?" Stillwater asked.

"There was the one back during their training. There were rumors that one was killed when a West German munitions dump they were sabotaging prematurely exploded. Another may have died after being wounded on a mission in Gibraltar.

"Nothing firmer?" Eve asked.

"The only way we know is to find a likely target that's gone dead or missing and start snooping around. Most of their missions don't require their full compliment, or we never figure out how many of them were actually involved."

"Their tactics sound like hit and run. What is their capability for sustained combat?" Stillwater asked.

"It looks like they start with extensive observation, but they're not above taking a shot if the opportunity presents itself, as in Miss Tsukino's example. Once they figure out the weaknesses they will come in hard and fast."

"They'd then try to make the kill and leave right away," Eve evaluated.

"Yes, they don't have the –heh- numbers to fight a prolonged battle. Unfortunately they're very good at getting out." O'Malley sighed. "This is what they were built for."

"Their armor protects against small arms and their electronic warfare gives a decided edge. Suitable for that mission," Eve evaluated.

"And they still weren't good enough? What did these high up Soviets want?" Usagi asked.

"Perfection," O'Malley stated.

"They also wanted a lot more of them, and a lot cheaper," Ranma added.

"What about non-humans? Do they have any experience in that field?" Stillwater asked.

"We don't have any records to that effect," O'Malley shrugged. "As I said, we've only been able to track their 'hits' by interviewing the survivors and investigating the destruction. That only happens when they have a... flashy mission; someone high profile dies in an.. interesting way. The quiet ones, we may never hear about."

"Especially, if their target doesn't officially exist," Ranma shook her head.

Usagi narrowed her eyes. "Who hired them?"

"That we don't know." O'Malley paused. "We've had a bit more success at tracking their financial side. It's what you would expect. They use lawyers in various... accommodating... countries as couriers. They seem to just pass papers between various parties. These set up the terms, target and payment. However, we don't know how the initial contact is made."

The redhead blinked. "What, they have an agent?"

"Perhaps. They have some way of leveraging their reputation into further contracts."

Stillwater frowned. "One supposes that a person requiring an assassin of their skills knows people. Informal contacts could get the right questions asked. I'd bet these Numbers then put out their own feelers, after verifying the interested party."

"So you don't know why someone's spending a lot of money to get me killed?" Usagi asked.

"We are working on it. However a list of your enemies with the resources available to pay such a fee would be useful."

Ranma snickered.

"Yes, I've had a lot of enemies, but they're all gone."

"None of them survived? Not even a few adjuncts or other flunkies?" Eve asked.

Usagi tapped her chin as images of destruction and death flew across her mind. "I don't... think so. Anyone alive was really just possessed. Everyone else seems to have been turned to dust. There was the time... time reset and there was that future timeline that collapsed."

For a brief moment O'Malley's expression went from the jovial Irish priest to something precise and measured. He noted that the WIC officers had even less reaction to the blonde's outburst. His face melting back into a warm smile, O'Malley looked between Miss Tsukino and Miss Saotome. Of the two he rather preferred the demon. She seemed to have a firmer... grip on things. Not that he doubted the veracity of the blonde teen's babble, that would have been far more comforting.

"There is Murdock," Usagi added. "But I don't think he wants me dead."

"Unless, he's confident that you won't lose."

"Or maybe they're not trying to kill me, maybe they're going to kidnap and brainwash me."

"They shot at you with a giant beam weapon," Ranma gently reminded.

"I've got hit with worse," Usagi shrugged. "Murdock could have given up trying to corrupt me, and figured that killing me was the next best thing."

Blinking Ranma thought for a moment. "That's actually a pretty good point."

"Yay," Usagi deadpanned.

"This Murdock is the cause of some trouble for you?" O'Malley asked.

"Yeah, he's caused –" Usagi closed her mouth and looked at the warmly smiling Catholic. "Wow, you are good."

"It's just letting other people talk, and listening." O'Malley eyed down at his watch.

"Especially to what's not said," Eve added.

"So what is known?" Usagi frowned. "We know how many of them there are... sorta. We know what they're like inside. We know how they fight, and a little bit of their powers. That's if we can trust what you're telling us."

"That seems about right," O'Malley said as he motioned to Oberstleutnant von Silenen. The Swiss Guard smoothly lifted his briefcase and in one motioned unlocked it and withdrew a large, bound folder. O'Malley noticed the raised eyebrows. "It's not all paper. Some of is microfiche," he added with a smile.

"Microfiche?" Usagi asked.

"Miniaturized images on translucent film. It's a much denser way to store data, and more stable than magnetic tape," O'Malley shrugged. In some areas the Vatican was _quite_ slow to adopt new technology

"Oh. That's it then? They're loose and you've given us a good luck and God bless?"

O'Malley stood up. "It sounds trite, but we had no choice. Destroying them, when we had the chance, would have made us no better than the Soviets. However, if you want more help from us, you only have to ask," he stated, idly adjusting his cross.

Ranma chuckled. "You up for it, Usagi?"

Ignoring the demon's suspiciously vague question, Usagi turned to the so... carefully disarming-looking man. "Uh... no thanks. I mean. We've already got it handled." She looked over to Eve and Stillwater who had opened up the file and were already reading over the paperwork.

"Understandable," O'Malley said as von Silenen closed the briefcase. "We haven't exactly inspired Miss Tsukino's confidence in our abilities have we Oberstleutnant?"

Von Silenen tapped his chin. "I would be inclined to agree with you, Sir."

"It seems that the redhead has enough spirit in her," Mother Temperance cackled.

Ranma eyed the older woman. "Huh, I guess being a battle nun loosens you up."

"You have to have a sense of humor in a job like this, Dear."

O'Malley's grin became more of a smirk. "Yes, see how well-behaved and civil we are even to mercenaries and hell-spawn. We understand that we are all God's children."

"And what, children fight each other?" Usagi asked.

"And, we know that family pulls together in the tough times." O'Malley gave a slight nod. "But there's more to that. Something that people seem to forget."

"And that is?"

Temperance smiled, it was the same bittersweet smile that Usagi had seen Ranma so often sport. "Children grow, and are forced to mature. Forced to lead their own lives, and fight their own battles."

"Perhaps it's best to ponder the theological implications of that," O'Malley advised.

"Well..." Usagi paused and wondered what that meant.

"It's just part of growing up," Ranma said as she got up.

"I guess." Usagi turned to O'Malley. "Thank you for your help," she said with a little bow.

Back inside the museum, a man and a woman sat in the café enjoying their coffee. "It looks like the meeting's wrapping up," the woman quietly said to her companion. The other tables were starting to fill, and some of the other patrons had noticed the group out on the closed patio. Some were even rude enough to stare, reflecting what the woman gauged as a severe lack of culture and breeding.

"Why, so it is," the man muttered as he folded to a new page in the paper. The fawning, smug editorials, the blatant, inept lies of the articles were quite familiar to him. It had none of the fear-inspired _craft_ of his homeland's productions nor the rigorously state-approved themes. He'd seen vastly better but it was a remarkable study on the prisons people would build for themselves.

"You're not concerned?" the woman asked, pushing a lock of chestnut hair behind her ear. She did not like wearing the wig, but sacrifices had to be made.

"Why? Our Dear Comrade Doctor is... history." The man said the last word with care as if savoring it.

"Still, it will be fascinating to watch his legacy perform."

Mulling over her words, the man flipped to a new page. Legacy was quite appropriate. "No doubt."

"It is useful and fitting. Failed systems we can learn from. However, if they succeed..."

He knew what she meant; buoyed by victory, they would be eager for another mission. The man lowered his paper and locked his blue eyes onto hers. "Flattery is appreciated, but I did not hire them. That is what worries me. Fate can be generous, but not this generous."

She bowed her head briefly. "Understood," she said as she picked up the mug. Her eyes caught one of the... guards walking out beyond the patio. The whole spectacle was a crude display of power, but she had to admire the lack of fear in expressing it. At least some were still able to be comfortable with the idea of power, even if their ideologies were reprehensible lies.

"Do you?" the man returned to his paper, and its soothing banality.

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"So we go back?" Usagi asked eyeing the helicopter.

"Nope. Stillwater's got another meeting," Ranma shrugged as the older agent went to the Security Intelligence Service men. Captain Dewey had rejoined the commander and followed the man into the black limo.

"What do we do now?" Usagi almost whined

"I thought this would happen. So, I did some research on the city and found a... fun place," Eve smirked.

"Oh?" Ranma asked and leaned in while Eve whispered into her ear. The redhead's eyes widened. "Really? I've heard about places like... that. What if... that could get very expensive."

"Don't worry, I'll pay," Eve laughed.

"Well, we're going to have to get changed for it."

"Where?" Usagi asked.

"Somewhere where this just won't work." Ranma pointed to her skirt.

"It would be impossible to get on or off wearing something this long and stay decent." Eve nodded. "And even if you could, it'd get too torn and stained."

"It'd just get in the way."

"So, where are we going?" Usagi asked as they went to a waiting transport.

"Someplace fun," Morrison said as she leaned back on the wall of the armored van.

"You don't have to come," Nariko stated as she fussed with her blade's scabbard. "There's some agents guarding the helicopter.

"Yeah..." Usagi noticed Eve's and Ranma's clothes beginning to ripple and shift. Their clothes eventually formed into what Usagi thought of as succubus-casual: leather pants, sturdy boots, and leather jackets. The blouses each wore were the same color and material as the dresses they had on before.

"So how far is the place?" Ranma asked while adjusting her jacket.

"It's only seven kilometers, mostly due east," Eve replied.

"We're going east?"

"South-east," Ranma corrected.

Usagi blinked. "How can you tell?"

"We started out north, right, left, right, soft left," Morrison explained.

"There's also a compass on the dashboard," Nariko happily pointed out.

Usagi sighed. "So you're going to keep this a secret?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Ranma looked out the heavily tinted windows at the small river while they crossed a bridge.

"I called ahead they should have everything ready, but.." Eve paused. "You haven't really done this before. I mean there were some, but this is much more intense."

"Isn't it like riding a bike?" Ranma raised an eyebrow. She smiled as Usagi tried to follow the vehicle's direction as it spun around on a cloverleaf interchange and then crossed another bridge

"Somewhat." Eve chuckled, as they pulled off the highway.

"Where are we now?" Usagi asked looking out at the collection of warehouses with their streams of tractor trailers.

"Remember to use your.. mature identification," Eve reminded as the van drove down the industrial road.

Ranma opened up her purse. "The one that has me as thirty-four?"

"You're not that old."

The redhead rubbed her forehead. "No, but most people wouldn't understand how someone my age could have daughters their age. What do you do with your daughter?"

"I just say she's my cousin."

"Not bad really," Ranma nodded, she then started brushing her hair, which almost seemed... eager at the contact. "It is a bit of a pain. My ID originally had me as 30, that was a little bit easier to pull off."

"But then someone pointed out mother would have had to have been 13 when she had me," Nariko said.

Eve coughed. "We did get your records straightened out."

"Yes, a seventeen year old being pregnant is much less scandalous. That she would then have four more within three years is... not" Morrison remarked.

"Funny," Ranma remarked as she got her hair pulled back into a more... mature set of teased tresses. She adjusted her neck with a slight pop and smirked.

"You look the same," Usagi frowned.

"But she's got old eyes," Morrison offered.

"I... guess," Usagi shrugged. The truth was, she had a hard enough time remembering that Ranma was the same age as she was. That still didn't mean she thought Ranma was in her mid-thirties.

"We're here," Eve said as the van stopped. She then opened the door.

Usagi looked out and the first thing that she noticed was the two other vehicles that had followed her. That the escort was not unexpected struck her as surreal. She then saw where they had arrived.

Suddenly, it all made sense.

"Nice," Ranma said as she ran a hand over the chrome and leather of one of the motorcycles.

Usagi read the sign on the shop. "Ottawa Harley Davidson? This is why you changed clothes?" She walked across the parking lot and looked at the motor-bikes. There was something very appealing about them. Primal.

"You can't ride a bike with a skirt on," Nariko remarked.

The door to the shop opened and a large bear-shaped man exited. His dark brown hair and thick beard concealing a broad strong jawed face helped enforce the ursine resemblance.

Usagi was not surprised to see that he was wearing as much leather as Ranma and Eve were.

"So you're the biker Mom?" the man asked in a raspy voice as he lit a thin ill-smelling cigar. The man looked the redhead over, and then eyed the other vehicles. He recognized the type, and he saw that the women before him were carrying. It was only mildly surprising. The woman with the red eyes seemed especially... alert. Despite their mainstream popularity, motorcycles were still a part of the real counterculture. His gaze went back to the tall-blonde woman. "You must be Eve; we talked on the phone yesterday."

"Yes and you're Michael 'call me Bob' Hodgson," Eve said shaking his hand with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Hodgson smirked at her grip. "So have any of you ridden a motorcycle before?"

Morrison and Eve nodded.

"Bob? Why do they call you that?" Usagi asked.

Eve frowned slightly.

The large man chuckled. "My pa gave the name 'Mike Hodgson' a bit of tarnishing if you catch my drift."

Usagi blinked.

Ranma rose up from looking at one of the motorcycles. "So Bob, I've never ridden a bike, what do you recommend?"

Pulling out his cigar, Hodgson stroked his beard and then put it back in. "Well, I've got a few ideas. It depends on how you ride."

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After entering the conference room, Stillwater handed his briefcase to Captain Dewey who sat down at the large circular oak table and opened the leather case. Looking to the left to make sure the door to the low-lighted room had been closed and locked, he finally sat down at the remaining open spot.

Taking the other six places at the table was a mix figures that any Canadian would recognize and some that only a real policy wonk would know. "Governor, Prime Minister, Ministers, Director, and Colonel," he said nodding to each of the officials. "What can I do for you?" he asked putting his elbows on the table, and leaning forward with his pointer fingers together and just in front of his lips.

"We're glad you were able to fit this meeting into your busy itinerary for today," the Governor General smiled coldly, not showing her teeth.

"This meeting has been scheduled for some time," Stillwater allowed, a bit comforted that the Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service managed to keep tabs on the diplomats in the city.

The Minister of National Defense gave a sidewise glance to the Prime Minister who gave a curt nod. National Defense motioned to the one man at the table in military dress.

"We've received your proposal to provide training for a group from Joint Task Force Two," the Commander of Canadian Special Forces Command a Colonel with a large face, thinning hair sitting to the left of Stillwater stated.

"Yes?"

"It's the location you wish to do the training. I don't see a logistical a problem with it," The Colonel's eyes flicked over to the right at the officials. "However, there is some worry about the potential fallout, if what happened there became publicly known."

Stillwater taped his lips. "An organized and well equipped group planning to attack multiple targets inside Toronto was neutralized. We felt training Canadian military personnel there would nicely mesh with the cover story."

"Do you realize the public outcry?" The Minister of Public Safety glared at Stillwater. "We don't want another Somalia Affair."

The corner of Stillwater's lip rose slightly. "The Somalia Affair? Yes, special operations troopers torturing a young man. Shameful. How is that relevant?"

"Well... your methods..."

"Were fully documented and signed off by you and your predecessors," Stillwater reminded, motioning to Dewey who produced a large file from the briefcase. "You agreed that secrecy and victory were your priorities. You know what you hired us for."

"The backlash-"

The Governor General of Canada cut the Minister of Public safety off. "What of the backlash?" She smirked. "Which do you think the public will care more about? That some mercenaries tortured a few demons? Or the knowledge that demons actually exist? That is the panic that we have to deal with, and why the Crown has consented to this contract. The queen is rather fond of this country, and would rather it not fall."

"Thank you, Willard International Consulting expresses its desire to continue working with the Crown and the Dominion of Canada," Stillwater said with a slight nod. Publicly, the position of Governor General had become largely that of a figurehead. Appointed at Her Majesty's pleasure, those in the position swore their loyalty to the Crown and were the representative of the Canadian Monarch. As a Commonwealth nation, Canada shares the same Monarchy as the United Kingdom, with the Governor General as the queen's representative in Canada.

Legally the position has extensive powers, but much like in the United Kingdom the royal powers are rather limited in execution, providing a symbolic chief executive. However, the position does have the power to act as the Crown's final check to express its interests.

"Now see here..." the Minister of Public Safety Started.

"He is correct. In the Crown's opinion this is still the Dominion of Canada." The Governor General held up her hand. "Everyone here knows the special... caveats to the1982 Canada Act. It was not just Quebec that had issues with constitutional sovereignty. You got your independence from British Parliament, and we got certain... assurances."

The Prime Minister sighed. "I doubt the United Kingdom would assert its claim to the 'Dominion' just because of demons."

"Why not? That fits the kind of threat the Crown had in mind in '82."

"There is no need to extort cooperation," the Minister of Public Safety grumbled.

"No, but apparently there is the need to remind you where your responsibilities lie," the Governor General stated. She turned to Stillwater. "That does not mean that we will rubberstamp anything the Company does. It seems to us that the problems with the Assembly of Man are outside of the scope of what you were hired to do."

The Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service cleared his throat. "Highly illegal arms aside, they appeared to have studiously avoided civilian casualties. In fact they even had a tenuous peace with your organization."

"Until you started hiring demons," the Prime Minister said. "Which lead to this great.. distraction."

"What would you have us do? Hand over the demons?" Stillwater chuckled. "What of the fallout from that? Do you seriously suggest sending minorities to be killed by religious bigots? Quite shortsighted and does not raise confidence in your allies view of your own abilities."

"Who are you to talk? You'll work with demons and torture people to get information." Minister of Public Safety demanded. The information on what exactly WIC did was frustratingly scant; they seemed to feel only the most cursory accountability to any proper oversight.

"And who at this meeting purchased my services? Who at this table just suggested appeasing the enemy, just because they haven't attacked us much. There's realpolitik and then there's cowardice. When possible, the Company attempts coexistence. Not all NH's are unthinking monsters. Many are allies that have just as much at stake as the rest of us."

"How very enlightened," the Governor General pretended to look down at her notes. "And profitable too I'm sure."

"They are registered. They work and pay their taxes. Yes, their species is a state secret, but they're still people. Or are they? That's the whole issue here isn't it?"

"You did not need to recruit them," the Prime Minister said. "The risks..."

"Yes, working with non-humans always has risk, but as the Governor General stated the benefits outweigh the risk."

"I can see how a group of trained demons is enticing from a military standpoint," the Minister of National Defense Stated. "But what about control?"

Behind his interlaced hands Stillwater smiled slightly. "That is not a concern."

"And working with the demons has allowed you to get closer to these... magical girls," the Intelligence Director said.

"Your distaste is justified, they are unprofessional, untrained children playing at an adult's game. The demons are quite simple creatures; we know what they'll do. However, teenage girls with phenomenal magical powers..." Stillwater suppressed another smirk. The succubae were also teenage girls with magical powers, but more importantly he had a fair idea what Miss Tsukino was up to, not that the men at this table needed to know that.

The Prime Minister looked at the man quietly sitting across from him. Britain's pressure was sitting to his left wearing a conservative pantsuit. At least the United States, for once, was showing more subtle, if cynical, diplomacy. They simply expressed confidence in the Canadian government's commitment to a long tradition of martial skill, strength in the face of adversity, and close trade relations with their ally to the South.

"And your other meeting today?" the governor general mildly asked.

"The Holy See had information about the cybernetic assassins contracted to kill the leader of those magical girls," Stillwater stated. "They were the ones that helped that group escape a Soviet lab when their program was being shut down. They decided to save those young girls."

The Intelligence Director sighed. It was outlandish and insane, but he knew that totalitarian states loved their outlandish and insane superweapons, especially when competing with the superweapons the West was building. "And I'm sure the Vatican was doing this for purely humanitarian reasons."

"Perhaps, but saving some 'innocents' while hurting the most powerful group of atheists the world has ever seen, how could the Church resist?" Stillwater smiled slightly. "Needless to say they destroyed the facilities and as many of the records as they could. After that, the assassins rejecting the Church's employment offer was a minor inconvenience."

"Still, this would not be the first time someone has tried to kill this Tsukino girl. There was that hostage crisis in that toy store a couple months back," the prime minister noted. "What kind of enemies does she have?"

"This is a young woman with powers beyond understanding, who is heir to an ancient civilization, the debris, remnants, and enemies of which still linger," Stillwater stated.

"Events from that far in the past? It all sounds like some horrible fantasy."

Stillwater nodded. "Yes it does, but... the truth is that civilizations are grown from the ashes of previous ones, that our world had been ravaged by monsters in the past, and it is up to us to prevent it from happening again."

"We are aware of the importance of all of this," the Prime Minister said tersely.

"That is why we are making sure, there is proper oversight," National Defense added.

"What if..." the Intelligence Director paused, but caught himself. If any bit of this meeting became public, he would be dammed anyway. "What if this Tsukino girl were to become dangerous? She's the heir to that... kingdom I believe you've called it. What if she tries to bring it back?"

"There are contingencies in place," Stillwater replied.

"Quick and unflinching. Your organization's reputation for pragmatic paranoia is justified," the Governor General noted. She smirked a bit, her countrymen tried to hide it, but they all seemed... relieved at the Company man's statement. Being able to pay someone else to get their hands dirty had it's conveniences.

"There's also some concern about this... D Program I believe your memo called it," the Minister of National Defense stated eyeing Stillwater.

"Are you suggesting that we take a more belligerent stance with NH's?" Stillwater asked.

"No, it makes sense to only go after those that are a... danger. There's even a form of symmetry in recruiting amenable nonhumans, but the D program. It's odd."

"Is it?" Public Safety snorted. "These are Americans we're dealing with. Sure they claim to be 'International', but even their agents from other countries... act a certain... way. Is that part of the training?"

Stillwater leaned his head down a bit. "We will fight. We will win. If you'd want to call that a trait solely of the United States, then it shows a deep ignorance of your own country's history and courage."

"Enough," the Governor General said holding her hand up. "This is a pointless argument. Though I must confess, who _else_ would think of saving the human race from eldritch monstrosities for money?"

"Johan Willard was driven by revenge, Ma'am."

"But you can't buy bullets with vengeance."

Giving a slight nod, Stillwater allowed himself to smile.

"And you let your own men become demons," the Governor General smirked. "Well I suppose we should count our blessings that your plans are so... mild. Normally your Yankee-ingenuity creates things even more outlandish than secret agent demons or Soviet cybernetic assassins."

"It's an issue of trust," Stillwater stated.

"Trust?" the Prime Minister asked.

"It is the most valuable commodity we have."

"It keeps your men loyal, your allies allied, your suppliers producing, and your clients paying you. All to enable you to kill the enemy. What a curious combination of morality and marketing," the Governor General noted.

Stillwater gave another slight nod.

"Now, before we were detoured... I believe the Colonel was trying to discuss the training of Joint Task Force 2."

"Indeed, from our evaluations the unit has the bearing and skills to handle the training. Their experience with black operations should help them with their transitioning."

"Agreed," the special forces Colonel stated. "Once you accept a hidden world of secrets and violence, merely adding monsters is trivial."

"Yes, that's why Air Force pilots handle alien contact so well," Stillwater said.

"Aliens?" National Defense asked.

"Prehuman civilizations have dotted earth's history. Even that empire of Miss Tuskino's ancestor was interplanetary. We know nonhumans often come from other planes of existence. Yes, aliens are everywhere."

"Is this relevant?" National Defense asked.

"It's part of dealing with NH beings. They are _alien_."

"I presume that the JTF 2 training will involve interaction with demons in your employ then?" the Governor General asked.

Stillwater leaned back a hair, his smile almost visible behind his interlaced hands. "That is a fair presumption."

"And the long term? Won't training our forces eliminate your job?" National Defense asked.

"Assuming you no longer needed us to deal with the discretionary issues, we still provide training and supply services."

"Yes, there aren't many others manufacturing the equipment you sell," National Defense knew full well the pricing the Company had on its technology. The stuff that was not overpriced worried him the most. He could at least understand a defense contractor price-gouging.

"The proposed plan is to start with two platoons and have them trained to handle NH incidents. People with combat experience are strongly preferred, but the normal standards of JTF 2 should help ease the training."

"That's a significant fraction of our forces," National Defense blinked.

"The skills they learn are applicable to counter terrorism and hostage rescue," Stillwater stated.

The Minister of National Defense nodded to the Special Forces Commander.

"Right, we'll draft up a list, and make the transfer," the colonel agreed. "I can think of some men that would be suited to for this."

"I've got one caution. Training existing special forces personnel requires the least training and has the highest success rate, but even among those in the black world, non humans are a bit too much."

"What about the Emergency Response Teams?" Public Safety asked.

"While they are useful in a containment and law-enforcement role. They could be ill-suited for most heavier operations. It was felt that concentrating on JTF 2 first would be better."

"So you see this as a law-enforcement problem?" Public Safety, skeptically asked. "Aren't we dealing with man-eating monsters here?"

"Not all of them are belligerent, many just want to move here and live out their lives," the Governor General gently reminded.

"That... is frustrating. It'd be easier if they were all the enemy," Public Safety sighed; he had enough problems with terrorists hiding out in immigrant populations. Add in supernatural powers... "What if this becomes public?" he eventually asked.

"What exactly?"

"The whole deal. Demons, monsters. You've had to have done studies on what happens if the public were to know?"

A frown flickered past, Stillwater's face. "That is a weighted question. There would be considerable... fracture. There will be those that want ethical treatment for the NH's in their midst, those that would want total extermination, those that would utterly refuse to acknowledge the existence of NH's, those that are apathetic; they don't care what happens, as long as they are safe, and finally the fans. Some people would gladly serve anyone, add in supernatural charisma," Stillwater frowned.

National Defense blinked. "People would still refuse to believe in NH's?"

"People are quite stubborn in their ways. Especially, if they never personally see an NH. It'd be all some special effect to them," Stillwater said.

"Your Company's media campaign has ensured that the public at large while being informed of NH's still regards them as... a special effect," the Governor General said.

"But how much of each group?" the Prime Minister asked.

Stillwater gave an exaggerated shrug. "How would the secret get out? The violence there would determine the outrage of the populace."

"Most of these groups have conflicting goals," the Prime Minister looked down at the table.

"That's just the humans. The NH's would split along similar lines, but add in those that would try to take over, both by subtle and overt means."

"And thus the secret stays put and we continue to ride the tiger," the Governor General sighed.

"Humanity is adaptable."

"Enough to compensate if we fail?"

"Humanity constantly fails. We are fragile and weak. Our advantage is that we learn."

"I mean failure of a greater magnitude," the Governor General tersely clarified.

Stillwater looked over his intermeshed fingers. "That is the hope. If we do fail, at the very least we can ensure that theirs is a phyrric victory."

"Spite, a very human emotion." the Governor General smiled thinly.

"Madam General. Willard International Consulting was founded on revenge," Stillwater reminded.

"Is that enough?" the Prime Minister looked up. "Are these preparations enough? You've been bringing in these demons... what do you think?" His lip quivered. "Things have been here before. They will be back again. Who are we to stop them?"

"Who are we?" Stillwater smiled. "We are not the first to live here. We are not the most powerful. We have barely scratched the surface of this world, but it is ours." Stillwater emphasized each word. "Gentlemen, our backs are to the sea. There is no where to run. There never has been."

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Nodoka looked up from her work. The sound of light snoring drew her attention and she was unsurprised to find Morgan and Ukyou side-by-side napping on the lab's couch.

She smiled thinly at the sight. The door opening to the lab halted her musing, and broke the succubae's nap. The two girls opened their eyes and alertly watched as Major Saotome's two assistants wheeled in a pair of crates. Right on time...

"You were right, Ma'am. It looks like Gladys released them," Ayanami stated as she opened one of the crates. Nestled in voids in the stiff foam were half a dozen weapons that superficially resembled bulkier Fabrique Nationale P90s, with their compact bull-pup configuration and horizontal magazines.

"I'm a bit surprised the testing went as smoothly as it did." Nodoka noted as she went to her computer and checked the records. The release from WIC Munitions was still there.

"Even the bullet feed ones?" Aida asked as he opened the other box and started comparing the boxes of ammunition, magazines, spare parts, and other accessories with the bill of materials. He frowned as he started moving the ammunition; in large numbers the weight increase started to really add up. A full magazine would have to weigh around seven and a half kilograms.

"Yes." Nodoka smirked as she pulled out one of the guns, and a small card that was in the bottom of the crate. It was one thing to design a weapon four times the weight of a P90 it was another to hold it. As always, the work was impressive; Nodoka worked the action and after making sure it worked smoothly slipped a bore scope down the barrel. Using the magnified camera in the small probe, she saw that the barrel, while clean, had seen some use. "I'm afraid to ask how many hours Gladys' team billed for this," she said, too pleased at seeing her design physically executed to even pretend to be annoyed.

"Oh my, these are nice," Ukyou said as she took one of the guns out of Ayanami's hands. "Very sturdy," she said trying to flex the metal frame. The twenty-four pounds or eleven kilograms gave the weapon some heft but did not seem heavy to her. It felt like twice the weight of one of her handguns. Though this weapon was empty and forty of those 17mm shells had to get heavy.

Nodoka absently nodded as she disassembled the weapon at her workbench, comparing the parts to the diagrams on her computer. She pulled out a set of calipers and started making a few notes. Especially around the pieces that formed the action.

"One of the requirements was 'If it goes empty, it's gotta bash a guys' head in and still work when I shove more ammo in it.' " Aida quoted as he inspected the over-size bullet boxes. He smiled as he looked over the various types. The ballistics had been very fun to work out on them, but he was going to pay for it when it came time to load the magazines and cart them around.

"Misako helped on this?" Ukyou sighed.

"She is a born infantry-trooper," Morgan noted as she handed one of the guns to Ayanami who was still frowning, and took another for herself.

"Making it robust was helpful given the gas pressure of the 17 by 65 mm WIC custom, and weight isn't as much of an issue. The concern is their ergonomics. How do they fit?" Nodoka asked her granddaughters.

"They're good," Ukyou chuckled a bit. The weapon was build strong and on obviously on the heavy side, but it was designed for... smaller hands. "Misako's going to be angry she chose to hang out with Akane and Nabiki," she snickered.

"It'll work," Morgan stated. She preferred her rifle but she had to admit this was an attractive little gun. "How's it perform?" she asked shifting her grip and holding the machined metal weapon to her face. The surface had been treated with antireflective coating which also gave a firmer grip.

"Passable on bench tests, but Gladys didn't have anyone that could use it standing up," Nodoka said looking up from the carefully spread parts before her.

Morgan chuckled. "And they came when Mom and sis are out," she said, her voice getting more distant.

"Aww... you miss them," Ukyou wrapped an arm around the short sharp shooter.

Morgan gave the blonde a puzzled look. "Of course."

Ukyou smirked. "You don't think Gladys rushed this do you?" she asked looking down at the gun in her hands. She liked her Standard Succubus Pistols, but the Heavy Submachine Gun was... tempting.

"Are you saying Head Machinist Coulton would force her workers into over time to push a weapon into production, just because we're fighting some type of Soviet Cyborg?" Nodoka asked.

"Her husband did die fighting the communists in Korea," Ayanami reminded.

"That does explain the note she put in the package. 'Hope this helps you girls stick it to the Reds,' " Nodoka read.

"I killed the first two," Morgan grumbled.

"That's why she thanks you on the other side," Nodoka said handing over the card.

"Aww... she's a sweet lady," Morgan said as she pocketed the card.

"What did it say?"

The diminutive succubus smiled. "Morgan: That was a triumph. I've made a note here: Huge success. Gladys."

"Heh, does that make you feel better?" Ukyou said after thanking Aida and taking a magazine he had just loaded. Sliding it on the top of the gun she nodded as it clicked into place. Making sure to keep the weapon pointed away, she tested the balance. Still good, the gun had gotten heavier, especially when she shouldered it.

"Full mag adds another sixty percent to the weight" Nodoka chuckled as she reassembled the gun on her bench.

"Seven and a half kilograms?" Ayanami blinked after doing the math in her head.

"It is a pretty large bullet," Morgan said with a bare hint of a smirk.

"But yours is still bigger," Ukyou teased as she lowered the bullpup... gun.

Morgan nodded. "Grandma, why do you call this a Heavy Submachine Gun? Isn't that...nonsensical."

"A submachine gun does traditionally refer to a smaller weapon using a pistol cartridge. I suppose a carbine is closer but those are normally shortened assault rifles with the same caliber but with lower muzzle velocity."

"This has a lower velocity," Morgan offered.

Nodoka took the fully reassembled gun and put it back into its crate. "Relatively, it's still an anomaly. 17mm by 65 mm is a custom round. Traditionally, a carbine does have more penetrating power than a submachine gun. The WM 17S is designed for close quarters combat. So if you want to call it a heavy submachine gun or a –well- also heavy carbine. Either works."

"So you just picked a generic name?"

Nodoka shrugged. "I guess you could call it a machine carbine."

"Like a Sten gun?" Morgan shook her head. That was a cheap 9mm submachine gun used by the British in WW2 and Korea. Its official name was "Carbine, Machine, Sten" which came from the confusing early WW2 British habit of calling submachine guns "machine carbines". The Sten was almost a textbook example of a submachine gun. She sighed. "Fine, the term's murky enough."

Ayanami cleared her throat. "Technically, the P90 is a Personal Defense Weapon, which has a form factor similar to a submachine gun but has a round with more penetration, power and accuracy."

"Further blurring the line between SMG and carbine," Nodoka smiled at the line of guns. "Personally I thought that a _defense_ weapon didn't give you girls enough credit."

"So you just picked a name for a small rifled gun?"

"Submachine guns do have a history of more unconventional form factors."

"I'm sure we'll come up with a cute nickname for them," Ukyou noted.

"No convenient acronym though," Morgan noted.

"Still their size and configuration lends itself to an affectionate name. They're very compact and pretty cute."

Morgan blinked. "Cute?"

"You practically cuddle with your rifle,"

"That's different." the sharpshooter pouted. "Well..." She sighed and sat on one of the desks. "Fine, it's not."

"You don't need to be embarrassed. It's perfectly normal. Just be glad you're just finding weapons adorable," Ukyou comforted with a hint of a smirk.

"Reassuring, given Misako and 'Sasha'," Morgan grumped.

"There are worse fashions." Ukyou paused. "Like... Akane, and... Nabiki." The blonde succubus looked at the diminutive demon. "Actually, you could pull off Nabiki's look. Maybe not pastels but definitely that style."

"Really?" Morgan dryly asked.

"Your hair is too dark, it would clash with light colors," Nodoka explained. She looked at the gun snuggly in its crate, then to its twins in her granddaughters hands. "Take a full load of magazines and crate up the rest."

"Training Ma'am?" Morgan asked as she pulled on her web-vest and started slipping on some magazines.

"I want to see how easy these are to store and retrieve," Nodoka noted as she adjusted Morgan's gear, to the redhead's embarrassment. "And how do they fit on your belts?"

"Uh... dangling." Ukyou had slipped on the crossed belts that held her handguns and their magazines. "They're a bit long.

"Your mother has been dawdling on getting you proper armor," Nodoka sighed.

Ukyou frowned. "Yes they're stupid, but our uniforms do have superior protection. We've tested that."

"It's a bikini top with ribbons and a miniskirt." Morgan slowly stated. "Your bellybutton shows."

Ukyou sighed. "Yes, magic doesn't have to make sense."

"I can still make it better. Without sacrificing mobility."

"Better armor would be nice," Morgan noted.

Nodoka frowned. "Yes, we don't need to stand by and count on magic. If we can make the uniforms better, we will. Now load up, and bring the rest of the guns."

"To test them all?" Ayanami asked.

"That, and Misako, Akane, and Nabiki have been neglecting their training too."

"They've been spending the whole afternoon training at the B facility." Ukyou adjusted the magazines to her belt. "Maybe a vest with some armor would be better. I can't sit with this."

"Ayanami, closet to the left. On the red hanger." Nodoka smiled and patted Ukyou on the head. "We can test how well it goes with your Senshi uniform. As for the other girls? They don't spend enough time on the other weapons. Misako won't always have Sasha."

Ukyou looked at the gun in her hands and allowed an evil little smile to form. "You know, Nariko and Mother hardly ever practice their gunnery. Even less than Nabiki does."

"Yes, we'll need to tell them that," Nodoka said as Ayanami handed a light set of armor. She then helped her assistant fit it to the blonde demon."How's that feel?"

"Good," Ukyou admitted. It was similar to the succubus armor that Eve and her spawn wore but even more flexible.

"Of course, we don't have enough of these guns, but we'll make do," Nodoka patted the crate and motioned for Ayanami to help her take it out. She then turned to Morgan who was helping Kensuke put more supplies in a rucksack. "And how is your close quarters training going?"

"Good," Morgan coughed. Her last battle had thoroughly illustrated that her body was more than a collection of vastly improved senses, fantastic fine muscle control, and phenomenal mobility.

"Excellent, there's no reason to not push the maximum advantage," Nodoka noted as they left her lab.

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Mercury's blue-tinted lips curled into a broad smile as she pushed out the chair opposite her at the small oak table. "You came alone, and no jamming," she idly noted holding up a glass of wine.

"That was part of the deal," the redhead looked at the coifed young woman before her eyes went to the offered chair. She delicately sniffed the air and looked around the crowded bar. All she could detect was Mercury and her Pattern.

"I suppose you could have your spawn and agents hidden, likewise you could easily start up a jammer," Mercury allowed before finishing the last of her drink.

"Nice place," Ranma said turning her head a bit. "No wonder you said dress fancy."

"It doesn't have the intimate ambiance of your bar, but I like it here. Unlike most bars it's quiet," Mercury said looking about the bar and making a slight motion with her raised glass. "You wouldn't expect a few dozen people to keep their voices down."

"It also has a nice patio out front," Ranma allowed watching a waiter walk up with a bottle.

"And a wonderful little garden in the back." She turned to the server "Very nice lighting back there, Jerald."

"Thank you Miss," The server nodded.

"Please leave the bottle, Jerald," Mercury said with a slight wave.

"Fancy place," Ranma noted as the man left.

Mercury laughed. "Not really, mostly yuppies, but they at least have the sense to keep up the ambiance."

"Yes, fancy dress. Though not as nice as a dark satin evening gown with long black gloves," Ranma's eyed appraised the clingy garment.

"I guess the tiara would have been too much, Orion was right." Mercury shook her head, causing her dangling earrings to flutter a bit; her hair held up back in a sculpted bun with fixative stayed perfectly frozen. "You look good, but how can't you? And a nicely tailored leather bodice fits any occasion, and the pants have a certain aggressive beauty to them."

Mercury took a sip and looked up to still see Ranma standing above her. Her eyes went to the open chair and her blue lips smirked. "I hope you're not worried about booby traps. The chair is perfectly safe." She lifted the glass to her nose after a slight swirl. "However, I have set a highly endothermic spell on a deadman trigger. Well... it'll go off if you try to incapacitate or bind or even hurt me."

"That wasn't in your message," Ranma casually noted, her eyes looking at the bar across from her. "So is the Scotch any good here?"

"You do know what endothermic means?"

Ranma leaned in. "I touch you and that'll set off a spell that'll freeze everything in this room. I didn't think you'd be willing to kill a bunch of random people," she evenly whispered.

Without looking away from the flickering violet eyes inches away from hers, Mercury reached for her glass. "I didn't say I did. I intend to get through the night without killing anyone." She took a small sip. "However, we'll see how much of a monster you really are. Now please, have a seat. I do recall Jerald mentioned that they have a nice single malt from Islay."

"So you're finally putting that brain to good use," Ranma chuckled as she sat down. "You didn't trust my word? I said I wasn't going to give you to Usagi." Ranma gave a mock pout and then waved down a server different from Jerald and ordered a drink.

"There's so many ways you could have defeated me without breaking your word," Mercury stated. "And thank you. I realized what I had to do when I realized just what you thought of me."

Mistress Mercury had expected a lot of reactions from Ranma: something confident and securely, but subtlety, arrogant seemed appropriate enough, maybe a pithy phrase like "Oh really?" or "And that would be?", or even just a raised eye brow. The Mistress did not expect the demoness to bend over, literally holding her sides and start to laugh in a maniacal... no, manic manner.

Other patrons began to stare at the laughing redhead, who continued until a server holding a small glass and an unopened bottle approached the table and cleared her throat.

Ranma rapidly pulled herself up fanning her hair around her head. "Sorry, but my friend said something very... funny," she said after failing to find any more suitable word, while the server unsealed the top, poured her a drink and discreetly left the bottle

Mercury sighed. "I really shouldn't be surprised."

"You're the one that figured out what I think about you."

Idly waving her free hand, Mercury nodded. "Yes, you think I'm a poser, a joke. Someone that tries to be strong, to be 'evil' but just can't get it, but right now that works for me. If I were a real danger you'd risk the lives of all these people. I might be bluffing, you might get me before the spell goes off, you might have just killed me before the meeting with one of your lovely snipers. If you thought I was a real threat, you'd have treated me like one."

"You're right. This is good," Ranma said taking a small sip. She always made sure to watch her intake, especially tonight.

"I suppose it's enough that I'm alive," Mercury sighed.

"It's best to take what pleasures you can get out of life." Ranma put her glass down. "So what was so important that you just had to talk with me?"

"To the point."

"No that would be if I stood you up and ambushed you on your way out of here. So please, don't waste the slack I'm giving you," Ranma stated sniffing her drink.

Mercury kept herself from glaring; the succubus' eyes were closed as she enjoyed the aroma of her beverage, but that was obviously a test, or a statement of how little Ranma was concerned about her, or was just the redhead innocently enjoying her drink, which in and of itself showed how low of a threat she was in the demon's eyes. Mercury stopped that line of thinking.

That would only drive her spiraling further and further, and she had enough circular thoughts. "It's about Setsuna. I'm worried about her."

"Concern for your main rival to Usagi's ear? Or jealousy?"

Mercury closed her eyes and inhaled. She had to tell someone; someone not a minion; someone who could do something. "I think she's a monster."

"And?" Ranma plainly asked.

"No, I mean how does she smell to you? Is she human now? What about back in DarkStar's time? What did she feel like then?"

Ranma lifted up the cut glass and twisted it slightly, causing light to reflect and scatter off the cut faces. Mercury silently stared as amber colored light played off of Ranma's pale features. The murmuring from the other patrons seemed to grow louder and Mercury found herself concentrating on all the conditions she had placed on the Spell. The idea was straightforward enough, the question was if she had thought of enough contingencies.

"I suppose... I suppose it's a question of age," Ranma slowly lowered her glass to the polished table. "Setsuna's been around a long time. Maybe as long as my grandmother. In that case, is my nose really worth anything?"

"Yes, BlackSky was from that time too." Mercury's shoulders lowered. She had studied the records from that era. They had no clues about Pluto. "I thought so. I was hoping that you'd have something more... solid. I'd actually prefer it if her mask had slipped... just a bit." She looked into her glass. "I don't suppose you ever saw anything like that did you?"

"No, most was when Murdock was messing with her, when she would start to drink," Ranma said pointedly.

Mercury rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"At least you've managed to upset her. Like that stunt you pulled when they broke into your lair," Ranma charitably offered.

"That's no good. That just means she knows I know! Or at least that I'm getting close."

Ranma's gaze returned to the wine bottle with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't patronize me, I'm not being paranoid. We live in a world full of baroque intrigue and dreadfully strange things."

"It wasn't your ramblings I was noting."

Mercury sighed and pushed her glass next to her bottle. "I know it sounds insane. Setsuna has been Serenity's right hand from the beginning. If there's something wrong with her then..."

"It's a good thing your loyalties and ethics have been corrupted into serving the queen's daughter then."

Mercury tried to parse that statement. "You're saying that if I was serving Queen Serenity I wouldn't dare question Setsuna?"

"You know the relationship those two had." Ranma took another sip.

"Yes, the Queen's right hand." Mercury refilled her glass. "That's what has me twisting in knots. If it's all true then... Setsuna... she's been planning this for a very long time."

"Why not blame her for the Fall?" Ranma's sarcasm fell when she saw Mercury's expression. "You're not seriously thinking?"

"That she worked with Beryl?" Mercury gave a bitter laugh. "If I'm right she could have been the one to introduce Beryl to Metalia, but I doubt that. Such an activity would have been too risky. All she had to do was let the Beryl's movement fester and the opportunity would present itself, and how could such treason fester right under Serenity's nose? "

Ranma gave Mercury a long gaze. When the blue-haired girl was about to speak the redhead raised her hand to stop her. Finally, after thinking it over a few times Ranma spoke. "Are you suggesting that Setsuna let her Queen's empire be destroyed so she could get Usagi in the present, what... without Serenity around?"

"Her powers make the Fall an... unusual occurrence."

"Just because you know a storm is coming, doesn't mean you can stop it."

Mercury brightened slightly. "I didn't expect fatalism from someone like you."

"There's a difference between fatalism and pragmatism. From what I know of Serenity, she would have planned for the Fall. Contingencies would have been in place. That's why we're both sitting at this table now."

"And who would she entrust with an important, no, the most important task?"

Ranma shook her head. "You really have it bad for Setsuna. You jealous of her too?"

Mercury looked down at her wine. "She stole my plan."

Ranma glared. "Last week, I met the head of the oldest active Intelligence Agency in the world, met with the heads of this government, and here I am listening to a teenage girl whine about someone stealing her 'secret evil plans'."

"We can't all have the patronage of elite organizations."

Ranma smiled slightly. She had not accompanied Stillwater to that second meeting, Mercury was either playing along, or, more likely, ignorant of Ranma's exact activities. "Anyway... your plan centered around inventing a fake enemy to push the Senshi into accepting your training; which you would then use to slowly turn to your way of thinking." The redhead chuckled. "You're right. Setsuna did steal your idea."

"And I'm the fake villain," Mercury sighed.

"To be fair, you were the one that started wearing the evil costume."

Mercury simply raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, but you have a point. Their priorities are screwed up. At least this group of Soviet assassins should get them in gear." Ranma stated.

"Usagi does collect enemies. Huh, so you're saying I'm a distraction?"

Ranma shook her head and emptied her glass. "No, regaining lost team members should be a priority. It consolidates strength, reduces confusion, and shows your girls that you care about what happens to them. Usagi screwed up by not training enough, and then having the short-sighted pride to not accept more of my help."

"Yes, it could have ended that night." Mercury's hand clamped down on the edge of the table.

"And now this Setsuna stuff... there's no way you'd turn yourself in is there? Not even to pretend?"

"Aside from Usagi proving harder to fool... no. I can't get close to Setsuna."

"So what is it that you think is wrong with her, other than being a devious plotter. Isn't that part of being the guardian to those time gate things?"

"The Space-Time Door is a prop." Mercury chuckled. "That's the truth. It's a big, ornate, impressive... prop. It was built for Serenity's egg-heads to have something to study. It gave off all the right readings, but that's all it was. An artifact to justify the power Serenity had acquired.

"It's really quite brilliant. The Door was the highest of Secrets, Second only to Serenity's Crystal. This kept the researches studying the doors from talking with anyone not on the project. Information was controlled, collaboration was contained, their results were guided to the proper conclusion."

"That Serenity had found or invented some magical artifact that gave her time powers?"

"And her mages had affirmed that it was safe, accurate, and secure. The rabble ate it as a source of pride and reassurance in their Queen's power."

"And Serenity's military gains a decisive intelligence edge. No wonder Unification seemed inevitable." Ranma gave a slight nod and allowed herself a second, small, drink.

"You see my problem?"

Ranma shrugged. "Not really."

Mercury narrowed her eyes. "I just told you the greatest secret in the Silver Millennium. The Door is a lie."

"So? Serenity and Setsuna kept how it really worked a secret. Seems like a good idea."

Mercury stared. This... this person had outplayed her at ever turn, and yet... "Don't you see? If the Door wasn't the source of the power..."

Ranma nodded. "That's pretty clever. People wouldn't question a giant magic key if you used it as a weapon and guarded a giant magical door. It makes sense, Serenity didn't have a magical throne, she had her crystal."

Mercury's hand reached out for her glass. She hesitated and looked at Ranma. It could be that simple. It would have made the research facility on the moon an even better fake. They _were_ studying a powerful artifact, it just was not the one they thought it was.

"What's wrong now?"

"Do you have any idea how hard this is for me?"

Ranma looked over her glass and gave a slight frown.

Bristling at the demoness, Mercury composed herself. "I know what you want, I know what your goal is."

Ranma's frown instantly shifted into a playful grin.

"I told you; I figured out what you thought of me. I also figured out what you wanted. All the things a brood mother could want, what were you missing?"

Ranma tilted her head a fraction of an inch to the side.

"Being coy now? Setsuna's not the only one taking advantage of mean-old Mistress Mercury. The princess is looking for someone strong, confident, but also loving and just."

"And yet... you're having this meeting warning me about Setsuna. So what's so bad about Puu that you'd rather me get my talons into your princess?"

Mercury folded her hands in front of her on the table. "I know what you'll do to Usagi. Setsuna... it doesn't add up. She doesn't need to be this... "

"Over intricate plots? Stupid schemes and destinies?" Ranma shrugged. "Seems like a problem you girls have."

"The key..." Mercury laughed. "Oh yes, why not? Setsuna is the key! And Guardian of the Gate. Past, present, future, all are one in the Gate. She knows where the Old Ones broke through of old, and where They shall break through again. She knows where They have trod earth's fields, and where They still tread them, and why no one can behold Them as They tread." Her morbid grin died when she saw Ranma's thoughtful expression.

"What? I'm finally no longer a joke?" Mercury glared.

"Akumi, do you actually know why we're here? Why all of us are up here, instead of some other city?"

Mercury looked down. "Yes, things are getting... thin. Setsuna knew it, Orion knew it, I... figured it out, but Usagi wouldn't see. That's why I had to do this! The Senshi wouldn't handle it. Usagi would try to use her crystal... and we'd all die mad and screaming, at best. She got complacent. Every other campaign ended with the same magic rock."

"You can't expect the same tools and moves to keep working." Ranma frowned.

"Oh? I thought you were this perfect warrior?"

"No, I'm good. We're good because we keep training. We keep learning new things, and improving. My mother was real harsh last week when I got back," Ranma said, remembering how she almost cried at her mother's dressing down. It had been just the two of them, but she managed to just whimper a bit with her head in her mother's lap.

Mercury raised an eyebrow "Really? What did she have to criticize _you_ about?"

Ranma shrugged. She could tell Mercury part of the story "I got complacent. I assumed that our magical armor was 'good enough'."

"That's what I was trying to do."

"No, you were trying to make better Senshi. My mother is trying to better equip us. Big difference."

"It's still better than the Princess' plans." Mercury sighed. "I know what I've done, I know what I've become. I had to do this because no one else would. They were too shocked, complacent and reactionary; weepy drippy little girls," she spat the last few words out. "I'm not as good as you, but at least I'm trying."

"I thought you're this way because you were seduced by a brainy lesbian honey pot?" Ranma remarked taking a sip of her Scotch. "But now you realize that the one person you had thought would understand... the one that knew what it took to be a real queen..."

"And it looks like Setsuna understands too well."

"It's possible we're on the same side, that she's just making Usagi into a proper queen... but... not if my theory is right. Setsuna's been at this for a long time... longer than your grandmother."

Ranma motioned for Mercury to continue.

"It's too much... this would have had to have started before Serenity had a daughter, before you, before Unification, before there was even a proper Empire. This is a plan that shows a patience and a level of detail that would be impossible... too many things would change. Too much could go wrong."

Ranma suppressed rolling her eyes. She almost took pity on the girl, and decided to push a bit more. "Unless you happened to be an immortal guardian of some type of Space-Time thing."

"Sarcasm aside, you're right."

"So why tell me? Do you really expect me to help you?" Ranma flexed her fingers.

"I expect your self interest to take what I have to say in consideration."

Ranma looked the other woman over as she formulated her statement.. "Oh? Well you presume to know not just what I think of you, but also what I want, no... need." She slowly leaned in her teeth revealed in a wide grin. "Why don't you just give up to me? Have you considered that scenario?"

Eyes twinkling, Ranma leaned back and sipped her Scotch. "You have the mind, you have the will, just imagine what you could become with my help. Imagine what the Princess could become with _our_ help. Together, we could undercut any influence of Setsuna's..."

Mercury knew enough to keep eye contact. "And what would this... offer cost me?"

"Everything."

"How generous," Mercury glared.

"How badly do you want to save Usagi? How much do you fear Setsuna? It's easy to wear dark clothes, turn evil, transform your teammates into puppets, but trusting, submitting to someone else. That's hard. Is your pride worth it?"

"You assume that you can stop Setsuna and that your... demonic interest will save the Princess," Mercury stated, hoping that Ranma's offer did not have the... potential it seemed to at first glance.

Still showing her teeth, Ranma idly rolled her glass in her hand. "From what you've said, who else could stop Setsuna? You don't have much confidence in your own ability, or else you wouldn't be buying me surprisingly acceptable Scotch. No at the very least, you called me here as insurance. You said it yourself, you'd rather I get Usagi, than Setsuna. So why not help it along?" she asked her voice nearly coming out in a purr.

Once again Mercury checked the status of the Spell.

"You want a strong Princess. One that will adapt to this new war. We can make her adapt. You know what she thinks of me."

"And you get exactly what you want. Even have a prodigal 'daughter' to bring back to Usagi. You even have a ready excuse for why I'd be a demon, and of course I'd fullly corroborate your story." Mercury scoffed. "There are certain advantages to your species. You'd then use this assassin threat to bring Usagi in even closer, but with me and the others 'back in' her only threats would be external. There wouldn't be a rush; you could take your time, slowly bending her to your way of thinking."

"Going to accuse me of stealing your ideas too?" Ranma chuckled.

"No, that fits your own plans. Not going to mention that I could still have Orion, or that I could be even closer to her than I am now?"

"Why would I mention the obvious?"

"Do you actually expect me to agree with this?" Mercury wanted to ask if Ranma was being serious or of this was a test, but the firstly it was counterproductive, and secondly... she was not sure which answer would be worse.

Ranma sighed. "Again, it's all a question of how badly you want to protect Usagi. You were able to turn Minako into something inhuman, would you be willing to do the same for yourself?"

Mercury looked down. "Are these Combat Cyborgs... are they really that much of a threat?"

Ranma shrugged. "They're military trained and have spent years as professional assassins. Someone spent a lot of money to hire them. Morgan killed two but..." She lifted her hand up.

"Yes your sniper," Mercury frowned. "Usagi hasn't moved. It's been a week since that meeting, what has she done?"

"Usagi and Setsuna... they're trying. It's a pretty good defense they have setup, but-" Ranma sighed. "- I offered to have them stay on base, or have some of us help guard them."

"She's stubborn," Mercury chuckled. "Though at least someone finally shocked her out of complacently."

"Everytime I ride over there, Setsuna's the one taking charge." Ranma paused. "Huh, you might be onto something I don't see her asleep, much. She's been the big push there."

"Of course, it's what I would have done," Mercury frowned. A crisis was the best time to slip in your own agenda; people were looking for solutions, for action, and it was perfect to bypass the normal means.

"No wonder you two dislike each other," Ranma laughed.

"So this is the real deal? These cyborgs are not pushovers like the Assembly or Alexia?"

"Even those two were a bit above your class." Ranma chuckled. She raised a hand to stop Mercury's protests. "Alexia... even she knew about indirect attack, monster that she was."

"Turning all those people?"

"Not exactly," Ranma frowned. "Swears work differently for demons. Alexia's a Submaternissima."

"Meaning?"

"Worst, sub-mother." Ranma said. "Like calling you, subhuman. Wait. it's an adjective. I used it wrong." Ranma frowned. Demonic was proving to be easier than English. Unlike English, it had rules and followed them, but it was yet another language to learn.

"Here's how it's used. Submaternissima Alexia exposuit Filias," Ranma hissed.

Mercury blinked.

"The very worst sub-mother Alexia let her daughters die out in the Wilderness because she was not willing to care for them," Ranma explained with venom.

"That's a compact verb," Mercury noted.

"It's where exposure comes from," Ranma explained. "According to the language book, the Romans had a slightly different meaning, but it's still a way to get rid of unwanted children. For succubae it's sending their spawn into battle as cannon fodder, for the Romans it was leaving the kid outside somewhere to –well- die from exposure."

"That's horrid," Mercury flatly stated.

"To the Romans it wasn't necessarily a bad thing –cruel bastards-, but a brood mother has such power over her spawn that broodlings are only undesirable if the mother screwed up.

"So, Alexia would stunt her spawn's development to keep them easier to control, and then she'd send them out to be slaughtered. She literally is the worse insult our kind can come up with," Ranma shivered.

"Is this common?" Mercury was intrigued that some things could still disturb the demon.

"No self respecting brood mother would do it. Some of the less reputable Houses do it, but... it's ghastly. It's a kind of mental violation that's... it's like turning your own children into ghouls. Alexia was impatient. She could have groomed her spawn and let them grow. Then she would have had a skilled, loving army."

Mercury raised an eyebrow. Ranma's own family expansion was left unsaid.

Ranma took a sip. "And the Assembly? They had pretty good intelligence gathering and could use it to setup a rather good ambush.

"What they couldn't do was finish the job. They had me blown apart, should have had their 'elite' sweep in and finish me off. Instead, they got greedy, figured they could give WIC a black eye too. Gave me time to reform."

"You beat them at every turn."

"My spawn, the Company, and myself beat them," Ranma stressed. "And that's because we train to win. That's what happens when you stop focusing on being a 'magical girl' and you start focusing on killing the enemy."

"That's what I was trying to tell them," Mercury hissed.

"We'll see. A good fight will test Usagi and you."

"Like that cult in the toy store?" Once again, Mercury reached out for her glass.

Ranma nodded.

"We never did figure out exactly how those losers got that book, how they figured out the Princess was up here." Mercury took a pull from her glass and studied the crimson fluid. "I'm guessing you don't know who hired these cyborgs either."

"Going to blame Setsuna?"

"She'd blame Murdock."

"And how is he doing?"

"Absent," Mercury smirked. "I don't think his bosses like him very much either."

"So, he is working for someone?" Ranma raised an eyebrow.

"Someone that's his own boss wouldn't be so afraid of failure."

"So, he's failed?"

Mercury curled her gloved-fingers and looked at the silken fist. "Let's be honest, I know I'm just a backup plan." She frowned. "No I'm the booby-prize of a backup plan, and that plan went to hell when Minako figured out my charade. So what does Murdock have left?"

"A jilted demoness with a growing brood and an... unconventional team of evil Pattern Silvers?" Ranma allowed.

"Being generous?"

"Well, you don't cackle insanely, but you do have an ice skirt..."

"Lovely," Mercury frowned "So, there's plenty of threats to Usagi."

"Yourself included," Ranma reminded.

Mercury gave a dismissive hand-wave. "I'm not a critical one. I'm just an emotional threat to her."

"Now, now," Ranma about to pat Mercury's hand. Chuckling, she slowly withdrew her hand. "Emotional damage is the best way to deal with her. Physical damage just gets her mad."

Mercury pulled her hand off the table. "You're giving me villain advice?"

Ranma lifted her glass and paused to enjoy the aroma. Without taking a sip, she put it down and stared at Mercury. "First thing, don't think of yourself as a villain."

"I am trying to save her," Mercury glared.

"Big deal," Ranma shrugged. "You're still treating it as a game. One where you play the dark Mistress and where Usagi plays the goody-goody princess. You know how that ends."

"You're all in leather, like some kind of biker babe."

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "There's a reason motorcyclists like boots and leather."

Mercury sighed. "So it's okay for you to have fun costumes but not me?"

"Huh? I didn't mention clothes. Wear whatever you want. It's how you see yourself that counts. People that think they're evil are either pathetic posers or pathetic posers with some power. No one who's really nasty thinks 'I'm being evil right now'. Monsters are just monsters."

"In other words: be evil but don't gloat about it?"

The redhead gave a warm smile. "Just be yourself."

Mercury repressed a sigh and reached for her glass. "Any other words of wisdom?"

"Don't act like a magical girl, even an evil magical girl."

"And the price for this advice?"

"If you're less of a mess, then you'll be less of a problem to me." Ranma shrugged. "You won't be driven to do something... rash."

"This Setsuna thing's driven me to seek out your help."

"As long as you don't do anything stupid," Ranma eyed the coifed evening-dress clad girl. "Or 'evil'. Nothing that would make you cackle maniacally."

"What's wrong with that? You did it when you first sat down." Mercury glared.

"We're starting with baby steps here. A small satisfied smile on a job well done is a good start."

"I suppose a modicum of dignity is more fitting my style," Mercury allowed.

"That's the idea. Don't pigeon-hole yourself. So you dress darkly and were turned into a lesbian and perform unethical experiments on your teammates, that doesn't mean the rest of you has to be a joke."

"Glad, you have that much confidence in me."

"What have you done? You beat the Senshi a couple times, they beat you once, you turned Minako, and you helped me fight the Assembly."

"I'm getting to the bottom of Setsuna's secrets."

"Sounds like a paranoid mess."

Mercury raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, that doesn't mean it's not true. This is Setsuna, but do you think you have a chance against her?"

"You know... you're a real jerk," Mercury stated.

"That's what I like about you," Ranma chuckled.

"I'm perceptive?"

"You're not family, you're not Company, you're not a friend, you're not even a diplomat or some other bigwig." Ranma smiled. "I don't have to be nice or polite to you. It's very refreshing."

Mercury sighed. "Well, you are one of the few people I deal with that's not a servant or a lover."

"Or a golden golem thing," Ranma smirked as she stood up. "You know how to contact me.

"You're just leaving?"

Ranma picked up the bottle of Scotch and studied the label. "Unless you've got something important to say." She leaned over the table. "Sure you're not interested in my offer?"

Pulling back and standing up, Mercury maintained her composure. "As... elegant as your proposal is. I must decline it." She smiled thinly at the bottle the demon held. "Keep the Scotch."

"Thanks. So, gonna gamble big then," Ranma shook her head and started to walk out of the bar. "Well, you're betting I'll stop Setsuna if you can't." The redhead smiled thinly when she smelled Mercury following her out.

Once out in the rich night air, Ranma turned around and watched Mercury stand by the doorway. The succubus could just barely hear the engine of a small UAV. A few other patrons walked in and out of the bar some making their way to the tables put out front. "Getting cocky. I could have one of my girls watching you."

"You could have taken me out in the bar," Mercury shrugged. "There's still enough people around. Just remember what I warned out about, please."

"I will," Ranma promised, as she made a note to follow up the Company's future investigation and surveillance of the bar. She then turned and walked to her waiting ride.

Despite herself Mercury laughed. The redhead was right. Dressed as she did, she looked completely natural walking up to a large violet, black and chrome motorcycle. She stuffed the bottle in a saddlebag and smoothed her hair back before putting on a full-face black helmet.

Slipping on a pair of gloves, Ranma turned and chuckled to herself. Seemingly unaware, Mercury was a few strides closer to her. Ranma flipped up her visor. "It's a VRSC Night Rod, Harley Davidson."

Mercury rubbed her chin. "It fits you," she said trying not to let on that she could not tell the difference between a Harley and Honda.

"That's what Bob said, I thought it was a bit big... at first." Ranma said as she ran a hand down one of the handlebars.

"Why'd you get it?"

Ranma swung a leg over the bike. "My sister got it for me," she said as she eased into the saddle and turned the ignition. The engine turned over and she nearly purred to match the motor's rumbling. Flipping her visor down, she gave a wave to Mercury before darting into traffic.

Mercury watched the bike race away and sighed. One had to take one's allies as they came.

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"The demon's back," Shest noted as she recorded the time and approach route.

"So it's every other day," Arisha noted looking over the shorter woman's shoulder.

"Not a standard time. The other mercenaries keep a pretty good rotation of coverage," Shest shrugged. "But it's not protective. We could easily get in."

"Of course," Arisha chuckled walking over to an end table and inspected a box of chocolates Sem had indulged in. "But how easily could we get out?"

"Is that why Galina's been holding us back?"

"There are safer places to put our little Zaika. Clearly, she knows who we are."

"They wanted us to know." Shest frowned. The Papists were fair warriors, but even more clever spies. To her, that was more repellant than their antiquated... theology. There was more than a bit of State Security hiding behind the broad smiles of the priests that had taken them, those years ago.

Arisha sliced open a confection and frowned, nougat. "They assumed we would be watching the Papal Nuncio; so they turned the meeting into a statement."

Wearing a robe Vosem had stepped out of the suite's shower, "They know what we are. They even have our bodies, and this is their slothful reaction?" The short-haired cyborg grumbled, as she walked to her suitcase.

"You spent the day at the airport. Did you see any increased activity?" Arisha blandly asked.

"No, but what does that matter?" Vosem grumbled as she slipped out of the robe and slipped onto a bodysuit. "There are crates, there are men. You don't need to read my report. Just a calculator."

"Oh?"

"If I were them, I'd always ship a full load, even with boxes full of sand."

"And when more capacity is required, they can bring it in without changing the volume," Arisha noted as she tried another chocolate. "You do know why the crates are likely to be pointless right?"

Vosem gave a measured look. "They have vehicles. Transports and helicopters come and go. Much could be moved in those. Their base needs provisions. There are plenty of ways to hide something. You can ask Galina when she gets back with the others. I'm sure she'll have a nice list of vehicles and crates too."

She straightened out her grey and red garment. "Of course much can be said about their troops. A female soldier could be human, or something else."

Arisha nodded. "They are a species designed for infiltration."

"They are also confident. Both the demons and their mercenary masters. So, they could take things the easy way."

"But so far they have not?"

Shest frowned. "So, why have they sat on their hands?"

"You assume that since you don't see it, that they're not moving against us?" Vosem harshly asked. "They wiped out a team without a sweat. Before they were told what we were. Svetlana and Ivanova underestimated them."

"You see a greater challenge?"

Vosem chuckled. "We know how the Company works. WIC is in the 'business' of fighting the unknown, of killing monsters. They seem to be rather good at it."

Arisha savored the candy. "Are you saying you were spotted, then?"

"If I was, they were clever enough to not let on." Vosem paused. "If so, I had to have escaped their tail."

"Because we're happily chatting and enjoying Sem's generosity?" Arisha handed the box over to Vosem.

"Yes, there's no reason for them to let us live. We're a threat to their little Princess."

"If they wanted Zaika dead, we would be out of luck." Shest nodded.

"Then why are they doing such a shoddy job of protecting her?" Arisha icily asked.

"It's either better protection than we think or the Princess is grossly overconfident," Vosem sated chewing on a caramel.

Shest considered Arisha's words earlier. "Or it's a trap."

Arisha smirked. "Relations do seem...strained between these magical girls and the Company. They seem more than willing to use WIC's resources when they need some backup or a nice place to shower but..."

"Like the Soviet?" Vosem whimsically asked. "Oh yes, all members were equal, after all class was what counted not nationality, but there were the more important nations."

"That's what happens when the Politburo is staffed with counter-revolutionary hacks more concerned with race and personal power than the true strides of humanity." Arisha frowned and slowly closed her mouth. "History aside, are these girls deluded? The older one, Meiou seems to be quite the realist."

"Not enough to force them to try to get us or even adopt a decent defensive position," Shest noted. "It's like they're obligingly waiting for us to make the first move."

"Their internal rift could be a factor."

"The rogue girl has maintained a low profile. Since the night when we attacked after the girls attacked her, she has done nothing. You would think we would be the bigger threat, at least after the meeting with the priest," Shest said.

"So, what have they been doing this last week?"

"Training, planning, building their defenses, and... going to school," Arisha sighed. "It's mocking how unserious this seems."

"And yet WIC poses enough of a risk to keep us from sweeping them away?" Vosem asked as she pulled out another chocolate.

Shest got up. "They're not treating us as a joke. They know exactly what we are." She reached out and snatched an orange crème. "They're using the situation. They know we can get to Zaika, but that..."

"That's a fitting trap. As long as they're more concerned about killing us than saving the Princess," Vosem noted.

"Perhaps they don't think she needs saving?" Arisha chuckled.

"Letting her die? That depends on what value she has to them," Shest asked.

"Or they don't think we'll kill her," Vosem smirked. "They know more about the Princess than we do."

"In the past, she has proven rather... resilient," Shest allowed.

"Against whom?" Arisha put the box of chocolates down. "You've seen how she is. She's led around by Meiou. She refuses help. She's stubborn, overconfident, and naive."

"It's like she expects the universe to accommodate her," Vosem snidly said.

Arisha critically looked over the other woman. "Then our course is clear. We are the best suited to show little Zaika what the universe is... unkind to foolish dreams."

End Chapter 22

Author's Notes:

I'd like to thank my pre-readers. They read through my most egregious mistakes so you don't have to. DGC, J St C Patrick, Terra, Pale Wolf, Wray, Kevin Hammel, Ikarus, Jerry Starfire, and Mike Koos.

An extra thanks goes to J St C Patrick. Go onto the fanart page of the Fukufics site and you'll find an opening sequence for The Return that he made. It's really something else.

Thanks to Stratagemini for the "Demonic" names for the various features and terms. His advice and his extensive knowledge of Latin was an integral part of doing this, especially in finding real Latin words and adapting them to the definitions, tenses, and other terms to make up the Demonic variant.

Numerically Designated Magical Combat Cyborgs designed and built by Doctor Scaglietti is from Nanoha StrikerS owned by Keizō Kusakawa and Seven Arcs. The individual characters are different from the StikerS ones, being they're bitter Russians living as mercenaries and not prototypes being used by a man fighting the Time-Space Administration Bureau


	25. Chapter 23 Reequipped & Repulsed Part 1

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Josh Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.

Other website Temple of Ranma's Senshi Seifuku

C&C as always is wanted.

Chapter 23 Reequipped and Repulsed Part 1

"Alright, it's time, everyone get dressed," Ranma idly said, standing up inside the somewhat reconditioned Quonset hut. Most of the holes had been patched, and the blood had been washed out.

"You heard Mom," Nariko ordered before closing her eyes and shifting her own clothing. Her skirt and blouse morphed into a bodysuit reminiscent of their training clothes but a bit thicker with some rigid inserts on the arms and thighs. Heavy and tall boots appeared, and fingerless gloves formed.

Over the bodysuit, which went from neck to wrists to calves, a vest with the inset plates on the front and back, which were modified slightly to allow for wings, shifted into sight and was followed by pleated skirting. Each mid-thigh pleat held another armored plate and was articulated to maintain mobility and coverage. Hair was pulled back and helmets appeared with connected headsets and radios.

"Check the electronics. I want to know if they... summoned properly," Major Saotome said as she walked among her granddaughters checking the fit of the armor. "How's the bodysuit? I want to know if they breathe enough."

"It's fine," Nabiki pouted.

"Normally Kevlar doesn't allow moisture out, but your..." Nodoka shook her head. "I just want to make sure this magic isn't messing things up."

"We've tested this. We trained in these; we ran in them; you made sure we got sweaty." She moved her hands to confirm that her knives had shifted back with her.

"I want to be sure," Nodoka stated. She had now turned to Misako and was checking the quick-release on that girl's vest. Nodding with satisfaction her eyes went down to the gun in the demon's hands.

"Is Sasha okay?" Misako asked handing over the grenade launcher.

"At least we don't have to deal with ribbons anymore," Akane smirked as she stretched her shoulders a bit. "Is my tail clearing out the back fine?" she asked Nariko.

Her mate nodded.

"Well, those researchers keep saying that the Pattern-Y gate we captured over half a year ago is giving them lots of new ideas. If they can produce a teleport jammer that's compact then they would have antennae that need protecting," Nodoka explained.

Ranma blinked. "A reinforced Kevlar bow?"

Nodoka shrugged. "You're the one that insisted on skirting. Would a bodysuit be that much harder to transform into?"

"We're already cheating the Senshi magic enough," Ukyou said, adjusting her HSMG. After she finished she moved on to the sidearms mounted in their thigh holsters. "You look good in that," she smirked, noting Akane's annoyance at her own weapon.

"I'm just happy I finally qualified on the annoying thing."

"Blame Mother for coming up with the requirements, or would you rather be outshot by an old man?"

"I don't think Colonel Edwards would like that," Nodoka cautioned. She frowned and knelt down to check out Nariko's boots.

Ranma chuckled. "I think he'd laugh. The man was holding back. Don't worry Akane, it took me just as long to qualify for my handgun too. Now turn around." Ranma then checked Akane's wings, making sure they were clear of interference. "Any chafing?"

Akane sighed. "No, I'm fine. We've been training with these things for over a week."

"Well, the better plates only came in yesterday. Remember the trouble the extra weight gave you?"

"That was only when I landed," Akane growled.

"Yes, the extra weight is all up top," Nodoka warned. "It's heavy stuff. I wanted an armor to deal with knives, teeth, tails, claws, blunt trauma, rifle rounds, shrapnel, napalm, magical napalm, beam weapons of various types." She listed off. "The standard WIC insert plate was a great start, but you girls can handle more weight than any human, as long as it doesn't interfere with your flying."

"Yes, our legs can carry more than our wings," Nabiki reminded as she checked Misako's back.

"We can't make it too thick or it'd be too bulky, but still you girls should be happy sets came as fast as it did."

"Odd, I thought you already had those plates on order from my armor," Captain Jarvis noted as she entered the Quonset.

"Yes," Nodoka admitted. "And it's not bad for a prototype, but it is a bit weak in crotch protection and the extremities are a bit looser too." She looked Eve over with a critical eye. "And are you okay sitting this one out?"

"I kinda like my role in this demonstration," Eve said as she smoothed out the hem of her dress uniform's skirt.

"I'm afraid they want me to change too," Nodoka sighed.

"I think your helmet improvements are the most useful," Eve countered. "It was a real pain to have it shift in flight. However, I'm not sure of using our horns to help stabilize them. Yes, the padding dampens most blows, but..."

"I could always make the straps tighter," Nodoka frowned. "And why do you fight with your horns out? Isn't that just a big vulnerability?"

"They help with our senses," Ranma shrugged.

"It's harder to feel others without them," Eve added

"You would know if it's that important. Your senses do make Pattern Scanners and night vision systems superfluous," Nodoka admitted. "Reminds me, did your radios... summon correctly?"

The broodlings nodded.

"I'm still amazed that works," Eve noted.

"Why not? We can change our clothes at will, add in that Senshi transformation, and shifting our armor makes perfect sense."

"What about weapons?"

Ranma shrugged, "The pistols and ammunition seemed to come in fine, and they fired on the previous test."

"Sasha didn't, but I'll work better on it." Misako swore.

"Nothing wrong with my blades," Nabiki said, her hands once again going down to the knives at her hip. The possibility of losing them in the... wherever that her clothes went, was disconcerting.

"I couldn't get my sword to vanish with my uniform," Nariko sighed. "Though if I link it with my armor transformation, will I be able to summon it independently?"

"I can do that with my guns," Ukyou reminded. "Well, my pistols, not this guy," she said hefting her newest gun, a technically compact, bull pup semi-automatic that fired a custom 17mm by 65 mm round.

"Yes, Morgan can't make hers vanish either," Eve admitted.

"Well she does have the biggest gun," Ukyou said, giving a sideways smirk to Misako.

"By length, not caliber," Misako hissed under her breath.

Eve smiled thinly. "Are you ready?"

"Oh? Are our guests getting restless?" Ranma asked.

"Quite the opposite. They're getting bored. Perfect time to give them a bit of a show."

Ranma grinned. "Is Morgan in place then?"

Eve's eyes shined. "Oh yes."

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Sergeant Olsen Brummet, Joint Task Force 2 shifted in his seat. The serenity of being so close to Algonquin Park was mitigated by the... detail of this training facility. The level of destruction in the various vehicles, buildings, and bunkers was very positive. A chance to do some actual live fire training was worth dealing with some Yankee defense contractor.

Another bit of... professionalism was the minefield that was marked out. An irregular section of churned dirt was marked out by several flags; there were even a few vehicles set inside the area. That would certainly pose an interesting challenge. He chuckled looking at one of the vehicles. "Looks like the Americans have a sense of humor," he said pointing to Corporal Green.

Lilly Green looked out at the burned out vehicle. "Huh... they actually got the color right. Poorly done dummies though." She noted looking at the numerous mannequins in camouflage and holding prop weapons positioned in many of the vehicles and trenches.

"Well, it's not a big deal to know that blood dries brown, but splashing some around and then washing it off, that's a nice touch." Olsen chuckled.

"It sounds like you're looking forward to playing in this training setup, Sarge."

"They certainly put a lot of work in it, and it's a break from our normal training," Olsen looked forward to some of the officers in the front row. Their presence was expected, this had to be an expensive project. "Heck, they actually burned down a building and destroyed a bunch of tunnels," he said pointing to the hill in the distance. "It looks like they've been training artillery before us."

"That's the rumor." Green nodded.

Olsen looked up to see a non-descript man in a grey uniform and sunglasses walk up to the lectern in front of the rows of seats. Olson raised an eyebrow.

A ghost of a smile crossed Stillwater's face as he looked at the military personnel before him and their rippling interest and curiosity. "I appreciate your patience in waiting. No doubt I'm sure you've heard the rumors. Your superior officers were quite terse on describing this mission."

Stillwater's eyes darted to his watch. "You all volunteered for a pilot program centering on a new style of training. That is the truth. Now I'd like to show you what you'll be training for."

Olsen's attention focused as several of the vehicles exploded one after the other. The last of the flat blasts was followed by a series sharp cracks, and another group of explosions. These were larger and more frequent; he immediately recognized 40mm grenades. For a split second, Olsen smirked.

Then his eyes widened and his jaw began to slowly lower at what happened next. Later on he would try to organize the events into a coherent timeline. A group of figures in battle dress darted out of a nearby forest. Then a helicopter flying high overhead dropped a group of what Olsen first assumed were paratroopers. However, they fired as they descended, were too low for parachutes, and had... wings.

After this, events degenerated into an orgy of precise violence. The troops landed and proceeded to literally tear into the targets. Some of the damage was being done by bullets of a ridiculous caliber, each shot blasting heads and torsos apart. Some was done by claws and tails that seemed to slice through the forms, and some by various blades and thick purple beams. In one moment, the attack ceased and the squad departed as rapidly as it came.

For the first time since the initial shots, Olsen blinked.

Stillwater pushed his sunglasses back up his nose. "Ladies, Gentlemen, we are Willard International Consulting. Our mission is the protection of humanity from various non-human and paranormal threats. What you just saw was the Fifth Non-Human Task Force, and yes, they are demons."

The Commander of Canadian Special Forces Command got up from his front row seat. "Commander Stillwater is correct. The government hired them to provide combat and training assistance with the recent grouping of troubles."

Olsen stared. He had heard the rumors but this was... He looked around at the other soldiers in his platoon. There was the expected mix of shock, curiosity, and disbelief.

"You have all volunteered for the training part," the Canadian officer remarked. "You are the best we have. Your work in Iraq, Peru, Bolivia and Nepal have shown this. You know that the world is darker and more violent than your countrymen admit that it is. The mission hasn't changed, just the enemy. We need you."

Stillwater kept his face neutral. That was not his preferred style of encouragement, but it would do. "And now Captain Jarvis will tell you about one of the enemies you will face."

Olsen watched as the older WIC... officer stepped aside and a woman in a dress uniform consisting of a grey skirt and blouse stepped up to the lectern. Olsen's appreciation of her, rather pale body was interrupted by him noticing several projection screens quickly being erected.

"Over several years of research the Company has found a way to classify non-human entities by the energy patterns they give off. What are popularly considered demons fall under Pattern-D," Jarvis made a motion and another agent turned on the three projectors. "And this is what they can do in a real battle," she said as the screens filled with gouts of blood and torn bodies. The footage was grainy and often poorly shot, but it showed enough. There had been decades of footage in the WIC archives to choose the best from.

"Why am I showing you soldiers, women and children being killed and worse? So you'll remember. If you lose, being eaten alive is what happens if you're lucky." Captain Jarvis narrowed her eyes.

"Pattern D's have the physical advantage over humans; this variety included. They are stronger than you, faster than you, can see better in the dark than you can with NVGs, can smell you dozens of meters out, have claws that can slice through steel, tails that are like a chainsaw crossed with a blender, fangs that can tear your throat out, and fully functional wings. And they can throw balls of self-igniting napalm."

Olsen tore his eyes away from one of the screens and looked at the blonde woman. She was quite the looker, and gave a nice distraction from the gore.

"Now comes the good news. Humanity learned long ago not to fight on purely physical terms. Weapons, intelligence, counter-intelligence, strategy. This is where we come in. We have the weapons, ammunition, armor, and equipment to fight Pattern-D's and other NH's. More importantly, we can teach you how to fight them. How to use humanity's advantages to beat them."

Olsen looked past the screen to the left to see a few people in grey uniforms wheel out some horizontal barrels mounted waist high on platforms and carrying a few unmarked crates. He turned back to the speaking blonde, still glancing over to see what kind of equipment was being setup. This whole presentation was getting a bit "cute".

"We'll be splitting up into modules and starting with a more one-on-one introduction. After some refreshments we'll start familiarizing you with some equipment and give a brief overview of the global NH situation," Captain Jarvis said as she stepped down from the lectern. "If you'll all get up, please."

After Olsen stood up he froze. One second the Jarvis woman was standing there, the next wings, horns, and a tail appeared. As the demon smirked showing her sharp teeth, Olsen wracked his brain. Aside from the... extras she did not look very different. It was just that the chalk white skin, pointed teeth, and killer body did not seem... odd.

"This is another important lesson," Eve said as she adjusted her wings slightly. "Many NH's can pass as human. You need to be careful that the pretty woman next to you won't disembowel you." Her face brightened. "We're going to fire up the grills; so get some refreshments while we assign your groups."

Olsen and Lily followed the rest of their platoon to the drums which turned out to be charcoal grills and the crates which were coolers. "That's a pretty sick sense of humor they have here," she said eyeing the large amount of meat being staged onto a table near the grills.

"We've seen stuff like that before. Remember that camp we found in Nepal? The bad guy's supplies were cutoff and it's not like they planned on returning the hostages," Olsen causally said as he fished out a soda can.

"It also gave them some entertainment," Lily added. "Great, so we can cannibalize and rape right up there with the worst hell can offer. Go humanity."

"Damn straight! We can be total bastards because we want to. Not because we have to. That's what gives us the edge. If this is the worst they could show us..." Olsen took a sip enjoying the caffeine. It was not as good as the medication used for missions when they had to stay awake, but it sufficed.

"We are Special Forces. I'm pretty sure the spooky mercenaries know all about us," Lily said deliberately turning her gaze slightly in the direction of their superior officers chatting with the WIC officers.

"And we just wanted to make sure you knew all about us," a voice behind them stated.

Lily turned around. "Very quiet approach. I mean Olsen kept looking around. Demon right? There's the wings, but I don't want to assume." Green composed herself.

The demoness smiled.

Olsen's head simply threatened to split apart as he ginned madly. Want in his eyes, he stepped closer to the demon. "That's an Mk 19.. with a shoulder stock," he said almost reverently. It was amazing that she could even cock the thing. The statement drew the attention of most of the other Canadian troops who all turned to Misako and Olsen.

Misako beamed with pride. "Yes."

"And you shot that thing standing," Olsen said with ecstatic glee. "Damn, how do I sign up?"

"Are you sure about that?" Lily asked. "Isn't it odd how there's only female demons in the Fifth?"

Olsen shrugged.

"Look at her, her hair's perfect, too perfect for having just worn a helmet. She's got great makeup. Even her uniform is pretty!" Lilly waved her arm around. "They're all beautiful. There's a word for demons like that."

One of the demons, with red hair and violet eyes, warmly chuckled as she cut her way through the crowd to them. "You're right. We're succubae. We're not the strongest Pattern D. Our real advantage is that we can easily pass as human."

Lily had to keep herself from stepping away from the redhead, despite the demon's diminutive height. "Mimicry. Sometimes predators evolve to look like its prey. That way the prey doesn't realize it's being hunted."

The redhead chuckled. "Good. Keep it up and you'll do well here." She held out her hand. "Ranma Saotome, Special Company Contractor."

Adjusting her stance Lilly grabbed the demon's hand, with what she hoped was a lack of hesitation; it felt normal, if a bit smooth. "Corporal Lilly Green, Joint Task Force Two."

"Sergeant Brummet," Olsen nodded, tearing his attention off of Misako's gun. Seeing the other succubae walk up, he let out a low whistle. They all carried some type of large sidearm strapped to their waist. Olsen guessed some type of fifty caliber, possibly used in a Desert Eagle.

One of the new girls, like Ranma, carried just a sidearm, but the rest carried a very pleasing mix. Olsen was reminded of the chocolate samplers he would get as a child. There was a wide variety, but the boxes were too small to do anything but whet his appetite. It was one thing to see them in a demonstration; it was another to see them up close. There were a pair of giant knives, a sheathed sword, two guns that looked like the sullen, hulking older brothers of the FN P90, and lastly, being shouldered by another diminutive redhead, was a sniper rifle that looked like something Barrett engineers would make on a drunken dare.

It looked like it started out as a normal anti-materiel rifle, but, like the rest of the Fifth's weapons, it was increased in size and power. The barrel alone had been lengthened until the gun was longer than its user was tall.

"I should be finding my team," Ranma said as she excused herself and walked around the crowd of special forces busily talking with the rest of the brood.

"She seems... " Brummet looked at Misako trying to gauge her reaction. "... in charge."

Misako chuckled. "Oh?"

"There were seven of you in the attack. Captain Jarvis was up here playing human. Your sniper was God-knows-how-far-out giving cover. Of the seven there, I recognize all your weapons. Now only two types of people just use sidearms. Officers not in the fight, and those that don't need 'em."

Lily nodded. "Given how she fought, and the way you defer to her. She's both, right?"

"Clever, clever humans. Shouldn't you be scared that we can eat you?"

"Nah, people don't give neat presentations and refreshments for their food." Brummet shrugged. "Besides, seeing these weapons makes up for it."

Misako looked at Brummet's eyes to make sure his lustful gaze was at her gun and not Morgan's. "Shouldn't you at least be looking for your demon instructor?"

Lily let out a slow sigh. "You're her, aren't you?"

Misako smiled. "The two of you being together just made my job too easy. So where's Giddings?"

"Cordell?" Lilly looked around. "Oh he's over there with Tahnee."

"So, how long have you been with WIC?" Lily eventually asked as they walked to the other side of the small crowd.

"Few months," Misako said as she got her own beverage and eyed one of the steaks that had just been tossed onto a grill. "Before that I was part of an 'evil' brood," Lily saw the demon roll her eyes, "and before that I was in the Assembly of Man."

"Assembly?"

"Bunch of losers that pretend they're knights and priests and fight demons. They thought that just because they had some powers they could take on WIC and us," Misako laughed to herself.

"They didn't like WIC working with demons." Lily slowly noted. Demons being real was a bit more believable than one of the most bland defense contractors actually being a premiere Private Military Corporation. In retrospect, it made sense. The best cover for a spy was someone too dumb to be a spy. "What happened to them?"

Misako raised her arm and swept it over the destruction that surrounded them.

"You're holding our orientation at an enemy base. An enemy base in our country that you wiped out."

Nodding Misako gave another little laugh. "And people say WIC doesn't have a sense of humor."

Olsen stopped. "And you were a part of this group of pretend knights and priests?"

Misako nodded before ducking aside to drag Corporal Cordell Giddings over to them. "Good, that's all three then."

Cordell's eyes widened at the demon's face but then took on a measured cast and eventually narrowed. "Oh, man I'm starting to wish I had flunked that psyche exam."

"I thought we were the failures," Olsen said. "I mean, it's like they picked the most unstable, amoral, anti-social, and just plain weird batch of JTF 2." Almost all of the of female soldiers in JTF2 were picked, constituting ten percent of the new unit. Women infantry, especially woman Special Operations personnel tended to be a bit ... strange.

Cordell looked at the burned out mountain top and shattered tunnel entrance and gave a slight cough.

"In other words we were selected for being the least religious, the least attached to family, the unmarried, and those that have half a chance of accepting a world with demons and other freaky monsters."

"It's a good thing our military's not lacking oddballs then," Cordell noted. "So what did all this? I'm guessing there was artillery and something with sub-munitions dropped. Unless these... Assembly right? Unless these assembly were so stupid to put a minefield over their own line of retreat."

Misako tapped her chin. "Well, they are that dumb."

"Okay, blew the tunnel then? That concrete's pretty chewed up."

Misako simply smiled.

Olsen paused and recalled how the crowd parted for a certain demon, unconsciously "That Ranma Saotome lady."

Misako shifted the hand she was holding Sasha with. "Not by herself. Good eye, Cord. WIC opened the door with an MRLS strike. The AOM was staging their own attack and was caught off guard. Over a dozen vehicles and a hundred troops were killed right then."

She inhaled and closed her eyes as if savoring the memory of a pleasant meal. Disquieted, Olsen was certain that was exactly what she was doing.

"That killed half of them, everyone outside. Then WIC encircled the base and kept them bottled up. Sharpshooters picked off those that tried to escape," Misako said as they walked among the burnt-out wrecks.

"Then Ranma blew open the door and you girls went into the base to finish them off," Lily surmised.

Misako gave a frown and shook her head. "And you were doing so well," she said, disappointment dripping off her words. "No, we stayed out and intercepted anyone that got past Mother."

"One demon. One demon went into a bunker complex and killed a hundred people?" Cordell asked.

"Wait? That redhead's your mother? Wow, you girls age great," Olsen added.

Misako paused, appearing to think things over. "Well yeah, but no. We're about same age."

"That's related to how you used to work for a... religious demon hunting group, but are obviously a demon?" Lily proposed.

"I'm a demon now," Misako stated.

"And that evil brood, that's different from the current thing you have, with Ranma," Olsen added.

"Fine, yes I was human," Misako sighed. "It's not a big deal."

"So people can be turned to demons; like vampires?" Lily asked.

"Not like vampires!" Misako's eyes flashed. "Vampires are pitiful spirits that reanimate their old bodies. Little more than fancy flesh-golems that figured out how to build more of each other."

"So, vampires are real too." Olsen sighed. "Why don't you like them? They taste bad?"

Misako ignored the joking tone. "Yeah, they're a waste of perfectly good meat."

"Perfectly good meat... humans?" Cordell started to wish that he had pretended he was a bit more normal during that exam.

"You saw the videos," Misako sniffed.

"I thought that was demons in general, not like- you guys specifically."

"If it makes you feel better, Pattern D's taste way better than humans." Misako rolled her eyes.

Cordell stared at the demon.

"And, Ranma's your mother, in charge of the brood?" Lily asked. "So, WIC hires a group of demons and starts giving you armor and special weapons."

"Sounds like a good deal. You get food, money, and great toys." Olsen's eyes went to Sasha again. "How do we sign up?" he asked with a bit of a smirk.

Misako raised an eyebrow. "Don't disappoint in battle. Do that and Mother may make you a deal."

Olsen paused, both at the insult to his combat ability and by the apparent seriousness of Misako's statement. "That's what happened with Capitan Jarvis?"

Misako gave a slight nod.

"I guess... I mean if you can look great and use giant guns. I mean that'd appeal to a certain type of woman," Lily slowly allowed as they looped back around and returned to the... party. She saw everyone in the new platoon had split off with their demonic... instructors.

Chuckling, Misako shook her head as they walked. "It has a certain appeal, yes. WIC's smart too. They took in mother when she was alone and unsure. They did the one thing no one else did."

"Being?" Cordell asked.

"They didn't try to screw her. They played it straight, earned her respect and built up trust. Ruthless, clever bastards." Misako smiled smugly.

"And now her brood's the jewel in WIC's little demonstration," Lily noted.

"What about you?" Misako's gaze went between the three soldiers. "Can you handle this? Answer honestly, though I'm not sure what'll happen to you if you quit after hearing all this," she added, with a toothy grin.

Cordell was the first of the group to reply to the sudden question. "Well, we've got no idea what we're up against, but that's what the training is for. Someone obviously thinks we should be doing this, otherwise we wouldn't be here."

"Or we could be sacrificial lambs, setup to show that even the best our military has to offer just isn't good enough," Lily cautioned.

"Good." Olsen's grin threatened to split open his face. "Fighting monsters? That's pretty damn scary, but spite? I can get behind that; I'm all for proving someone wrong. We'll do it, and we'll pass your training."

Misako smirked. "Good enough."

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Her HSMG across her lap, Morrison leaned onto an oak at the periphery of the clearing. As she told her story, she looked at the troops that had somewhat reluctantly sat down facing her. "And then I was wounded in an ambush and turned, since then I've been training on how to use this new body. Questions?"

"There's actually a program to turn guys into female demons?" Sergeant Billy MacDowell asked.

"It was this or die," Morrison reminded.

"It doesn't sound that reliable... in execution. You only get 'saved' if you get wounded and are dying and a... friendly demon finds you before you die," Willkie Bishop clarified.

Morrison gave a slight nod. "That's why there's just two of us."

"That sucks," Corporal Jon Jones said, finally speaking up. "I'm just glad you're normal. Some of the rest are pretty..."

"Intimidating?" Morrison asked with a raised eyebrow, once she got over the bemusement of being called normal.

"Yeah, that redhead and the blonde of-" MacDowell froze, remembering who had turned Morrison.

"Yes, Mother can be quite scary."

"Ah," MacDowell looked at Morrison's gun. "So, what's the story with that gun?"

"Willard Munitions 17S. WIC custom Heavy Sub-Machine Gun. It fires a 17 by 65 mm cartridge developed specifically for this project. Staggered bullets in a horizontal magazine with a forty round capacity. It weighs nearly twenty kilograms loaded," She said handing the weapon to MacDowell.

The special forces trooper grunted a bit. "Damn, why don't you just use a fifty cal machine gun?"

"It was too long."

MacDowell looked down at the gun he was holding and then back up at Morrison. She did have a point, weight aside, it was a compact weapon. "Still... isn't this overkill?"

"Sounds pretty good to me," Bishop said.

"It's too heavy," MacDowell frowned at the gun and handed it to Bishop.

"And the kick is something else," Morrison said a bit of concern forming. As long as she could keep them talking; they'd at least start working through this.

"I can imagine. What're we going to use," Bishop asked.

"Depends, the 9 x 19mm of your MP5's is passable for some uses. As you know it's compact, good for inside buildings. Give the ammunition the right loads and you can do some real damage."

"A lot of what we're doing is counter-terrorism?" Bishop asked.

"Pretty-much. Most combat is fairly low intensity. Most NH's don't want anything to get too public. Their primary safety lies in anonymity."

"So, it's like spies and terrorists with them?"

"Yeah just like spies, but with fangs, regeneration, super strength and a taste for human flesh," MacDowell's grin died when he turned to Morrison.

Who simply laughed. "Ain't it the truth. Course, I don't know what human tastes like," she warmly said. It was good that they were starting to make jokes.

"Really? So you don't eat people?"

"I've only had one combat mission as a demon," Morrison shrugged before taking her gun back.

"Ah, so we got the green demon," Bishop stated, noting the color of her hair.

Morrison frowned. There were jokes and then there were bad jokes. "Now your C8 rifle has similar stopping problems. The old debate between 5.56 and 7.62 mm is pretty settled for NH combat. Stopping power is what counts."

"I get it, these things won't go down as easy as a person," Jones said.

Morrison nodded. "Larger bullets also allow for specialized payloads."

"What like hollow-points filled with holy water capsules?"

"Holy water is an unreliable agent."

"Really? What does work then?" Bishop asked.

"Depends on the Pattern. Certain types of iron work well. Part of why this thing is steel." Morrison said patting her gun.

"I thought it was to keep a 17 mm shell from blowing up the chamber," Jones noted.

"That too," Morrison nodded. "Silver affects some, particularly Pattern L, lycanthropes. White oak is good, if properly treated. There's also a few more esoteric metals and some caustic chemicals."

Bishop eyed the barrel to Morrison's gun. "With bullets like that you could have a whole sampler pack."

Morrison chuckled and peeled a bullet off of one of her extra magazines and tossed it at Bishop. "There's your party pack. Even if the NH isn't weak to that mix there's still plenty of trauma and shrapnel."

Bishop inspected the shell; it was the same rough dimensions as a 12 gauge shotgun shell, but with a pointed aerodynamic slug. "Must be nice to have all this special equipment."

"That load's actually a downsize of an existing round. In 20 mm grenade."

Jones raised an eyebrow. "None of you carried that. Closest was that sniper rifle, but that was 25 mm."

Misako smirked. "That's because the 20 mm grenade is a human weapon. The Heavy armament Optional Gun or HOG is the main weapon for a WIC trooper. It's two guns in one. The lower assembly is a 7.62 mm carbine and there's an upper attachment with 20 mm grenade."

Bishop raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like the Objective Individual Combat Weapon boondoggle you Yanks tried a few years back, and the South Koreans are workin' on now.."

Morrison gave a sympathetic nod. "With an even heavier rifle round for the under barrel. We called it a Hog for a reason. The gun was a total pig. They made it as light as possible but..."

"It was still carrying two guns," MacDowell laughed. "So that's what it takes for that weapon to be practical. Inhuman monsters."

"Yup, it's a good gun. That extra firepower is real handy."

"What about missiles and rockets?" Jones asked.

"You all know the problems of launching inside a structure, that depends on the weapon. In close quarters you have to watch out for who's behind you, but it's really nice to be able to shoot a Pattern D out of the sky, or blow apart some Pattern G's, ghouls, while they're still far off." Morrison rubbed her chin.

"Those are pretty standard. Sometimes we tweak the warhead a bit, but most of the time they're fine as is. Your existing training should be good for a lot of that. You'll have to learn some new tactics and targeting," the demon evaluated.

"How will we know someone's a target?" MacDowell coughed when his comrades looked at him. "I mean when they're not being belligerent. How do we tell the non-humans from the humans? Heck how do we tell the friendly non-humans from the ones that want to eat our brains?"

"That's ghouls. Most demons prefer the liver, followed by the heart and the rest of the muscles. Marrow's good too, but hard to get. Of course the energy from the body is a major source of sustenance but that is taken at the moment of death.

"A hungry succubus can render a body down to bone splinters and entrails in under half an hour. A brood can do it in minutes."

"Sounds like something we'll be learning," Bishop noted.

"Yes, you probably won't be exposed to the more... visceral knowledge of it. You raise a good point. Our Pattern scanners are reliable at detecting most NH's. That's what should worry you most. That's why learning how to watch people and how they act is important too."

"Yeah, like if a vampire hires some human goons," MacDowell said.

"Exactly!" Morrison nodded. "And when dealing with mixed NH's it can be a real pain to sort out the friendly from unfriendly. We have some restraining equipment that can help. It also helps to look at the local registry. That'll give you an idea if there should be any friendly NH's about."

"Registry?"

"Yes, WIC keeps tabs on the non-belligerent NH's in our operational areas. Most NH's are just trying to live out their lives, keeping their heads down and staying out of trouble. These are species that remember when mobs with torches would come hunting for them."

"And some get hired by the Company?" Bishop asked.

"It's honest work. Especially if you have certain... dietary needs."

MacDowell inhaled. "Yeah about that, you're a succubus now. So... sex means..."

"Yes, we can feed during sex. That's why we look like this." Morrison chuckled.

"Ah, and the gender stuff..."

Morrison sighed. "I was male, but it was this or going home in a box."

"Tough choice," Bishop muttered.

"Still, can't go home again," Jones noted. "Your family would notice another daughter, I'd bet."

"Yeah, that's the hard part, but I have a new family now."

"That's kinda creepy," Bishop stated.

"I am a demon," Morrison dryly stated.

"Sorry, sorry. So... brood thing. Sounds good for teamwork. You girls really worked well out in the field." Jones looked at the perplexed expression on the demon's face. "Is that just the training or, uh, can you read minds?"

Morrison raised an eyebrow.

"Like they'd tell the truth if they could. I'd keep that ability secret," Bishop said.

"No, we don't do that. We're really good at reading body language and smelling pheromones. But that's a real good point. It's a bitch fighting someone that can read your mind."

"What do you do? In that case they'd know what you were planning to do before you do it," Jones said.

"Best way is to stay out of range and kill them at a distance, or rush in and box them, so it doesn't matter that they know what you're thinking. What's worse is teleportation."

"That can happen?"

Morrison nodded. "Yes, some Patterns can teleport from location to location, others can simply pass through matter. Less tangible ones can do that. The rules of teleportation differ. Some are limited by range others are limited by frequency, but either way..."

"It's a major advantage for the enemy to have." Bishop blinked.

"Yes it is, that's why WIC spent decades developing technology to jam teleportation and honing tactics to fight enemies that can do it. The biggest problem is that without jamming there are no safe zones, as the enemy could show up anywhere and bypass any defenses."

"Nasty ambushes then. Also a lot of tactical material and personnel targeting. Strategic too," MacDowell said.

"And you don't want an NH to suddenly pop up next to you." Morrison summoned the claws on her left hand and flexed the glowing blades that appeared along her fingers and extended past them several inches.

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"Not to be rude but... how old are you?" Master Corporal George John Pattison asked the short demoness.

Nabiki smirked. "That's a loaded question."

"This is why you English have such poor luck with women." Corporal Richard Bonhomme smirked.

"Then you must be a poor example of Quebequois romance," Private Sherrise Tahnee said laughing at Bonhomme.

Nabiki looked down at her watch. "So, you were recently transferred into the same unit?"

"It's that obvious?" Bonhomme asked.

"At least you don't seem to be too nervous."

"Oh please, arguing with each other is a way to diffuse the tension," Tahnee noted.

"You are half our age and can easily kill us." Pattison noted.

"And that's why you should always carry a gun," Nabiki dryly remarked.

"You weren't using yours." Bonhomme's eyes went down to the knives on Nabiki's hips.

"These?" Nabiki drew one of her knives and flipped out the foot long blade locking it in place. "Sixty centimeter reach, sharper than a razor, and when filled with demonic power can block energy blades and other insanity," she flatly recited from memory.

"Those aren't knives, they're short swords. That can fold" Tahnee added. "Better in close quarters then?

Nabiki nodded.

"And what are the blades made out of?" Bonhomme reached his hand out slightly, but then thought better. Trying to grab someone else's blade was not the wisest of moves. "The handles are... dense grain... nice glow... Cocobolo? That's used for fancy gun grips."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "Right on the handles; no one else has guessed that. The blades are Dantite. The pair was built by Master Oskar Nishina and Major Nodoka Saotome PHD."

"Dantite?"

"Common name for a type of rare metal. It's very good at channeling energy. It's toxic to humans. Especially when inhaled or exposed to blood," Nabiki explained with a cute smile as she closed the knife and slid it back into its holster.

"What's it going to do to us?" Richard asked.

Nabiki smirked. "Don't touch the blades and you'll be fine, and it'll only drive you insane if you try to channel energy through them."

"Sounds dangerous."

"It doesn't hurt my kind, and grandma and Master Nishina used glove boxes to make them." Nabiki shrugged.

"Wait... Major Saotome, she designed the other weapons too, and she's your grandmother?" Tahnee raised an eyebrow. "How long has WIC been planning this?"

"They are certainly well equipped," Bonhomme smoothly stated.

"Grandma was also behind our battle armor's design too," Nabiki gave an evil smile and went with it. "She's been a part of this project as long as mother's –well- been our mother, of course she's been training us since day one."

"And Willard?"

"Mother has their full support."

"See. That's what's wrong with our country. The Americans spend good money breeding demons, and what do we do? Try to bring back the green-eyed ferret. Merde." Bonhomme sighed.

Nabiki chuckled. "Canadians are known for their insanity too. Besides, Grandma and Mother are Japanese."

"So WIC really is some globe-spanning mercenary organization fighting creepy monsters?" Pattison asked.

"Sure."

"Just like all those movies and comics where secret agencies do just that. Ones that also just happen to have small teams of supernatural beings that also fight to protect humanity."

"I can think of worse marketing ideas," Nabiki noted as she frowned at one of her fingernails.

"You're saying WIC is behind a lot of the supernatural paranoia media out there?" Tahnee asked. "Conspiracies don't work that big."

"We would know; we've been part of enough," Pattison nodded.

"You don't need a conspiracy. There's a reason human myths have all these monsters. WIC just kept the ball rolling. Where do you think pulp horror got a lot of their ideas? Once this stuff is in the popular consciousness WIC had to do even less."

"I'm sure a swimsuit calendar would be a great way to raise funds," Bonhomme noted in a carefully neutral voice.

Nabiki raised an eyebrow.

"Just leak the right events? And assume people will read the subculture zeitgeist right? Huh... that's not a bad plan," Pattison admitted.

"It's also good cover whenever something unexpectedly leaks out." Nabiki smiled.

"Like how all those TV shows with US Air Force and Feds dealing with aliens coverup real alien encounters," Tahnee noted.

Pattison and Bonhomme looked at her.

"Oh come on. Aliens are real. Right there." Tahnee pointed to Nabiki.

"That's a demon, Private " Pattison stated slowly.

"No, being from another world: alien,"

"I guess Hell counts," Pattison admitted.

"She's right, we are from another place, but it's not Hell. It's the Succubus Homeplane. From what I've read it sounds like a great place, kinda like here."

"The mangled earth of a battlefield that turned into a complete rout and slaughter?" Pattison asked.

"I meant the forest and trees."

"The succubus home world looks like Ontario?" Tahnee asked slowly drawing out each word.

"A bit, there's more trees, more mountains. There's a lot more wilderness, and some really big lakes."

"So it's like planet Canada?"

"You haven't been there yourself?" Pattison asked.

Nabiki shook her head. "Born right here on Earth, mother and grandma too."

"So demons are... just another immigrant group?" Bonhomme asked.

"Well we're more violent, sexual, and aggressive."

"Eh, Quebequois then," Pattison said.

"Jealous," Richard smirked

"You were reading about this place?" Tahnee asked.

"Yes, our great grandmother sent us some books and a few other gifts when she visited."

"Like Dantite demon metal?"

"Good, perceptive." Nabiki allowed.

"And you're still in contact with your ancestors in the old-country," Pattison noted. "I'm betting demons don't have to deal with old age."

Nabiki smirked.

"So what is WIC doing about that? Or are they chummy with elder demons too?"

"BlackSky found WIC to be rather impressive," Nabiki noted.

"Well, that's a nice feather for their hat," Pattison noted.

"The Company is feeling confident enough to show this project off," Tahnee said waving to the surroundings.

"It does show they know how to handle demons and the like," Bonhomme agreed.

"The Company is a business, so this must be good for business," Pattison said looking critically at Nabiki.

"So it's not a coincidence that our official reveal is at the same event as your induction?" Nabiki asked.

"I don't think you guys are that sloppy," Tahnee noted. "No, this is just WIC showing that they've still got something we don't."

Nabiki shrugged.

"There is plenty of money to be made training and equipping the military," Pattison said.

"This is also a chance for you to prove you can handle this," Nabiki idly noted.

Pattison raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, a challenge," Bonhomme smiled.

"Great, why don't you get into an argument over who can make the biggest fireball," Tahnee sighed.

"Pyrokinetic?" Nabiki asked.

"Demolitions," Bonhomme stated.

"So you set bombs to kill unsuspecting people allowing the rest of your team to pick off the disoriented survivors."

"It's not our fault someone thought a fight was going to be fair."

Nabiki smiled "Good. So you are professionals. Remember that, NH's don't play fair, and if you try to fight by their rules you'll get eaten."

"So all the Non-humans eat people? Why?" Tahnee blinked.

"Well, some that don't need to eat don't. Really, it's because you guys are so plentiful, and have all sorts of good nutrients, muscle, energy, blood, souls. Very handy food source."

"What about other NH's? Or do they not have souls?"

Nabiki rubbed her chin. "Well some are just animated corpses, not very much energy there and the meat can be quite spoiled. Other species are edible enough but bland, and then there's the really tasty ones."

"Oh?" Bonhomme asked

Nabiki gave a wide smile. "Succubae are great. Amazing flavor and great nutrients and energy."

"But humans are the main food source." Pattison set his jaw in thought.

Her grin shifting to a more subdued expression, Nabiki gave a slight nod.

"And that's because we're more 'common' right? I guess eating your own kind is some kind of rare treat."

"Caliss," Bonhomme swore. "If you're gonna eat us at least _enjoy_ it! Nom de dieu de bordel de merde!"

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "In the name of the god of the brothel of shit? That does sound something an angel'd worship."

"That's the literal translation. It's really just 'Goddamn fucking shit almighty!'" Bonhomme blinked. "Wait? Angels?"

Tahnee gave a slow wave at Nabiki. "Demons are real, why not angels?"

"As you've proved, demons are less corrupting spawn from Hell and more aliens," Pattison reminded. "And what's the big deal Rich? If demons can be nice despite their reputation, why not angels?"

"Because demons make _sense_!" Bonhomme hissed. He paused and regained his composure. "They can manipulate our emotions, are stronger than us, live a lot longer, eat us, oh and they can turn us into more of them. So, it's perfectly logical that humans would make those myths around demons.

"Demons are corrupting, tormenting monsters. That's a perfectly normal reaction to a predator. What the hell are angels? Benevolent all powerful creatures that help humanity? In this world?"

"So they're only a more better camouflaged predator then?" Nabiki idly asked.

"Well are they?" Bonhomme asked. "You're the supernatural expert. Is there a species with feathery wings that cons humans into thinking they're here to save us?"

"At least a demon's honest," Tahnee agreed.

Nabiki chuckled and wondered exactly what test WIC had that measured skeptical cynicism so well.

"Honest to their true nature," Tahnee clarified. "Bonhomme's right. Angels sound way too good to be true."

"To the point, are there angels? And if so how dangerous are they?" Patterson asked.

"Planning a war on Heaven?" Bonhomme smirked. "Now there's a challenge worthy of our nation."

"We're already in a shadow war with demons. Isn't that WIC's stance?"

"Johan Willard's motivations when he founded WIC were simple. His family, his whole hometown was wiped out by monsters. Succubae understand vendetta."

"Is that why you fight on... our side?" Tahnee tried to hide her pause.

"Mother watched the various factions; she learned the history." Nabiki ran a hand over her blade.

Bonhomme smiled. "She went with the winner?"

The demon tilted her head. "She realized _why_ WIC, why humanity, will win. There's a reason why we're such powerful fighters."

"You're using our technology, our tactics, our support."

"Humans are weak, because of this you learned that 'fighting fair' was a loser's game. One fit only for the complacent, for those that wish to stay weak, and for that foolishly think they're still strong." Nabiki flexed her hands.

"So, your mother sided with the humans that chose to fight?" Pattison raised an eyebrow

"That's what you all did. You know how the world works. This is just yet another ugly secret war."

"At least we get another batch of cool weapons," Bonhomme said, dryly.

"So are angels real?" Pattison asked. "You didn't answer us."

Nabiki frowned. "There's been... reports. Occasionally something will pop up that sounds angelic."

"But that doesn't mean they're working for God." Tahnee paused. "Or even a species. The angelic look could just be a disguise."

"At least one of the 'angelic' sightings did turn out to be a Pattern V with a dark sense of humor."

"So, you don't know what they are, how dangerous they are, or if they're even real," Bonhomme frowned.

"Not all NH's are as clear cut as the succubae," Nabiki smiled.

"Isn't your species split between those that want to exterminate, forcefully feed on, peacefully feed on, work with, or ignore humanity?" Bonhomme rhetorically asked. The videos seemed to make that fairly clear.

"Yeah, pretty straightforward."

"I guess your motivations are clear," Pattison allowed.

"Makes me wish we were back in the Commando Olympics," Bonhomme sighed.

"Ah, Afghanistan, plenty of bullets and bad guys," Tahnee smirked.

"You just liked showing them what a woman with a gun could do."

"And you liked blowing them up."

"The boys on the M77 did most of the work." Bonhomme gave a Gallic shrug. Artillery was nice, but it often lacked the personal touch of something hand-placed.

"You guys aren't going to lack targets, but they won't all be assaults," Nabiki cautioned.

Tahnee sighed. "Peacekeeping?" she asked with exasperation.

"Worse," Nabiki smiled, once again showing her teeth. "Immigration."

"How does that work? I mean NH's don't exactly come from 'official' countries." Pattison said.

"That makes it simpler. The standard procedure involves registration and surveillance. Make sure there's not a rash of missing persons or the like."

"And if there is, the law enforcement side is much simpler?" Bonhomme asked. "Sounds fair, the innocent would have nothing to hide," he chuckled.

"Of course, you guys being 'official' may have more regulations to deal with. You don't have quite the plausible deniability that we do."

"Yes, independent contractors hired by a consulting company working for the government," Tahnee noted.

"Still the work will vary. The fights will vary too."

"Swarms of minions versus one or two powerful guys?" Tahnee asked.

"And any combination of them. Mother fought a brood that had a few dozen minions, one demon in charge, and the rest of us."

"Us?" Pattison asked.

"It happens. Mother rescued us from Mother Alexia, after she ate her," Nabiki quietly said. It was hard to believe that, aside from her and Akane and Misako, everyone else was dead. There were just so many, but it looked like Mother got them all.

"I'm guessing the ways to kill NH's vary too."

"Broadly speaking, no" Nabiki shrugged. "Just about anything will die if you destroy the brain. Failing that, dismember it and burn it."

"But there are more... elegant solutions?" Pattison asked.

"Not really, some chemicals are more effective on certain NH's, and of course the regeneration abilities vary between the species. When in doubt do as much damage as you can," Nabiki said her mood brightening.

"A woman after my own heart," Bonhomme said.

"Learn all you can from us, keep your eyes open, don't hesitate," Nabiki advised.

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Jacob opened the lid and rotated some of the excessively thick steaks. "You see, most people confuse grilling with barbecue. The difference is time and temperature." He looked over to a grill where Lieutenant Tendo was cooking some hamburgers and sausages. "Barbecue is much slower and a bit cooler. More work but it's worth it," he explained as he picked up a small container of spices and sprinkled them onto the slabs of beef.

"Not that there's anything wrong with grilling. Often it's the best way for a lot of meat," he closed the grill and looked up. "Oh, hello Miss Saotome. I was just talking with our guests."

Lieutenant Hanna Hill looked from the older man to the redhead. "It drifted off on a tangent though." She looked over to see the demons group a few feet away at a table where the cooked meat had been placed.

"Jacob will do that," Ranma said before taking a bite out of the hamburger in her hand. "So... how much longer?" she asked happily sniffing the smoke coming out of Jacob's grill.

Jacob grinned. "Not long."

"Good." Ranma's eyes went over the officers with Jacob before returning to her group.

"Intense," Major Wellwood Ellis Sifton noted.

"At least you maintained your composure," Jacob stated. "Though you'll need more than a poker face to deal with demons."

"They really can smell us?" Hanna asked.

"Yes, it's very well developed." Jacob opened a small ceramic container and stirred his sauce glaze. "Now I'm sure you've figured out why you're talking with me and not one of the 5th."

"There are more than twenty-seven of us," Hanna said.

"And we will have more people under our command than even Major Jarvis," Sifton added.

"Jarvis' experience would have come close, that's why she's got your squad leaders, but you have a point. You and your auxiliary staff will have to learn the support, logistics, and command details of NH operations."

"And equipment which your organization can provide," Hanna noted.

"Yes," Jacob said, glancing at his watch. He still had a few more minutes before he could put on the finishing sauce.

"You're taking this rather well," Sifton noted, he looked out to the ravaged building at the summit of the charred hill. "You need us. What's... going on?"

"You think this isn't the status quo for us?" Jacob said with a ghost of a smile. "Perhaps."

"I think he's... happy," Hanna stated.

"I am cooking." After opening the lid he flipped the meat and started brushing the meat and ribs. "The D program and the 5th are doing well, too."

"Why is it the Fifth Non Human Task Force?"

"Why are you the Second Joint Task Force?" Jacob idly asked, closing the grill.

Sifton put his fingers to the bridge of his nose.

"Well, there never was a Joint Task Force One. We got the 'two' to add an air of mystery." Hanna sighed.

"My condolences. For the Company, this is the Fifth such unit, and two of the previous ones are still active."

"You have other Non-human teams?"

"Of course," Jacob mildly said. "But I wouldn't discount the psychological effects of your unit name. That's important."

"So what are the key organizational differences?" Hanna asked.

"It tends to be more of a counter-terrorism role. Most of your operations will be within Canadian territory and short in duration," Jacob explained.

"At least resupply will be easier," Sifton noted. "Though civilians will be a big problem."

"Secrecy's another concern," Jacob nodded.

Chewing her lip, Hanna looked around. "The steaks are almost done, right?"

Jacob raised an eyebrow.

"Well, the demons are back, all of them."

"They like meat." Jacob shrugged before stepping over to get a platter.

"Can you be a bit more specific?" Hanna asked.

"The only change to draw them is that the meat's being cooked. They didn't need to wait if they wanted raw," Sifton said in a carefully even voice.

"Just because you're a cannibal doesn't mean you can't appreciate good food," Jacob said as he started removing the steaks and ribs.

"What... kind of... meat is that?" Hanna reluctantly asked.

"Are you prepared for me to answer?"

Hanna blinked. "Well it's not like I've eaten any of it."

"Those steaks are too thick to be human," Sifton snorted. "The ribs are the wrong shape too.

Jacob smiled. "Yes, the shape is quite distinctive, and it's not like I'm cooking sausage. Good, fresh meat's difficult to find anyway, even harder to get experience in cooking it."

"A joke?" Hanna raised an eyebrow.

"No, that's the truth," Jacob shrugged.

"It's important to keep the troops happy?" Sifton's voice was strained.

"Morale is vital." Jacob stated.

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Vosem walked up behind Galina. When the older girl did not respond, Vosem coughed politely.

Closing her hand, Galina turned to her subordinate. "Have all the pods checked out?"

Frowning Vosem nodded. "They're checked and ready."

Smirking Shest looked up from her work. "So the little chatterboxes still work?"

Vosem shot the diminutive girl a glare. "No shipping damage."

"Shame we can't do a full test," Shest muttered.

Galina looked over to Arisha with a raised eyebrow. "We'll see." Arisha allowed.

"Any progress on your side?" Galina asked Shest.

Shest pulled up her display. "I've got plenty of data," she bit her lip, "and the results aren't good."

"So their jammers work against us?"

She gave a slight nod. "But the pulse idea does hold promise." Shest coughed. "Testing will be problematic, worse than Vosem's little friends."

"Don't blame those pods on me," Vosem glared. "Besides, they'll do their job."

"The pulse would alert the mercenaries... prematurely," Arisha frowned. "What are the chances of it working?"

Shest shrugged. "I can make the pulse powerful enough, but I don't know what kind of redundancy systems they have."

"If I were them I'd have a backup system powered off and ready to kick in," Arisha noted.

"I can deal with that," Shest assured. "The problem is this won't be subtle. They'll know about it."

"Keep up the work," Galina said, looking over Shest's notes. "See if you can find a less brute-force method."

"We're not a blunt instrument," Arisha noted.

Galina raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of blunt instruments..."

"I've made the calls."

"Got anyone interested?" Galina asked.

"Any Bulgarians?" Vosem chuckled.

"When will Dve'nadtsat, Sem, and Desyat be back from their recon?" Vosem asked.

"They were ordered to keep their distance?" Shest quietly asked.

"Just to look." Arisha reassured. " Zaika's up to something."

"You mean the Princess is actually planning something?" Vosem smirked. "That why you're making the calls?"

"It'll take time to make all the arrangements," Arisha said.

"Good," Galina looked at the girl's frowns. "We need to be prepared. We've been watching the demons and the Company. They're the real problem here, not Zaika."

"I wouldn't discount Zaika's green-haired guardian. I still haven't figured out what power she used to stop Svetlana," Shest stated.

"Magic," Vosem dryly noted.

"Yeah but what kind?" Arisha asked.

"They have power," Galina warned. "But they lack training."

"Meiou is training them," Shest reminded.

"With mixed results." Arisha looked out the window.

Galina went back to looking at her fingers as they flexed. "In general they're getting better, but the magical girls are still keeping their distance from the demons. That makes me suspicious. It's too obvious."

"You think they're pretending to not get along? Make us underestimate their cooperation?" Vosem laughed. " The magical girls aren't that smart."

"Meiou is," Shest said.

"True, but Zaika's a good guy. That means playing fair, not tricking us."

"You really think we can count on her being that dumb?" Arisha raised an eyebrow.

Vosem nodded. "It's a safe bet."

"So? Zaika may be as pure as driven snow, but we know Miss Sunshine and her Fascist Friend aren't," Shest stated as she got up from the couch and pulled a few bottles of juice out of the fridge.

"Unwitting bait?" Galina's eyes sparkled. "So, we're dealing with the kind of minds that'll use people like that?"

"Worthy?" Arisha asked.

"We'll see how the brood responds." Galina took the drink Shest offered her. "I'd be disappointed if they didn't make a good showing, but that would make the payoff that much easier."

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Hearing the sound of a throaty engine, Usagi looked up from her menu and out the window to her left. The blonde smiled a bit as she watched the motorcycle park across the street and the rider pull off her helmet revealing a long mane of crimson tresses.

"You're early," Ranma said with an amused smirk as she sat down across from Usagi. The redhead's nose flared as she took in the scent of the restaurant.

"And you're not surprised," Usagi said with a bit of a sigh.

As she picked up a menu, Ranma raised an eyebrow.

"I guess it was foolish of me to think I could surprise you." Usagi's expression turned to a smile. "It was nice of you to invite me out to lunch."

"I see we have a chaperone," Ranma gave a respectful nod to Setsuna who sat one table over, appearing to read the paper.

"It's not safe; I can't pretend otherwise," Usagi's tone was of reluctant resignation.

"No one can go alone," Ranma agreed.

Usagi looked to her left and could not spot any other agents or demons in the restaurant or outside, but that did not mean they were not there.

Ranma smiled, at least Usagi was trying. "Did I keep you waiting long?"

"Not at all," Usagi blushed a bit. "Setsuna wanted to be sure."

"If it helps, think of this as a working lunch," Ranma said giving Usagi a pat on the hand.

Usagi's reaction was cutoff by a waitress arriving and asking for their drinks. After asking about the specials Ranma turned to her companion. "Have you ever had BBQ ribs?"

The blonde froze, the cooking meat filled the small restaurant with a charred primal scent. Which only compounded the visuals in her head. At the very least, Ranma was eating ribs. Usagi's head quivered.

"We'll have two orders of pork short-ribs then." Ranma watched the waitress leave and almost immediately return with their drinks. "So why are you moving?" she asked after taking a sip of water.

The blonde's eyes went to Setsuna's. "I took your advice. I'm doing something," Usagi's expression hardened. "They think I'm spoiled, that I'm weak. Good."

"You're learning." Ranma chuckled. "Though they're going to know you've moved, and that it's to a better defended place, but you know they'll know that."

The blonde smiled. "I then remembered your plan in the helicopter."

Ranma blinked. Usagi had control over the one thing the Assassins needed. "They'll be expecting something," she cautioned.

"At least it'll be where I'm in charge," Usagi stated.

Ranma leaned forward. "So, how can I help?" she quietly asked.

Usagi coughed at the eyes. "I'll still be going to school. Setsuna said staying in one spot all the time would be too suspicious and they'd probably try something else."

"They'd prefer to take you on the move," Ranma reminded.

Usagi hesitated. "Setsuna's planned for that."

Ranma slowly turned her head to the green-haired woman who just gave a curt nod. Smirking, the redhead blew a kiss and noted to get the details from Setsuna in a more... secure place.

The blonde narrowed her eyes at Setsuna, but quickly blushed when Ranma turned back to face her. "I... I can do this, but..."

Ranma tilted her head and wondered if Usagi's tenuous confidence would become problematic. "But you want some help?"

"I'm not staying on some Company base," the blonde stated her eyes hardening again.

Suppressing her irritation, the redhead looked down at her watch. "Safe house? At least we could integrate defenses," she evenly said.

Usagi turned to Setsuna who gave a slight shrug. "That... depends. I don't want to hurt anyone else."

"I think the Company can handle themselves," Ranma lightly noted.

"Well, so can I," Usagi glared. "I've been doing this longer than you, and I've faced enemies far more powerful."

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "More powerful, but were they more skilled?" she eventually asked.

"I did defeat the woman that destroyed the Silver Millennium."

The holding her tongue at the almost... haughty remark, the demoness paused. It was true. Usagi had defeated the very foe that had destroyed Queen Serenity's Empire. However, in for Silver Millennium's Fall the attack originated from Earth, while Usagi had to face an enemy that had to climb over a strong dimensional barrier. That counted for a lot.

Usagi blinked at Ranma's lack of response. "Anyway, two of them have been killed. You gave us copies of those Vatican files. We know their powers, we know their weaknesses, we know what needs to be done to take them down."

Focusing on her job, Ranma gave a... charitable smile. "That was from a couple kilometers away, and those files... had gaps. It's very different reading what the enemy might do and actually preparing to fight them. How far from you will they be during your little plan?" Her question hung in the air as the waitress came in and served them their ribs with coleslaw and mashed potatoes.

Rapt, Usagi watched as the redhead picked up one of the ribs and neatly tore it off the rack. Ranma bit her teeth into one and quickly stripped the flesh off with an experienced efficiency. She licked the bone clean and then grasping it with her long fingers snapped it in the middle and began to suck out the marrow.

Bone still sticking between her lips, Ranma paused and looked at the staring blonde. The demon bit down, spitting the rib with a sharp crack.

"So how is it," Usagi asked suddenly studying her plate.

"Not as good as Jacob's stuff," Ranma slowly licked a couple fingers. "But, his sauce is more spicy and a dry rub. This is more tangy and obviously," her tongue darted out and cleaned the back of her palm, "a thicker sauce."

Eyes on her plate, Usagi reached out and tore some meat off the bone, splattering some sauce across the table.

"Good?" Ranma playfully asked as Usagi took another bite and started devouring the meat. Once the blonde was down to the bone she bit down on one of the ends.

"Owww!" she whined dropping the rib and holding her jaw.

"Do you really want the marrow?" Ranma asked.

"Well you did it," the blonde pouted.

"I can bite through a femur." The redhead said before trying some of the potatoes.

"It is good." Usagi stared at the mess she had made.

Ranma turned over to see Setsuna's face hidden by her newspaper. "Fine..." she reached out and holding Usagi's bone, slipped it into her mouth, and cracked it down the middle.

Usagi stared at the offering in front of her. "Uh... thanks," she said taking the split bone. Tasting some of the marrow, her eyes widened.

Looking at the blonde, Ranma kept her face neutral. "It's an acquired taste... will you be okay?"

Usagi took a long drink from her glass. "Are you laughing at me?"

Ranma's face broke into a wide grin. "Yeah."

The blonde pouted.

"It's funny."

"I can eat it," Usagi glared as she picked up the bone.

"Better?" Ranma asked as a slightly green-about-the-gills Usagi put down the finished rib.

"Very good," Usagi said starting to pull another rib loose. "So what have you been up to? You missed school a couple days ago."

"Training," Ranma shrugged. "How about you?"

"I'm sure you know." Usagi raised an eyebrow. "We've got that move we're finishing up. So just more training? Nothing special?"

Ranma raised an eyebrow before going back to her ribs. "Hinting that you know something?" she eventually stated.

Usagi sighed before she took a bite of her meat. "I'm trying to be subtle."

"So what did you hear?" Ranma asked while looking over to Setsuna who had put down her newspaper and was sipping at a mug of coffee.

The green-haired woman put down the cup, smiled a bit, and added some sugar.

"So has she told you everything she knew? She's not keeping anything hidden from you?" Ranma asked.

Memories of a long low-ceilinged room full of... tubes and Setsuna standing in the middle looking vaguely ashamed hit Usagi. "Yes, she told me," the blonde slowly said.

Ranma arched a thin crimson eyebrow. "I was talking about what I was up to. Has Puu revealed some dark secret to you? Something personal?"

Usagi turned to Setsuna. The green-haired woman rolled her eyes. "Well... no... it's not about her," Usagi admitted.

"So there is something about her?"

"Yeah, but it makes a lot of sense, she would-" Usagi quickly closed her mouth.

"Learning to keep secrets are we?" Ranma smiled.

Mirroring Ranma's expression, Setsuna smiled to herself.

"I'm trying," Usagi pouted.

"I suppose I should be encouraging this," Ranma shrugged. "So what do you know?"

"You were North of the city, in that base you destroyed. It looked like there were other soldiers there, different soldiers."

Ranma gave a theatrical sigh. "Willard International Consulting is a defense contractor. They're supposed to do business with the military."

"And you're a contractor for them," Usagi stated.

"What I do is legal," Ranma chuckled. "Loopholes are useful things, so are lawyers, and monster-fearing governments."

"Privateers are legal too," Setsuna muttered.

"What's that?" Usagi asked.

"Pirates that have state sponsors, it makes their operations legal... in the eyes of one country."

"That would make you more illegal pirates," Ranma said. "Course I get piracy that makes sense. Magical girls on the other hand..."

"Are you going to mock me?" Usagi glared.

"Nah, don't really care. 'Sides it doesn't even look like you really believe in that nonsense."

Usagi looked down at her meal. "Anyway... so you're training the military here? In what?"

Ranma smirked. "I think you can figure it out."

"Fighting monsters and stuff?"

The redhead nodded.

"Why?"

Ranma rotated her fingers in the "move it along" signal.

"You need more men? There's money to be made? The government's forcing you too?"

"All very good reasons."

"You're not making this easier," Usagi sighed.

"I'm a demon; you've gotta let me have some fun." Ranma coyly leaned forward.

Usagi blushed at the thought of "fun". "Okay... so it was done for a lot of reasons. Do you need the extra people? Are things going to be that bad?"

Ranma shrugged. "It's better to have too many allies than too few."

"So, what is going on?"

The redhead blinked and started to chuckle which built into laughter that almost became maniacal. "So Setsuna didn't tell you everything?" Ranma asked after she regained her composure.

Usagi turned to the older woman. "You said you didn't know!"

Setsuna glared at Ranma.

"You're either incompetent or keeping secrets," Ranma grinned.

"I'll sort that out later," Usagi's voice was firm, despite the redhead's expression.

"Going to punish her?" Ranma asked. "Want to borrow any toys?"

Once again the blonde's imagination caused her cheeks to flush.

"That's the spirit." Ranma picked up another rib. "So, what about this new place of yours? You going to have a housewarming party?"

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Saturn flipped the sharp end of her glaive near the ground. "What do you think these guys are up to Usa?"

The pink-haired girl peered around the apartment. "Black robes, black magic. Standard bad guys. Why don't you ask our friend?" the Sailor Senshi asked, pointing a pink glove at the man whose neck was millimeters below Saturn's blade.

Saturn narrowed her eyes at the prone man. "Are you going to be nice? Or are you scared of a couple of little girls?"

Hood pulled away from his face, the man's bloodshot eyes seemed to bulge from his head. "Monsters!"

Saturn flicked her wrists with a brief sigh.

"Huh, so their bodies disintegrate," Usa noted. "Guess I owe you lunch."

Flicking some blood off her blade, Saturn tilted her head. "Momma and Poppa are taking too long."

"Don't tell me they're having trouble? These guys are a joke."

"Yes, your attacks can kill them," Saturn lightly giggled. She turned and frowned at the kitchen where a pantry door was torn off, exposing a passageway with a set of darkened, descending stairs.

"Go on, help them," Usa insisted.

"But we're supposed to stay up here and watch their backs."

"Then I'll stay up here," Usa said waving the Moon Rod.

Saturn raised an eyebrow at the small sparkly cylinder. Her skepticism was cut off by a large and wet sounding explosion below them. The Senshi of Death and Rebirth gave a curt nod and then ran down the stairs.

Alone Usa walked around the living room of the apartment, and gave the bookcase a passing glance. It seemed to be the standard mix of paranoid tracts and dark magic. Though the self-help and motivational books were a new twist.

She looked up to see a group of men cloaked in hoods, robes and shadows rush into the apartment. They carried meter-long rods of metal covered in glowing runes, and approached to an arc within a few paces of the pink girl.

"Oh, please. You're not scared of me?" She asked in a high-pitched but bored voice. "I'm tiny, an annoyance. You can take me," she assured, her red eyes sparkling. Faces obscured by their hoods the men silently leveled their oversized wands.

Usa took a few steps and eyed back at the stairwell behind her.. "We're going to use magic then?" she asked holding her rod.

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By the time Saturn crossed the flooded basement to get to the room where her parents were, the fighting was all but over. At least she managed to get there in time to use her glaive to help in the finishing move, and release all the captured energy back to the hospitalized victims.

It was then that she heard the high pitched shrieking. In a dark blur Saturn ran out of the basement with Uranus and Neptune at her heels. Bounding up the steps, Saturn could hear several loud thuds and a gurgling squeal. Once she got into the kitchen she stopped, causing the other two Outers to bump into her.

Surrounded by fallen bodies was Sailor Chibi Moon. In her hands was a plain broadsword about her height in length. The pink girl easily held the two-handed sword by a, too large for her, blue-grey hilt with a simple brass guard and an unadorned, but obviously functional from the ichors staining it, pommel.

The blade itself was a steel that only stood out by how much the black liquid contrasted the silver-white metal. Pinning one of the hooded goons to the wall was a long grey scabbard, with a few somewhat ornate brass fittings on the top.

"That wasn't you screaming," Saturn noted.

Switching to a one handed grip, Usa tried to wipe some of the black goo from her skirt. "How come when you kill these things they turn to dust, but I get covered in gunk?" she whined.

"That sword looks familiar," Neptune noted.

"It's Endymion's," Uranus said eyeing the blade.

"About time I got it back," Chibi Moon muttered as she pulled the scabbard out of the wall, and the minion. With a yelp she jumped back to avoid the body, and tripped over one behind her.

Uranus had to keep from chuckling, at least that much was the same, but at least it looked like hanging out with "real" warriors was starting to help the girl.

"You used your father's blade in the future?" Neptune asked as she helped the girl back to her feet.

"Of course," Usa said as she used her back bow's ribbon to clean the blade. "It's not like he was... alive."

"I'm sorry," Hotaru said, giving the girl a hug.

"Least you've got another blade to sharpen," Usa said as she slid the sword into its scabbard. She then flipped it over where a strap formed and pinned it diagonally to her back. The angle allowed it to go from several inches above her head to even with her knees.

"That is too long to keep at your hip," Uranus noted.

"Maybe we can spar, Aunty," Usa offered, her eyes sparkling.

"You seem... happy," Neptune noted.

"She's always bubbly," Uranus shrugged.

"I did get my-" Usa reached up to hold the handle. "- father's sword back. I've had a lot of memories with this thing." Her hand lowered and she sighed.

"From a future that may not happen," Saturn gave her a pat on the shoulder.

Usa sighed.

Neptune pulled a hood off one of the bodies. A vaguely reptilian face peered back at her. In parts the human skin had peeled back to reveal scales and other... changes. "Looks like the thing in the basement."

"So what, pretending to be human?" Uranus asked. "Corrupted?"

Neptune looked back to the dust filled robes that Saturn had made and the dust saturated water of the basement. She turned back to the fresher body and groaned in revulsion. The corpse had started to run and break apart, but the goopy chunks quickly dried and began to crumble.

"That's... not normal," Usa took another step back, this time looking down to make sure she did not trip.

"At least their plan was," Neptune said literally dusting her hands. "Drain a bunch of people, put them in the hospital, and collect the energy."

"But why the delay in their disintegration?" Uranus asked turning to Usa. "Did you use any magic? Or just bash them with a sword?"

Usa looked down, to better hide the ghost of a smile. "With the sword."

"Her magic attacks are weak," Saturn helpfully added.

Uranus looked at the dust-filled cloaks littering the room, then back to her lover. "Yes, I suppose that's what happened. Saturn, be more careful next time, don't leave her alone. Chibi Moon's still... weak in... magic."

"I'm trying to get better," Usa whined.

Uranus raised an eyebrow. "You just took out half a dozen magic lizard-men, kid."

"And without crying," Saturn happily added.

"That's my mother's power," Usa sourly noted.

"She... can hurt enemies by crying?" Uranus asked.

Usa nodded. "Yup, can take out people under basic possession."

"That's so... expected." Neptune flatly ended. "Look, there anything else? I think it's time for us to go?"

Saturn looked out a window. "One of our escorts is pointing to his watch."

"What?" Neptune looked out and saw a pair of... salarymen in bland suits and windbreakers standing in front of a grey van. A pair of crates slowly getting wet in the light rain between them, they were having an animated conversation, one into a cell phone and with his companion who rudely gestured using a hand holding a cigarette. Then Neptune noticed that the non-smoker had his free-hand wrapped around his opposite wrist, just below his watch.

"Guess the police are coming," Saturn said stepping back from the window.

"Why didn't they help?" Uranus asked.

"Do you want the Company to? I think they'd just get in the way." Neptune shrugged.

"It's creepy; they're not even trying to hide," Uranus said as they exited the apartment and started running up the stairs.

"Why would they? They're working with the Inners and Puu," Saturn said as they reached the roof.

"So why aren't they doing anything more than watch?"

"You have to ask for their help," Usa said, after they had jumped to an adjacent roof.

Neptune swiveled on the concrete of the roof and looked down at the younger girl. "And should we? What do you think?"

"Well... Aunty Ranma really likes them, and Mom... she gets their help all the time, but she's too stubborn to say it."

"Usagi... stubborn?"

Usa raised an eyebrow. "She's a romantic with an-all powerful artifact that grants her heart's desire, and she knows she's going to rule the world."

Neptune raised an eyebrow. "I can see what you mean."

Usa gave a nod. "Yeah, that's a problem."

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Akane gave a slight murmur and leaned on her mother, as they lay on the couch.

"Happy now?" Ranma asked, wrapping an arm around Akane.

"I just wanted to spar," Akane yawned.

"Just before bed?" The redhead raised an eyebrow.

"You said we should constantly hone our skills," Akane remarked.

"And I'm sure making Misa-chan jealous wasn't part of it," Nabiki remarked stepping in from the kitchen.

"If that were true I wouldn't have bugged Mom after Misa'd gone to sleep."

Nabiki took a contemplative sip of her drink. "Maybe you're just incompetent at revenge," she said before sitting down on Ranma's opposite side and nestling in.

Akane pouted.

Ranma's chuckle was cut off by a ringing from the leather jacket over her unitard. She answered and her eyes widened. "I see. Arrange transport then."

"Who is it?" Nabiki frowned.

"What happened?" Akane asked.

"It's Jacob. Something happened at Usagi's place, the cameras cut out too. Nabiki, go upstairs. Tell the others to get ready."

Akane frowned.

"Okay, so what surveillance teams are in the area?" Ranma asked as she mentally recalled the layout of the Sailor Senshi's new domicile. It was a light industrial complex that consisted of a short office building attached to a small warehouse. Ranma had gone on a small tour of the place and had seen the surveillance images of it.

The building was set back on its lot, with groomed grass expanses surrounding it. The wards setup around it seemed thorough. It was not... poorly defended, but it looked like Ranma's concerns were warranted.

The rest of the brood came down the stairs in their armor and checking out their weapons. "What's going on?" Genma asked, following the demons down.

"Work." Ranma closed her eyes and in a flash her clothing shifted to her new combat armor. She walked over to Akane and checked out her back armor.

Genma nodded. "Good luck, then."

"Thanks," Ranma, still juggling her phone, gave him a brief hug. "Okay, anyone short of equipment? Ammo?"

"I'm fine." Ukyou checked her HSMG.

"I could use a bit more," Misako said with a grin.

"Right. Jacob, make sure there's some extra 40mm for Misa," she said into the phone.  
There was a knock at the door. Nariko looked out to see the idling vehicle and a pair of agents at the door. She gave a wave and the girls centered onto the door. The brood left and piled into a Company APC.

Still holding her phone, Ranma turned to her sister. "What's the story?"

"Red Team trying to get some long distance recon," Eve said as the vehicle shifted into gear.

"Don't want to tip our hand early," Ranma nodded.

"We could have brought a van and had it pull into your garage," Eve stated.

"Too slow," Ranma said as she hooked up her headset. "You see anything Kas?"

In another vehicle several blocks distant from them, Kasumi picked up the transmission. "The Raven we launched is giving us something," she said, referring to the micro UAV one of her men literally tossed out from the top turret of the vehicle. "There's a lot of interference but it looks like part of the building's on fire.."

"So, it's an attack," Ranma frowned.

"Better to assume that than a house fire," Akane noted.

"We can't get a better picture," Kasumi said over the connection. "We almost lost the bird, and I don't want it any closer."

"Do the same for your vehicle," Eve cautioned.

"We're actually driving away," Lieutenant Tendo said with a light chuckle. "Shit, we lost the Raven." There was a wave of static over the connection followed by an explosion. It's volume muffled by the transmission. "-Attack! We are under attack!" There was a grinding noise and a dull thud. "We have wounded-" Kasumi's voice was cutout by a squeal of static.

"We've lost the signal, unable to reconnect," Maya Iverson's voice, almost reproachfully, said over the channel.

Eve frowned. "Trap."

Ranma nodded and gripped her wrist with her right hand. "Yes, they could have blown up her vehicle instead of wounding it, or they could have jammed her out before the attack."

"Lt. Tendo was three miles away from the Senshi residence. It's a fair diversion," Eve looked and saw the smoldering looks from Akane and Nabiki. At least their anger seemed honed, contained.

"They want to split our force, delay us and upset the rescue mission." Ranma closed her eyes for a second. "Fine. They got their wish," she smiled thinly. "Colonel Edwards. The brood is yours. I only need Nariko."

Over the encrypted link, Jacob gave a thin smile. "Ah, I see our style's finally started to rub off on you. Happy hunting."

"You too." Ranma turned to her sister. "Do I need to explain myself?"

Eve chuckled. More than being the eldest daughter, Nariko was a good choice for a "wingman" "Not at all."

"Good. Find them; kill them," Ranma said.

Feeling a nearly physical pressure from the brood mother's violet eyes, Eve gave a quick nod. "Yes. You'll be out of radio contact. When do you want backup?"

"When you're finished," Ranma stated before going up to the APC's turret. After moving the turret operator to the side, her senses unfolded and she scanned the area. It was some comfort, though the enemy could have defeated that. Behind her, Nariko was checking to make sure her sword and equipment were properly stowed for flight operations.

"Right," Eve said, and the redhead walked over to a rear ramp door, and after opening it a tiny bit, climbed out. Wind whipping the compartment, Nariko followed.

Ukyou sealed the door. "What now then?"

Eve paused briefly. "I believe we have four teams available tonight."

"Immediately," Jacob assured. "More are coming onto alert."

"Good, send them three km west of the second waypoint from last week." Eve said. "Turning off radios now, they won't be reliable as we get in." Eve looked to the brood and the few human agents crammed into the transport. "We have two tasks: Rescue and elimination. Two groups, both with human support.

"Myself, Akane, and Nabiki with Gold Team and Blue Team will get Lt. Tendo and Red Team. Ukyou you take the rest and position them as you see fit."

"They're going to attack you," Ukyou advised.

"Yes, but that gives you the ability to locate them and cover us," Eve explained. "They may still assume we've split our force."

"Unless they broke our encryption in addition to being able to jam us," Nabiki said.

"Then they think we're messing with them." Misako chuckled. "Saying we're sending only two to rescue Usagi and then immediately cutting communications."

"True there's probably more of them at the Senshi's place. They just want to delay us; they want to kill Usagi," Akane growled.

"Meanwhile they expect WIC to secure a perimeter or at least come in with some kind of foothold, do recon to get an idea of what's going on, and then strike with overwhelming force," Misako did a final check on the extra grenades she had picked up and gave her gun an affectionate rub. "At least they're right about the last part."

End Chapter 23

I'd like to thank my pre-readers. They read through my most egregious mistakes so you don't have to. DGC, J St C Patrick, Terra, Pale Wolf, Wray, Kevin Hammel, Ikarus, Jerry Starfire, and Mike Koos. Special thanks to Terra for coming up with the chapter title.


	26. Chapter 24 Reequipped & Repulsed Part 2

The Return

A Ranma - Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Josh Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer:

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.

jtemple./

Temporary Backup Site.

/fic/

Other website Temple of Ranma's Senshi Seifuku

C&C as always is wanted.

Chapter 24 Reequipped and Repulsed Part 2

The remnants of protective wards tickling her extended senses, Ranma glowered. The damage was pretty severe – fires and collapsed walls, including one section where it looked like the building had been cleaved by a giant axe. She could feel several life forms, a handful of pattern Silvers and some others but even with the extra help all she had was a... smeared and fuzzy picture of who was alive. It looked like the enemy could do more than jam radios.

What was clear were a few objects with stronger electromagnetic fields that were placed around the building. They did not match the signal of any consumer good, though there were similar to some of the military hardware she trained against, nor were they on Setsuna's map. Gliding along, near the edge of her sensory range, she frowned. It looked like subtle was out. She made a motion to Nariko who was flying at her wing and the two split up.

Buffeted by high winds and a smattering of rain, Ranma folded in her wings, and rapidly plummeted towards the earth. The gutted cinderblock and glass structure grew rapidly in her field of view. It was isolated and had wide expanses ideal for defense, this cut both ways. Several of the electronic objects to her sides seemed to move. Since stealth was not an option, she decided on something that better suited her straight-forward nature.

Prepositioned above the building, black and violet orbs suddenly raced towards the earth. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw the feed from four of the DarkStar Bursts as each slammed into a different turret gun.

A pair of the auto-guns that had escaped targeting began taking out some of the Bursts. Three orbs homed in on them and the guns fell silent. While this was happening a quartet of orbs dropped into the gash across the building and raced towards a pair of warm bodies.

At the same time, Ranma continued her descent. When she was a hundred feet up and pushing her wings at max decent velocity, the cloak of shadows that concealed her seemed to ripple and boil as brilliant violet flames consumed it to announce her presence. Twin beams of light shot up from the building, attracting orbs to their source. After they hit her flaming aura's hottest point, the leading edge, which was several inches below where she was, the beam wobbled and blinked out when Ranma felt the burst explode. A moment later, the violet streak slammed into the ground.

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Kasumi pulled herself up and looked around the vehicle's interior. Her headset gave a distressing hiss, but more worryingly, they were upside-down and had wounded. She retrieved her weapon and righted herself, slipped on her night vision goggles, and looked out into the darkness. "Status?" she asked Gabriel who seemed to be in fair shape.

"Bruce's gone." Similarly equipped, Gabriel peered out of the windshield, looking past areas of spider-webbed glass, blood and the remnants of Bruce Trenton's jaws and teeth.

Kasumi briefly surveyed the scene. Trenton had been driving and took the brunt of it, next to him was Sophie Addison. Steven Deschain was over her and putting on clotting bandages and other first aid with a blank look; ironically Bruce was their medic. Lt. Tendo noted the chain Sophie's dogtags hung on; it was her decision, but time might take even that away from her.

"She's the worst off..." Gabriel said.

"Right, we'll go to that building, get in and hole up." Kasumi said pointing to a small factory close to where the vehicle had crashed. "Fritz and Steve take Sophie; the rest of us will cover."

Holding back her cries, Sophie was moved and her side door was manhandled open and Kasumi and Gabriel eased out with their weapons raised. It was ten meters to that door, and she doubted that the dark night would give much concealment, even if you added the rain.

Still, it was better than waiting to be killed in the vehicle. When they got to Agent Fritz Lang and the others, the two sprinted to the door which Gabriel broke down.

Kasumi turned around and faced back at the smoldering vehicle while Gabriel cleared what looked like a lobby. She frowned as Lang and Deschain crossed the distance to meet her. The enemy did not care to inflict further damage, for now.

After Sophie was put down on the relative comfort of the carpeted floor, Gabriel eased back over to Kasumi as she scanned the buildings that overlooked their damaged vehicle. "Honey pot?" he whispered.

She gave a curt nod. "I'd say so. The scanners aren't picking anything up, it looks like we're being jammed, and they didn't finish us off."

"They'll attack when backup shows up." Gabriel gestured with his off hand to the roof of a warehouse across the street and then to some of the trucks in a large depot next to it. "And behind the depot is that water tower; pretty good place to put a sniper. There's also the building we're in, and that's just if they'll attack close to this spot." As he spoke raindrops started to splash to the ground.

"Fritz, stay with Sophie and watch our backs." The enemy needed them alive, at least until any backup units were attacked, becoming the next round of bait.

There was the rumbling purr as a pair of armored vehicles in WIC gray raced down the street. Above that was came the whumping noise of helicopter blades. The vehicles started to slow down as they approached the flipped APC, and long silvery streaks flew towards them and exploded. The front of one was lightly damaged and the other hit the brakes hard and swerved.

Kasumi spotted the flashes originating from the warehouse above them and fired a few bursts from the rifle barrel of her HOG, while Gabriel supported with the 20mm grenade barrel. The helicopter's door guns added their fire to the barrage.

The turrets on the two armored personnel carriers opened up with 40mm grenades being marched over the roof, but soon enough there was a sequence of loud explosions and one of the gunners slumped over and was pulled inside.

"That's on our side," Gabriel hissed as he flashed a light at one of the vehicles, before being pulled back from the doorway by Kasumi.

One vehicle pulled to the same side as them and backed up to a small cinderblock wall. The ramp went down and a squad of agents rushed out. There was the familiar steady buzz of a mini-gun and a couple of the men went down but managed to be pulled back to the apparent safety just in the lee-side of the wall.

The helicopter's hull sparked as one of the mini-guns raised its aim. The flying machine twisted and dropped in altitude, its own guns returning fire until it dropped behind a building. From there, it pulled back and seemed to get out of range of the surprising ground weapons.

The enemy guns stopped. A couple of seconds later, Kasumi felt her tension slightly ease.

The more damaged of the two APC's pulled forward, turned and then went straight back into the lobby door, which shattered when the door to the vehicle slammed down. Kasumi gave a slight of sigh relief. It was small consequence that the other agents were pointing guns at her. "The interior's secure, as it stands," Kasumi stated as Akane and Nabiki came out of the vehicle and gave her a reassuring smile before splitting up and checking the adjacent rooms.

"Casualties?" Captain Jarvis asked as she quickly stepped off the ramp, followed by the rest of the agents in the vehicle, save for a couple who, despite the obvious target it would be, were using it as a makeshift pillbox for just a bit longer.

"Addison's bad. Trenton's dead," Kasumi looked past to see that Speirs, the vehicle's original gunner was missing a portion of his skull just under the front him of his helmet.

Eve nodded. "Akane, Smith, Lang, link up with what's left of Blue team. Get casualties back here first. Then you'll form our Southern flank," she said as she walked over to Sophie. Eve knew who had signed on to the D program and could sense the life fading.

Kasumi frowned. They seemed trapped and the Black Hawk sounded like it was pulling back. It probably had been damaged. All in all, things did not bode well. It looked like the trap would only grow, ensnaring more agents.. However, her men were still firing, and it sounded like there was still some life left in Blue Team.

Kneeling over Sophie, Eve turned to Kasumi. "I'm sorry but your ex-girlfriend couldn't make it Lieutenant, she's stuck with her eldest."

Shouldering her gun, Kasumi allowed herself a smile as she eased forward. So, that was that. It was nice to see the brass' priorities. Out of the corner of her eye she caught an explosion of napalm as Akane cleared an alleyway.

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As soon as the first turrets went offline, Galina modulated the jamming signal to alert the Diversionary Team. They had to finish the job. The pain at her side reminded her that these enemies, while outclassed, were not powerless. Right after that, Dve'nadtsat called. It was redundant. Galina could still see and hear the small explosions, reminding her of mortars. She ran to help; she had not seen WIC use that weapon, which meant-

Her thoughts were interrupted by the thunderous crump that the Russian likened to the sound a tank makes when it falls off a bridge. Following that was a bright violet flame front shooting down the hallway. Galina leapt to the side and heat wave quickly washed past her. She ran into what was once a living room, judging by the shattered furniture. Much of the ceiling, and the opposite wall and the room behind it were taken out when Sem took out Zaika's guardian.

That damage was overshadowed by the absent roof, blown back walls and... crater in the floor. Rain pouring in from above fought with the violet tinged flames that smoldered throughout the room. The crater looked as if the concrete had been punched by the fist of an avenging god. Sem had caused similar devastation a couple rooms over during their initial assault.

"Liza, what happened?" Galina asked Lizaveta Dve'nadtsat over their linkage as she edged into the room.

From the other side of the impromptu... courtyard, Dve'nadtsat gave a tight shake of her head. "Don't know, saw the incoming and shot it, then the whole room blew," she said wincing ever so slightly. The damage had cut through her abdomen, but the relevant damage to her chassis was minor.

Galina looked over the crater; it was empty. To her left a pair of purple beams shot out and sliced diagonally along Dve'nadtsat's side. She turned, raising her weapon and fired at a dark grey and violet figure as it closed the distance. Lizaveta dove into the figure, but the demon sidestepped and the beams burned through the armor on her side before the two collided.

Running to intercept, Galina saw the figure launching a black orb at her while lunged towards Dve'nadtsat's side. Galina twisted in midair, the sphere responded, and was then pierced by a glowing blade that flicked out from Galina's wrist.

The intruder had knocked Dve'nadtsat to the ground and after a quick rake of her claws leapt back when Galina rushed her with her blades outstretched. "Ranma, eh?" Galina asked noting the red hair mostly concealed under the demon's helmet.

Eyes going to the slash in the cyborg's side, the demon merely smiled and dodged as Galina thrust forward. The dark-haired Russian dropped down to avoid Ranma's gaze and jabbed a blade to block a set of purple claws.

Jumping back, Galina launched a volley of energy blades as she smirked slightly. The demon dodged most of them, but a couple went past and hit; two on the chest and one in the neck. The chest impacts seemed blunted, but the demon's neck sliced open, satisfactorily.

However, Galina's pleasure was more at Dve'nadtsat 's actions. She had gotten to her feet and shot a pair of beams right at Ranma. Blood gushing out and soaking the armor on her left side, the twin attacks hit Ranma as she raised her hand and a tight column of violet and white flames shot out. Running roughly parallel to Dve'nadtsat 's attack, the two inch wide cylinder of fire hit at the bridge of her nose. Violet flames grew and danced around the demon's form.

Burning skin, the flames failed to penetrate the armor built into her skull; her eyes were another matter. Raising her hands to protect her face, Lizaveta screamed and dropped to the floor.

The bleeding from her neck abating, Ranma jumped back to avoid another barrage of blades from Galina. The demon managed to keep her hand roughly on target and burned off the vast majority of Dve'nadtsat's face, exposing gleaming metal and warped components.

In a blink, Galina had closed the distance and rammed two blades right into the holes Dve'nadtsat, who was still alive if screaming incoherently over their communications channel, had burned through Ranma's chest armor. Similar to mechanical expanding broad-head arrows, four glowing razor-sharp edges scissored out of the knives. Just as fast, Galina twisted her wrists to maximize the damage, withdrew the blades, and used them to block the demon's claws.

Hot, oddly-colored blood and entrails spilled out, much of it getting onto Galina who had to step back when Ranma's tail shot out at the Russian's knee, but the cyborg dodged, causing the tail cut through a massive chuck of the cyborg's thigh. Galina was thankful that her pain receptors were off. Launching another volley, this time from the blades that ran down the length of her legs, Galina roll-jumped to the side to avoid a set of eyebeams and as she came up barely dodged a black sphere that was launched right from the demon. The orb sped past Galina and vanished into the darkness of the hallway.

Just before taking another rush, Galina took note of the sticky visceral substance that covered them both and for the first time the demon's face showed an expression.

A satisfied little smile.

As Ranma's arms came up Galina raised her arms spreading the energy blades that ran down the length of them like feathers and used them to block the... beam of napalm. Galina had faced flamethrowers before, and found them to be troublesome weapons. Their capacity was a weaknesses, which did not seem present here.

A pair of thin purple eye-beams drilled into the wound in her thigh, causing her to jump up and spread the blades that went down her legs. Going to a crouch, the demon kept adjusting her flames to try to bypass Galina's knives.

The cyborg landed on Ranma, toppling her to the floor, and tried to pierce the squirming redhead with her knives. She had cut her several times in when something slammed into her back and embedded shards into her skin and framework, which then exploded. The missing DarkStar Burst had arrived.

Warnings flashing on her heads up display, Galina stabbed forward, embedding a set of blades into the demon's left shoulder and then jumped back to avoid the claws and tail. Rotating in midair she landed in a crouch. With a flick and twist of her forearm, she launched a salvo of blades at the rising redhead. Bleeding heavily from her back, Galina barely noticed as the blood poured down the waist of her bodysuit and dripped onto the floor.

Ranma noted that Galina's expression mirrored her own.

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Desyat blinked as the feed from another turret pod cut out in a group of explosions. Each rounded pod consisted of an actuated turret and sensors. She could only get a few seconds of use before they were destroyed, but that sufficed. The helicopter's continued presence was... vexing. It kept her from going out into the open, and in order to keep it from providing actual support she had to allocate a few pods, which caused them to get picked off quicker than otherwise.

Rain spattering down her back, she charged another few blades and fired them off into the distance. Running to a new position, she received footage from a currently unused pod. The metal shards flew onto an armored hull and exploded.

Giving a slight sigh, Desyat watched their response and dived down as explosions landed where she had been. She had to give these mercenaries credit; they managed to keep their heads about them and were making steady progress, nibbling at the positions she had prepared with Vosem.

"How's your mission?" she asked Vosem over their connection. Their jamming made it untenable over this range, but there were other ways of talking with Galina.

"Swimmingly," Vosem tersely transmitted back, looking down into darkness with her enhanced vision. "I really think you'd love these girls, Des. They like explosives too."

"How many?"

"A few squads of agents, two to four demons."

Desyat gave a slight nod and activated another pod. After firing a burst at a vehicle she pulled the turret up and swiveled the barrel around. She spotted a bit of movement in the distance before losing the signal. The sharp crack she heard later confirmed the weapon, and the reason that helicopter was still in the air. "Adding in their sniper, that means we've tied up a third to a half of the brood." Desyat paused as she and Vosem felt the jamming in the distance spike a couple times.

Vosem sighed. Galina still needed their diversion. "Lovely," She transmitted back as she stepped back to reload her 23 mm shotgun. It was based on the KS-23 "carbine", a roughly four gauge weapon with a variety of rounds available. There were several buckshot rounds for it with fair penetration with a drawback of a ten meter range limit. Instead of a pump, her weapon had a semi-automatic that allowed for a higher rate of fire and used a magazine instead of a tube.

Vosem reloaded and pulled around a corner. The first shot was a Star flashbang, followed by a tear gas grenade. She had hoped the large flash would ruin their night vision; it was certainly hell for human troops using light enhancement. However, neither slowed down the demons much.

The five round burst of shot cartridges that followed did. The taller of the two demons went down, with a regrettable shortage of blood. An inky, shadowlike appendage did arc out from the fallen demon and hit the wall Vosem was hiding behind.

Shattered brick shot across the cyborg, some of the pieces embedding into her flesh and frame. Her partner responded by releasing a spray of tiny shards, some of which cut through the corner of the alleyway and exploded. Vosem dropped a pair of grenades and ran. She went up to an adjacent building and ran through a series of alleys and corridors.

"Vosem?" Desyat asked.

"Got them distracted and pissed off," Vosem noted as she switched to Barricade rounds. Each consisted of a single steel projectile which exchanged damage spread for much greater penetration.

"We can't leave, not yet," Desyat transmitted, answering the unstated question.

"No, but I'm linking up with you. These clever mercs are trying a pincer," Vosem transmitted.

Desyat was prepared to launch another wave of explosives when she felt a taut chill in her gut. One group of mercenaries kept advancing towards those trapped in the warehouse to link up with them.

Launching the blades she watched their progress as they arced up and hit the upright base supports to a water tank. Two explosions sliced through each support. Vertical beams bucking, the tank collapsed and fell across the road. It left a small area to one side that a vehicle could barely pass. She had expected a total roadway blockage, but a choke point was good psychological warfare, too. Perhaps the mercenaries actually had some courage; they certainly had thrown enough men at this "rescue" mission.

_Yes, perhaps, they've decided to go after us._ She thought with a cynical chill. _It's not like they really care about Zaika._ She backed down into the warren of trucks and vehicles that made up the depot.

Dropping to the ground, she caught up with Vosem. Desyat frowned at the rips in her jumpsuit. Meanwhile Vosem just gave a labored glare. "Take out a few more vehicles?"

Desyat nodded with a frown. One group was about to enter an area that still had some functional turrets. Despite the intelligence their turrets offered the mercenaries were frustratingly difficult to count. She knew that a couple squads had linked up to the trapped team. The rest were flowing about, nibbling at the turrets and generally being harassing. She guessed there was a platoon's worth of men out there, not counting however many demons were about.

Cycling though the feeds, Desyat followed her partner. The two silently ran forward down the length of parked container trailers. Suddenly the alleyway they were in burst into a series of familiar explosions. The two dived down and scrambled under a trailer and into the next row.

Desyat looked up, and saw a grinning demon in the distance. Dread welled into the cyborg as the specter aimed her oversized weapon. Firing her shotgun, Vosem jumped up and bounced off one trailer wall and made it to the top of another in a crouch. As the explosions hit, Desyat darted back and launched a single blade which hit near the demon's feet.

Desyat doubled back and then jumped around as gunfire opened up from behind and to the side of her. She looked over and saw a pair of demons going up another alleyway in the depot. They both carried the large bullpup guns. Vosem was hit in the hip and went down in a roll and darted one passageway over.

Above them, Desyat did not see anybody from the grenadier succubus, but the demon's firing had stopped. Knowing the demons expected it, but not quite willing to let her partner go alone, she maneuvered back to Vosem. Apprehension swirling about that succubus, Desyat charged a large block of steel and threw it at the two demons. As the improvised weapon flew, she turned to pick up Vosem who had already gotten her bearings, despite the bleeding wound in her hip.

"Go!" Desyat transmitted to Vosem while pushing her forward. Giving a quick look back, Desyat knocked her partner closer to the wall, and activated another turret. Anything to get that sniper's attention.

"Chto za huy'nya!" Vosem actually shouted when a sickly green cloud flowed up from the sides and behind them. It did not burn, but there was a slight tingle.

"We'll be okay, go!" Desyat transmitted. Their bodies had been built with immunity to all but the most caustic chemical agents. _But you don't know that's what this is,_ a timorous part of her mind cautioned.

Gasping, Vosem stumbled on the wet pavement and fell into a trailer wall.

"Hurry!" Desyat pulled her back up and with her other hand pressed it on the side of the trailer. The charge spread out a couple meters across the thin metal wall. Desyat kept at Vosem's back but could feel them both slowing down. When the time was right, she pushed Vosem down and triggered the charged metal.

The explosion blasted out and the air momentarily cleared, at least, of green miasma. The rain seemed to help keep it down as well. Strength returning, Vosem and Desyat gained speed and jumped to the next row. Just as they landed, the grenadier succubus made herself known.

Broadly placed explosions hit in a wide area._ At least they don't know exactly where we are_. Desyat thought to herself.

"You go east, I'll go west," Vosem sent as she fired down one of the alleyways, before darting down another corridor at an oblique angle.

"Meet up at Rally Three then," Desyat replied, as the 40 mm grenades joined the rain in falling towards the ground in a random but uniform distribution. She responded in kind. Firing at a high arc, she shot out two dozen slim fully-charged blades.

Vosem paused and listened. She then crept around the corner of a cargo container and fired. Two of the 23mm wide steel projectiles hit a succubus in the chest and ruptured her armor plating. A feeling of elation hit her as she moved in with another burst.

The reassurance died when that demoness got up and made eye contact. For a brief moment the cyborg's finger hesitated. The demon pulled the trigger. 17mm bullets provided motivation and significant damage. Vosem returned fire but was pushed back, having been hit. Her frame was warped, parts of her torso were cratered, spilling blood and other fluids.

"Desyat! I need support here," Vosem silently cried, pulling back. She turned, shot, and then ducked around a corner. Then the green miasma started to curl around her feet.

From her position, Desyat ran towards her but was cutoff when grenades once again fell in front of her, and then the cyborg saw... her. Flicking out a blade, she stared at the grenadier girl's grinning form; coiling around her feet was a thick green cloud. The cyborg then heard two 17mm guns fire off in steady bursts before abruptly cutting off.

Launching the blades, Desyat held out some hope. Vosem was a strong girl. That hope died when Vosem started to broadcast panicked screams for help and pathetic mewling that seemed to go on for too long.

Her friend's incoherent begging scratching her mind, Desyat fired a sweep of blades at the succubus and slipped to the side. It was clear getting close to these girls in any way was suicidal.

_At least Vosem... stopped._ She thought with a shudder as she darted out of the depot and into a neighboring warehouse. The demons could be hurt, just not up close. She reassured herself that pulling back was the only sensible option for now.

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You're scared because they found you. If you can see it you can hit it, if they can hit you they can disembowel you and eat you_, a mental voice straining her composure insisted.

Controlling the shaking, Desyat pulsed her jamming signal three times, the emergency signal to discontinue the mission. There was no reply. _Come on... they can't have run into much trouble. They had the Senshi broken and there couldn't have been more than two demons sent there._

A cynical chuckling welled up within her. She had yet to see the redheaded demon, their leader. Apparently WIC was quite happy to send her and only her. Desyat tried to assure herself that the rest of the team could handle just one demon, but the rest of her mind responded with simple dark laughter.

Back on the move she tried to contact any remaining turrets, but the pickings were slim. At least that helicopter sounded like it had left, perhaps it finally succumbed to damage. She knew Shest would not fail in her mission, and Galina was sensible. She would not lose her head.

Her ears picked up the slight sounds of movement. She left a few charges and jumped to the other end of the narrow warehouse. Breaking down a door, she raced across a side street and came under fire from a six wheeled armored vehicle. Its brakes screamed as it slowed and turned through the intersection. The grenade launcher on the top turret made an all too familiar noise. Triggering the explosives behind her, she flicked a full brace of charged blades at the driver's viewing slit.

The first knives penetrated the armored glass with small blasts, allowing blades with a heavier charge free access. Explosions, including one that turned the insides of the vehicle into a torn, mangled pyre, knocked her down. Slowly, too slowly her internal voice insisted, Desyat got back up and resumed her sprint.

Gunfire erupted behind her. Inertia almost knocking her offset, the heavy rounds broke several components. Damaged in the shoulders and around the lower back, Desyat ran to the next building, a small factory. From the recon, she knew there would be lots of small steel parts she could charge up. At the moment, it looked like the demons were more focused on the burning personnel carrier. At least the rainfall would keep the fires from spreading. She doubted anyone would have survived that, but she could respect their concern.

Unwilling to spend the time to catch her breath, she set a few more charges and broke through to a small office park that shared a back fence with the factory. She could hear that her pursuers had resumed their work.

Once in the offices, she used the remaining turrets, specifically placed in case of retreat to this location, to check out the rest of the building. Finally slowing down, she felt some relief form within her. She had gotten to the rally point, and had tied up at least two thirds of the brood and most of the human mercenary personnel.

Allowing a warm chuckle as she checked out the empty office she eventually made her way to the stairs. It was not her fault the others were having trouble. Standing on the first step she paused... she felt... safe. Even... euphoric.

"Shit." Desyat checked the feed from the last remaining turret cameras and saw the WIC units positioning themselves a distance from the building.

Fighting the disturbingly pressing sense of safety, Desyat made her way down the stairs, setting more charges as she went. She could still make the mercenaries pay a steep price. Her determination was cut off by a series of explosions.

From its somewhat awkward position, the turret pod showed grenade and rocket launchers opening up onto the building. The footage was redundant. She heard and felt the building being hit herself. Giving a brief curse she had the turret open fire. At least she managed to hit enough people to distract the grenadier succubus. Albeit just enough to get her to destroy the final turret.

Running down the steps to the basement she heard her own charges being prematurely set off by the mercenary's explosives. The sounds of falling walls and floors followed her, somewhat damping the unnatural feeling of safety. Once in the basement she went to the South wall and threw the knives, which exploded demolishing it.. Genuine relief filled her; Shest's reconnaissance was correct.

She ran into the storm water conduit with a backwards glance. At the very least the impending collapse kept anyone from following her. She slipped into the water and slid downstream as quiet as she could manage. She just hoped she had bought the others enough time.

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Lightning crackled from her fingers as Jupiter sharply exhaled. There was another report and she dove behind the corner as a set of green spheres shot towards her only to be incinerated by Mars.

"Cutting it close," Jupiter gasped, then loosed another electrical barrage.

Mars simply raised an eyebrow. "Moon! Is the garage safe?" she shouted without turning her head. Safety was a laughable concept; they had a "safe" room. It was one of the first places that had been hit. Still, it was good that her attention had to be focused on battle, she did not think she could stand to look at the blonde, not now.

"Uh... no," Moon said as she raked the bright white beam from her wand across the expanse of the warehouse that their building butted into. A shadowy figure danced between the support beams which were starting to char. At least their new broaches kept anything unpleasant from coming through the walls... now. They had not been activated during the start of the battle; everyone thought the building's defenses would buy them enough time.

"There's more?" Mars sighed while pushing herself to provide more covering fire for Jupiter. She then heard a few small explosions which she initially dismissed, until a couple of seconds later when a loud crump shook the building.

"The hell was that?" Jupiter demanded. Peering out past the corner for a split second, her bloodshot eyes widened before she pulled back, "Hey, some of them are leaving!"

Jupiter leaned a bit closer to the black-haired girl. "Rei, go with Usagi... I'll..."

"No." Mars' eyes hardened and she jumped forward, filling the entire hallway with fire.

"What's happening?" Moon asked, the shadowy figure had vanished, but she had frozen at the edge of the room. Even to her it looked of a trap.

"Something's got them distracted, there's just two left," Jupiter said. She blinked, seeing another, finer arc of lightning shoot into the room. The brunette saw a demon wearing a surprisingly sensible looking hybrid of modern battle armor and a Sailor Senshi uniform run into the room. In one hand was a red-tinted katana and in the other was a large handgun.

Summoning the last shreds of power Jupiter fired. In an all too familiar and disheartening move the bodysuit-clad cyborg effortlessly dodged her attack.

But not the lightning bolt that erupted from Nariko's sword. Firing her SSP at the other cyborg, the succubus rushed the assassin she had just electrocuted.

Sem's body spasmed and the spheres of energy she was about to launch vanished. She turned and raised a twitching arm to block the onrushing demon. Her limbs were armored and strengthened. It should have blocked the blade, capturing it and allowing her to step into the demon's defenses. Instead, the blade sliced right through her arm and the jerking, weakened cyborg ended up stepping into the blade's path.

Drawing two glowing swords Arisha shot forward, but it was too late. The demon swept the blade through Sem's body a few inches above the cyborg's hips. Stunned and still shaking, Sem fell into two bleeding, sparking pieces.

Nariko, briefly, eyed the body with a slight frown. It looked like this one had her power core positioned lower than the ones that her cousin had killed. Still, she had at least separated the power system from the control system.

Firing her gun, Nariko tried to slow down the other cyborg, but despite her shots hitting the neck and head, the damage seemed to be superficial. In the last couple seconds the distance shortened to where Nariko aimed at the assassin's left eye.

Arisha jerked her head and winced as the bullet flattened just on the orbital and scrapped down her temple, leaving a big gash and slightly reducing the effectiveness of that eye. She noted the empty slide configuration of the demon's shockingly-effective handgun but her attention was on the crackling electricity swirling furiously on the red-eyed girl's sword.

Arisha brought up one of her energized blades to block the oncoming bolt and immediately, overload warnings flashed on her heads-up display. More distressingly, the blade began to lose cohesion, the semi-liquid metal starting to ooze.. She then jabbed her other blade into the ground, stretching it through the concrete and a meter into the dirt bellow, the two blades flickered and started to dissipate but it held. Her weapons requiring a lot of power to change their shape, they and her body were built to channel and distribute the load.

Briefly glancing at Sem's stunned, but still alive, upper half, Arisha allowed a small measure of relief. As she slashed with one of her swords, the energy blade grew in length, forcing the demon to dodge out of its way. Arisha's blade now blocked Nariko's line of attack away from Sem.

Nariko pulled her sword away from Arisha's extended blade and used the momentary free hand to help push a fresh magazine into her SSP, which she then aimed at the cyborg. Nariko looked over and forced herself to keep from frowning, somehow the casualty had vanished - both halves. There was still plenty of blood and various mechanical fluids, just no body.

Arisha gave a slight smile of relief, at least Shest was able to get Sem out. Arisha retracted her left blade to intercept the lightening attack, while keeping her right blade as the ground.

As the lightning hit, Nariko opened fire, this time aiming at the hilt of Arisha's right-hand sword - the one that had ended up embedded through the flooring. The bullets hit and caused some surface damage. More importantly was the momentum they imparted; Arisha's hand was jarred and flexed open, disconnecting the grounding sword from the energy conduit in her palm. Arisha screamed as Nariko's electrical attack was forced to find a different route to ground.

Firing at Aisha's head while keeping the Lightning Devastation active, Nariko closed in and was surprised when Arisha shot up, still holding one of her swords in her right hand. Thankful that her equipment warranted extra electronic shielding, Arisha stabbed diagonally cutting through the front of that irksome handgun and knocked aside that katana before slashing it up towards the demon's neck.

Nariko pushed back with her feet and arched her back. As she fell, she twisted her head and fired her eyebeams up into Arisha's chin. The cyborg winced and jerked her right arm back down to the prone succubus who had raised her sword arm. Instead of blocking, Nariko stabbed forward with her left hand. Neither choosing to defend, the two arms passed each other. Nariko stabbing into Arisha's right elbow; Arisha's blade into Nariko's lung.

Arisha had a brief smirk as she drove the blade in deeper, but it died when Nariko's lightning shot up the katana. Arisha extended her blade through the demon and managed to ground the blast, but then the demon gave the barest ghost of a smile and flicked her blade down, rotated it, and then flicked it back up, severing Arisha's right arm at the elbow. The cyborg screamed and jumped back.

Nariko used her katana to cut in half the unpowered sword pinning her. Some liquid metal dripped out of the cut ends as she pulled herself off the blade. The blood pouring out of the pierced armor slowed as the wound began to heal.

Arisha had grabbed her other blade with her left hand and advanced. Suddenly, she was engulfed in flames. Bodysuit charring, she turned around and her blade shot forward in length into the hallway that the Senshi had retreated to. The flames immediately cut out.

It was then that two sets of lightning hit Arisha. Twitching and groaning, the cyborg fell the ground and saw the demon's blade descending towards her... just as a pair of arms came up, gripped around her waist and pulled her though the floor.

Glaring, red beams burst out from Nariko's eyes as she sliced at the body, the electrically-charged blade and crimson beams having no more effect on the cyborg than the floor did. Soon, the body had vanished, leaving only spots of blood and lubricant, and a carted and cut floor. "So that's what happened to the other one," Nariko muttered, looking up at the battered trio of Senshi that stepped out of the far hallway. "You're late. Mother arrived over two minutes ago."

"What? We're late? Aren't you here to rescue us?" Moon asked.

Nariko blinked. "I'm here to help you fight the enemy."

Favoring a fresh wound on her side, Mars bristled. "I'm so sorry that we pulled back. You tried to slice open a nuclear reactor! Were you trying to get us killed?" she shouted.

Nariko seemed to ignore the complaint as she looked around the room, taking care to watch the floors, ceiling and walls. "They're combat cyborgs. Their power systems were built to withstand combat," she eventually said, not making eye contact with Mars.

"How did you know what would happen?"

"I asked Grandmother what would happen if I sliced through one of their power cores. She then looked at the captured cores and the notes the Vatican gave us," Nariko explained as she continued to check the room and the hallways that connected to it. "Didn't you think up ways to kill them and what would happen if they got damaged?"

Mars glared.

"There's three of you, and I've taken out two cyborgs. Given at least one on the diversion and at least one with mother there's at most three left. and at the least, there's the one that can go ghost through floors."

"We've got magic that can block that," Mars said, staring at the floor where the... wounded had been pulled under. The devices seemed to work, but she was starting to question their range.

"That's good. Don't turn them off," Nariko concentrated on her senses. She could smell Mother and some more Pattern Silvers, now that the interference was gone. Also, the whole building did stink of blood.

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Cursing Setsuna's wards, Mistress Mercury stepped into the building. The shattered wall provided easy ingress. Orion and Virgo followed. The room... was destroyed. Broken studs, smashed furniture, burned electronics, and shattered glass were scattered about. The walls were scorched, torn, and broken. The ceiling, where it was present, slumped ominously. Almost as an afterthought, rain poured into the room, adding to the damage.

Dread blooming within her, Mercury pushed forward. In one hallway, dark shadows moved in the flickering firelight. The fallen Senshi froze when two violet orbs appeared. A grim figure coalesced out of the darkness.

A torn Kevlar skirt was hanging onto the figure's hips. Many of the pleated armor segments were warped, their ceramic components shattered, exposing bent metal layers, and several more were simply missing. The vest had two large irregular holes exposing strangely gleaming flesh. She wore no helmet and her face and hair were streaked with gore.

The wings seemed to be fairly intact, though Mercury wondered if there was enough membrane to be able to fly. Her arms and legs were covered in slashes and gashes and blood still oozed from many of the cuts. To Mercury it looked like the demon's armor was held together by clotted blood. The biggest incongruity was the fresh bandage wrapped around a couple inches of the demon's tail.

Despite it all the figure's pace was steady and controlled. Her eyes narrowed slightly at Mercury, who stared and began to step back, until her heel punctured something soft, something squelchy and she stumbled and fell. On her ass, Mercury looked to see what her foot had spiked. It was an arm. Most of the white glove and the skin under it had been burned off but the dark, tanned skin was still obvious.

Ranma stopped walking and laughed as she idly fingered one of her obsidian earrings. They had been quite useful, though it was a bit worrying that she needed all of the reserve stored within them.

Using the other foot, Mercury pushed the arm off her heel. "That doesn't mean that they got her. It's only an arm."

The demon shrugged and held out her hand.

Mercury grabbed the blood-smeared, grimy appendage and was pulled roughly to her feet. "I mean, you can..."

Ranma raised an eyebrow and looked at the two Senshi behind Mercury.

"I know... Setsuna actually managed to ward this place pretty well. I didn't know something was wrong until the news started reporting all those explosions a few blocks away from here. I mean..." Mercury trailed off when she noticed interest flicker into Ranma's expression.

"Explosions?"

"Yes... the news was reporting... they didn't know. Some military thing and a bunch of buildings blowing up. Whole area's cordoned off. I figured someone might be attacking the Princess too. Guess I was right."

Ranma cocked her head. "Don't hear too much." It was too far to make out individual members of her family, other than Nariko, but she could feel a general sense of glee tempered by frustration and loss.

"I don't know, they didn't seem to have any idea. All their footage was really grainy, but there was a lot of impressive sounding blasts and gunfire, and some of the larger explosions lit up in the distance." Mercury shivered. "I guess that's why no one's here yet. This is just a burning building."

Ranma frowned and pushed past Mercury.

"It's over, right? So, what should I do?" she asked the demon's back.

"Stay out of the way."

"That's it?" Mercury glared. "You just want me to leave?"

"I didn't say that." Ranma growled, slowly turning around. "These are professionals. If they come back, help, otherwise don't get in the way."

Staring at the mangled succubus Mercury gave a slight nod. "Yeah... they even forced you to use that gun."

Ranma raised an eyebrow.

"You're missing a magazine from your vest," Mercury stated, still trying to wonder just what kind of person DarkStar had faced.

The demoness smiled, this time her eyes joining in the mirth. "Emptied it into her crotch, she didn't feel any pain, but it fouled the joints there. Why she had to have her friend pull her out."

"Oh."

"Mistress, would the Princess even want to see us?" Orion quietly asked.

"True... she could be... rash."

"Nah, antagonize her." Ranma's grin grew. "Maybe all she needs is just another push. That's what you want, right?"

Mercury opened her mouth. "I... see your point."

Ranma shrugged. "It's your choice."

"We'll wait outside, keep an eye in case they come back," Mercury looked at Ranma again. "If that happens, we'll make sure you hear it."

The redhead nodded. "And I'll make sure the Senshi don't blindly stumble into you." She grinned thinly. "Oh by the way, one of them can phase right through the floors. I'd be careful if I were you."

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Climbing up a short ladder, Desyat pulled herself out of the flowing water. Walking down the access corridor, she would occasionally stop and simply listen. The building had collapsed behind her and running, often swimming through entirely flooded tunnels, should have broken up her scent...

But paranoia still ate at her. _Better feeling that way, if I felt safe then I'd be... influenced by them_, she thought. While, her emotions seemed... normal, she was still...

Desyat shook her head, flicking water from her short hair. She went down a long corridor, through a watertight doorway, and then up a flight of stairs. Her bodysuit had already wicked away the moisture and was almost dry. She stopped at a small alcove and reached behind a large electrical box withdrawing a duffle bag.

Pulling out some clothes, she frowned briefly. There were two sets. She slipped her harness off, its once massive collection of blades quite depleted. After taking a few minutes to dry herself off with a towel, she pulled a pair of jeans and a sweater over her bodysuit. Some slightly oversized boots covered up her bodysuit's footwear. Finally she pulled out a mirror and a medical kit out and tried to make her face as presentable as possible.

Staring at her eyes, she frowned. The redheaded demon was definitely not present. In all probability, the demon had sortied straight to Tsukino's position, likely bringing another spawn in the process. Apprehension and curiosity gnawed at her.

She shook her head again and shouldered the duffle bag. In time, she would know what happened. There was nothing more she could do now. Despite everything, _Vosem and I succeeded, _she reassured herself as she walked through the corridors. _If Galina and the others couldn't do the job against just two demons..._ She sighed. Whatever happened, happened. Arriving at an access door, she popped the lock and walked down a small hallway to find herself in a nearly empty subway station.

It was 12:30 and the trains should still be running. Closing the door behind her, Desyat looked at a digital display above the platform for confirmation. The two other people in the station hardly noticed her; one was busy listening to music, the other was reading and having a snack. In an almost picturesque tableau a punk with a bright blue Mohawk and a guitar case stood a few yards away from a tired businessman in a rumpled suit. Briefcase open over his knees, he was sitting on a bench and slowly eating cookies from a plastic bag.

Allowing a small smile she walked a bit closer and sat down on another bench. It would be a wait, but it beat having to risk taking a cab. _Though if the things lasted long enough that the subways closed... that's well over three hours of fighting... them._

She looked around the station. Her attention mostly focused on the stairway to the surface, the access doors, and the tunnel itself. At least the station was clean, better than most in Europe. It lacked the artist grandeur of the Metro stations of her home city, though. Eventually, a subway train arrived, but she sighed. It was going the wrong way. The businessman and the punk went onto the west-bound train, and a few minutes after they left another train arrived from the opposite direction. She pulled her bag and got on.

She eased into a seat and stared at the map. She was on the eastern end of the Bloor-Danforth line and only had a couple stops to go. _At least the trains are pretty clean_, she idly thought while looking around. She was the only occupant of this car. There was a lone old woman in the car ahead of her who seemed half asleep.

Eventually, the subway train slowed to a halt at her stop. Emerging into the night air, her ears were hit by the rich mix of sirens and alarms. Fat drops of water fell around her, she would get wet, but after her swim this was almost refreshing. She looked down to the South-east with a slight smile. _At least they've got that mess to clean up_, she thought, walking down the empty street.

She took her time getting to the safe house, attempting to make sure she had not been followed. _Really? They can mess with my mind. Can I really be sure?_ She shrugged and entered the apartment building.

Once the apartment door was locked behind her, she slumped down onto a couch. Her diagnostics indicated the most vital repairs. Pulling out a case and a thick towel and plastic sheet, she gathered the parts. Then she spread the sheet and towel on the floor, sat down, and with familiar skill opened up her body and began replacing components.

It did not take long. There were more repairs, but they were not critical. After she cleaned up, she sat down on the couch. Staring at the wall, she checked the time on her internal clock. Part of her told her that she should move again, but it was glossed over. Eventually when the time was right, she would have to call in.

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Sophie slowly opened her eyes. "It happened," she whispered. The connection she felt... Morrison was next to her, holding the new demoness. They were both on a couch in Jarvis' office. "Mommy?"

Morrison pouted slightly. "She's in a meeting. She stayed with you as long as she could, but... there's still things that need to be done."

"Yes..." Sophie looked down.

"You can feel her," Morrison smiled.

"Not just her... I didn't think it would be this... connected," Sophie looked down. Her body figure seemed about the same, except the complete lack of melanin in her skin.

"They tried to explain it, but..." Morrison shrugged.

After licking her teeth, the new demon reached up and found the expected pair of horns. "Wow..." she nearly purred after running a finger over the inside edge of one. Her tail twitched in response too.

Morrison giggled. "Least you didn't play with anything else."

"I already had breasts," Sophie pouted. "So it's just me? How bad... I mean.. no one else? What about Fred?"

Morrison shook her head. "And Blue Team didn't work with Aunty as much as the other teams. Ramirez was the only D member and he died instantly. The rest... there were only two other D program members among the casualties. They hit hard."

"Damn... what about the rest? Sounds like mostly, dead or minor injuries then?"

"Yeah, only a handful of people in the middle, and they aren't D program." Morrison gave a slight nod. "And Speirs was the gunner on Mother's vehicle, he died."

"So how bad was it? What happened to Blue Team?"

"The enemy had remote-activated mini-guns. Whipple and Stockton are in surgery now."

Feeling the regret surrounding Morrison, Sophie nodded. She could guess what happened to the other four members of the "heavy support" team. Morrison hesitated, and Sophie could feel her sister's apprehension eventually give way.

"It kept air support down too, not that they didn't try. The Black Hawk pretty much died on the way back. Hilbert and Lindemann had to put her down in someone's front yard."

"Are they okay?"

"They were lucky. Patterson got shot in the arm, but he'll be okay. The area's secured, and they're still repairing it. The whole thing's not very subtle." Morrison's quick laugh left a frown. "Bad luck, too. Orange team managed to spook one of them. Got off a few shots. Armor on the APC didn't do anything. Maybe we should upgrade to LAV's; at least we'd have more firepower."

"Anyone get out?"

Her face blank, Morrison shook her head.

Sophie felt the anger radiating off of her. "What's wrong?"

"Orange Team shouldn't have been in there. They would have stood a better chance on the move. Would have had more guns at least..." Morrison sighed. "Gold team lost Sherman, but they were outside of the vehicle. The others could regroup.."

"How'd he die?"

"One of the cyborgs had this heavy shotgun. Armor doesn't cover our faces."

Sophie nodded. Headshots with a shotgun would be possible for an enhanced super soldier... _Like... us_, Sophie added in realization. She then looked into Morrison's green eyes. "You got a kill."

Morrison smirked. "Ukyou helped flank, and Misako kept the other one away. It was good too; the bitch shot me." The demoness pointed to the hole in her chest armor.

"How bad?"

Morrison thought back to feeling her flesh knit itself together. "The armor kept it from penetrating much, body took care of the rest."

"Least we got one. Good job," Sophie leaned back with a tiny smile. "How'd she taste?"

Morrison raised an eyebrow before blushing. "It's..."

"I'm new at this, but I've seen the brood- I've seen _us_ fight before."

"It felt good, real good. I can see why Red and Mom are so... into it." Morrison idly licked her teeth.

Sophie gave her a quick hug. "And the other one?" she felt Morrison's mood shift. "She got away then."

"Looks like the report was correct. She can make metal explosive, and can launch these charges with some real range and accuracy. She retreated to this building. Booby-trapped."

"So, Misako and the others simply blew it up," Sophie guessed.

"Safest way. We're betting she got out alive. She could have had an escape tunnel prepared, or made one. We swept the storm sewers and other tunnels. Found some debris and collapsed bits. So unless we find a body..."

Sophie nodded. "Uh... how's the Lieutenant doing?" she quietly asked.

"She's still out there. Organizing cleanup and containment," Morrison said. "Akane and Nabiki are still with her. Sis is with them, too."

"That's good... "

"The transfer was hard on me too," Morrison hugged her sister. "With Sherman gone, the old Gold team's..." Morrison shrugged. It was down to just Andrea.

Sophie shifted. At least she was still alive, though Lt. Tendo would need yet another replacement for her team. "We'll need some replacements."

Morrison nodded. "Blue and Orange will need all new agents. Even if Whipple and Stockton can recover quickly they'd just be moved to bulk up the others. Red, Gold and Green all lost people."

"There's not much of us left." Sophie blinked. "Green's already been restocked. Gold was already reorganized after Lieutenant Richards was court-martialed and Platt was transferred out."

"Yeah, and Red Team's changed too. The Assembly Ambush hit us hard too."

Sophie studied her sister's face... and scent. "That's what... Mommy- Mom's meeting's about?"

"Just like last time. Everyone's been called up, and I'm sure the standby teams will be put on full time Operations rotations."

"Will Topeka send anymore Operations people?" Sophie asked, referring to the North American Operations Centre in Kansas.

Morrison shrugged. "It'd be handy, but even experienced Operations people will take time to get used to... us. Agents already here may be a better fit." While everyone was trained for combat operations, most did not have it as their sole duty.

"I guess it depends on what Topeka can spare more of. Support staff or Operations." Sophie flipped her tail about. "What about... Aunty and Nariko?"

Morrison chuckled. "It was two to five."

Sophie narrowed her eyes. "And look at the trouble two cyborgs gave us."

"Nariko was right about her power. She did more damage than Red did."

"Oh?" Sophie's eyes widened slightly.

"Yeah, Red only took out one, another fought her to a standstill. Where Nariko heavily damaged two of them."

"And the fifth?" Sophie asked.

"Evacuated the other four by phasing through the floors," Eve said, stepping into the room.

Sophie slipped out of Morrison's arms and ran to the tall blonde. Smiling, Eve hugged her. "It's okay. It's okay."

The newborn demoness made a slight mewling noise before beginning to purr.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't spend the whole night with you."

"How bad is it?"

Eve frowned, "Morrison told you about the casualties?"

Sophie nodded.

"There's other problems too. Public Relations is handling the media fallout," Eve said as she ran her hand through Sophie's glossy-black hair.

"I doubt all that gunfire can be covered up. So, terrorists?" Morrison asked.

Eve eased herself and her youngest to the couch. "That's the plan. JTF2 is being used to help with the cover story. They're a bit miffed they missed out on the fighting."

"Not like they got there in time," Morrison noted.

Eve smiled and positioned herself between her daughters. "That's what Stillwater is telling them, and they were called in as soon as things started up."

Leaning on her mother, Sophie felt an almost... warm flow from the older demon to her. "So if the battle had lasted longer they would have been brought in?"

"Training helps, but eventually you're going to be tossed into the deep end." Eve looked over to Sophie. "What's wrong?'

"You're upset," Sophie pouted.

"Yes, your aunt's stuck babysitting Miss Tsukino. And while it was the cyborgs that caused all this damage, Tsukino was the one who refused our help and created opportunity for this outcome."

"Worried, too..." Sophie stated quietly, leaning her head on Eve's chest.

"Ranma's been pretty badly mauled, and it's been a long time since she's come out of a fight without feeding. She's... quite... stressed," Eve cautiously stated.

"Oh dear," Morrison said.

Eve smiled faintly. "On the plus side, Sis being... impolite to her would solve a lot of problems."

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After refilling her glass, Ranma put the pitcher down. Twisting her head around, a few loud clicks and cracks came from her neck. She had stripped out of her vest and skirting and both of the soaked armored sections were slumped onto the seat next to hers. The redhead raised her glass and drank most of the milk inside in one long pull.

"I'm... sorry." Usagi said from under the blanket draped over her shoulders.

"You should be," Ranma nodded before going back to her sandwich.

"How can you eat at a-" Rei stopped and looked at the quizzical demon. "Right..."

"The rest of you should eat something too."

Rei looked behind her to the blanket that was covering the... body in the corner. It was rather sad that Usagi insisted they bring the body here. At least the Princess let them take Meiou... away. "I'm not hungry."

Ranma shrugged and went back to her sandwich.

Makoto looked between Usagi and Rei and then at the sandwich. It was a baguette stuffed with pickled vegetables like carrots and daikon, onions, sliced peppers, chicken and ham. "It... does look good. What is it?"

"Banh mi," Ranma said taking one of the half baguettes off her plate and handing it to Makoto. "Vietnamese and French dish. Nice flavor. Quick to make and filling too."

Makoto bit into it. "Nice, crunchy," she said enjoying the various textures. Then the peppers kicked in.

"The cooks had some extra peppers from chili night," Ranma said pushing a second freshly-filled glass over.

"Real good and not too spicy," Makoto said accepting the drink. She doubted that Ranma was drinking milk because she had a weaker tolerance for spicy food.

"Are we just going to talk about cooking?" Rei asked.

"Better than other topics." Ranma started into another sandwich.

Rei looked to Usagi who was staring at the table while she petted the cat that was lying in her lap. "She promised me they'd be back. She... showed me," Usagi mumbled without looking up.

"Setsuna and Minako?" Ranma asked as Usagi moved Luna to her shoulder, got up, and walked across the commissary. "They can regen?"

Instead of responding, Usagi summoned her rod.

"Ah," Ranma noted while motioning to the other agents in the room to pull back from the... body.

"This isn't good," Rei frowned. "At least Luna's just gone limp."

"She was close, to the other... cat?" Ranma was not fond of them, but even she was depressed by the pathetic sight of a white cat crushed by cinderblocks.

Makoto nodded.

Eating, Ranma watched as the blonde cast her spell. "Have you called the ones back in Japan?"

"Not yet," Rei said, casting a cold glance towards Usagi.

With Luna limply lying over her shoulder, Usagi slowly walked back to the table. "I think it's helping," she said, sitting down.

Rei forced herself to give a charitable smile. "Are you sure?"

Usagi's eyes glared and then turned to Rei. "Setsuna would not lie to me!" she declared, her voice focused and hard.

Makoto put down her banh mi. "She knew; she knew how much trouble these cyborgs could be. She knew you wouldn't order anyone to stay and fight... unless."

"So, she volunteered Minako too?" Rei angrily asked. It would be nicer if she could move the blame to Setsuna. It was easy to see the Princess as being misled, instead of calculating. _Sailor_ _Senshi were supposed to die for their Princess, but not like this, _she thought.

"Shame she didn't trick you into working with us," Ranma shrugged.

"You think that would have made things better?" Rei asked.

The demon raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, you did save us, but that wouldn't have changed the other fight. Wasn't that a diversion? They did it to tie up your forces."

"Rei..." Usagi started.

Ranma raised her hand. "No, she's right. They would have attacked us anyway."

Makoto cleared her throat. "But maybe we wouldn't have been hit as hard. How long do you think we would have lasted? Mina and Puu bought us some time, but it was running out."

"How bad was it?" Usagi pulled Luna off her shoulder and put the sleeping cat in her lap. "How... bad was it for you?"

Ranma took a sip. "They were prepared. We got one of them, but lost two teams and more."

"I'm sorry," Usagi repeated.

Silence fell in the room. Ranma and Makoto continued to eat while everyone sat in silence. After several long minutes the doors suddenly burst open. The redhead had gotten up but the smile she had on her face was warm and happy.

"Hi Aunty!" Sophie said as she hugged Ranma. Behind her Eve and Morrison stepped into the room and briefly saluted the agents on guard.

"So are we in a race?" Ranma asked Eve with a bittersweet grin who gave a slight smile in return.

Usagi looked up. "So, you're... new."

Sophie looked at the blonde teenager for a couple seconds, eventually she nodded.

Rei shook her head. "This is just great, you guys gain people while we lose-"

Glowering, Usagi slowly drew her hand back and stared down at the girl she had knocked out of her chair. "Don't."

"Mother had the right idea." Sophie glared at Rei.

Rei looked up at Usagi's stern face. "But..."

"No." Usagi picked Luna up and put the cat on the table. "You know why she's a demon, and if you keep this attitude, I'll get you before they do." She stood up.

Breaking eye contact, Rei's eyes went to the floor.

"I don't want to lose any, more people tonight." Usagi stated as she walked over to the gurney where Minako lay. She pulled off the sheet and stared at the still form. Her neck was bent at an unnatural angle, and there was a large furrow carved through her side. The rest of her body – face, arms, and legs – was covered in multiple cuts.. It looked like dozens of razor blades had been launched at her. The melted and refrozen golden armor from her seifuku was splattered over the giant wound and was as still as the rest of her. One of her eyes was open and stared lifelessly. Frowning, Usagi picked up the sword that lay half hidden by Minako's bloody hair. Holding the blade, the princess stared at Minako. "Wake up," Usagi ordered as the blade began to glow.

"Uh... Usagi..." Makoto started. She looked over to the demons that were intently watching and... smelling the proceedings.

There was a golden flash and Minako's body began to twitch. The short armored gloves made clanking noises as they opened and closed, and her high heeled boots, leg guards, and metal skirting rattled. Then the body went still.

Usagi frowned and the glowing increased. She then placed the sword in Venus' hand, which closed over it. The closed eye flipped open and began to turn red.

Using a free arm the metal-armored Senshi rose to a sitting position. Her eyes, now entirely a glowing crimson, looked straight to Usagi. There was a grinding snapping noise as the... body adjusted her neck and it popped back into place. Golden and crimson fluid leaked out of her various wounds.

"What did you do to her?" Rei cried, still on the floor.

Usagi sighed and reached a hand out and ran it over Minako's cold cheek. "Ami did this. She's the one that... changed Mina."

Makoto swallowed trying to keep her stomach under control. "You're not- I mean yeah... Ami tried to control Minako with that armor, but are you going to turn her corpse into some kind of ghoulish robot?"

More gold poured out from her wounds, beginning to form a thin coating. Venus turned and, while keeping an utterly blank expression, swept her feet off the gurney and onto the floor. "It is still me." Minako's voice said in a monotone, while her mouth remained still and closed, but the jewel on her chest pulsed brightly.

"What?"

"Her voice box must have been damaged when her neck was crushed," Eve observed. "We were right. She's not human anymore."

Usagi looked down. "Mina told me... Puu convinced her. I was hoping..."

"I'm sorry I couldn't restart without you doing that," Venus flatly stated, her eyes still glowing red.

"So you're not dead?" Rei finally climbed back into her chair.

"Why not? Her head's still intact." Ranma shrugged as she handed a few banh mi to her sister and nieces.

"But... why did it take Usagi all those times to get her... back?" Makoto asked.

"It's like starting a bike on a cold day. You just keep at it until the engine turns over and starts up."

Minako's eyes briefly flashed on and off. "Yes. Fair explanation."

"Are you... okay?" Usagi asked.

"Repairs are proceeding." Venus said through the gem while the wound in her side slowly decreased. The golden coating over her arms began to flake-off revealing fresh, healed skin.

"Oh God, is this what Ami wanted when she said she would upgrade us?" Rei asked.

Venus gingerly opened her mouth and after testing her jaw and voice began to speak. "Yes, Mistress Mercury was experimenting in the ways our Senshi magic could... modify our bodies."

"That's... creepy."

"But you're okay now." Usagi said hugging the stiff girl. "Right?"

Venus turned to Usagi, the red glow in her eyes fading. "I seem to be."

"You were dead." Makoto noted. "No breathing, no heart, no movement."

"As Ranma said, my brain was fine; my body, however, was not." Her eyes blue again, if a hair brighter than before, she looked around the room. Two were missing, Setsuna's absence was not surprising. "Artemis?"

Usagi inhaled. "I'm sorry."

Venus frowned and after a moment sighed.

"If there's..."

"There's nothing to do." Venus said looking at Luna's sleeping form, and then turned to Usagi. "I take it Setsuna is no longer... intact?"

The princess nodded.

"You were there; she was blown apart," Rei quietly noted.

"I was taken out before she was," Venus crisply replied as she stood up. "You're the one that saved the Princess," she noted standing in front of Ranma.

Ranma had let Eve take back Sophie. "Nariko too."

A frown flicked across Venus' face. "So her sword was more use than mine."

Ranma looked down at the long steel and gold broadsword. "Too slow, right?"

Venus nodded. "The one with the two swords that could grow in length. Then the fast one with all the knives."

Ranma smiled faintly.

Venus tilted her head slightly. "I see, you failed to kill her as well."

The demoness chuckled. "You did manage to wound her. More than the others can say."

Rei opened her mouth, but then looked to see Usagi's frowning face.

Venus paused to recall the name. "Galina A'deen. What of the others?"

"Four heavily damaged, but were all evacuated by the fifth," Eve stated. "Of the diversion: one was killed, the other escaped when the building she was in exploded."

"Impressive." Venus looked back to Usagi. "You underestimated them."

"There was a plan," Usagi stated.

"But with Setsuna-" Venus stopped. "I see." She turned to the door as it opened and watched Nariko walk in. A small frown crossed the Senshi's face as she looked at the blade on the demon's right hip.

Nariko handed a slim folder to her mother, who opened it. "Is this right?" Ranma asked after reading the contents.

The eldest daughter gave a curt nod. "Kasumi reports things appear under control."

"Fine," Ranma handed the file to Eve and went back to the table and picked up the platter of sandwiches, offering one to Nariko.

"This isn't right," Eve frowned. "These two firemen shouldn't be on this list."

"Still civilians," Ranma shrugged.

Usagi blinked.

"They were doing their duty," Eve stated.

Ranma nodded. "Then tell the brass. I'm sure Jacob would change it."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't worry, it's not your problem," Nariko assured, warmly smiling, with one hand on Usagi's shoulder and the other just above her right hip. Noting Venus step closer, Nariko's smile grew.

"What happened?" Usagi asked.

"You would have figured it out, and better to hear it from us than from the media's lies," Eve handed the file over to Usagi. "It's amazing what they'll come up with on their own. PR really just needs to give them a nudge"

Having opened the folder, Usagi ignored the blonde demon. She saw lines of mostly neatly typed names. Several were just descriptions, disturbingly vague ones at that, some did not even give heights. Under each name or description, was information about the person's... condition. "What is this?" she asked, her body growing cold.

"You know," Nariko confidently said.

"No..." Usagi's hands trembled.

"They did fire that big beam right through our building. Who knows where it went afterwards," Venus said frowning at the preliminary report. "That many fires? Wouldn't the rain..."

"There were a lot of explosions," Nariko noted.

"But... this many? It was night."

"There's security, people cleaning offices, night shifts, and anyone on the road," Eve explained.

"If the firemen had to do some stuff that cost them two men... what kind of nightmare was it out there?" Makoto asked.

Ranma sighed. "These are combat cyborgs. What did you expect them to do?"

"There's no police or paramedics on this list." Venus said after reading the list over Usagi's shoulder. "Did you lose anymore men? In the rescue?"

"The Fifth is quite hardy. Thankfully they were fine," Eve stated. It was also good for Misako to help with the search and rescue. Initial reports were promising, but her weapon did do a lot of damage.

"That's why you're upset?" Usagi asked Ranma. "You wanted to be out there helping people? Instead of in here..."

"Yes, out there or in here helping our wounded," Nariko completed. "I was doing that with Ukyou," she stated, her voice _almost_ sounding irritated.

"I'm sorry," Usagi repeated.

Nariko studied the blonde for a moment. "Yes," she smiled. "At least you're sincere. I'm sure that helps."

Looking at the demon's seemingly friendly face, Usagi frowned. "What do you want from me? I had a plan."

"You... did?" Rei asked

"So, what was it?" Ranma asked.

Usagi coughed. "Setsuna was going to track them... I mean Ami knows how to block their powers, but they don't know... right?"

"That is true," Ranma allowed.

"We thought we could drive them off. Then, when they retreated, she would use her powers to track them." Usagi looked down.

"That was a plan?" Nariko rubbed her chin. "Green. Even my eldest sister has more experience than that."

"Oh, Kodachi graduated? Did she make Operations? Where did she get stationed?" Eve asked after decoding her niece's subtext.

Nariko nodded. "She's in Boston. Mostly been doing support and containment work." The demon's voice was slightly apprehensive.

"It's okay. She can handle it," Ranma reassured Nariko.

"Yes, she is an agent," Nariko noted.

Makoto empathized with the demon's worry. Tonight was illustrative of the risks. "So you relied on Setsuna for everything?" she sighed. "You did that with Ami too. How well did that work out?"

"And when things got bad, you ordered Setsuna to stay and fight?" Rei tersely asked.

Usagi chewed her lip. "It wasn't... Even if she did... die; she said she could come back; she showed me."

Rei raised an eyebrow. "What did she show you?"

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It was a drab room that was much longer than it was wide. This combined with the banks of angled containers that dominated the middle of the room to make the ceiling feel lower than it really was. The reinforced metal tracking for an overhead crane did not help in this regard. A thick collection of cabling ran from the back of each tube to a socket in the floor.

Low lights running down the walls met the ceiling and illuminated the chamber, a constant even hum filling it with noise. Occasionally, a light would shift on top of one of the few containers that was not empty. Fans would periodically kick in and cycle and filter the air, keeping it from going stale. Beyond the large, essentially tubular containers were sets of lockers and kiosks that held rudimentary bathing and toiletry equipment. Bunks and other storage butted up to these walls; that equipment was sealed, unused.

At either end of the long room was a heavy-set door that was large enough to comfortably accommodate two of the containers. To allow for an airtight seal, the crane track hinged to the side just before these door. When the doors opened, the tracking would swing into place.

The sequence of noises, flashes, and pumping air was regular. There was no indication of age. The room seemed to simply exist. One moment fell into the next without altering character.

This changed. A pleasant, but still jarring, chime came from one of the containers as the lights along its crystal display lit up. The container chimed again and the lights systematically went from red to green. When the final light turned over the clear cover that dominated the front half of the container's length split down the middle and hissed open.

Within the tube a nude figure stirred. Red eyes stared up at the blank grey ceiling. With a sigh the female form pulled herself out. She shivered when her bare feet touched the cold floor. Once outside, she closed the tube's door and looked at its clear reflective surface. She chided herself for not keeping the stock... ripe, but this body would be suitable enough; there was work to be done. She flicked her wrist and a large red orb appeared in her hand.

A metal frame consisting of a smaller heart stacked on top of a larger heart which itself contained the red orb appeared. From the tip of that heart a long metal rod shot out, gaining detail and embellishments as it grew. Then the female, still nude, vanished in an iridescent flash.

The room returned to its regular cycle. The only sign of the change was one more empty tube. In the chamber below this one there were larger changes, specifically in the vast data crystals that linked to the tubes, but even those changes were not immediately apparent, just more patterns in row upon row of crystals.

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"Lizaveta and Sem are stabilized," Arisha stated as she entered the common room of their suite. A police scanner was on in the corner, blaring out emergency dispatches. Arisha's internal pickups had been damaged. There was also equipment to track the encrypted military and mercenary frequencies.

Galina looked up from the surgery on her knee and thigh. She had already stabilized the damage to her crotch and back. It was a quick fix. Her combat ability was... reduced. It was a novel experience. She had plenty of practice on both regular and emergency maintenance, but this was...

Arisha frowned as she waited for a response. Her superior's entire lower back had been gouged, torn apart, and turned into a bloody mess. When Galina had stripped out of her bodysuit the clotting it provided was removed and a mess of blood, metal, cabling, and lubricant poured out. Only Scarlatti's brilliance had kept the wound from being immediately fatal, and only the collection of bypass relays and a large adhesive patch kept it from being mortal. It was still easier to repair than the wounds Dve'nadtsat or Sem had received.

"How long until they're operational?" Galina asked in an expectant voice with a tiny grin.

Arisha frowned and picked at her arm. Around the point of reattachment, the flesh was discolored and irritated; she wondered if that demon coated her blade with something. "Shest reconnected Sem's power and control systems. She still needs some structural connections and some muscular and skin joining. Give it a few days on the outside."

Galina became fractionally more pleased. "And Dve'nadtsat?"

"You saw what that tvar did." Arisha spat.

Putting down the bloody forceps, Galina leaned forward. "Yes, dear Arisha, and how much non-cosmetic damage does she have?"

"She can see now, but we're running low on spares." Arisha frowned. Those were one of the few precious parts they could neither purchase nor build themselves.

"We've also lost most of our remote guns," Galina calmly observed.

" Vosem and Desyat's next check in window is coming."

"They performed quite well," Galina smiled.

"Yes, imagine if we faced more of those things."

Galina returned to repairing her thigh. "Their results are worrying. It was... fortunate that they received as much attention as they did."

"So, the mercenaries care less about Zaika than we suspected."

"You were concerned that the mercenaries might have simply fired artillery at Zaika's house when we attacked, or maybe that they put a few 1500kg bombs in the foundation."

"There is precedent for that."

"I wouldn't be sure about that. The forces they sent to stop us were sufficient."

Arisha suppressed a sigh and scratched her arm. Galina's apparent contentment was... worrisome.

"So, Lizaveta will be operational soon?"

"For battle, sure. It'll take longer to get her face in an... acceptable state. There's still a lot of reconstruction." Arisha's frown deepened.

"Noted."

After waiting a few seconds, Arisha coughed. "I think we need to do something for Shest."

"I agree." Galina finished her work and began sealing up the wound in her thigh. "Her performance was exemplary. Though we'll need to be careful. Next time they'll be sure to finish us off."

"If they can attack any faster than they were..." Arisha recalled the demon's sword cutting through her, just as Shest pulled her through the floor. "I don't like this."

Galina's eyebrow raised. "We accepted this out of a desire to be challenged. Perhaps victory over the blonde with the sword and Zaika's advisor made you complacent."

"You were the one wounded by that sword," Arisha reminded.

Galina's contemplative smile returned. "Yes, she had potential, but lacked the training or even the will to really press the advantage."

"I thought she was just slow," Arisha replied. "But once organized, Zaika's remaining bodyguards also managed to hold us off."

"Yes, their firepower is impressive. Especially that brunette, rather like the red-eyed demon you faced."

"Not quite. The Kino girl was trying to protect Zaika. That tvar wanted to kill and eat me." Arisha chuckled.

Galina's smile remained but her eyes turned cold. "It was a mistake to send out Svetlana and Ivanova like that."

Arisha knew Galina was looking at the time. "Vosem and Desyat have the turrets, orders to retreat, and prepared routes."

"You were listening to the police radio. You heard the explosions. WIC sent two demons against us so they could send the rest against those two."

"Diving headfirst into a trap? What, did they intend to use brute force and blast through the diversion?"

Galina laughed. "We merely tried to kill a schoolgirl. Desyat and Vosem went up against trained military personnel. It is an issue of priorities."

"I suppose it's refreshing to have an enemy that doesn't even pretend to be the 'good guys'."

"Yes, our 'client' has that honor," Galina wryly noted.

"At least we made those arrangements ahead of time," Arisha noted.

"It cuts into our margins but after tonight-" Galina was cutoff by a phone ringing. She picked up the pre-paid cell phone that was specifically purchased for tonight and would be destroyed before sunrise. "Yes?"

"It's me," Desyat said from her own purpose-selected phone. "Did you... get your exam results?"

Galina frowned. Her subordinate's tone was disquieting. "Not well. C-Minus," she explained.

"I see." In the safe house across town, Desyat chewed her lip. The C meant serious casualties but at least no deaths. The minus was obvious, Zaika was still alive.

Galina felt tension increase. "And how was the concert?"

Desyat closed her eyes. "Vosem met some guy; she'll be spending the night at his place. I was hit on... a couple of the guys were cute."

"What's wrong, Nina? Did anyone try to... touch you?" Galina asked, feigning scandalous caution on the question.

Desyat laughed. "You could say that. Damn tvar raped my mind."

Galina paused, the breach in protocol secondary in her mind "What?"

"Didn't know they could do that?" Desyat's laugh was resigned. "To make you schelkat ebalom," she spat under her breath.

Controlling herself, to keep from tightening her grip on the phone, Galina pondered Desyat's punishment. "Careless, you say?"

Watching, Arisha sighed. Their numbers were slowly being whittled away.

"They can mess with our minds," Desyat slowly said, carefully enunciating each word. "That's how Vosem... she couldn't shoot straight."

"Nina... now is not the time to complain. You were just supposed to delay them, not get bogged down in a full engagement."

"Chto za huy'nya," Desyat swore. "I'm not here to bitch. I'm here to warn you! You don't know what you're dealing with here."

"Oh?" Galina's mind went back to a specific slightly smiling redhead

"We didn't get bogged down. They were the ones hunting us! They knew it was a trap, they knew we were setting up an ambush." Desyat paused to calm herself. "How sure are you that you weren't followed?"

"We followed the procedures and-"

"They're demons. We don't know what they can do."

"There were some.. problems on our end," Galina admitted. The human magical girls had some type of short-range jammer that kept Shest from really going on offense. Galina frowned. "Arisha, get Shest."

Arisha nodded.

"How serious of a threat is this?" Galina asked returning to the phone.

"How long have you been there?" Desyat asked, but continued on. "If it's been more than a few minutes... then you've got something worse on your hands."

"They'd be watching us to gather intelligence." Galina swore at herself for blurting the statement out.

"And you've got to ask why they'd do that?"

Instead of responding, Galina turned to Shest who had just entered the room. "Can you do a sweep of the suite again? Just to be safe."

Shest nodded and started adjusting her scanners. "It's... " she frowned.

Galina's eyebrows widened slightly.

More puzzlement than shock on her face, Shest's form shifted ever so slightly and she activated her Deep Diver. With her body's state... questionable, her inter-dimensional senses unfolded. "There's no jammers..." Her eyes unfocused and she seemed to stare far off into the distance.

Her mouth opened slackly. "Chyort voz'mi!" she screamed clutching her head. "The walls. Oh God the walls! The threshold opens!"

Summoning her blades, Galina dropped the phone and ran to Shest. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of an iridescent shimmer. The walls started to twist and things began to pour into existence. The closest Galina could come to explaining it was a time-lapse video she once saw of mushrooms growing. The fungi would swell and expand with an... unnatural fluidity.

But at least those were things that grew from the ground. Now... things began to twist and form. It was different from Shest's phasing; she merely slid through mater. Things, the only appropriate word in Galina's mind, with vaguely spherical conglomerations possessing a rippling textured surface simply grew from nothingness.

A blade shot out and punctured one of the... malignant growths. Much like a pool of oil floating on water, it burst apart and shimmered strongly. And like an oil slick, iridescent reflections danced over the surface.

Screaming and clawing at her temples, Shest triggered the pulse sequence she had added to her Deep Diver system. Galina felt her insides churn and vibrate, her systems erupt in a massive communications fault, and finally her eyes overload. Suddenly feeling very heavy, she slumped to the floor.

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Adjusting her shoulders, Ranma stepped into the hallway, behind her a group of agents took up position around the elevator bank. Her nose picking up the scent, the demoness crossed the corridor in a sprint.

The figure at the other end dropped her phone and flipped her arms in a defensive posture, but they were knocked aside. Ranma then swept the girl's legs and pushed forward. The green-haired female slammed into the ground. Supporting herself with one arm, Ranma leaned over her. The other arm was pointed over the prone figure's face, claws extended to within millimeters.

"What the hell are you?" the redhead demanded, staring right into her captive's red eyes. Ranma's tail hovered over the red-eyed girl's sternum; its filaments extended as well.

"Setsuna Meiou," she made sure to keep her head on the floor.

"She's dead, and she don't look fourteen," Ranma told the shorter girl.

Shivering slightly, the girl winced at the headache blooming in her mind. "You can smell me, and who else would actually call up WIC and announce they're wandering the basement hallways of the Toronto Trust Tower. We're only a few floors above the base here. Who else could I be?"

Ranma smiled. "You'd be surprised what those cyborgs can do."

"Believe me, I know," the girl sighed. "I know where they are."

"Oh? So Usagi's plan actually worked?" Ranma's voice was lightly sarcastic but her eyes were hard.

"So, what'll satisfy you? I smell like Setsuna; what else do you need?" she asked, hearing the elevator door open.

Ranma sprang up, rolling off the girl, who started to lift her head. She turned and saw a blank-faced blonde step out of the elevator. She pointed her arm and a burst of white light shot down the corridor enveloping the girl's chest and head.

After the beam gutted out, the figure stood up. The jeans and blouse she had been wearing were gone, replaced by a Sailor Seifuku of familiar coloration.

"What was the point of that?" Sailor Pluto asked. "I doubt a purification spell would do anything to a combat cyborg."

"There's more enemies than just cyborgs," Ranma reminded.

"How'd you know I wasn't one of those?"

"You could have tricked my nose and the scanners, but those girls are heavy."

The newly diminutive Senshi narrowed her eyes. "That's why you tackled me."

"I'm so sorry," Usagi cried as she ran over to Pluto and hugged her. "I didn't... I mean you showed me the..."

"So where are they?" Ranma demanded.

Pluto gave the address of a hotel across the city. "Suite rooms 807 and 809. I've only seen the five that attacked us."

"Right." Ranma said repeating the information into her headset. "Let's go," she said, nearly pushing Pluto and Usagi back to the elevator.

"You seem accepting," Pluto noted.

"Usagi explained it; your link to the Time Gates and some kind of clone bank. Point is, you found them," Ranma calmly explained. She could accept a device that allowed someone to follow a person, but it was interesting that the system was autonomous enough to run while the operator fought, died and... transferred into a new body.

"Yes, that's-" Pluto stopped at the elevator doors. "Shit. They see me."

"They're onto the surveillance. Watch your ass," Ranma barked into her headset.

"How can they..." Usagi blinked as the doors closed and the crowded elevator began to move. "That ghost girl? She could move through stuff"

Pluto gave a weak smile; at least Usagi was getting a bit sharper. "I'll buy you some time," she assured.

"What?" Ranma asked.

"How long until your troops-" Pluto stopped with a loud cry and crumpled bonelessly to the elevator floor.

A series of alarms hit Ranma's headset. "Inter-Dim spike," Maya Iverson's voice calmly said. As that happened, a vast almost electric tingling went through Ranma, concentrating on her horns.

"What happened?" Usagi held Pluto's unconscious form.

"Some kind of attack; they sensed Setsuna," Ranma said both to Usagi and into her headset. Her voice was strained and had a hint of fear to it; her horns were still tingling, not a good sign. "Kas, how far out are you?" she asked as they left the elevator bank and made it to the motor pool.

"Minute out, we're driving in now," Lieutenant Tendo replied.

"Watch your ass, they know we're coming," Ranma said as she walked over to a waiting vehicle.

"What about me?" Usagi said, holding her Senshi up. Though a medic was working on the girl and checking her for damage. Usagi saw one of the succubus agents waiting in the motor pool.

Pulling a new armored vest and skirt over her bodysuit, Ranma turned to look at the blonde. "Ain't a smart idea for you to come."

"But..."

Ranma turned to her niece. "Morrison, take Miss Tsukino and Setsuna to Doc Covington. I'm sure Eve knows but tell her to keep an eye on them."

Usagi glared. "I'm not some-"

Stopping her climb into the armored vehicle, Ranma turned to the blonde. "Yes, you are. This was a real bad gamble you made, and it's a miracle things weren't worse. You go out again and you'll be begging them to kill you."

Usagi glared.

Ranma's stern expression softened a hair. "Puu needs you, Mina too. She just lost a long time friend. Think about your girls, first." With a small frown at Usagi, the redhead slipped inside, and the large vehicle drove off.

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Desyat lowered the phone and stared at it for a moment. Terrified screams still ringing in her ear, she flipped it over and pulled the battery out. Her eyes went to the table, looking past the disassembled electronics.

_They'll make it out. They've planned for this._ She sharply inhaled. _Really? They planned to have things come through the walls?_

_  
_Desyat clenched her fingers closed and listened. The building seemed quiet enough, and she did not detect... She shook her head. _Of course we planned on that. Shest can go through walls._

Frowning, she got up and walked across the room. It sounded like... _The walls. Oh God the walls! The threshold opens..._ like surveillance. Of course there could have been an attack, in that case...

_They had some serious casualties, and it's not like you're out there to distract any of those demons. Two demons were enough to hurt them and scuttle the mission. What could thrice that do?_

Desyat tried to keep herself from responding. She could tell her mind was just going in circles. _I managed to survive, _she thought walking to the kitchen and pulling out a glass.

_Yes, but that's because I could run, and they were busy with Vosem,_ she reminded herself. After filling the glass with water she sat back down on the couch. After a few minutes, condensation started to form on the glass and drip down onto her fingers.

"I can't just sit here." Desyat blinked, almost shocked at her voice. _What then?_ _Run to the hotel? That'll be helpful. They've either already left or are being killed. _

She moved the glass to the table in front of her. _I guess the best I could hope for then would be to kill a bunch of mercenaries before dying. _She frowned. It was a silly idea. Rushing in now would be a waste. If she really wanted to do some damage, she would have to plan her vengeance.

Looking at the table, her gaze drifted between the still-full glass of water and the disassembled phone. Suddenly, she bolted to her feet, slipped on a coat, and grabbed her duffle bag and another, smaller case. Shouldering the cases, she went to the door and waited for a split second.

After sensing that the hallway was clear, she went out into the corridor and started walking down the stairs. Once outside, she began walking down the sidewalk. She consoled herself that at least this time she remembered to slip on a raincoat. _Why did it take so long for me to move?_ she asked herself as she crossed the street.

Hearing police, fire and ambulance sirens, she sighed and continued walking. After going down another block, she slipped into a motel complex and climbed up the stairs to the second floor. She carefully passed a man in a long coat shambling down past her. Fishing out a room key, she let herself into the dingy room, locked the door, and flopped onto the bed.

_Well, now what? _She frowned, looking up at the darkened ceiling. Eventually, she would have to see what happened. _If this is it... then I've got to make some choices._

She closed her eyes. If she were alone, what then? What else was there for her?

_I guess I could stay in the business, alone; I'll just avoid those protected by demons_. She paused and started laughing.

_Once you figure out what a _joke_ everything is, laughing is the only thing that makes sense._

_  
_Desyat stopped laughing. "Our betrayal by the Politburo, the demons, their mouths full of my comrade's guts... these are part of the joke?" she whispered to herself.

_Never said it was a good joke; just playing along with the gag... _she thought grimly.

Returning to distantly staring she waited. When her clock hit the right time she reached into the smaller of her two cases and pulled out another cellular phone and turned it on.

After a couple minutes the phone rang. She looked at the number, it was one of Arisha's. "Why, hello Nina," an amused male voice greeted.

Eyes widening, Desyat muted the microphone.

"Sorry about the caller ID. Sometimes electronics get their wires crossed. Something wrong?" the caller teased. "Well, you can't be too shocked; anyone can call, provided they have the number."

Desyat made sure she was recording the audio feed and turned the microphone back on. "You realized the mistake you've made," she said, getting to her feet.

The man laughed. "No, I'm pretty sure this is Nina Desyat."

After a moment of silence he sighed. "Do you need more time to reason out who this could be? Obviously, this isn't the Company's style. They're nowhere near this playful. We both know they'd have already shot out the window."

Desyat stepped away from the curtained window and out of direct sight of it.

"Probably would have used a few rockets, maybe a grenade gun, or just sent in the demons," he continued. "We're beyond worrying about civilian casualties anyway."

"So, who do you work for? Desyat asked, her impatience getting the better of her.

"What a funny question." He laughed, gratuitously. "You of all people should understand that question. I will give you something. Go to the window."

Desyat inched to the front of the room and instead of going to the window, checked the cameras she had installed outside covering the room. Both were suddenly out. She then took out a mirror and angled it so she could see through the door's fisheye lens. The walkway in front of the motel rooms was clear, as was the parking lot, except for the part directly below her which was obscured by the walkway. Across the street, a man wearing a fedora and a long coat, illuminated by a street lamp, started waving to her. He held a phone to his ear, the metal of his tie clasp reflecting the pale glow of the street lamps.

"You..." Desyat swore, her mind recalling the businessman in the subway and the man leaving the motel.

The man chuckled. "I'm a bit surprised, actually. You got here a bit quicker than I had expected. Oh well, we all make mistakes. After all, to err is to be... human."

Desyat flicked out one of her blades. He was out in the open and in easy range. "What kind of fool do you take me for?" she demanded.

"Let's play a little game. Pretend that I know exactly which room you're in, and you know I got here before you did. Now let's pretend I got into the rooms on either side of you, behind you, and just to be thorough, the one right below you. We can even further our imaginations by pondering the roof's potential."

Desyat's grip on her blade tightened.

"Now, can we pretend that you won't do anything rash?" he smoothly asked.

"What do you want?"

"Ah, down to brass tacks. Well, you are a businesswoman so it's not shocking. I'll be blunt. Your mission to take out Miss Tsukino is... congruent with some of my own plans."

Desyat eyed the door wondering how powerful the explosives the man had claimed to have planted were. It was possible that she could leap out of the motel before they went off and only get minor damage. It was also possible that he had thought of that and either aimed or simply enlarged the charges. Similarly, he could be watching to make sure she did not go out through the back of the room.

"However, after tonight... I'm disappointed." He leaned on a light pole. "The Company keeps its contracts based on its reputation. You know what happened the last time someone ambushed and killed their men? Tonight. you did even more damage. What do you think they'll do to you? What do you think they're doing to the rest of your team?"

"What do you know?" Desyat coldly asked.

"You're not going to ask how I know this?" Shock oozed into his voice. "Fine, I'll make it simple: you plan ahead and that's good. You even plan for what happens if things screw up, that's even better. You've got all these contingencies. That makes you very effective, provided they stay secret."

"You've been watching us?"

"Finally, I've got a dialogue instead of a monologue. Yes, I think tonight's... events have shown a certain weakness to... well magic, and very high caliber ammunition."

"And you're offering your services?" Desyat looked to her equipment. They had been cleaned for bugs... technological ones. She supposed someone could... enchant an object, or maybe use a creature. Something that could lurk in the distance, invisible. _Like what attacked the others in the hotel?_ she thought to herself, running a hand down her thigh. With a growing horror, she wondered if he had tampered with their replacement parts. That would put the bug _inside_ of her.

"I think I've proved my skills. I was able to track you here." Once again his laughter came over the lines. "Want me to give the Company a call? I'm sure they'd love a list of all of your safe houses."

"So, they're alive?"

"Ah... thanks for reminding me. Maybe it is just you. It'd certainly be rude of me to simply kill you. DarkStar would be most cross."

"And yet, you haven't done anything."

"Not to you, my Dear," he said, and Desyat could hear the greasy smile cross his face. "You girls really are marvels. Scaglietti was a brilliant artist; shame, he was a lousy politician."

Desyat fingered a blade, and went back to the fisheye via the mirror.

"Too soon? I'm sorry. It's just the irony..." He coughed slightly. "Anyway, you're really lost at this. Yes, you're very good at blowing things up and causing havoc, but for what?"

Desyat watched him fumble in his coat and pull out a pack of cigarettes. The lit ember dangling off his face made a tempting target.

"The problem... the problem of it all..." He took a drag on the cigarette. "... is that magical girls simply don't make sense. I don't just mean the magic. I've got magic; you've got magic. Hells bells, magic makes perfect sense, that's how it works. But..."

"Magical girls don't make sense," Desyat supplied, morbidly curious.

"Yes," he sighed. "They're what happens when you couple mindless idealism with the power to enforce it. You think the machinations of the cynical are dangerous? Wait until you face the brute wrath of the naive."

"Oh?"

"Yes, she'll vacillate between self doubt and fear, until she makes up her mind. Then she'll come after you with more force than you can comprehend. Her history speaks for itself."

"She sounds dangerous. Is that why you're offering your 'help'?" Desyat asked with a sarcastic undercurrent.

"She has many enemies. One of which is paying you quite the sum." The man laughed. "Though, I wonder if that was money wisely spent."

Desyat frowned.

"Just look at the results. You're all that's left, and to be blunt..." He idly waved his cigarette.

"Get to your point."

"Fine." He sighed. "The supreme irony is that despite everything you're quite... How to say this? You're like a chess player, brilliant, fast, innovative, and able to predict the moves your opposition should make. Your record is impressive."

"But?"

"Not everyone plays chess."

Desyat's fingers twitched.

"So the question you need to ask yourself is, 'What now?' Where do you go from here?" He dropped the half-burnt cigarette and stepped on it with his foot.

"Don't worry." he assured, as he pulled out the pack and a lighter. "I'm sure you'll come up with something. You're nothing if not adaptable."

"And that includes your services?"

"I do know more about what you're facing. Think about what I'm offering." The man briefly looked at a watch before pulling out another cigarette. "Be seeing you." He joined his index finger to his thumb and raised the circle to his eye and then tipped it forward in a salute. He then stepped off the sidewalk and walked to a large muscle-car and drove off.

Desyat pulled the phone from her ear and stared at it. After a few seconds she disconnected it. Moving back to the bed she sat down and stared at the wall. Shortly after that, she got up and started digging through her equipment, looking for... something.

A minute into her examination, the phone rang. "What?" she angrily asked.

"Why didn't you answer?" Galina demanded.

"Thank goodness. You got out okay?" Desyat asked with relief.

"Why didn't you pick up the phone?"

"We have a major problem." Desyat sighed.

"Really, now?" Galina dryly remarked.

"Someone else called. Someone who's had us under surveillance, using magic somehow."

Galina hesitated. "Like what Shest and us saw?"

"I don't know what you saw," Desyat noted. "But after you saw that, weren't you attacked by the Company?"

"Yes... they came... but we had been gone by a few minutes."

"Then that wasn't this.. guy's doing. He's not with WIC. He knew where I was. If the Company had this information... we'd be dead." Desyat looked at the collection of machinery and parts she had spread out on the floor.

Galina looked around the safe house she and the others were in. "What did he want?"

"He made it sound like he merely wanted to sell us something, but he didn't do too good of a job of that."

Galina rubbed her forehead and looked at Dve'nadtsat who was lying on a couch crying a bit. It had been difficult to move her, but it was required. She was worth far more than the parts they had to leave behind. "That's a... troubling addition."

"I believe that was his intent."

"Lovely."

"Are you certain that you weren't followed?" Desyat asked.

"Shest's pulse seemed to work. There hasn't been anything... crawling. As for the mercenaries, they would have attacked already."

"That gives us some time," Desyat allowed. "I've been going through my equipment, and I haven't found anything, but..."

"We'll need to check everything."

"And move to new locations. I mean all new. Every safe house, every route, every cache." Desyat rubbed her forehead. "I'm betting he's still watching us... somehow. We can't say anything until..."

"Until we figure out how to counter him," Galina frowned. Part of her wanted to believe that Desyat had... cracked. As disturbing as that concept was, it would be less disturbing than the idea that there was someone else. Someone who had been watching them for weeks and could easily burn them all. The worst part was that was still less disturbing than whatever Shest had managed to... frighten off.

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Ranma stepped into the room and eyed the green-haired girl. "So, what did they do?"

Pluto looked to Usagi for a moment. "It... hurt."

Keeping a carefully neutral expression, the demon watched the girl as she walked forward.

Usagi noticed the redhead's face change to one of pity.

Pulling a chair, Ranma sat down across the bed from Usagi. "That was a real big pulse they shot off. I mean, I felt it too."

Pluto nodded. "It... overloaded... the Time-Space Door." She winced as a flash of pain streaked across her mind. "That's not really the right term, but it's close enough." She turned to Usagi and gave a weak smile. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Usagi assured giving the physically younger girl a hug.

"Been a while?" Ranma sympathetically asked.

Pluto blinked.

"You died and got knocked out by some dimensional feedback," Ranma explained, worry entered her voice at the last part.

Pluto looked worn. "No, a few years ago I... sacrificed myself." She looked to Usagi. "It was the helicopter, against the Black Moon, I saved Michiru and Haruka."

"So. You knew your body double system still worked." Ranma noted that Pluto seemed much more disturbed about the "overload" than having her body blown apart. Before entering she had talked with Doctor Covington, and was not surprised to find that the officer had not found any physical damage.

"Yeah." Pluto turned to Ranma. "They got away, didn't they?"

Ranma nodded. "They must've left right after... zapping you. When we got there the place was already burning."

Usagi's face paled. "They didn't... they burned a whole hotel down?"

"Not really." Ranma arched her eyebrow. "They were simply covering their tracks. If they wanted to burn the hotel down or set a trap, they would have used different incendiary charges or spread around more gas."

"They destroyed their records and equipment?" Pluto asked.

"The rooms are being sifted through now; we'll find something," Ranma shrugged.

"What's the point of that?"

"Well, it'd be nice to know what equipment they had to destroy. We know what parts they use and can guess at how difficult they are to make."

"I don't think you can count on them stopping just because they've run out of spare batteries," Usagi noted.

Ranma gave a chuckle. "So, how is Mina doing?" she asked, more seriously.

"Back in the commissary with Luna," Usagi frowned. "I'm worried."

"Give her time," Pluto said, quietly. "She's still getting used to it; what she is now."

"Ami's sick."

The redhead noted that Usagi's tone was plain, conversational. There was only a hint of anger in her voice; mostly, it was a statement of fact. "Still, you should be there for her. Make sure she knows you still see her as a friend and not some thing."

Usagi's eyes went to Pluto. "Yeah."

"Artemis was a close friend of hers. That's going to be tough," Ranma reminded

"But he died in such a stupid way," Usagi muttered, unnerved by the demon's steady gaze. "How can we tell her that?"

"That happens. Battle's ugly and people can die for stupid, random reasons." Ranma shrugged.

"That doesn't help."

"That's reality."

"So what? I should just accept that bad things will happen?" Usagi glared.

"Of course not!" Ranma's eyes flashed. "If you wanted to do that, you could just curl up and wait for the Russians to kill you. Life isn't fair. Bad people do bad things. The whole point is to do what you can. _You_ should know that."

"Aren't you the one cautioning Usagi from too much idealism?" Pluto asked.

"There's idealism, and then there's hope. One keeps you wishing about how the world should be, and the other keeps you fighting, because you realize that there's no alternative."

"There's wishing you could make people 'better' and the world 'fair', and then there's just trying to kill the bastards that want to kill you. You know why I fight. Why I put my own children on the line. It's just that simple."

"Yes, why we're here." Usagi chewed her lip. "You're worried about me?"

"Sure, but there's more than that." Ranma frowned. "That pulse the cyborgs set off... it's going to cause problems."

Inhaling sharply, Pluto's eyes widened.

"Why? Didn't they just overload the Gates? That sounds like Murdock's blocking trick."

"Shielding is a bit different than overloading." Ranma gave a charitable smile. "Look, you know why we're here... in Canada... that is. What effect do you think a giant dimensional pulse will have? You think it'll help things?" Ranma archly asked.

Usagi looked down. "Well... I don't really know why I'm here."

Ranma glared at Pluto. "You didn't _tell_ her?"

"I didn't know... at first." Pluto choked a bit. "And by the time I figured it out..."

"You decided to keep it to yourself?" The demon shook her head.

"Wait... what?" Usagi balled her fists. "You knew! You figured out what was going on and didn't tell me? Will you tell me?" she asked Ranma.

The redhead rubbed her forehead. "First off, many things are... cyclic in nature. There's a certain rhythm to events. About a hundred and twenty years ago loggers observed what they thought was a strange version of the northern lights."

"Forty years after that, a mysterious explosion leveled several hundred acres of Montana forest. Roughly another forty years passed and the Company lost about two hundred men in a single operation."

"Which brings us to the present?" Usagi guessed. "So what is it? Aside from getting worse every time."

Ranma chuckled. "You of all people should know there's never just one threat, but yes, this is why WIC was needed to prepare and setup base here."

"The stars are right," Setsuna whispered.

Usagi nearly glared at the diminutive girl. "This doesn't say what's happening."

"It's nothing you haven't dealt with before," Ranma noted. "I guess that's why Puu kept quiet about it. Inter-dimensional invasions are your thing after all."

"That's it?" Usagi blinked. "All this mystery for some repeat of the Dark Kingdom attack?"

Ranma adjusted her gloves. "I don't know about that. There's no energy gathering or gloating figures in silly costumes, Mercury excluded. No, what we've got here is another dimension that's pressing against ours."

"Yes, and every forty years, the pressure..." Pluto swallowed.

Usagi recalled Ranma's bit of history. "So if it keeps getting worse... the barrier's getting thinner?"

Ranma nodded.

"So, what is it? What's trying to get through?"

The demoness chuckled. "Well, technically, that's a theological question."

"Huh?"

"Which would be worse? An invasion from a place that could be described as Hell or one that could be described as Heaven?" Pluto quietly asked.

"Well... aren't the angels..." Usagi looked to Ranma and her horns. "So, who are the good guys?"

"I sincerely doubt it's the creatures writhing against a dimensional barrier eagerly anticipating for the stars to allow ingress." Pluto deadpanned.

"Just to be clear, this isn't like BlackSky's and Vephar's invasion. Demons are more... human than what we're dealing with."

"This is more like what Tomoe dredged up," Pluto clarified. "Not in exact nature, mind you, but in that the barriers between dimensions had to be... adjusted to let Pharaoh 90 in. Beryl and Metalia were similar too," she added, her voice bitter and offended.

"How do you know this?" Usagi turned to Ranma.

The demon blinked. "I just asked Jacob and Stillwater."

"And they told you?" Pluto's voice was disbelieving.

"Lying would just bring more trouble for them than the truth would."

"Really?"

"My relationship with them is built on trust. It'd be very... disappointing if they were foolish enough to lie to me about the very thing we've been preparing for."

"So what are you and WIC doing about all this then?" Usagi asked.

"What are _we_ doing about this?" Ranma's tone broke into one of sharp insult. "What do you _think_ we've been doing? The D program, the Fifth NH Task Force, special weapons development, inter-dimensional research. Do you _really_ think we started training Canadian special forces in NH combat just because a few cyborgs are trying to kill you?"

"But, there was the Assembly and those vampires and that cult. Plus Murdock," Usagi found herself leaning away from the redhead..

"We've been doing this before they popped up; we've been doing this before those cultists took those hostages. This is not about you." Ranma arched an eyebrow. "That's enough to get WIC to run roughshod over an entire government?" She raised her arms and waved them. "Do you think all _this_ is necessary for that?"

"But, those are all related to what's going on..."

"Of course, that's because they're symptoms. Non-humans and other sensitives can feel what's going on, and they're being attracted to this." Ranma leaned forward. "Now the Company's got some specialists looking at exactly what the cyborgs did... but what do you think? Given what's already happening to the dimensional barriers, what do you think a big pulse will do? What will it do to those that are... sensitive to such things?"

"It was strong enough to disrupt my... connection, and hurt me." Pluto shivered.

Ranma nodded. "The question is how much damage it does."

"Well... the barrier is still up, right?"

"Well, there's no tentacles creeping out of shadows, people aren't erupting into unthinking wails of madness, and of course the sky hasn't opened up with a rain of spores." The demon tilted her head. "Of course we're in an underground facility protected from such things."

Usagi cast a fearful glance at the ceiling.

"No, alarms would be going off in that case," Ranma assured.

"So... how much time is left?"

"That's the question isn't it," Ranma chuckled. "There's a window... but the cyborgs may have sped things up." She turned to Pluto. "Especially if they keep using that pulse thing."

Usagi looked at the grinning demon. "So you don't know, then."

"It's a real pain. The old books are rather... interpretive, and despite all the talk about the stars-" Ranma glanced over at Pluto. "-things are apparently... fuzzy on that front too. Things don't _seem_ like they're getting unglued, so we've got some time... maybe."

"So you're just getting ready, preparing for the worst?"

"That or I'm deliberately restricting just what information I'm giving you." Ranma's grin spread until it showed her teeth. "This could be my little way of keeping you in the dark, leaking just the right amount of information. All to keep leading you by the nose."

"You wouldn't... I mean we're..."

"We're what?" Ranma tilted her head. "Good people are dead because of your little stunt. You wanted to prove you were a big girl, you _rejected_ my help. How did that work out for you?"

"Ranma, I..."

"You can hardly blame Usagi for the deaths of the agents. The cyborgs would have attacked them even if we had been working together."

"Maybe so," Ranma stated as the shadows below her chair darkened. "But Artemis might have lived, maybe you wouldn't be in that fresh new body. Maybe we could have had a better defense and have killed more than one of those mechanical things. We could have been on a Company base, not ambushed in transit."

"I tried..."

"No, you stood back and let others do it for you," Ranma glared before looking to Pluto. "I can see why Usagi still thinks this is the same game, but you? Are you really _that_ deluded? Then again, this was your idea."

"This isn't our first time at this." Pluto's eyes hardened. "What experience do you have with invasions of inter-dimensional monsters?"

Ranma laughed. "I've been on both sides of that, Puu. I remember what it was like in the old days."

"Yes, but we've established that this is different. We're not dealing with cute demons," Pluto smirked. "I've been fighting the invaders, the real invaders since long, long before you were born, that including the little Terran prince used to make DarkStar. I remember the _old_, old days as you would put it."

"So, how could _you_ of all people have gotten so soft? Why are you afraid of a guy like Murdock?" Ranma glanced down at her watch. "I mean, sure he's a good spook, but why would you care that he can run good surveillance and flip a few Senshi?"

"You don't understand the risk he poses. He's the reason you're sitting there. He's the reason WIC has that shiny new unit they can show off. He's been trying to get Usagi."

"Odd, I thought I was here because you paid me a lot of money. So, you've had people corrupted before, right?" Ranma asked.

"And people have been after me before, remember Prince Diamond?" Usagi reminded.

"This is different." Setsuna glared.

Ranma nodded. "So, he's an actual threat, then."

"So, Murdock wants me... is he involved with this... invasion?" Usagi asked.

"Maybe, maybe not. He could just be taking advantage of the situation. He knows you'd be here. He killed Mamoru and set me up to replace him."

"So, why does Murdock want me? Who is he working for?"

Ranma shrugged.

"I liked things better when I had to face just one evil person and her flunkies and minions," Usagi pouted.

"_Carl Sagan_said: It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring," Pluto stated.

"Great, now you're quoting things at me too," Usagi sighed.

"Well, does that count with things beyond human understanding and sanity?" Ranma smirked.

"Maybe not for everyone," Pluto admitted.

Ranma chuckled, and turned back to Usagi. "So, what now?"

"Huh?"

"Where do you go from here?" Ranma repeated. "Your house was burnt down."

"Oh," Usagi chewed her lip. "Well, is it too late to ask for your help?"

"You're already in this base being protected," Ranma gently reminded.

"Yes, but I don't know if I can stay on base forever. There has to be more of a plan than that," Usagi sighed.

"Yes, yes there does."

Looking at the demon's quizzical gaze, Usagi coughed.

"So, what's your idea?"

"We are paying you," Pluto told Ranma.

"Yes, and what do you want me to do? We've got a lot of options. Especially, when they find out they didn't kill Puu and Minako."

Usagi laughed. "Why should we let them learn that?"

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Sure, Puu looks different, but they're gonna figure Mina's alive in the next fight.."

"Maybe not." Usagi rubbed her chin. "Maybe she won't be Venus."

Pluto's eyes widened. "You're thinking of doing... _that, _again?"

"It's worked before."

"We'll have to get Minako's approval." Pluto knew Minako would immediately volunteer for it.

"What are you talking about?" Ranma asked.

"Minako pretends to be the Princess, and draws attention away from the real Princess," Pluto explained. "It was used against the Dark Kingdom."

"So a body double?" Ranma asked. "I guess that makes some sense now. Mina is harder to hurt than you."

"I don't know... I mean, it makes her a target." Usagi sighed.

"There's also what you'll be doing while she pretends to be you," Ranma reminded. "And she's gotta pretend to be you all the time. Not just in fights. The Russians are smarter than that."

"There's also what I'll be covered as," Pluto noted.

"Oh?' Usagi asked.

"We can't have the cyborgs realize that we're harder to kill than they think," Pluto cautioned.

"They know your face. Can you girls change that?" Ranma asked.

Usagi chuckled. "We've got disguise pens."

"Ah, magic then." Ranma said as she wondered exactly what senses a disguise like that would fool, not to mention all the habits and gestures that were unique to each person "So, what will you disguise as?"

The blonde shrugged.

"Assuming Minako's for this idea, you could always go as the Princess' mother," Setsuna suggested.

Ranma gave a sharp laugh. "I don't think Usagi can play a convincing Serenity."

"Unlike you, these Soviet Assassins don't know Queen Serenity. Any information they have on her would be second hand."

"So what... you and the 'Queen' will be reinforcements? Sent in because the Princess couldn't handle things?"

"Lies work best when you dress them up with the truth," Usagi bitterly stated. "Do you think this would work?"

"Right now it's just dress up. You need more to make it an actual plan. At least... at least you're starting to think of what do to," Ranma allowed as she stood up. "I've got a meeting to get to."

"The cleanup?" Pluto asked.

Ranma gave a curt nod. "I suggest you get back with Minako, Doc Covington can give you some painkillers, but she thinks you're fine." She turned and exited the room. Once the door closed behind her she exhaled sharply.

"Andrea, Gabe. When they leave escort them back to the commissary. If they try anything... odd alert us," Ranma instructed to the two agents in the corridor.

"Sure thing, Red," Gabe drawled. He did not like babysitting the princess, but he had volunteered to go back on duty and this was where he was stuck.

"Morrison wants to go shopping with you," Ranma smirked at Andrea.

"Oh? Clothes I suppose," Andrea Lytle drawled.

"Maybe, it would be nice to have her socialize a bit. Later then." Ranma walked down the hallway. Shortly, she came to the door of a particular office and let herself in.

Jacob looked up from his desk, and Eve lifted Sophie and shifted to open a spot on the couch.

"What're your thoughts?" Ranma asked after closing the door. Obviously, they had been listening in on the medical room.

"Your methods could use some more refinement," Eve noted.

Picking up a glass of water, Jacob made a thoughtful noise. "I'm not sure about that, Captain. If Miss Saotome were too polished, then Meiou's suspicions may rise."

"So, where's Stillwater?" Ranma asked, sitting down on the couch.

"Mending fences. The government got a few of their feathers ruffled tonight."

"It's not our fault JTF2 missed all the action," Ranma sighed.

"For the best, their training has just started," Eve noted.

"The Combat Cyborgs: capability?" Jacob asked.

"It's about what we thought it was," Eve stated. "They're very organized and professional. Their skill has grown since the Vatican's evaluation."

"They're weak against Nariko's ability and sufficient damage can disable them," Ranma stated.

"The problem seems to lie in being able to damage them," Jacob noted. "They favor fire and maneuver. Their armor is a secondary defense; they concentrate more on avoiding being hit in the first place."

"Their speed and agility is impressive." Ranma stretched her neck. "In close quarters Galina A'deen is... dangerous."

"Indeed." Jacob refilled his glass with water. "Their use of remote guns was unexpected. We've got enough of them to study and be ready to jam them."

"They are weak at unconventional tactics. In addition to Nariko and Ranma's attacks, Ukyou and Misako's abilities were quite effective."

Jacob nodded. "Ranma, it would seem that your idea caught them off guard. Ideas?"

"They were... hesitant when I broke in." Ranma rubbed her chin. "I'd guess they were expecting a military assault and the time that would take, not some demon smashing her way in before they can do anything. We got in before they could react."

"Their experience is with fighting conventional militaries. They assumed that the 5th would fight pretty much like they do."

"Unfortunately, they received a full lesson on NH combat; they're fast learners," Jacob frowned.

"Assigning one to medical evacuation shows they value their people," Eve noted. "This was expected, given their time together and the inability to get replacements."

Ranma frowned. "They know they're outnumbered. We should have expected them to do something to balance that factor out."

Jacob looked at a far wall. "It was a mistake to assume they'd continue stay with their own capabilities. This seems to be a more serious mission to them than the others."

"Their sniper did use an automated gun against Morgan," Eve noted. "So, automated turrets. They'll find other ways to augment their limited manpower."

Jacob nodded. "I'll have our people start shaking the bushes. We'll see if they've started looking for help."

"Watch the NH community, too." Ranma stated. "They're not the type to stay ignorant. They'll try to figure out what we can do."

"What about this pulse they're using? That's has the potential to go very bad for us all," Jacob stated.

"I'd guess they're doing it out of ignorance. They're certainly not suicidal," Ranma said.

"We need to talk to them. If we're right and they want to learn, then they'll could be convinced," Eve suggested. "They might not believe us, but telling them is better than doing nothing."

"Maybe we can work with that." Jacob looked into his glass. "There is an... asymmetry here. They've put everything on the line for this mission: pride, vengeance, their very purpose. All they've ever had was each other, and we're taking that away from them. And for us? It's all a distraction, one that weakens us."

"And what are their options? What's their end plan? They have to still think they can complete the mission and successfully hide. They can't think they can destroy the whole Company." Ranma took a sip of water.

Eve rubbed her chin. "They're not suicidal."

The redhead tilted her head. "What do they think we'll do when they attack again and it escalates further? Or they kill Usagi? It looks like we really want to keep her alive. What if things get to a point where they can't run? Why wouldn't they decide to fight to the end and do as much damage as possible?"

"You don't corner someone unless you're prepared to do what it takes to destroy them," Jacob made a couple notes. "We'll try to get a meeting with them. It could give us a chance to learn more about their personalities and what they're willing to do. At the very least we'll warn them about that pulse device of theirs. That technology is more dangerous than any damage they can do to Usagi or this command."

"Understood, Sir," Eve replied crisply.

"Right." Ranma gave a slight nod.

"And how did you do in combat?" Jacob asked Ranma.

"Personally? The armor worked great. It soaked up a lot of damage. Still, their attacks can cut it. I don't know if more weight's worth the mobility hit." Ranma looked down at her glass. "It's how I was able to hold my own against her. The SSP was handy too. The look on her face..."

"A'deen had to be evacuated from that fight. You walked away," Eve assured giving Ranma's hand a squeeze.

"Yes, I didn't pursue her," Ranma's eyes flashed. "Morrison, Ukyou, and Morgan showed what's gotta be done to take them out. Area effects are good, especially ones that are new to them."

"According to Agent Morrison's statements, the one she killed was significantly hampered by Misako's draining and Ukyou's mental effects."

"Sustained trauma?" Eve asked.

Ranma nodded. "Anything else they'll shrug off and then run. That's what makes the new guns so useful. They've got the punch." The demon paused. "And A'deen... I've talked with Nariko and the others. She's their trump. Next time nothing cute with her."

Jacob idly rubbed the scar on the back of his palm. "Where is our equipment lacking?"

"Jammers." Ranma said without any hesitation. "This Shest can cause some real damage. The only reason the Silvers didn't have their throats slit one by one was because they had personal teleportation jammers."

"That was a surprising development," Jacob flexed is hands. "Miniaturization of our jamming technology has been a constant goal."

"Then I suggest we procure some of the Silver's equipment," Eve stated

"It's limited," Ranma shrugged. "Their jammers have a range of only a couple meters. It's enough to keep someone from grabbing you or stabbing you in the back, but then she could appear just out of range and toss a satchel charge."

"What would be nice is having extra jammers you can attach to someone," Eve noted. "Block her phasing and you get an opening to kill her."

"Good idea," Jacob noted. "How come Shest didn't use satchel charges?"

"Sir, according to the Silvers, she did. The wards Setsuna had setup prevented her from getting too close to do anything easy, like pop in a canister of nerve gas or a fuel-air bomb, but Shest managed to breach their defenses. That's how the initial assault went off. After that the Silvers formed a defensive position but kept being hammered. Shest only shifted to medi-vac after Ranma and Nariko arrived." Eve explained.

"So, what about Usagi?"

"Do you think she's worth salvaging?" Jacob asked.

"Liquidating her would be the simplest move," Eve offered.

"Such a plan would have to succeed. Betrayal from an unscrupulous corporation and Fallen Senshi would fit her narrative far too well," Jacob cautioned.

"There is no need for action on our part," the blonde demon reminded.

"Yes, all I'd have to do was make some demands Usagi would never accept. Then when she refuses we, regrettably of course, kick her out. Without us, the Russians will kill her." Ranma chuckled. "It wouldn't even violate the contract we signed with her."

"That contract was to support her, when permitted, and assassinate her if she were to... fall," Eve agreed. "Yes, she knows we've been plotting on the best way to kill her, at her behest."

Jacob leaned back. "So tell me, is she worth it, or is it better to pacify the Russians?"

"Her powers would be useful. You want Pattern Silvers, she's the top one. Maybe she'll be motivated." Ranma gave the sleeping broodling a bit of a hug. "As for the Cyborgs, killing Usagi would be their big win. What they do after that depends on how much revenge they want."

"I'm surprised it took Miss Tsukino so long to just ask what this is all about," Eve chuckled as she adjusted her daughter.

Ranma shook her head. "She didn't even ask Puu."

"Lack of interest? Did she just assume this time would be like the others? Or does she simply not trust anyone? I recall she didn't ask you until tonight. Interesting." Jacob took a sip from his glass. "Can you work her?"

"I don't know," Ranma frowned. "She's stubborn, but over all the wrong things."

"Isn't that how it goes?" Jacob smirked. "Still, it is useful for you to... mentor her."

"Help her develop a persona for this Serenity she'll be pretending to be." Eve nodded.

"It could help, but... look at all she's gone through. I wouldn't expect great improvements," Ranma reached out to the coffee table and poured herself a glass of water. It was far too close to sunrise to have the Scotch she actually wanted.

Jacob put his own glass down. "Anything to make her less of a danger."

"She's a sentimentalist, use the civilian deaths, use the cat's death. Make her realize that failure comes with a cost, that she can't just wish it all better," Eve stated.

Ranma took a sip and frowned at the cut-glass. "That's the problem, she still thinks she can."

"Even after that cult started killing hostages in the toy store?" Jacob asked. "She couldn't bring them back."

Ranma looked over at Eve. "Denial is powerful," she sighed.

The blonde nodded. "That's the problem: how do you get someone who has the power to wish it _all_ better to realize that it's best if she didn't let her delusions put her into such situations in the first place."

"What's her mental state then? How close is she to the edge?" Jacob asked. He noticed the Captain display an almost human sense of worry as she paused in recollection.

"Past history indicates rash action following harm of her closest friends. We'll know more once the shock from tonight wears off, but I would rate her mental state as... fragile."

"That's an understatement," Ranma dryly remarked as she took a sip. "That's the problem. She's waiting, she's stewing. If something like this happened to any of us, we'd _do_ something. Hell, it did! We lost more people than the princess did."

Jacob noted the use of the word "we".

Ranma continued. "The point is, we're doing something. Tracking down leads, as we prepare for a response. What we're not doing is sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves."

"She wanted to come; she wanted to help you," Eve reminded.

"And she would have gotten in the way," Ranma said, her harsh tone almost waking up Sophie.

"That's why you told her to go back and comfort Minako," Jacob stated.

"Yeah, give her something to do, and have her help her team."

Sophie opened her eyes and slid between her aunt and mother on the couch. "Colonel Edwards," she saluted Jacob, sheepishly.

"Specialist Addison," Jacob replied returning the salute. "How much did you hear?"

"Problems with Tsukino," she leaned onto her mother. "You're worried she might crack. Well... hasn't she already? Her file speaks for itself."

"That seems to be what she does when the going gets tough, Sir." Eve agreed.

Jacob put his glass down. "I want our contingency plans updated and our surveillance on her maintained." He turned to Ranma. "Make sure she stays on base or in a safe house. We can't afford to let her go off on her own."

"At this point I think Moon would ask Auntie Red for any help before going it alone, Sir," Sophie sleepily said. "That's part of why she likes Red. They both lead teams; they're both queens."

"True, that crush you two have works both ways," Eve noted.

"Good, we can use that," Jacob leaned back. "Miss Tsukino's been alone for too long."

End Chapter 24

Key to the Russian obscenities:

"Chto za huy'nya!" What the fuck!

"Tvar" A) Creature B) Vile, loathsome, foul person. Both meanings fit here.

"schelkat' ebalom." To be careless

"Chyort voz'mi!" Oh, shit! / Oh, damn!

I'd like to thank my pre-readers. They read through my most egregious mistakes so you don't have to. DGC, J St C Patrick, Terra, Pale Wolf, Wray, Kevin Hammel, Ikarus, Jerry Starfire, Mike Koos, and Nadrek. Special thanks to Nadrek, who has joined my preading team, for being a great help in cleaning up the combat scenes.


	27. Ch25 Replacements and Remembrance Part 1

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Sunshine Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.

Other website Temple of Ranma's Senshi Seifuku

C&C as always is wanted.

Chapter 25 Replacements and Remembrance Part 1

Specialist Agent Sophie Addison frowned as a technician unpacked their equipment. She kept her arms crossed over her chest. Sweat beaded down her back.

Science and Technology Section Agent First Class Jared Dirac kept a level gaze at the demon. His orientation briefing was very clear, and he could see a prime warning sign: her tail was slowly swishing back and forth at a low angle. The specialist's increased hostility was strange, he had a much easier time working with the Brood Mother. " Specialist can you move your arms?" he respectfully asked.

Sophie complied. "Does it have to look... that way?"

"You're already wearing a skirt," Ukyou absently noted.

Looking past her armored vest, and the special web gear to hold the oversize 17mm magazines, Sophie sighed. "At least these make some sense." She tugged at one of the flexibly-mounted Kevlar pleats, containing an armor plate inset in each. Combined with the chest and back plates, modified for succubus physiology, the armor's weight would be debilitating on a human.

Then add in a twenty kilogram rifle, six additional magazines, each weighing eight kilograms, a six kilogram sidearm and spare magazines for that, a helmet, a pair of reinforced boots, and various other equipment. It had taken a while to actually, _feel_ the weight, but after the first couple kilometers she started to notice. It took double that for her to start sweating. Though Dirac's invention provided a nice distraction; it kept Sophie from thinking too deeply on what her body was capable of.

"Specialist!" Ukyou barked.

"Sorry." Sophie shook her head. "I was just thinking."

"The change does that," Ukyou allowed. "That's why we're getting you trained now. Don't want you to get all introspective in battle."

"I can imagine, the gender change must do a lot," Dirac noted as he ran a diagnostic on the device. Starting to extend the antennae, he looked up and noticed that both demons had still, straight tails. "Uh."

"Born female." Ukyou pointed to herself and Sophie. "Though in her case, her hair changed to a sane color."

"At least platinum blonde can pass as a natural shade." Sophie examined Dirac's device. "Why? Do Pattern Silver devices require ribbons and bows?"

Dirac looked down at the device, which bore and unnatural similarity to a pair of large bows with trailing ribbons. "Actually the Pattern Silver contribution is quite small." He pointed to a small plastic box. "The antennae was my doing."

Sophie rubbed her forehead. "How did this get past your CO?"

"The Silver devices have a major limitation. Their range is pitiful. By adding in our own jamming antennas we can get a device that gives actual area denial."

"And they have to be half a meter long?" Sophie asked.

Dirac sighed. "Do you want it to work or to look good?"

"My concern is that you seem to want to make it look good."

"The antennas are delicate, sheathing them in Kevlar prevents damage."

"Maybe trying to merge WIC tech and Silver magic got to you," Ukyou smirked.

Dirac gave a slight nod. "That was a concern. We set a battery of tests, just to make sure the devices didn't have any adverse effects or transmissions. Another team then tested the testing equipment and the testers."

Ukyou blinked. "Let it be known I'm saying this as a former Acolyte of the Assembly of man: I bow to your paranoia," the blonde demon lowered her head.

"These devices are using a magical apparatus as a replacement generator. As a pure black box, it can create the same signals we use in our own inter-dim jamming equipment. These signals are then broadcast via those antennas."

Dirac looked at the jamming rig. "However, a black box... allows for other features. Much of the delay came from our validation procedures. At the very least, this has given us more insight on how to miniaturize our own technology."

"How is this thing powered?" Sophie asked. "I know that's a major size limitation of our jammers."

"That's the other advantage, but ultimately limitation, of the Silver system. Which is why I want to test it on you," Dirac stated.

"Magic power?"

"Essentially." Dirac caught a glance at the agent's tail. It was curled just at the end in a slight hook and hung to one side. "It uses the power of a 'Sailor Senshi' to function. Both as an easy power source and as a security measure."

Her tail dropping, a frown bloomed on Sophie's face.

"That's right. You're an honest-to-goodness magical girl," Ukyou smirked.

Rubbing her forehead, and one of her horns, the veteran Operations Agent sighed. "Fine. Just pin the damn thing on."

"Yes, Specialist." Dirac picked up the forward of the antennae sets and after moving her web-harness, threaded it through some mounting slits. After repeating the process on the back antennae he checked their wiring and put the slim control box next to Sophie's radio.

Sophie looked down at herself. She then moved her arms around and practiced moving her legs. "Well, they're not that in the way," she allowed.

"Sticking them out further away from your body would have better reception," Dirac said after returning to his equipment. "So would making them longer."

"Then just make them longer and have them run along my body," Sophie frowned.

"You're not tall enough, and it's not like we can shorten an antenna by folding it up a few times," Dirac explained.

"Mom spent a very frustrating afternoon with Agent Dirac," Ukyou noted.

Jared blinked. "She was annoyed?"

"Mom didn't want to scare you." Ukyou grinned broadly. "Also, she knew the testing was important."

"That's good." Dirac recalled the way the briefing described Special Contractor Ranma Saotome and the way the diminutive redheaded demoness confidently and professionally carried herself. The briefing nailed it. WIC Toronto had a Brood Mother. One that not only enjoyed working with the Company but was actively and eagerly using and adapting WIC methods, training, and technology.

"To be fair, that getup-" Ukyou pointed to Sophie. "-is a lot better than Mom's old uniform."

"A micro-miniskirt and bikini top is still better than what the human Silvers wear." Sophie gave a slight sigh.

"Still the bows, I'm sorry, ribbons really make a statement," Ukyou smirked.

Dirac coughed. "The activation switch is the red one on the side. You'll see that the controls and indicators are those on the main panel on your basic Jammer. I kept the design as familiar as possible, but really you're going to use it as a black box in combat. Turn it on when you need it, off when you don't want to emit exotic fields."

Sophie flipped the switch and saw an orange LED light up followed shortly by a green one. A tingling grew in her horns and teeth. Similar to the background "fuzz" she now felt on base, but it was more immediate and close, somewhat like having an electronic toothbrush strapped to her breasts and another just above her butt. A numerical indicator on the control box ticked up and held steady at forty-five. It was then that Sophie felt the slight... draining sensation as the little box sipped power off of her and fed it into the Kevlar-sheathed antennae.

Dirac looked at his scanner. "Okay, stable generation. Good range."

Sophie bit her lip, the jammers gave an... odd sensation. "So, it's working?" she asked realizing the big downside to a body with enhanced senses; everything was so very... immersive.

"Yes, output is nearly identical to the measurements I got from Miss Saotome."

"My output is the same as hers?" Sophie raised an eyebrow.

"The device has limits on how much input it'll take. These tests are all on the default settings. You can increase it, but that'll be more draining."

"So it's possible to increase the range?" Sophie put a hand up to a horn. The generator's vibrations did feel... odd.

"If you have the power for it," Dirac shrugged. "We'll need to do more testing to see how much you can put out."

Ukyou's face split into a broad smirk. "So you're recommending some endurance testing?"

"That would be handy," Jarred admitted.

Sophie winced. "Shit."

Ukyou nodded. "Get your gun, we've got some more running."

The two Company agents sighed and started gathering their gear.

"You're coming too?" Ukyou asked Dirac. She had expected Sophie to, finally, start getting exasperated.

"I've got to monitor the jammer; so I've gotta keep up with you."

"Good luck," Sophie checked her rifle. "It feels like Blondie over here's been pushing me to my limit."

"Joy." Jared slipped his scanners on and followed the demons out of the room

"That's exactly what we're doing." Ukyou rolled her eyes. "You got this shiny new body, we need to show you exactly what that means."

"Like pushing me out of a helicopter," Sophie stated.

"Misako was there to catch you if you froze."

"That's how you learn how to fly?"

Sophie turned to the thin technician. "They're demons."

"You're a demon, too."

Sophie lifted her tail and swished it back and forth.

"Yes, yes." Ukyou noted. "You know it, but you don't know what that really means."

Outside in the pre-dawn light, Dirac watched as the blonde demoness fussed over the black-haired one's armor, weapons, and equipment.

"Okay, I guess that's enough weight. Now get going!" Ukyou prodded Sophie and the two started running down the training facility.

Dirac gave a light sigh and ran after the two demons. At least this was a relatively... normal assignment.

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Grumbling, Inspector Richard Rebus pushed his cabin's door open. After walking a couple paces into the one-room building, the tackle box and rod dropped from his hands and he drew his sidearm, looked through the pre-dawn gloom, and aimed at his recliner.

A low chuckle came from the worn chair in the "living room" area. "I think your boss was right. You do need a vacation." The dark suited man paused to scratch behind the ears of a large Labrador retriever that was lying next to the chair. "Or was it Fred here?"

"Normally he greets me," Rebus said keeping his gun aimed on the figure. The man was thin and dressed in a dark suit. His face was obscured in darkness. On his lapel, a silver maple-leaf pin reflected the meager light.

"He's a good dog," the man absently said.

"Who are you?" Rebus asked as he sidestepped and flicked on the lights. The additional light was not very... illuminating. The man's face and hair were in that carefully-tended non-descript style that Rebus found worrying. The suit was black; the tie was black; his glasses... were black.

"I apologize for the theatrics," the man said as he slipped off his sunglasses. "As for my name Gagnon will do."

"So who do you work for?"

Gagnon laughed. "You of all people know how... uninformative that answer would be. Who isn't working for the government these days?"

"Spook then?"

The black-suited man gave an approving smile and leaned back. "I am sorry about causing you that mess. Any luck?"

"Only a couple nibbles."

"This late in the season they're not really biting."

Never taking his eyes, or gun, off Gagnon, Rebus closed the door and sat down in the seat across from his. "Fred come."

Gagnon stopped petting, and let the dog return to his master.

"So, are we going to use fishing as a metaphor?"

"Oh, nothing so tiresome."

"So brass tacks then? I get put on a bit of leave because of my interest in some government contractors and a rash of terrorism."

"And you were keeping your hobby so well concealed. No angry accusations, no paranoid rants, no trying to reveal the truth." Gagnon shook his head. "But next time, be more careful when looking at the exact time Joint Task Force Two arrives on scene."

Rebus sighed. "It's not a terribly good conspiracy. The uniforms don't even match."

"Trusting eyewitness reports now?"

"Dozens of explosions, several running gun battles, collapsed buildings, even more fire damage, and a helicopter crash. What happened that night?"

Gagnon folded his hands.

"This isn't like some weird cult taking hostages in a toy store, or a bunch of sociopaths cutting up bodies, or even like some running gun-battle in a building or two."

Looking out the window, Gagnon watched the sun begin to rise. "We're only a few kilometers from Algonquin Provincial Park."

"That was simply a training exercise. They even simulated a roadside bombing and an ambush." Rebus dryly stated. "You can't hide everything."

"No, but you'll be amazed at what one can hide. Especially when people... don't want to know." Gagnon sighed. "Look, you're bright. I'm sure you've figured out that there is an... oversight to all this."

"Yes, there's a war starting."

"There's always been a war. It's just most people don't want to deal with it. They can't accept it. They can't accept the wars they're told about."

"I'm a cop. You think I need convincing that people are panicky, lazy, self-centered nitwits?"

Gagnon chuckled.

"So why the cloak and dagger? I'm a little bit shocked you weren't smoking when I came in."

"Who do you think I work for?" Gagnon cheerfully asked.

Rebus coughed. "Right. You want me to give up my own theories, that way you can tailor your story to fit. No."

"Fine. I'm going to pull out my ID." Gagnon slowly opened his suit coat and pulled a leather wallet out of his shirt pocket and tossed it onto the coffee table.

Without taking his eyes off the spook, Rebus grabbed the wallet. "Huh, not bad quality. But could you have picked a more realistic name?"

"Bah, Andre's popularity has waned ever since he released 'Andre Gagnon au Centre Molson'."

"An obviously fake name does not reassure me that you're really a CSIS agent."

"For obvious reasons I can't take you to our Toronto, or even Ottawa, offices."

"Obvious?" Rebus sighed, though he made it a point to memorize the numbers on the identification badge. "Still trying to get me to reveal my conclusions to you."

"You're going to have to accept it. There's certain things I can't just tell you. That is something you should understand."

Rebus sighed. "Go on."

"Are you familiar with Faust?"

"The play or a metaphorical deal with the devil from the play?"

Gagnon made a bitter smile.

"Back to this game then?' Rebus petted his dog. "I note there's something we've both avoided saying. An organization." _An organization that, publically, is a defense contractor. One that had been hired to help train and provide new equipment for JTF2. One that conveniently happened to open business in Toronto just before the surge in violence. One that has a disturbing amount of latitude at various crime scenes. One that, of course, has to be operating with the permission of the government. _Rebus thought to himself.

Gagnon nodded. "Of course."

"So far what you've hinted at leads to some... unpleasant conclusions."

"It's only the best among a whole slew of bad options," Gagnon assured.

"Yes, I took that into consideration."

"So you have to wonder. Why is a spook bothering a nosy homicide detective?"

Rebus stared and when Gagnon did not continue; he sighed. "I'm alive. So you didn't want to kill me. If you were going to warn me to keep my nose out of things, you wouldn't have given me any hints."

"I thought you weren't going to tell me your theories?" Gagnon smiled.

"You're afraid. Which brings us to why you're here, and what you want from me."

Gagnon tapped the side of his nose.

"So, it comes down to what you want me to do." Rebus paused. "How paranoid are you? Are you worried what will happen if I change my behavior? If I change the style of my investigation?"

Rebus studied Gagnon's face. "If that were the case, you wouldn't expect me to change my methods, but if you simply wanted the status quo you would not be here. So you must want something from me."

Gagnon inclined his head slightly.

"You also want something that you can't simply take. If that were possible you'd just spy on me. No, you need me to do something, and you need to help me do it."

"Quite a lot of deduction. Sure you're not going to tell me your theories?"

Patting his dog, Rebus sighed. "Broadly speaking, if the name Andre Gagnon causes a stir at CSIS then you might be legit. As legit as a person in your... profession can be."

"Is that a Yes, then?"

"It's not a No." Rebus clarified. "What's really fascinating is that instead of your own black-suited goons, you decided to contact a local when he was far from the city."

Gagnon waited for a few seconds. "Oh? Not going to explain why you think that? The reason is obvious. I don't want to risk having me be seen with you in the city."

"The conclusion interests me less than the reasoning that prompted it."

"You were picked for your tenacity." Gagnon chuckled.

"I thought it was because I had enough interest in the events to start digging and was experienced enough to keep it discrete."

"Yes, people expect you to go out and try to piece it together. They already know your agenda."

"Again, what do you want from me and what can you give me?" Rebus leaned back, keeping his gun ready.

"You'll know what I want. Believe me, you'll know it if you find it."

"How do I separate the horrible secrets you know to be true from the ones you fear to be true?

"That's where my help comes in. I am... limited in what I can say, but I can put you on the right path."

"And that's why you're not just secretly watching me? You want to make sure I don't give up, don't fall into a blind alley."

"And make sure you're not shut up." Gagnon straightened a cuff. "There was talk of transferring you to Vancouver. Thankfully that was pushed aside. It would have been far too crude and wasteful."

"Subtle and efficiency minded? This really is a black bag operation."

Gagnon laughed. "Oh no, most secret programs crassly fritter away resources. Truth be told, it's not the lack of oversight that worries me, but the excess in competence."

"I see." Rebus paused and lowered his gun. "Start from the top. Tell me everything you can."

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Giving a slight smile, Ranma approached the waterfront. The sounds of the street rapidly diminished and were replaced by the sound of water hitting the seawall below the concrete wall that served as a railing.

Leaning on it was a woman of average height with her long brown hair tied above one ear and set so it spilled over her left cheek and shoulder. "Punctual," the woman stiffly noted.

"I'm actually several minutes late," Ranma noted, placing a small cooler between them, on the wall. "Nice coat," the redhead said, examining the long, brown oilskin garment.

"Must we suffer through pleasantries? I'm not like that inept poseur you delight in tormenting."

Ranma turned to the woman and gave a warm smile. "Don't think that way. She doesn't deserve to be tormented. I tolerated her because-" the demon tapped the cooler idly. "-well, because she was precious to someone I had a financial interest in not upsetting."

The brunette looked at the box.

"No, my dear, dear, Galina A'deen." Ranma's eyes twinkled. She wagered that the assassin would presume it was some kind of insurance, which was amusing. No doubt. the Russian had prepared for various contingencies. "You don't deserve to be brushed aside, you deserve my full attention."

Galina stared past the demon's violet eyes. "Why the meeting? We got your message."

"Yes, but you may not believe it, or you may think that it'll make great blackmail against us. Hand over the princess or we'll summon monsters from beyond," Ranma gave a cold laugh.

"Do you think we're suicidal?"

Ranma smirked.

"Do you think we'd doom all of humanity just to make the mission easier?"

Turning slightly to catch the scent coming from the water, the redhead shrugged. "We felt we needed to show you just how serious we are."

Galina frowned, waiting for the demon to give her big reveal.

"It's a question of priorities, and we have to do what we have to do." She gave the cooler-lid a slight tap.

"So what's in the box?"

"A bribe," the redhead smiled and pushed it forward.

"You think we can be bought off?" Galina scoffed.

"I know you can be bought off. That's how assassins work. Personally I'm torn. I'd like to be able to focus on important threats, but I'd also like to eat your liver."

"Fine, show me your offer." Galina mostly suppressed a sigh.

"Now, I know that you're not doing this just for the money but.." Ranma popped the lid off the cooler and tilted it so the contents faced the cyborg.

Galina stared. Surprising herself, she found herself shocked.

"I decided to go with something you'd recognize." The demon's smile nearly split her face. "Is your little optical scan complete? Take it, perform all the tests you want on it, on her."

"She trusted you." Galina stated, a mix of jealousy and admiration in her voice.

Ranma nodded. "Made the job very easy. You can still see the shock in her eyes."

Galina's face hardened.

"Sorry it had to end this way, but you weren't the only one being paid to kill her. This way we both win."

Galina looked up from the severed head to the demoness.

"Oh? Or is there more to this little mission of yours than money?" Ranma's wide grin broke into a series of deep chuckles. After a few seconds of laughing, she straightened herself back up. "If I'd have known you'd react like this, I'd have taken the time to wrap the box, maybe put on a nice bow and a card."

Ranma tilted her head slightly. "How much do you need to claim the money? If you need the rest tell us, before dinner."

"Shocked you haven't eaten her already." Galina dryly stated. "And the others?"

"Clueless, they think their princess was moved to a safe location." Ranma's broad grin returned. "Want 'em?"

"Why?"

"Because the stupid brat thought she could wish it all better. She thought that things would work out, that she could wish away the bad people. She thought you and your friends weren't a real threat. She thought that my friends, my family would spill their blood, sacrifice their lives to appease her delusions." Ranma scoffed. "Did you expect me to keep protecting her?"

Her hand flexing, Galina looked at the head.

"Sure, it could be a trick. That's why I'm handing it over. Run your little tests, confirm that she's dead, then leave."

"So you just want us gone? You think you can just kill our target and we'll leave?"

"Isn't that how hired assassins work? Of course you don't have to leave. We can use people like you, people like your team, or maybe we can just kill each other." Ranma purred.

"I'll run the tests," Galina said closing the lid on the cooler.

"You do that, then you call me with what you want to do." Ranma shrugged and started walking away. The demoness smiled, no matter what happened, things would be much simpler from now on. After a few paces she reached into her coat.

Frowning at the cooler Galina was blown back when the box exploded in a dull flash. She could tell from her sensors that the damage was minimal. Her attempt to get up was cutoff by the demoness landing on her chest.

The redhead's claws sunk into her chassis and started to carve. "Sorry, couldn't resist," she purred.

"Ranma!" a blonde woman shouted into the demon's ear.

The redhead lifted her head in irritation. "What?"

"Were you paying attention?" the blonde asked.

"No, I was napping," Ranma narrowed her eyes and looked at the blonde's head.

"And you berate me for being unprofessional," Usagi sighed.

"Well, you are." Ranma shrugged, still keeping her gaze skull-ward.

"What are you looking at?"

"Oh, just wondering how big that brain of yours is."

"So now I'm dumb?"

"It's not that, just thinking about how many explosives I could fit up there."

Usagi's laughter was killed by Ranma's direct, level stare. The blonde swallowed, and Setsuna shifted her stance. "You're serious?" the princess asked.

Ranma kept eye contact and set her jaw.

"You're still alive," Setsuna reminded. "DarkStar's not one to mince words." She crossed her thin arms over her reduced chest.

"Then why's she being all passive-aggressive and snotty?" Usagi gave a sideways glance at the, physically, younger Setsuna.

"You did just wake her up from her nap," Eve reminded.

"Well, isn't she supposed to be guarding me?" Usagi inquired.

"No, my daughter and myself have the shift now," Eve indicated Sophie who was sitting nearby with her 17mm Pug on the table next to the report she was skimming. Sophie found babysitting a pain, though it was a welcome relief from training.

"Oh." Usagi tilted her head. "So you just came in to take a nap?"

Ranma shrugged. "It's a private conference room, and I wanted to talk to my sister."

"But you were too tired." Eve supplemented.

"Tired?"

"There's been a lot of cleanup." Ranma's eyes hardened. "How's your work been going?" The redhead gave a brief glance to Eve.

Setsuna tapped a crystal on the table causing a translucent image of a silver-haired woman in a type of body-hugging metallic armor to appear. "I've been showing Usagi some images of the Queen's... campaigning clothes."

"Not going with formal, impossible to walk in gowns?" Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Good."

"She still needs a lot of work. Usagi still smells the same, her Pattern is still the same, and her body language is the same." Eve critically stated before turning to Usagi. "To pull off undercover work you can't pretend you're someone else, you have to be someone else."

"I can't do that cooped up in here." Usagi moaned. "I can't even go elsewhere on base."

Taking care not to show her teeth, Ranma gave a thin smile. "If you don't like our rules you can leave."

"You know I need your protection."

"At least you finally figured that out," Sophie noted.

Ranma shrugged "You're here because no one else is going to protect you. You're here because you weren't smart enough; you weren't strong enough; you weren't skilled enough. You're here because you fucked up, and now someone else has to clean up your mess."

"Do you have to be this harsh?" Setsuna asked.

"Maybe, it seems like it's starting to sink through her skull."

"I should at least be able to see my friends," Usagi pouted.

"No." Setsuna's voice was firm. "If we can fool them then it should work, and we can't fool them if they see you dressing up."

"Minako should be here then, she's playing me after all."

Setsuna shook her head again. "No. We get your role established first. Then she learns how to be you."

Usagi turned to Ranma and Eve.

"It's an acceptable plan," the blonde demoness allowed.

"Glad I meet your approval," Usagi sighed.

"Still have to see the costume," Ranma stretched her arms.

"We'll get it," Setsuna looked down, embarrassment crossing her young face..

"Really?" The demon's eyes narrowed at Usagi. "This is it. You are not getting any more chances. Not from me. Not from the Company."

Usagi stared, and one thought floated to the forefront of her mind. "You prepared this. You came ready with another speech. And then... you fell asleep."

"I was thinking of telling you when it was my shift, but... I saw the chance and I took it." Ranma shrugged. "My ultimatum still holds. Shape up or get out."

"So that's it? Blackmail? Assassination? You know the Russians will attack me." Usagi's gaze hardened.

Idly adjusting her vest, Ranma chuckled. "No, blackmail would be if I threatened to call them right after kicking you out. Assassination would be if I had you killed myself. But don't worry." Amusement laced the demon's words.

"It would be rather rude. You are using our equipment," Setsuna pointed to the jamming bows. "And that's not counting breach of contract."

"There's escape clauses." Ranma shrugged.

Usagi blinked. "Nice contract you got us, Puu."

Setsuna smirked. "What do you expect? They're demonic mercenaries."

Ranma raised her hand slightly. "Eve, a lesson?"

Extending a single claw, Eve whipped her arm out and sliced through both of Usagi's odangos.

Ranma nodded. "Not bad, a bit slow. "

"What did you do that for?" Usagi shrieked as her eyes saw her blonde strands spilled over her shoulders and thighs. The buns damaged, her hair unraveled and fell around her ears and the demon's idle hand.

"I'm surprised too." Ranma raised an eyebrow. Usagi's question was valid. "I expected Eve to at least draw blood."

"A common World War Two practice had newly liberated citizens of a country shave the heads of women collaborators. It was an easy way to mark traitors, and less permanent than the methods used on the males," Eve explained.

"What does that have to do with me?" Usagi demanded."

"Just a bit of shame." Eve stated. "We could give you a more permanent reminder of your failure."

"Scars are a bit clich," Sophie cautioned.

Usagi found herself unable to meet the blonde's cold blue gaze. Her attention drifted to Ranma and saw those deep, purple eyes study her. There was none of their normal warmth or playfulness, only a business-like distance.

The redhead studied the princess for several seconds. "Do you want to be treated like an adult or a child?"

"But... I'm your age."

Ranma chuckled. "Adult: you're fucking up. Here's how to fix it. Now fix it. Child: you're trying really hard! Good job! It's not the result that matters, it's just that you try!"

"But I did try!"

The demon scoffed. "Shame Puu can't cram you into a little girl body."

"Well, her transformation pen could give a reasonable facsimile," Setsuna admitted.

Ranma's eyes flared slightly. "Choose: adult or child."

"Queen or princess." Setsuna added.

Usagi looked down. "It's not that..."

"It sucks. You didn't get a choice. Some stupid cat comes in and ruins your life. In my case it was a guy in a rumpled suit and a tacky tie. Deal. With. It. Adapt and overcome, or die."

"I've been adapting!" Usagi stood up, her palms slamming onto the table. More cut tresses slipped out as her hands opened. "You can't stand here and sneer at me. I've had my friends die! I've seen cities burn! What makes you think you can lecture me like this?"

Out of Usagi's view. Ranma's tail straightened slightly and began to curve upward. "So is this a child's tantrum? Or the outburst of an adult that's had enough?"

"Enough? The only reason Minako's alive is because Ami violated her! I'm sick of the weirdness. I'm sick of people trying to kill me and I don't even know why. I've had aliens, demons, cults, assassins, even a circus after me."

"And?" Ranma's voice was low and almost curious.

"And I'm getting to my limit. I'm sick of living in my mother's shadow. In the queen's shadow."

"The queen is dead." Setsuna murmured.

"She's been dead a long time," Ranma sighed.

"Still been screwing up my life."

"The queen is dead," Setsuna repeated. "Long live the queen."

"Oh no...." Ranma rubbed her face.

"What?" Usagi asked, before Setsuna's words sunk in. "You lied to me!"

"Technically it was Luna," Setsuna said, mildly.

"So, if I was the queen... wait... don't I need to be crowned?"

"That's just a formality. The true succession happens the instant the reigning queen dies."

"Okay, so I'm the Queen. I was gonna be one later, in Crystal Tokyo." Usagi paused. "So, is there a difference? Being a queen now?"

"Princess is just that: a princess. A diplomatic token, a spare in case of regicide, but the queen... The Queen is in charge," Setsuna explained.

"Not that you have a kingdom now," Ranma added.

"There's a few scattered facilities and bunkers on some moons. Mostly junk," Setsuna corrected.

Looking at her wristwatch, Ranma noted the use of the word "mostly".

"I guess that fits. I was planning on pretending to be Queen Serenity." Usagi sat back down. "I might as well be her for real."

"Oh? So you've made your decision?" Ranma asked.

"You're just like Ami. You all want me 'better'. You don't think I can handle things on my own. You don't think I'm ready for this. You think I need to be pushed, molded, forced. You think your way is the best way."

Ranma interlaced her fingers and let her hands rest on the table. "Your choices are very simple."

"Grow up or get out?"

"I'm sure Puu has a place where she can hide you for a few decades," Eve stated.

Usagi turned and saw Setsuna contemplative. "We are paying them to kill the these assassins."

"It would keep you out of the way, and is the safest option," Ranma stated.

"So, I'd be kept hidden in some castle? A real fairytale princess," Usagi grumbled.

Eve chuckled. "If you're going to act like one, you may as well... Just sit back and trust Setsuna."

Usagi's eyes darted over and caught Setsuna still in a contemplative state, though with a hint of anxiety.

"Yes Puu, prove Akumi right and take Usagi and bend her to your dark will." Ranma chuckled.

"That would stop the whining," Eve added.

"I have been trying to help you," Setsuna turned from Usagi to the demons. "What do you propose?"

Ranma fixed her eyes onto Usagi.. "What I should do is put you into a smart dress, give you a list of names, and send you door to door to go explain to all those families why their husbands and fathers aren't coming home anymore."

"And why aren't you doing that?" Setsuna asked. "That seems like a better lesson than humiliation."

Ranma's eyes flared. "Can't tell anyone what happened. At least, the firemen's families can be told something close to the truth, but they can't be told the reason: that some spoiled little princess did not take a threat seriously."

Ranma glared at the, blonde. "It sickens me. Our secrecy, our professionalism, protects the world from knowing the true levels of your incompetence. And here we are." The redhead's voice shifted and words began to merrily ooze out. "What do you want? Do you want my help? Do you want their deaths? To learn how to stand on your own? To become an adult? To be a real queen? Or do you simply want to get some control back in your life?"

"You can give me all that?"

Ranma chuckled. "Some things can't be given, but if you start acting like an adult... I can start teaching. It won't be fun, but you _will _learn."

Usagi slowly nodded. "I understand."

The demon's smile became almost sympathetic. "Not yet." Glancing at her watch, she stood up. "I must get going, but when I get back I expect you to be in your new... body."

Eve smirked. "I'll make sure they get with the program."

Usagi frowned at the demons' knowing expressions.

Setsuna leaned in. "Good, even you can smell the setup," she whispered.

Swallowing Usagi looked at the redhead. "What do you want with me?"

Ranma stopped at the door. "To not be in the way. To keep things from getting worse."

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Smelling the brisk nearly-winter air Ranma held her disappointment. "I guess you're better than no one," she said walking up to the concrete wall.

Turning slow enough that her short black bangs did not even move, Arisha gave a cold glance at the demoness. "Do you want me to summon Galina?"

"Well upside, you'd be easier to kill than her." Ranma shrugged. "But, downside, you'd be easier to kill than her."

Arisha's eyes narrowed.

"Maybe I should have sent Nariko in my place," Ranma's lips pulled back in a simulacrum of a grin.

"We got your broadcast, we got the message the broadcast directed us to. We listened to what you told us." Arisha felt her body's tension rise.

"And Galina agreed to this meeting."

"What do you want to say?" At that moment, Arisha loathed the gratification her self control was denying her.

"The Princess is not our primary priority. I understand your desire to eliminate her, but your operations have the potential to cause great damage."

"More than killing one of your precious Pattern Silvers? More than killing the most powerful of the Pattern Silvers?"

Ranma blinked. "Don't insult me by feigning ignorance. You have the intelligence abilities to start digging around. Even the Princess was able to figure out what's really going on here."

Arisha held the immediate response. She would not rise to the demon's bait. "And that's your warning?"

"I doubt I can convince you to stop trying to kill her, but I can try to convince you to not cause an interdimensional collapse in the process. After all, it'd be hard to spend that money with the cities burned to slag and the countryside covered with giant brain-suckers from beyond space and time." Ranma leaned forward. "Maybe you can sell your services to them. Work out a deal, they can eat you last."

The cyborg's cheek gave a slight twitch, and she wondered if this was what Desyat felt like during her "meeting".

"Come on, you can have an emotional outburst, I don't care." Ranma's face turned serious. "I'm sure Shest has gone over the data, compared it to her own readings. So she knows we're serious. She knows what her little device can do."

"She has studied the data." Arisha expected the demon to give a condescending smile of approval. Instead, the redhead gave an absent nod.

"Though just the term inter-dim collapse doesn't really explain what'll happen." Ranma tapped her lips. "I can recommend a few books."

"We've already done a literature survey." Arisha kept her voice level as she recalled the reports Dve'nadtsat wrote. The injured girl attacked the job with a grim gusto, despite certain... setbacks.

And the information was... useful after a fashion. They had been able to determine which of their components were... bugged, if such a descriptor applied to "magic". The rest was useful, if only to give vague boundaries to the yawning abyss before them.

"Good!" Ranma's face brightened. "Now you should be careful, a lot of what's in those old books is crap."

"I think we're bright enough to not try to summon things from eldritch tomes," Arisha eyed the demon.

Ranma gave the cyborg a measured look. "Right. I expected you to be more sensible than the Pattern Silvers," she gave a curt nod. "Good."

"Is that all? Establish some face time to assure some limits? What assurances do we have about your end of the bargain?"

Ranma raised an eyebrow.

"Don't be coy. We're not the only ones playing with reality. The Senshi did something, something that caused Shest to set off her pulse. You know that." Arisha sighed. "So we're supposed to stop weakening reality barriers with our pulses and you're supposed to keep the Senshi from doing something stupid with whatever the hell they've been summoning.

Ranma sighed. "They should know better, and what do you want from the Company?"

"Nothing that we could reasonably ask for. Well, other than you keeping those teenagers in line."

The redhead raised an eyebrow. "Personally, I wouldn't trust the Senshi's word. They haven't exactly shown themselves receptive to Company policy."

"Maybe you need a tighter leash." Arisha smirked.

"Maybe I should just kick them out on the street and let you take care of them." Ranma's voice was curt.

Arisha chuckled.

"I'd recommend adapting the methods to block their powers, of course that could be a trap," Ranma shrugged.

"Yes and instead of blocking us from paranormal resistance the whole process tags us." Arisha shook her head. "Infuriating."

Ranma grinned showing some of her teeth. "If they're annoying you that much, just keep killin' 'em."

"We're almost halfway there, of course then she'll be even more dependent on you."

The demon broadened her toothy grin.

"Not that that's a downside, I suppose."

"So, what do you want?" Ranma asked, keeping her grin.

"To complete the mission." Arisha glared.

"Not what the team wants, not what Galina wants. What do you want?"

Arisha raised an eyebrow, the demon's smile was believably warm, she managed to get her eyes to look friendly. "The mission."

The demon chuckled. "Is that it? Is that really all that you want?" She leaned forward and sniffed the air. The cyborg's scent was a delicate mix of light oils and sweat. "Tell me, there has to be more than that."

"This is silly," the cyborg stated. Looking past the surface amusement on the eyes she saw a familiar... depth. The creature was measuring her, evaluating her, sizing her up, like a weapon, a tool, a piece of meat.

Deliberately looking away, Ranma calmly repeated herself. "Yes, but still.. what do you want?"

Sensing the pointed undercurrent to the question, Arisha clenched her fist. "Alright. Fine. You really want to know what I want? You really want to know the truth?" Her voice rose. "I want my people to reclaim their rightful place in the world. I want to see the Russians stretch forth their hand again and command the stars!"

Arisha almost growled. "I want a rebirth of glory, a renaissance of power! I want to stop running through my life like a woman late for an appointment, afraid to look back or to look forward. I want us to be what we used to be! I want..." she paused and smirked. "I want it all back the way that it was!

Still looking at the water, the demoness pursed her lips slightly.

"There." Arisha sighed. "Does that answer your question?"

The demon returned and once again Arisha felt that heavy gaze fall on her again. Ranma smirked. "Yes... yes it does."

"Is this where you make your counter offer?" Arisha asked, her tone once again controlled.

"Do you think my associates can give you what you want?" the demon asked, her smirk in full bloom.

"I should have known you'd try to tempt me, but I didn't expect it to be so crude. I won't betray them. We were betrayed."

"What if you wouldn't be a traitor?" Ranma warmly asked as she looked out over the water.

"Galina would not accept that logic. She'd see me usurping her authority, rightfully so."

"Don't put her into the position then. Just tell her my offer."

"What is your offer?"

"You didn't know what you were getting into, did you? Despite your powers, the NH world is as alien to you as it is to a normal." Still grinning Ranma turned back to the cyborg. "But now you've done the research, you know WIC's history, our history. Our organization was old when your dreams of technocratic utopia were young.

"We're more than a mercenary force. In the NH combat field, we're the premier R&D think tank, weapons supplier, and training organization. Government policy bends to our will. You've seen what we've done here, but do you know our history? What we did during the Great Patriotic War?"

"You asked me if I thought your associates could give you what I, what we, want," Arisha stated.

"Yes." Ranma's eyes shined slightly. "We even have the ear of the Seventh Directorate. Would you like to know what information the FSB has on you?"

Arisha set her jaw.

"It's fascinating seeing how their reports match up with the Vatican's, of course the Checkists always had an axe to grind against you girls, they always were jealous of the Red Army." Noticing the other woman's body language, Ranma's expression became more contemplative. "How about revenge? Would you like to get back at the traitors that killed your creator? Would you like to bring down their whole corrupt system?"

"Your offers are extravagantly outlandish."

"Really? You don't think your sisters could change things? Moscow would be your playground. We would merely offer intelligence and logistics support."

Outwardly, Arisha scoffed; inwardly she considered. Many times she had brought this very issue up with Galina.

"You've got a lot of special parts. How's your supply of eyes holding out? What about your power systems? Do you have enough lubricants and field repair kits? How about your own dedicated machine shop?"

"And for all this we simply have to give up our current mission?"

"Nah." Ranma chuckled. "Talk with Galina, see what your terms are. If they're good, we'll give you Usagi alive, dead, free, bound, or any other way you prefer."

"You'd abandon a contract so flippantly? Won't that hurt future business?"

The demon's smile died. "Strange words from a communist. Have the years surviving on your own taken that much of a toll? Have you forgotten what it means to fight _for_ something? For something greater than monetary gain?"

Arisha's arms crackled with energy as she moved her hands towards her belt, and her sword hilts.

"Ah, so there's more to your group than exchanging violence for money?"

"Yes," Arisha hissed.

"So it goes with us. We'll take a job, but not when it threatens our existence, our further goals. The princess' stupid, arrogant delusions have cost us a lot of good men."

"They lost people too," Arisha relaxed slightly, fractionally.

Ranma's smile returned. "Shame you didn't kill more of them. Then we'd have less complaining children to deal with."

"We would have killed more, but then you came. You and that insane daughter of yours."

"Heh, well we all make mistakes," Ranma laughed.

"Cutting through a nuclear power cell is not a light matter."

Ranma took a step to the side. "Your fault for carrying something like that."

Arisha frowned. "Is that all?"

"We're done," Ranma turned back to the water. "Just pass along the warning and the offer."

"Would you really give her up? Betray her like that?" Arisha distantly asked, glaring at the demon's back.

"It's a part of doing business, you have to ask yourself if the job is worth it."

Arisha frowned. "I'll convey your message and offer." She waited for the demoness to acknowledge her with a slight nod. The cyborg then stepped back and briskly walked away from the water front. The demon alone with her thoughts began to happily hum.

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"This sucks," Makoto tossed a paper airplane against a drab wall.

"Usagi and Setsuna insisted," Rei flatly stated without lifting her head off the pillow.

"And you're okay with that? Them cooping us up in here? We can't hide forever."

"Sure we can." Rei kept her gaze at the ceiling . The steady humming from the vents drew her attention and she wondered how WIC secured them. She was certain that they had some scheme in place.

"If you're bored there's a TV. Or you can order some more clothes that we'll then buy for you." The diminutive redheaded demon narrowed her blue eyes slightly.

"There's nothing on." Makoto had her fill of the local media's "disaster coverage" and none of the cooking shows could keep her attention.

The demoness went back to her gun. "Dinner will be in an hour. Then you'll have something to do," she said without looking up.

"Oh, we're inconveniencing you?"

"Sure," Morgan shrugged. "But you get used to obnoxious duties."

Makoto snickered.

Rei rolled over to face Makoto's bunk. "I don't like it. Setsuna giving Usagi all this special attention. She's different."

"Yes, Setsuna is," Makoto dryly stated.

"No, I mean after the Russians killed her. This pint-sized-Puu...." Rei trailed off.

"Maybe it's just shock. Mina's not the same either."

Rei shook her head. "Yeah, Mina's not."

Makoto looked at Rei for a few seconds. "What Ami did to her-"

"Changed her. That's why I'm worried about Setsuna. It's like she's gone around to Ranma's way of thinking; Ami's way of thinking."

The brunette frowned.

"You know I'm right." Rei stated.

The phone by the door rang a couple times before Morgan reached over and picked it up. "Graham here. Yes? Alright then." Hanging up, she turned to the two teens. "Get up, we're going to the commissary."

"Our dinner got moved up?" Rei asked.

Morgan shouldered her 25mm rifle, and opened the door. "Sure," she said before motioning to the two agents guarding outside the door.

"What do you think this is about?" Rei quietly asked.

"DarkStar finally snapped and took out Usagi?" Makoto laughed as they walked down the corridor.

"There'd be more noise..."

Morgan suppressed a smirk and opened the door to a conference room.

Inside, was DarkStar, her sister, the young Setsuna, and a stiff-looking Usagi, and one other woman. She held the entirety of Rei and Makoto's attention.

Holding a cup of coffee she stood next to Eve and was only a few centimeters shorter. Glossy grey, almost silver, hair framed her face in short bangs while most of her hair was pulled back in a tight French braid that was folded back up forming a short, tight bun.

Hanging on her shoulder by a leather strap was a long length of wood. At first, Rei mistook it for an old bolt-action rifle, but then she noticed that instead of a metal barrel, a long shaft of blackened crystal was set in the wooden stock. It also lacked a trigger-guard, discernable action, or magazine. The whole device was shaped more like a staff that had one end modified for shouldering and had a pair of forward grips. A golden crescent moon was inset on one side of the staff.

Thin metal gauntlets covered the backs of the woman's hands and disappeared up her sleeves. The woman was dressed in a beige blouse with a high, thin collar. A restrained dark blue silk bow adorned her chest, bearing a closer resemblance to the brood's jamming antennae than the Senshi ribbon and bow.

A dark-navy-blue jacket with gold piping went over the blouse and nearly covered the matching back bow that tied down the woman's skirting. The inner layer was a simple cream, gold trimmed, ankle-length skirt which was mostly covered by overlapping pleats of heavy dark blue material.

Above that was a final layer of consisting of silver-grey armor. It was arranged in thick sections that resembled Venus' metallic armor, save longer, reaching past her knees, and thus more articulated. Heavy leather boots adorned her feet. Each had armored sections on the toes, heels, and tied over the shins.

The only jewelry she wore was above her pale-blue eyes. Unlike Rei's tiara, this one was silver and made thicker, heavier, and instead of a jewel simply had a golden crescent moon at its center.

A broad smiled crossed the woman's face, highlighting the tendons in her long, slender neck, and the slight lines on her... weary face. "Mars, Jupiter. It's good to see you," she stated in a resonant, even voice.

Rei blinked. "What the...."

"Okay, what's going on? Where's Mina?" Makoto looked over and saw Usagi lift herself out of her slouch..

The older woman's smile died. "You don't recognize me? Kiri did; DarkStar did; my daughter, of course, did."

Rei furrowed her brows. "No... you can't be Serenity."

The woman gave a wan smile. "Right, because no one's ever come back from the dead."

"Wait, who's Kiri?"

"Kiri, the new Guardian, the late Guardian's sister," the apparent Serenity patiently stated

Makoto went to the teenage blonde. "Usagi what's going on here?"

The princess sighed. "DarkStar came back, should Mother's return really be that surprising?"

Ranma's violet eyes tracked the conversation for a moment and then went back to the slim folder in front of her. On the balance, there was more tangible progress on this front, not to dismiss the potential her earlier meeting could bring, especially if things fell through.

"Yes, there were certain... contingencies in place," Serenity allowed.

"Okay, where's Mina? This is all a bit too cute," Rei stole another glance at the silver-haired woman.

Serenity stepped forward. "Oh? Been a while since someone called me cute," her resonant voice held an amused edge.

"I didn't."

"Slip of the tongue," Standing before the miko, Serenity smirked and looked down at the shorter girl. "And you're still staring at me."

Rei kept herself from swallowing. "Who are you?"

A silver eyebrow raised slightly, and she spoke in that patient, amused voice. "Queen Serenity."

"Right. Setsuna didn't really die and Minako's conveniently absent. So there's obviously some kind of dress-up going on here."

"Really now?"

"Well we know Setsuna didn't die," Makoto said.

"There was a body, or most of one," the blonde princess reminded.

"Yes, let's assume I'm a body double of some type." Kiri shrugged. "What about the Queen?"

Rei turned to the silent women in the room. "I'm sure the demons know who's who."

"It kept those two on their toes," Eve stated. "Do you think they know who's who?"

"Process of elimination makes it pretty obvious," Ranma replied. "A real test is to see how Akumi reacts to Serenity."

"Since Mina's not dead." Makoto looked between the queen and princess. "So... Serenity and Usagi are both-"

"Don't stray from the official line," Serenity cautioned. "It's for the best."

"Huh, and this getup?" Makoto stepped around the... queen. "It doesn't exactly look like the normal vacuum-tight gown."

"That's after the empire was secured. This " Queen Serenity fingered her jacket. "is pre-Unification. Imperial Lunar Navy specifically."

"Okay... and the staff? Some sort of crystal... gun?"

Serenity smiled and unslung the weapon. "Mark Four Focus Projector. Standard weapon of the Royal Reconnaissance Commandos."

"Why not use your wand? Isn't that a good focus?"

Serenity pulled out her wand and slid it into a slot on the end of her staff. Once in place she pulled the crescent moon on the end, locking the wand in place and causing a pointed crystal arc to extend out from the weapon's end. "Unlike the Mark Three, the Mark Four can be fitted with nearly any personal focus artifact."

"I still think you should get a Wraith Raider cloak. That would really help things." Ranma leaned back and tapped on her folder.

The blonde princess tilted her head.

Serenity arched a silver eyebrow. "You just want one so your mother can reverse engineer the design."

"We're already working on our own adaptive cammo," Ranma shrugged.

"Really?" Kiri Meiou blinked. "Ah yes... you already can summon clothing of different materials and colors. So... it's just a matter of control?"

"You're talking about those not-really-invisible cloaks?" Rei asked.

"Don't underestimate the ability to have your cammo-pattern change to match local conditions." Ranma stated.

"Indeed." Serenity turned back to Rei and gestured to a chair. "Please. Sit."

Rei slowly sat down. "Right... this seems pretty weird." Watching Serenity nearly stumble as she tried to balance her armor and her staff, the miko gave a slight smile.

"The plan makes sense." Serenity stated, after taking a moment to regain her composure. "We have an intelligence advantage over the Combat Cyborgs."

Sitting next to Rei, Makoto looked around the table and was amazed to find not one smirk or snicker.

"Yea, they don't know Minako and Setsuna aren't dead." Rei said.

"Despite abilities, their experience has been limited to... mundane targets," Kiri explained. "This way they're in the dark about our true capabilities."

"So you two had to get disguises, but why do the Princess swap?"

"I can survive the most damage," the girl wearing Usagi's form stated. Posing as the queen's double was the best way she could think to protect her... for now.

Ranma and Kiri both smiled thinly.

"The misdirection does have its limits. They're more than willing to kill all of us," Serenity admitted.

"And why were we kept in the dark?" Rei icily asked. "Didn't trust us? Were you worried about another Ami incident?"

"It was a test," Makoto looked into Serenity's pale eyes. "You wanted to see if you could fool us."

Serenity nodded. "I'm sorry but we had only one chance."

"You two can test your little dress-up against Ami."

Rei kept her face neutral. "Yeah, Ami'd love this. You're doing what she wants. Just look at yourself."

"I'm doing what needs to be done." For the first time, Serenity's reverberating voice gained a harsh edge.

"Dress-up?" Rei asked.

"We couldn't win against the Russians. I need the Company." Serenity tapped her armored hand on the table.

"You should have told us!"

The silver-haired woman narrowed her eyes. "This isn't a democracy. I am your Queen. That is not pretend."

Reluctantly Rei broke eye contact and looked down.

"We might be able to win," Makoto allowed. "We do have some heavy attacks. Stuff that even they can't brush off."

"Hitting them would be a problem. They're rather agile and we haven't had a good track record at getting our attacks to connect," Kiri reminded.

Serenity raised her arm. "Enough, we've got work to do. DarkStar if you'll start."

A ghost of a smirk on her face Ranma opened her folder. "Okay, we've got a lot of work and not much time. Earlier today contact was made with a representative of the Combat Cyborgs."

"You talked with them?" Rei asked.

"Yes, Arisha Dva. I explained to her the devastating effects of their dimensional pulse device. She also stated the belief that they had killed several of you."

"So, they think Minako and Setsuna are dead?" Makoto asked.

"No, they said that they killed several of you," Ranma clarified. "She could have been lying to me. I know I was."

"So you made that offer?" Serenity stopped as she worked through the best way to phrase her next statement. "You know I'm not comfortable with that... deal."

"It's a legitimate Psychological Operation. We want them to be unsure of what they're facing. What the rules are. Who their opponents are. We can feed them misinformation and make them doubt information they already have." Eve was firm but reassuring.

"It just seems so... wrong. Lying like that."

"Lying to people that want to kill your daughter." Ranma tapped her fingers on the table. "Interesting sense of fair play you've gotten."

"Really though, using me... her as bait?"

Ranma looked over the silver-haired woman. "You should talk with your daughter about the dangers of making deals with demons, then."

"But I-" Serenity winced and shut her mouth.

The princess turned to Serenity. "It's okay, Mother. I screwed up." Her voice was stiff and slightly mechanical. She knew there was no limit to what she would do to protect the Queen; she had already died for her.

Rei's tension abated somewhat. The disguise was far from perfect then.

Ranma looked to Kiri. "Yes I definitely think the Queen needs another session."

Serenity stiffened slightly.

"The meeting was enough of a success. We conveyed the information and avoided casualties. However, afterwards we lost track of Arisha and have yet to hear their response to our offer."

"Tell me when you hear what their response is." Serenity fingered her staff.

"Of course," Ranma smoothly assured.

"If they keep using that pulse we can have some real problems," Kiri added.

"Yes." Ranma flipped to a different page. "Okay, basic training plans."

"We've been trained." Rei stated.

The redhead chuckled.

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Inside one of the reconditioned Quonset huts on the opaquely named Post-Incident Training Grounds a meeting began.  
Major Sifton looked at his assembled men. Many were looking at the WIC personnel at the front of the room with slight apprehension. Company officers wearing battle-dress usually meant combat drills and war games, while dress uniforms meant lectures. It looked like tonight was another training mission; looks were deceiving.

Sifton's gaze checked out his platoon. At an initial glance they were all wearing their Canadian Disruptive Pattern (CADPAT) uniforms, and had their equipment and weapons at hand. He cleared his throat. "Tonight we will not be training. Lieutenant Hill."

"Sir." At his side Lieutenant Hanna Hill activated the projector. "At sixteen hundred a 427 SOAS Heron UAV was on routine patrol. It was fitted with a Mark Seven Ostar Pattern Detector."

The room quieted. "Sir, what did they find?" Sergeant MacDowell asked.

"Peterborough. A cluster of Pattern D. Low emission. So they're either not very powerful, or they're good at masking their output." Hill gave a slight glance at the redhead that stood off to the side. "Local police have not recorded a spike in missing persons or murders," Hanna stated as the map of Peterborough, a town about a hundred kilometers Northeast of Toronto, was replaced by an aerial photo of a house.

"Now that means a couple things. They could be hunting somewhere else, or they're not killing their meals. Command has seen fit to send us in to investigate." Major Sifton explained, watching his troops stiffen slightly.

"Sir, this is not a Search and Destroy?" Master Corporal Pattison asked.

"Correct. As far as we know these people have committed no crime. However, they are unregistered non-humans. WIC will be sending a small team of observers." Sifton gestured to the side. "Lieutenant Tendo and Special Contractor Saotome, Ranma will head the observers. Hill and Tendo will explain our continued intelligence."

Lieutenant Tendo strode forward and began her presentation. "As you know, we do not know the intent of this NH group. Government policy is one of registration and monitoring. Any hostility on the part of the non-humans would warrant immediate action. Also note that the government does not have suitable long term detention facilities."

Pausing, Kasumi gauged the soldier's reaction. They understood. "Keep in mind the abilities Pattern Ds have. If they are to turn hostile the situation can get very ugly very quickly. Keep your fields of fire clear and maintain trigger discipline. Be ready, especially in a close quarters situation. Inter-dim countermeasures will be operational, preventing enemy teleportation."

"Also remember the close range limitations of your C1A1's under-slung 40mm. You may decide that getting torn apart by shrapnel is preferable to getting torn apart by a Pattern D. However at close ranges 7.62 NATO should suffice." Tendo smirked slightly.

"Current over-flight has the Pattern-Ds being stationary. They may or may not be nocturnal," Hill explained. "The police have given us the information on who owns the house and the listed tenants. Reportedly, half a dozen young, attractive females. The location has fallen under some police attention for solicitation, but nothing stuck."

A couple minutes into the presentation Sifton cleared his throat. "Settle down. I don't like the ambiguity either, I know you'd rather you were going after those cyborgs that tore up Toronto, but this is the job. We don't know what we're getting into or if they're even hostile. We've faced situations like this before, we've prepared for this mission and we will prevail. After the Lieutenants finish, the operation will commence."

Kasumi nodded and went back to her NH overview. JTF2 certainly had the skills and the spirit, but it remained to be seen how they would react to the unreality of NH combat.

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Galina winced at the garish assault. The broad-shouldered figure before her reinforced Arisha's constant complaints. The Capitalists were clueless and decadent eternally chasing material wealth. Shoes of shined ray-skin peeked out of flared plaid pants. Somehow the ironed creases and spotless condition underscored the... wrongness of the pattern. Regrettably, his suit-coat matched, continuing the same grey, green, and yellow pattern. Wide lapels and shoulder pads complimented, or at least were congruent with, the pinstripe cream-colored shirt and fat spotted and diagonally striped tie.

Smoked aviator style glasses obscured his eyes, while the rest of his craggy face kept a neutral expression. Given the strength of his chin and nose, his middle parted, ear covering, oiled hair seemed too... soft and... wet.

Galina sighed as the man sat down next to her. "Do you really have to do this? You look like a historical relic."

The man put his briefcase and suit-bag down next to him. As he ordered a gin and tonic, Galina noted his pinky ring. The plain silver band contained a single spherical iridescent stone.

The man took a sip and looked around the darkened bar. "Do you really want to get into an argument over who's equipment is more... dated?"

"No. I want minimal fuss. If you insist on playing cute games you can go back to New Caledonia."

After contemplating his drink, he drained his glass. "I came here didn't I?"

Galina stood up. "As long as you understand your place, Mal."

Placing a couple bills on the bar, Mal chuckled. "My place? Don't worry, I know my place."

The two exited the bar and crossed an alleyway. "Fine. We can go over protocols later, but I want to know-" Still speaking she flicked a pair of blades. As Galina drove her knives forward she saw that he had stepped back.

Instead of getting stabbed or clumsily attempting to block, he simply moved out of the way. She flipped the blade over and gave an upward thrust, and saw that he had already shifted his stance. Her other arm came in and in a feint stopped just in front of his neck. This time he held his ground. Her weapons still, she frowned slightly.

Mal simply put his sunglasses away and straightened his coat. "That was slower than I expected."

"You expected," Galina repeated, replaying the footage on her heads up display. His reaction... preceded her action. "Good. Nice to see you still have it de Veste." She slipped her knives out of sight.

Mal de Veste gave a slight bow. "As advertised."

"You _understand_ why I had to be sure?" As they walked, Galina stressed the second word.

"Why? I can guess why you did it," de Veste shifted his suit-bag. "We've never... met and only have each other's reputations to go on."

"Kiev."

Mal nodded.

"Same time, but different... 'clients'." Galina looked up at the sky. She was reluctant to hire him, but they needed something... more. Something to compliment the areas they were weak in.

de Veste nodded. "Lovely euphemism."

"Impressions?"

"I was surprised." Smirking at his apparent joke, de Veste turned to the cyborg. "This isn't your normal style. Your little ballet company should be in its next city."

Galina cocked an eyebrow. "That we are even talking shows the strangeness of the situation we've come to."

"It's bad," Mal stated as they waited for the crosswalk light to change.

"Is that your... professional evaluation?"

Mal tapped his foot. "You know the situation on the ground better than I do. You're the one that thought I'd be worth the expense. Rumor has it, I'm not the only one you're courting. Combine that with recent events, and what conclusion am I supposed to reach?"

"Then I guess I don't need to brief you."

"Compartmentalization level is your prerogative." The man shrugged. "However..."

Galina slipped an arm into her coat. "Yes?"

"Do you know why you were hired?"

"That's not a question we ask," Galina automatically replied.

"Bullshit. Everyone worth their salt digs around. Insurance is just good business sense. It's important. We're hired to perform a task, and sometimes we need more information on how to perform it."

"And?"

"Compare the situation you're in, with the profile of your... benefactor."

The pair stopped in front of a hotel. "You don't need to worry about that," Galina crisply stated.

"Naturally. In this example, my benefactor is... you and my client..." Mal chuckled again. "The question becomes, how much of this is a problem for you? What are your terms?"

"Is this something you need to know?"

"Given events there seems to be some play in permitted... exuberance. I need to know how far I'm allowed to go."

Galina sighed and stepped into the building. "Fair point. A subcontractor's actions could reflect badly."

They crossed the lobby. "Then the latitude I'll be allowed?

"Do not concern yourself with... offending our benefactor." Galina cleared her throat as the two made it to the elevator bank. "That is not an issue. Completing your assigned tasks is far more important."

"I see." Mal blinked. "Well, that certainly makes things simpler." He watched the Russian girl summon the lift.

Stepping into the elevator, Galina gave a curt nod. "Just remember, while you don't have to answer to our benefactor, you do have to answer to me."

Following her, Mal gave an oily smile. "Not a problem."

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"So... the big bow... it's really a jammer?" Sergeant Brummet asked.

Across the cramped transport, Agent Sophie nodded.

"You really think they'd wear something if it didn't have a purpose, Sarge?" Corporal Giddings asked.

"I'm not too fond of the ribbon and skirt combination myself," Sophie noted.

"Then you really wouldn't have liked our old uniforms," Misako noted, cradling the bulk of her grenade launcher.

Sophie shook her head.

"I think they were good looking," Misako haughtily sniffed.

"Bare midriffs, miniskirts, and high heels do not mix with combat," Sophie replied.

"And to think you were born female," Misako shook her head.

"Really?" Corporal Lily Green turned to Sophie.

Sophie nodded.

"Figures."

"How so?" Brummet asked.

"Because there's two kinds of succubae. The normal ones and the 'I feel so pretty ones'."

Sophie chuckled. "Yes, it's like whenever a soldier trades in his penis he gets a makeup kit instead."

"It's not-" Brummet went between Misako's prim and Sophie's little smirk. "It is that bad?"

"Having second thoughts about getting to use one of these?" Sophie hefted her Pug.

Olsen stared at the thick bullpup rifle. "That does put a... damper on the appeal."

"Ma'am, anything else? Anything we should watch for?" Bishop asked from the back of the troop compartment.

Warrant Officer Jeff Pyke gave a silent nod. Curiosity was good, whatever could ease his squad's nerves. Every battle was different, but it had been a long time since his men had faced anything this different.

"Tails are a major sign of mood." Sophie said.

"Yes, watch to see when they go straight and start to rise up," Brummet nodded. "What else?"

"Assume everyone is hostile. Just because they're human doesn't mean they can't attack you. Some demons have humans serving them enthralled , employed, or willingly." Sophie shifted her bow. "Light discipline. That's a major issue."

"Oh?" Green raised her eyebrows.

Sophie's eyes flared in a quick glow.

"Ah, you always do that?"

"It's when we get emotional. Training can control it, like the glow on our claws, but a lot of Pattern D's don't bother with it," Sophie said, rubbing her eyes. "The real advantage is eventually, you can use the eyeglow as a weapon."

"Don't forget the flaming auras we can generate."

"Right, those shields." Brummet frowned. "So you get small arms protection, at the cost of being lit up like a Christmas tree."

"That's why we wear these bulky things." Sophie lifted up one of her skirt's armored pleats.

"And a burst of 7.62 will go through those flames, correct?" Green knew what they had been told in the lectures but she wanted to hear it again.

"Until you get up to Class 10. Otherwise concentrated fire will pierce it, and remember to keep an eye on those you shoot."

"Regeneration, right," Brummet noted.

"What about the cyborgs? What if this is one of their ploys?"

"That idiot blonde isn't here," Misako spat.

"She may not be, but four members of the Fifth NH are," Corporal Green explained.

"Lil, wouldn't they use the split forces to attack where WIC's holding the target?" Brummet asked.

"They could; they could also try to thin out the enemy a bit," Lilly Green stated.

"That's why you were briefed," Sophie reminded. "Extremely armored. Small arms can be used to keep them from getting too close, but that's about it. Rockets, heavy machine guns, grenades. It takes a few bursts from this " Sophie hefted her 17mm Pug. "- to crack their armor."

"Well, shit." Brummet sighed.

"Fight them like an armored vehicle, not a soldier. Go for the eyes and the joints or at least go at the same spot. Standard NH rules apply. If they close-in, that's it," Sophie shrugged.

"Speaking of armored vehicles-" Bishop looked around the compartment. "They blew up some of yours." His question about vehicle survivability hung unasked.

"We had more armor than this Rheinmetal YAK." Sophie gave a resigned shrug. "Still, if the brass thought the cyborgs were a risk we'd be going in by helicopter too or at least using LAV 3's."

"Unless they thought that would be too provocative," Bishop sighed.

"They're real fast little buggers. Area weapons may be your best bet," Misako added.

"We were briefed on this." Giddings opened an eye. "Do we have to spend the trip worrying about all the ways we can get killed?"

"There could be some Assembly remnants. They take a dim view on those that collaborate with demons," Misako smirked.

"And a smattering of Pattern V. Plus whatever cultist groups managed to smuggle themselves into the area."

"You've got a real mess here don'cha?" Giddings sighed.

"Now, now trooper, it's your mess now," Sophie dryly said.

"Think the Pattern Ds have moved?" Bishop asked.

"Nope, they'd have radioed us if the situation had changed. After all, officers do not make mistakes." Warrant Officer Pyke sagely assured.

Brummet laughed. "Of course Warrant."

"The thing that worries me is that you demons can smell each other, at a pretty good range," Pyke drawled. "You can smell them, they can smell you? What's to keep them from getting tipped off early?"

Sophie looked towards the senior non-com. "Like our light discipline there's emission training and some scent suppressants."

"Ah, deodorant. Jolly good then." Pyke leaned back.

"They'll hear the helicopter and these giant trucks first." Misako rolled her eyes; she had tried to explain to mother the redundancy of scent reduction, but she would not be swayed.

Sophie sighed. It was not an antiperspirant; it was not an odor blocker; it simply helped dampen the pattern emissions. However, she knew it would be pointless to argue the point.

"And I'm sure the timing is going to work out just fine," Brummet dryly noted.

"I think the helicopter will wait for us," Pyke noted.

"Unless things really go to hell. Then Red, Morrison, and Lieutenant Tendo will go in themselves." Sophie said with a careful lack of guile. "I'm sure First Squad will deploy right with them."

"It will save us some trouble then," Brummet noted.

"You could have had the sense to not volunteer," Giddings sardonically noted.

"Sense? To not volunteer? What unit do you think this is?"

"Clam up," Pyke stated after checking with the driver and his radio. "We're four minutes out."

Sophie gave an appreciable nod as the troopers shifted to a more attentive position. With the fluid yet thorough motions of a familiar routine, they rechecked their equipment. One of the corporals stood up and manned the machine-gun in the custom-installed roof turret.

The YAK stopped on a quiet forest road. With the roof turret tracking the woods to the side, the doors opened and a trio of soldiers rushed out. They immediately went prone and trained their weapons. The next group to egress went past the first, and established themselves at the tree-line.

Controlling his breathing, Brummet ran through the evergreen grove. Taking cover by a lone tree he looked forward. The greenish light of his goggles revealed a mundane-looking house just ahead. Looking through the windows he could make out several people.

He briefly switched to the Pattern scanner and his grip tightened. Freeing his left hand he held it back, palm forward, then extended all his fingers, save his middle, and finally pulled in his ring and pinky finger.

Green put up her left hand, made a circle with her thumb and pointer, and extended her other fingers. After signaling that she understood, she repeated Olsen's hand signals. "Stop. Eight, D."

Hearing only the soft steps of his comrades, Olsen waited. They were prone and camouflaged, but that did not help much, not if one of the Pattern D's bothered to look outside. The helicopters should be here. The other squads should be in place. Keeping his weapon ready, he studied the house. There was a back porch that had several steps leading up to it. From there the kitchen could be reached.

"Third Squad is in position." Master Corporal Pattison's voice hissed over the radio.

"First Squad is on final approach," Lieutenant Hill stated.

"Pattern D recognized. Alexia's brood!" Misako's low volume belied the urgency in her tone.

Listening to the weighted silence. Brummet set his teeth. He knew the officers were deliberating; he had read the reports. Having turned at least a hundred people, Alexia felt that quantity had a quality all its own

"Second Squad. Plan H." Shifton's voice cut in.

Olsen turned just enough to see Lily and Cordell give affirmative responses to his latest hand signal. Looking further to the side he could tell the rest of the squad was ready. Heart steadily pounding, he burst from the tree-line. Pounding footsteps followed him.

He ran to the deck and vaulted over the low guardrail and fired a burst into the kitchen window. Catching a glimpse of a shocked woman with long, curly hair, Olsen rushed to the side, and out of a line of sight. He closed his eyes as Green threw a flash grenade. After the rumbling pop, he opened his eyes and went back to the window.

A split second judgment call was made. The woman was pale, but had no weapons drawn. "Down on the ground!" he shouted; gun sighted at her head.

Cord had breached the door and was followed into the room by Lilly. Their guns went up and the demon acquiesced, nearly tumbling to the floor. Shouts came from further in the house and the rest of Second Squad pushed though the kitchen. Olsen watched them assemble, then rush round a corner vanishing out of sight. There was more shouting followed by some bawling.

Making sure that Cord and Lilly had the first demon covered, Olsen entered the house. His weapon immediately trained on the weeping woman. Lifting up his goggles, he took quick stock of the room.

The kitchen was dominated by a worn, deeply scratched, but polished oak table. Several mismatched chairs encircled it. Broken glass from the blown window had covered the stovetop and collected on the stewpot's lid. The fridge displayed a vast spectrum of artistic quality. From fairly realistic landscape sketches to crude colorings.

"Kitchen secure. One Pattern D," Olsen radioed. "Cord, check the fridge and the stove." Somewhat distantly, Olsen heard the thumping of troopers upstairs, more glass breaking, and helicopters. The absence of gunfire loomed in his mind.

"Living room secure. Four Pattern D," Pyke radioed.

"Bedroom secure. Two Pattern D," Hill stated. "Count match?"

"Confirmed, all patterns accounted for," Pyke replied. "Commencing building search."

"Fridge looks clean," Giddings reported. "Looks like normal stuff from the supermarket." He then went over to the stove and shut off the burner. Using a gloved hand he swept the glass off the lid and carefully eased it up. "Not seeing anything here, but it's stew - could be anything."

"I think we got it," Olsen sighed in a measure of relief. "Cord get back here." Giddings resumed covering the demon and Olsen then made sure his attention was on the room's egress points and on their... prisoner.

The demon had long lavender hair with a slight curl. A plain white dress was rumpled by her prone position. Still crying, her body shivered slightly and her hands flexed occasionally.

"Don't." Lily coldly stated making sure that she was out of tail range.. "Extend your claws and we'll end you."

Keeping his C1A1 at the ready, Olsen sidestepped into the living room, and blinked. The room was crowded with a long sectional sofa, two loveseats, some beanbag chairs and a few thick blankets. Like in the kitchen, the furniture here was worn, especially the blocky pine coffee table, but well-cared for.

Olsen scanned the various end tables and nooks, looking for anything suspicious. Instead he found a rather normal smattering of movies and games. Though they were more of the "little-princess" variety. Spilled on the table was a couple fashion magazines, some pornography and an open coloring book, with adjacent crayons.

Part of the room featured a sleek modernity that jarred with the rest. This wall was dominated by an immense flat screen TV which was hooked to a movie player and a couple videogame systems.

However usurping all this was a curious tableau. The 'intimate' room was made even more cramped by the presence of over half a dozen armed, armored troopers, all of them cautiously covering four stunned girls, demons. Olsen noted that some of Third Squad had joined in the effort. Which fit the plan, their role was to support the assault by covering the front of the house and deploy inside, when needed.

The harsh scent of urine hung in the air and Olsen noted the telltale stain running from a loveseat to the floor where one of the demons, a petite delicate-looking thing with white hair curled into tight ringlets, lay. The shocked crying was much more intense than in the kitchen

"Any problems?" Olsen asked, feeling his blood pulsing through his face.

"So far so good," Pyke stated, a calculating expression forming. "Keep it up, men. The major's about here, then we'll get this all sorted out. Bonhomme, Tahnee, and Jones are checking out the basement."

One of the demons, a lanky girl with a pair of short black ponytails tried to slide to the little white-haired demon.

"Put your arm back. No touching." Pyke ordered as he shifted his gun to the offending target.

The tall demoness froze and then reluctantly withdrew her hand. Sensing the abandonment, the petite succubus renewed her sobbing.

"Yeah, the Major's gonna sort this all out," Pyke groused.

The demons' crying suddenly increased in volume and intensity. "He better get in here quick, or they'll make the decision for us." Olsen swore and returned to the kitchen.

"Please! Kill them now!" the demoness from the kitchen loudly begged. "Don't let Her get them."

"What the hell's going on? She's freaking out." Lilly kept aim on the despondent demon.

"I don't know. LT, Major. The prisoners are getting mighty antsy," Olsen radioed.

"Yes, we have an idea why," Major Sifton replied as he stepped through the ajar front door. The demons immediately settled down, mute horror blanketing their emotions.

Feeling almost a cold... tightness, Olsen looked over and saw the redhead follow the officer. Olsen did not need to look at his scanner. He could tell visually that the redhead was something else; she was far beyond the weeping examples they had captured. The room seemed to re-center, and focus on Her.

"Misako was right." She stepped into the living room, and gave a brisk nod to the JTF2 troopers. "Now, what are Alexia's spawn doing here?" She crouched down and studied the demons, who tried to slide away from the redhead.

"I was under the impression that they were all dead," Sifton noted.

"Blame your men's skill for the survival of this batch." Ranma returned to her full height. "Would have taken just one batch of nerves, one heavy trigger finger."

"So we pass?"

Ranma chuckled. "On no, you still have the most difficult part. Figuring out what to do with them."

"Ah, interviews." Sifton turned to Pyke. "Jeff, Any... contraband found?"

Warrant Officer Jeff Pyke shook his head. "I've had the men search the rooms, the basement, even poke through the attic. So far it's clean. Sure, they could be hiding something but we'll need dogs and start taking apart the walls to really be sure."

"Any idea who's the leader? Broods have matriarchs, or at least elder members."

"I think we've got her, Sir" Olsen interjected.

Major Sifton turned to the kitchen. "Oh?"

Olsen looked down at the woman, despite being tightly closed, her eyes still leaked tears "She was begging us to kill them. Before Ranma came in," he added.

"Misako, get in here," Ranma radioed as she stepped towards the kitchen. "Hmm... good guess. She's the oldest."

"This about the runts?" Using the abused back door, Misako stepped into the kitchen. She looked down and saw the prone demoness shiver.

"You know 'em?"

"They're Mother-Alexia's for sure." Misako frowned. "Huh guess she didn't get us all killed."

"Mistress Aurora.... please... convince your... Mother to make it quick." the prone demoness begged.

Careful to give the Canadians a clear line of fire, Ranma knelt down by the demoness. "I only killed your sisters because they attacked me and mine. If you're not a threat, I won't hurt you."

The crying demoness twisted her head up, a sliver of hope entered her terror-filled eyes.

"But if you are a threat, I'll eat your heart."

"And my dau- my sisters?" She lowered her head. "They don't deserve this. They pleased Mother. They behave. They're good girls."

"Green, Giddings, let her take a seat," Sifton turned to Ranma. "If you think that's prudent."

"We don't need the thumbscrews." Ranma reached out and took the demoness' arm. She squirmed at the redhead's grip but then calmed under the more powerful being's influence. Ranma then guided her towards the kitchen table and into a seat that Olsen had pulled out.

The older of Alexia's remnants, sat at the head of the long table, while Major Sifton and Ranma sat at the other. Flanking them was Corporal Lily Green and Corporal Cordell Giddings, both of whom had their guns leveled at the demoness.

"What's your name?" Sifton gently asked, discreetly activating his recorder.

The demoness bit her lip. " Cecilia, now. I... I was... Casey Kirchhoff ."

"Why didn't Alexia use you in battle?"

Cecilia leaned so she could look into the living room. "We weren't fighters. Mother had us for her pleasure. We helped with... recruiting."

Sympathy colored Major Sifton's face, but he still made sure his troops had their weapons on target.

"No.. I'm pretty sure you guys died in that office battle," Misako noted.

"Many of us did. After that..." Cecilia shrugged. "Mother kept us away. Kept us safe. That's when she started splitting up her brood. So you..." She glanced at Ranma, and lowered her head. "So you wouldn't get us."

"We know Alexia split up her brood, but we thought she threw all her cells at us. We certainly didn't detect any of them," Ranma stated.

"Not until we started scanning further out," Major Sifton corrected. "Are there any groups left?"

"I don't think so." Cecilia frowned. "Mother didn't tell us much, but at the end..." She sighed. "There just wasn't much left. She had heirs, she had some warriors, and she had... us."

Sifton turned to Ranma.

"She's telling the truth." The redhead sniffed. "But as she said, Alexia wouldn't tell these girls her plans."

"Why not? Yuki was her brain-trust," Misako smirked.

Wondering why DarkStar let Aurora have such a loose mouth, Cecilia held her tongue. The spark had caught and a tiny hope bloomed in her. Serving a new Mother would not be bad, especially compared to the alternative. Insubordinate as she was, Aurora had grown in strength and honed her edge, and had lost that garish false-tan she and Mother favored.

"So, it's just you and your seven sisters?" Sifton asked.

"Yes. Christine, Meredith, Priscilla, Isabel, Kirsten. Hazel, and Desiree."

" And I thought I had to take care of a lot of broodlings. Your hands must be very full." Ranma said with a touch of admiration.

Cecilia stared a shocked blush creeping up her cheeks. "Uh... thanks. I didn't... I'm sure my sisters will be good servants and mates."

Ranma blinked.

Wincing, Cecilia lowered her head. "Sorry, I didn't mean... I was just... hoping. If you're not going to kill my family, what are you going to do with them?" she asked, her eyes looking to the stew; it was sure to be cold by now. At least one of the soldiers had thought to turn off the stove.

The redhead leveled her gaze; purple eyes staring at Cecilia. "Have you heard of the phrase 'No greater friend no worse enemy.' ?"

"You got that from Morrison," Misako drawled.

Ranma rubbed the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Still..." She turned back to Cecilia. "You have two options. You can be our enemy, and be destroyed. Or you can be our ally and be protected."

"As cowboy as it sounds, it really is with us or against us," Sifton added. "If you've been killing people and treating them like cattle, we will learn of it."

Cecilia shook her head. "No, I never!"

"There are eight hungry mouths in this house. What do you do for food?" Sifton asked.

"There's a reason we have dinner so late," Cecilia chewed her lip. "I work... evenings."

"Ah." Ranma nodded.

"Is that how you get money too?" Sifton asked.

Cecilia nodded. "It's easy work. We don't need much money or energy, and it's low risk. Mother always created such a... mess. Without her, we couldn't risk the attention."

"How many work?" Ranma asked.

"Just me." Cecilia leaned back. "I thought it would be too much risk. The others are so... special. Meredith watches the house when I'm at work."

"Supporting a family of eight on your own?" Misako did some quick math in her head. "Your clients must love you."

"I am a succubus," Cecilia said, her pride hurt slightly.

"We do have a distinct advantage over our human competition," Ranma nodded. "So, you're independent right?"

Cecilia nodded.

Sifton turned slightly to Ranma. "How'd you make that guess?"

"WIC watches all the organized prostitutes and brothels. It's a natural place for energy draining NH's to work." Ranma omitted that the Drake's... experience had helped fill out the Company dossiers on said organizations.

"I've got a few other girls I talk with, but my reputation..." Cecelia gave a little smirk. "I don't have a problem finding people willing to meet my rates. I suppose you'd want a client list."

"Yes, we'll need all your information. Everything." Sifton stated.

"Privacy is for humans," Ranma's sardonic tone had a sharp undercurrent.

Cecelia nodded her head. "I'll do whatever you say. But please, could you let my sisters have a bit more comfortable seating? And it smells like some of them got a bit... scared, can fresh clothes be arranged?"

"We can make those arrangements." Sifton noted Ranma's slight nod at his statement.

'Thank you," Cecelia bowed her head.

"Warrant Young. Have your two prisoners pick out four sets of clothing. Then escort them down. Take some men from Second Squad to help," Sifton radioed.

"Change of clothes, Sir?" Warrant Officer Francis Young asked. He looked around the bedroom and made sure his men had kept trigger discipline and clear lines of fire.

"That's correct. We've been having a nice chat with the elder Pattern D, been real civilized here," Sifton dryly remarked.

"Yes, Sir." Young turned to his men. "Billy, you and Pete help these.... girls get some clothes."

"What's going on?" One of the succubae asked. Her hair was a light green and was pulled in a short ponytail just above her left ear. She was laying on one of several large mattresses that took up two-thirds of the bedroom. The thick blankets that covered them had been tossed to one side when the troops cleared the room. The other third of the room had a few wardrobes and dressers. All were worn, but well-cared for, and were filled with clothing and other baubles and "toys".

"Meredith, that was your big sister. She wants you and Desiree to get some clothes for the rest of your sisters," Young explained.

The demon with the side-ponytail blinked. "Cecelia did that?"

"We're gonna be okay?" the other succubus, Desiree asked.

"Maybe," Sergeant Billy MacDowell allowed with a cough. He looked over to see Young ordering for some more troops to come upstairs. The sergeant then turned to the other squad members.

"Thank goodness," Meredith sighed, leaning up a bit on the mattress. The longer they stayed alive the more... confident she felt. She knew some of Cecelia's worries and being taken by another powerful group seemed the best they could hope for.

"Come on guys, let's get something organized." Still keeping an eye on the demons, Billy shifted over to the dressers and wardrobes.

"From the Dress-up Trunk?" Desiree asked.

"Nothing too flashy," Meredith cautioned.

Young nodded his head and motioned for the smaller demoness to cross the room. Two soldiers stood to one side and tracked her movements. Momentarily distracted from the night's trials, she hummed the theme-song to a cheery children's show.

"Open it slowly," MacDowell cautioned as he angled himself. They had checked out the trunk before, but there could be a hidden compartment.

Desiree opened the trunk and slowly, carefully removed a top lid. On one side were colorful costumes, on the other side were plain clothes. She went for the latter and started slipping out blouses and undergarments.

"Better get some washcloths too," Tahnee said after she and Bonhomme entered the room. "Make things a bit easier for the girls."

"Keep your hands where I can see them," MacDowell warned Desiree.

"We're ready?" Young asked.

Desiree and Meredith nodded.

"Second Squad, we're going downstairs with two Pattern D's," Young radioed.

"Understood." Pyke replied. "Bishop, Jones, mind the stairs."

Nostrils flaring, Misako shook her head. It was strange.... seeing them alive.

Ranma leaned over and watched the procession. The troops peeled back and let Desiree and Meredith join their sisters. She smirked a bit at how crowded the living room had become.

Watching the succubae reunite and help clean themselves, a relieved smile formed on Cecelia's face. "Thank you."

Ranma gave a curt nod. She then turned to her apprehensive daughter. "Go get Kasumi."

"Right." Misako stepped out of the kitchen and into the night air. Tracking the tree-line, she inhaled the night air. While she could still sense her... relatives, at least the scent was no longer as... pungent. Giving a slight apathetic shrug, she reshouldered Sasha and went around the building.

Creeping in an oblique route she made it to Third squadron and the Company troops. A small smirk formed when one of the Canadians challenged her as she approached. "Hey, LT" the demon said, after getting to the loose position. Overlooking a cul-de-sac, it covered the house's forward approach.

"Yes?" Kasumi asked.

"Mother wants you in the house; I think she wants help on processing the... demons."

Kasumi noted Misako's tone. "She could have radioed."

"I think she was being clever," Misako's eyes darted to the side.

Looking up, Sophie kept her Pug at the ready. Despite her strength, and her training the weapon's weight pulled at her arms.

"Sounds like we burst into a bunch of nice little girls," Warrant Officer John A. Macdonald noted, skepticism entering his voice.

"Things can still go bad," Kasumi noted, having a fair idea why her former fiancee sent her daughter outside. "Good idea Misa, you stay here with Morrison and Third Squad. I'll take Sophie with me."

Sophie got to her feet and followed her former commanding officer.

"Bad blood between Misako and the old family?" Sophie whispered.

"That and she is a blunt instrument. Not exactly what you want for a polite interview."

"Better to send a newborn demon?" Sophie asked.

"You do need the experience."

Covering the lieutenant, Sophie crossed the threshold. Entering the brood's lair, their scents magnified and their presence grew much stronger. Reflexively her elbows tightened to her body, stabilizing her weapon further.

"How old do you think they are?" Kasumi asked, glancing at her scanner display

"They're too young. They had to have been made well after Alexia died." Sophie noted the JTF2 troopers part and reposition their weapons to let them pass. They gave her even more room than they gave Lieutenant Tendo. However, Sophie's wings, even folded up, did give her a bigger silhouette.

"You're forgetting diet. Not everyone eats as well as your family," Kasumi noted as they stepped into the kitchen.

"Yeah..." Sophie looked at the broodlings huddled around the kitchen table. They had more power than her. One with a ponytail on the side of her head and another with long curly lavender hair comforting the others, who were nervously, slowly eating.

"That's not very diplomatic," Ranma noted from the far side of the kitchen.

Cecelia looked up as Kasumi and Sophie entered. "You have a sister?" she asked Ranma after taking in the new demon's scent and categorizing it as a niece.

Ranma nodded.

Pulling her right leg back and bending her knees slightly, Sophie shifted into a more natural stance. She tightened her wings and her tail hung loose and low. Her gun was pointed down but held at the ready. The demon before her was not as powerful as any of Red's spawn, but she was definitely brood mother material.

Cecelia looked up from the pot she was ladling out of. "Very confident for being so young. I can see why we lost."

Looking past the windowpane not covered with a piece of cardboard, Sophie noted more JTF2 soldiers. "It's a dangerous world," she reflexively said.

"You do this for all your brood?" Cecelia looked to Ranma.

"Yeah, only Submaternissima have minions instead of daughters."

If possible, Ceclia's face would have paled. "Mother called you that," she said handing the last bowl to a set of eager hands.

"Funny, she's the one that made her spawn into cannon fodder." Ranma felt the wary apprehension form the quietly eating demons, they were looking to their.... big sister for assurances. "Ironic, the ones Alexia left out to die from exposure were the ones to live."

"Correct use of irony." Kasumi noted.

"Submaternissima?" Major Sifton asked.

"Demonic swear word. Refers to a horrible succubus who would turn her spawn into toys, monsters, and tools, betraying the maternal nature of the entire species," Sophie explained.

"Isn't it enough that you killed her?" Cecelia asked.

Despite her pleasant little smile, Ranma's tail twitched slightly.

"She's gone. You made sure of that." Cecelia filled her glass with apple juice from the pitcher on the table. "So, what are you going to do with us?"

"We've got a delightful interview and processing procedure lined up," Sifton stated, almost wishing the night had hostiles instead. Though he would gladly exchange more paperwork for a mission where all of his men came back.

Cecelia briefly looked around her sisters. "I understand."

"We're not doing anything bad," Ranma reassured. "We're just going to check you out, and keep you someplace safe."

"Safe?"

"You know, it's a dangerous world. Why else did you move your family out here?"

Cecelia nodded slowly, marveling at the spark of hope within her. "But why? Wouldn't it be easier to just kill us?"

"Easy's not the same as right," Sifton sighed slightly. "Do we have your cooperation?"

"Yes of course." Cecelia wondered if her family actually had a future.

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Before Sam or Naoko could knock, the front door to the Tendo-Saotome residence opened. "Good to see you two," the platinum blonde succubus greeted as she let the two teenage humans in.

"You don't have to show off that you knew we were coming," Naoko muttered as she bent down to take off her shoes.

Ukyou chuckled. "Oh, don't do that. Mom's not home."

Sam frowned. They had called ahead, but it made sense Ranma was called on a mission, especially given recent events.

The demoness smiled "She's just at a neighbor's house. Helping with the move."

"Oh?" Naoko asked.

"Come on," Ukyou lead the pair through the house, then out the kitchen door. The three crossed the patio and then were about to round the dojo when they stopped.

Sam boggled at the diminutive old man. Lounging in a wooden lawn-chair, he wore a worn gi and was happily sipping from a sake tumbler. A long, sturdy pipe was resting on the table.

Naoko had a bit more experience and bowed at the old man. "Honored Elder."

The old man lowered his ceramic cup onto a small side table. "Human girls? Civilians too. Ukyou?"

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "They're Mom's friends, Sensei . From school."

"Bah, don't be so formal." He turned to Naoko. "Though I do like that they're polite." His apprising gaze turned more lecherous. "And I must say, Ranma's got such wonderful taste."

"I'm Takeuchi, Naoko; this is Carter, Samantha; and you are?"

"Happosai, Grand Master of Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu." The bald old man beamed

Samantha was reminded of habanero peppers. They might be tiny, wrinkly and funny looking but they were incredibly powerful.

Naoko was more focused on what the man had said. "Indiscriminate Grappling? Some kind of mixed martial art?"

"Obviously, it's what Ranma and her kids do," Sam noted.

Happosai grinned at the blonde. "Right you are. My first two students were Genma and Soun. They wanted to join the houses; something that Ranma did beautifully."

Ukyou rolled her eyes at the pun. "Yes, well I'm taking them over to see Ranma at Eve's."

"Ah yes, now that's a woman." Happosai smiled and leaned back, eyes half closed in memory.

Ukyou shook her head. "Pervert."

"Said the sex demon. I seem to recall you and Misako getting so carried away that you broke a wall." Happosai's dreamy expression floated up as he refilled his tumbler.

"Exactly, sex demon." Ukyou crossed her arms over her chest. "I've got an excuse. What's yours?"

"Perverted old man that founded a martial arts school to help his hedonistic hunger."

"The more I learn about Sunny's family..." Sam trailed off.

"Yeah, between this and her Grandmother," Naoko shook her head.

"Don't forget Red's mother." Happosai shook his head. "Can't believe Genma let her get away."

"It's like Sunny was born just to be a succubus." Sam said.

"Do we really have to go into genealogy?" Ukyou asked.

"I could give the girls a little demonstration." Happosai's lecherous grin shifted, focusing on the present, instead of fond memories of the recent past.

"Don't take their bras," Ukyou frowned then added. "Or grope them."

Tears welled in the old man's eyes. "I work so hard to train you girls, and this is the thanks I get? You won't allow an old man some simple pleasures? What next, will you take away my sake? My tobacco?"

Ukyou's eyes flared orange. "Don't ham it up old man."

"Awww, but you broodlings are so fun to tweak. Not like Red."

"You're just saying that because you've both got the same taste in lingerie."

Color drained from Sam's face.

"He doesn't wear it. He likes to look at women wearing it. He used to steal them too, but he stopped that."

"That's because you took the fun out of it," the old man pouted. "There's no thrill when there's no hunt, no chase."

"That hasn't stopped you from 'volunteering' to do our laundry."

Happosai chuckled. "I just want to pull my weight around the house. You girls are so busy, with all that physical activity. It's the least I can do."

"Uhg... this is like when my Uncle Jayne and Aunt Vera came over," Samantha shuddered.

"Strange family?" Ukyou raised an eyebrow.

Naoko coughed. "You have no idea."

The succubus looked between the two humans. "Yeah... let's go to Mom."

"Have fun." Happosai leaned back in his chair.

"Right..." Ukyou shrugged before they resumed crossing the yard.

As they entered a small path that ran through a small grove, Sam looked over her shoulder. "Nice guy."

"You never had a creepy grandpa." Naoko looked around. "So, where are we?"

"Auntie Eve's place, it's kitty-cornered from our house," Ukyou explained as they approached the back of a cedar-sided house.

"A house near yours just happened to go on the market?" Naoko flatly asked.

"You make it sound like the secret agent demons did something unethical, I'm sure they simply had Principal Drake lean on a few mortgage holders," Sam stated

"Such imagination," Ukyou snickered as she knocked on the back door.

The door opened, revealing another blonde demon. A starched white apron, tied in back with a big bow, covered a poured-on blue blouse with puffy shoulders and a skirt that flounced and bubbled over the blonde's generous hips before flaring in and stretching over her long legs. Shining white stockings peeked out of the shin-length hem and vanished into slim glossed cobalt pumps. "Oh, company," Eve smiled as she stepped back. "Please come in," she purred running a manicured hand through luxuriously long and teased tresses that had buoyant body rivaling the redhead's lofty locks.

Sitting at the kitchen table, Ranma looked up and smiled. "Hi guys!"

"Hey Sunny!" Naoko looked around the sparse kitchen. "How's things going?"

Ranma frowned briefly. "Busy."

The tall demoness' lips formed a pout. "Yes, work's been keeping her very busy."

"Must be nice to unwind," Ukyou said with a knowing smile.

"Subtle," Sam deadpanned, closing the door behind her.

"They are succubae," Naoko reminded.

Sam looked around the bare kitchen. "You just moving in?"

"Moving in was easy," Eve noted, straightening a seat.

"Don't have much furniture then," Naoko stepped into an empty room. Freshly painted walls gleamed. Containing only a few heavy duty plastic crates, she presumed it was a dining room. Turning she saw another pale redhead enter from the opposite end of the room.

Her hair was cut in a short pageboy and she wore a grey Lycra sports bra, running shorts, and light boots. A gleaming handgun was secured in a form-fitting nylon holster. "Friends of Red," the demon stated as she discretely sniffed the air.

"How?" Naoko sighed. "Oh, you can smell her on us, can't you?"

"Yes," the redhead extended her arm. "Morgan."

"Naoko, and that's Sam in the kitchen," she said gesturing behind herself. "So... you're one of Eve's kids?"

Morgan smiled slightly.

"And what do you do?"

The redhead's grin broadened. "Just a sec," she said before running back to the living room.

"Now you've got her started," Eve smirked as she opened a mostly bare cupboard. "So, how do you girls take your coffee?"

"Sugar, no cream," Sam said.

"Black," Ukyou stated.

"I don't like coffee, sorry," Naoko said.

"That's okay, neither does Ranma. Would you like some juice?" Eve asked.

"Sure." Hearing Morgan return, Naoko turned around and... stared. "That's a... big gun."

"Isn't it?" Morgan gushed, while cuddling her rifle to her chest.

Naoko continued to stare. She knew the girls were strong, but the effortless ease with which she hefted it was ridiculous. "So... does it have a name?"

"Name?" Running a hand down the barrel, Morgan frowned.

"Isn't that what you girls do? I know Misako named hers."

Stroking her gun, Morgan slowly nodded.

"Well.... something to think about," Naoko said as she backed into the kitchen.

Sam chuckled. "One of yours?" she asked Eve.

"Is it that obvious?" Eve asked as she pulled a pitcher out or the refrigerator.

"Would you move into a house if it was just you?" Sam asked.

"More-so, you're Sunny's sister. Of course you're going to get kids."

"Really?" Smirking, Eve leaned on the counter and tapped the pitcher. "Perhaps you would know. You did manage to stay friends with Ranma and stay human."

Ukyou chuckled as she fiddled with the coffeemaker. "Tease."

"Naturally," Eve purred, before gliding over and resetting the coffeemaker and straightening it so it was square with the wall and counter.

"So how are... things?" Sam asked.

Ranma's satisfied little smile evaporated. "Stupid bubble-headed princesses."

"Oh?" Sam frowned. "Well, can you talk about it?"

"Is Misa-chan causing problems?" Naoko asked. "Wait... you said bubblehead not bimbo."

Ukyou snickered.

"Defining a bubblehead as a liability in combat, are we?" Eve smirked as she poured out the coffee and mixed in sugar.

"Sure," Ranma shrugged, accepting a glass of grapefruit-juice. "I mean it's... it could be worse."

Naoko chewed her lip. She was all but certain that the recent "troubles" were related to her friend's stress, but... "So why can't you... deal with her?"

Eve's crimson lips curled into a broad grin. "I've asked her the same question, Dear."

Ranma took a sip. "It'd be a mess. Unpredictable."

"You're talking about this Moon royalty right?"

"Yeah, the other group of recent transfers that haven't been in class," Sam added.

"That's correct, their failure managed to get Queen Serenity to come back," Eve said, locking her gaze with Ranma.

The redhead nodded; she was adverse to lying, but omission was an easier pill, and Need to Know could not be ignored.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Really? So that imperial queen is back? What, did she have some sort of failsafe? If the others screw up enough she'll reincarnate too?"

Ranma smiled. "Something like that... just in case."

"So is the big old queen gonna try to take over the world again?" Naoko asked.

"That would certainly make matters simpler," Eve's voice was cold.

As the awkwardness of the following silence grew, Sam frowned into her coffee "So you've got Morgan... have any other daughters?"

Eve immediately smiled. "Yes two, Sophie and Morrison."

"Morrison?"

"Her first name's Richard," Morgan said in a sing-song voice.

"Ouch, she gonna pick a new name?" Naoko asked.

"She's still making up her mind," Eve said.

"Androgynous names are convenient for succubae," Ukyou stated.

"You would know," Morgan teased.

"I don't see what the problem is," the blonde human shrugged.

Naoko sipped her juice and turned to her friend "Of course you wouldn't, Samantha."

Sam glared.

Ranma laughed. "It's okay, my name's fairly gender neutral."

"Sunshine?" Sam asked.

"No... not that one.

"DarkStar?"

"Don't go through all my names. You know what I'm talking about."

"But being obtuse is fun," Eve said as she adjusted her apron.

"So, having work troubles?" Naoko asked.

"And you can't solve them the normal way?" Sam added.

Eve shook her head, and stepped over to Ranma. "I keep telling her there's a simple solution."

Ranma crossed her arms. "The worst part is that there's a glimmer of hope. I mean if this was all a write-off..."

Sam nodded in realization "You got roped into training this person didn't you?"

"Not right now," Eve kneaded her sister's shoulders, generating a pouty purr. "We had to force her to take a bit of a break."

Ranma arched her head back. "We're running against the clock here. There's gonna be another attack."

Eve let out a few crackling pops on the redhead's shoulder blades. "Yes, there's always another attack." She leaned in to Ranma's ear. "At least now we've broken the little brat."

"Yeah.... she is much easier to handle now."

"And who knows, maybe your little Slavic friend will take up your offer." Eve pressed her thumbs to Ranma's neck. "I know you'd rather be playing with her than our little queen."

"You talking about Sunny finding a girlfriend?" Sam asked.

"Sounds more like a euphemism for battle," Naoko refilled her mug.

"Like there's that much of a difference," Sam scoffed.

Naoko pondered as she added sugar. "Depends. One sounds angrier than the other, though it sounds like this training's even more stressful."

"Some people are too dumb to live, but too stubborn to die," Morgan idly noted as she inspected the dials on her scope.

Continuing her thinking, Naoko stirred her drink. "Now... if this problem of yours gets really.... bad, what then?"

Ranma raised an eyebrow.

Eve chuckled. "The simple solution."

"I see." Naoko tapped her chin. "And the status quo? In the long term I mean?"

Ranma sighed.

Sam chuckled. "So that's a no."

"Then why worry." Naoko chuckled. "Either things will get better or... you have that solution."

Ranma looked up. "That's... true."

"So don't get that wound up. It'll just drive you crazy, and it's not like you don't have a solution." Naoko suggested.

"It's not that simple."

Naoko smirked. "Sure, it is."

"It's only simple because we're not telling you everything," Ukyou insisted.

"Details, details. This is Sunny we're talking about." Naoko took a sip. "Good coffee.

"Thank you." Eve gave a slight blush. "And you're correct. Ranma is very direct."

"Yeah, you don't do complex, Sunny. If there's a problem you take care of it." Sam gave a thumbs up.

Ranma leaned back. "So, I should just ignore all the political intrigue, alliances, and strategic preparations, and instead just... barrel through."

"Direct action is your strength, Mom."

"Even at meetings you're blunt and straightforward." Eve looked the two humans over with a small smile. "I think they've got the right idea."

Ranma ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah... It's not really up to me, is it? If our little Princess doesn't want to grow up, well that'll just be the way it is."

"Don't worry the small stuff.

"This isn't really small," Ukyou dryly noted.

"Really? Has Sunny ever gone up against a real problem other than directly? She isn't exactly shy about these things," Sam reminded.

"Exactly, I mean you're a demon, Sunny. Slaughtering those that displease you is part of the deal," Naoko said.

"Yeah! Be whimsically homicidal." Sam added.

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"Do you know what makes you weak?" Mistress Mercury strode over to the kneeling purple-haired woman.

Sailor Virgo flexed her fingers and gauged the distance between herself and the evening-dress wearing dominatrix. "No."

"Not going to venture a guess?" Mercury chuckled and looked up at Sailor Orion. "How much time?"

Orion looked up from the series of runes she had been etching onto a silver block. Several glowing crystals were put into recessed slots around the circumference, while a thin silver crown sat in the middle of the circle. "I think we're almost ready," Orion ventured before consulting a nearby table containing a thick bound book and a thin computer screen.

"Excellent," Mercury purred before turning back to the former-Amazon. 'I believe we were discussing your weakness?"

"Yes," Virgo spat.

"I had been trying, trying to make us better. The Queen, you, myself, Orion, everyone." Mercury walked over to a small silver-inlaid ebony bookshelf that had been heavily bolted to an oak table. "At first I thought we all had different problems. Different things that made us all weak. A lack of experience, a lack of skills, a lack of power."

Mercury looked out the window and at the city sprawling before her. "But that's not really it. We all have the same weakness."

Virgo kept herself from sighing.

"Do you care to guess what it is? Either of you." Mercury's eyes flashed between the two Senshi.

"We're human?" Orion dryly asked, returning to her engraving.

"Oh, very good!" Mercury laughed. "That was what eluded me! It was such a simple thing. I had the answer in my hands; Venus showed me, showed us, the way."

Virgo frowned. "What of the Senshi, what of Queen Serenity?"

Flipping out her tessen, Mercury raked the edge of her ice-fan across Virgo's face.

With a heavy thud the purple-haired teen hit the floor. Bleeding lightly, she leapt to her feet and drew her swords.

"That blow would have snapped a human's neck, and here you are ready for more." Mercury chuckled. "It's time we stopped pretending. It's time our Queen stopped pretending."

Lowering her blades slightly, Virgo hesitated.

"Delusions of humanity will only hurt us. Our enemies, our allies," Mercury smirked. "do not suffer the same illusions. Why should we?"

"What of Setsuna?" Orion asked.

"She is our primary threat. She has used an external threat to justify... changing our Queen. Forcing her to her twisted will."

"And worse, she stole plans from you," Orion noted.

"Yes," Mercury frowned for a second. "Setsuna.... Setsuna has shown me the problems of being so limited, of thinking so small. Can you comprehend how long she's waited? The kind of patience it has taken for her to ensure that the proper opportunities will arise." Mercury stepped over to her chair and picked up a wineglass.

She studied the cut-crystal structure. "She has the Key. She is the Gate. Against a threat like that, anything...." Mercury opened a bottle. "For the briefest moment I had hoped... hoped that the Russians had killed her, and fate, sensing my desire, granted my wish.

"And in giving my wish, confirmed my deepest fears. We've seen that Setsuna lives, but in another body." Mercury steadied her hand as she filled her glass. "Do you realize what that means?" she turned, nearly spilling her glass.

Mercury sighed at the blank faces. "To her... bodies are nothing more than... this," she raised her glass. "They're something convenient she can pour herself into. Do I need to explain what that means? For her? For us? For the Queen?"

"And Usagi has no idea."

Mercury scowled. "Yes, Puu could tell the Queen exactly what she is, and poor, trusting Usagi would simply smile. The Queen can't live with such delusions; we can't live with such delusions. Action must be taken, we must realize what we are. All of us."

"That's why you changed Minako?" Orion asked.

Virgo sighed and sheathed her swords. Her Mistress tended towards these asides, though they normally would wrap up after about this much time.

"Venus was a prototype. Things have become more... refined."

"What's the next step, then?" Virgo asked.

Mercury sipped. "Oh, you'll see. Don't worry, we'll have our Queen back."

End chapter 25

Author's Notes. Unfortunately for my prereader's sensibilities, Mal de Veste's suit is real. It's from James Lileks' Dorcus collection of horrible men's wear.

Also Ranma's scene where she tempts Arisha has a sequence familiar to any Babylon 5 fans.

I'd like to thank my pre-readers. They read through my most egregious mistakes so you don't have to. DGC, J St C Patrick, Pale Wolf, Wray, Kevin Hammel, Ikarus, Jerry Starfire, and Nadrek..


	28. Ch26 Replacements and Remembrance Part 2

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Sunshine Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.

.com/

Temporary Backup Site.

.com/fic/

Other website Temple of Ranma's Senshi Seifuku

C&C as always is wanted.

Chapter 26 Replacements and Remembrance Part 2

Walking towards one of the Quonset huts, the lavender-haired succubus split her attention between it and the tree-line, where those nice soldiers and some of her girls were running down a makeshift trail.

"So why didn't you run?" Ranma asked her when they were just outside the building.

Blushing by an almost imperceptible tinge Cecilia looked up at the clouds. "I didn't run."

Ranma flicked some dirt off her leather pants. "Yes," she stated handing her canteen over to Cecilia.

Blinking in surprise, Cecilia took a drink. "The Black Devils would have killed us."

"Black Devils?" Ranma asked taking her canteen back.

"That's the unit-name the JTF2 boys got stuck with." Nabiki said, not looking up from her knives.

"Ah, neat."

Cecilia looked at the door.

"Still, why didn't you run?" Ranma repeated. "I don't mean when we came, before that. You had enough money to keep your girls comfortable. A bunch of bus tickets or even hitchhiking couldn't have been out of your price range."

Leaning on the wall, Cecilia looked down at her shoes. "What would running accomplish? If you wanted me dead... what could I do?"

Nariko raised an eyebrow. "You still left the city."

"They only went just far enough to be out of Mom's territory." Nabiki closed her blade and holstered it.

"So you left my... territory and what... tried to make your girls as comfortable as possible? That's it?"

Confused, Cecilia looked up. "What else is there?"

Ranma smiled. "Good answer."

Swallowing, Cecilia felt her tension ease. "All we have is each other."

The redhead nodded. "So, why Black Devils?" she asked, looking at her daughters and her first cousin once removed.

A slight smile crossed Cecilia's lips. "I'll show you," she said before leading them to an adjacent Quonset hut. As she opened the door a trio of paint splattered succubae turned and charged towards them.

The most youthful looking, a tiny girl with a head full of tight white ringlets pounced onto Cecilia. "Momma!"

Ranma smirked slightly.

Cecilia hugged her and the two other girls. "Hi Hazel! How's it going, girls?"

"Good, I've got the logo drawn out, and Hazel and Priscilla are helping me color." Desiree fingered her brush.

"Can we see it?" Cecilia asked, releasing the embrace. However, Hazel hung close to her.

Desiree blushed. "Uh... yeah." She then led them to a cleared wall on the barracks.

A large upward-pointed arrowhead was painted on the wall while a pair of incomplete black succubus outlines lounged on either side of the arrow's tip. Inside the partially filled red arrowhead were letters that ran from pencil sketches on guidelines, to outlined, to fully painted in. The letters were shaped in a T, with JTF2 capping the top and CANADA running vertically. Straddling "Canada" was "Black Devils" in a looping script.

"Very nice," Ranma nodded.

Desiree and her sisters beamed.

"So why Black Devils?"

Nabiki chuckled. "It's a name a similar unit earned in the last big war the humans had; First Special Service Force I think. They specialized in stealth and tactics, so much so that often their fights ended with out a shot being fired. Some few who got away started calling them Black Devils. I heard Kasumi thought it was a fitting name for this new group here."

"The last big war? World War Two you mean?" Cecilia raised an eyebrow.

Nabiki nodded. "Yup."

Nariko bowed her head slightly before turning to the mural.

Cecilia blinked. She knew Yuki was born on earth and DarkStar's history was obvious too. She shook her head at the strange perspective. "Anyway... that's not right. My window got shot out by that nice Sergeant Brummet." Cecilia pouted slightly.

"Really?" Nabiki's tone was bone-dry.

"Oh yes, he apologized very gentlemanly ."

"Cecilia, what was the rule about Fraternization?" Ranma asked.

Nabiki chuckled. "Mom... you really don't have a place to argue about that."

"Be discrete and don't force the officers to do something about it?" Cecilia offered.

Ranma nodded. "That's right."

"I do have experience with discretion," Cecilia said a touch offended.

"But what about your girls? You making sure they won't get in trouble?"

"They've paired up, mostly." Cecilia added.

"Mostly?" Nabiki looked at the three Cecilia broodlings.

"Yes, Priscilla and Isabel are still single. Are you curious?" Cecilia asked, concealing her hopeful eagerness. Strengthening ties would be very useful, and Yuki's youthfulness was akin to that of her own broodlings.

A girl with a light green ponytail tied behind one ear blushed. "Mom...."

"It's okay, Priss." Cecilia assured.

Ranma turned to Nabiki. "You wanna stay here?"

The pastel-blue-haired girl looked Priscilla over. "Sure."

Looking across at the pink pastel Cheongsam-glad demoness Priscilla smiled nervously. "Your hair's nice. Those tiny ponytails are so cute. They really go great with that pageboy of yours."

Nabiki smiled and fingered the bows that held her mini-ponytails. "Thanks. I love how the ribbon holding your ponytail matches your shoes, and that's an adorable little jumper you have on."

"Well what about your stockings? The embroidery on them goes perfectly with your heels." Priscilla gushed.

"Don't forget your knee-socks." Nabiki countered coyly.

"Have fun girls. I have to talk with DarkStar." Cecilia looked down at Hazel who pouted and let go of the lavender haired demon. The slight girl then darted over to Desiree who had abandoned working on the mural and instead was watching Yuki and Priscilla's feedback loop.

After a couple steps Cecilia turned to Ranma. "Mother-Alexia was fond of that style."

"It shows," Ranma dryly noted as they exited the building

. "Do you disapprove? Why didn't you change her?"

"That's not Mommy's way," Nariko crisply stated from behind the brood mothers.

"You didn't need a strong hand to help your girls." Ranma smiled. "You've dealt with Alexia's legacy too."

Cecilia sighed. "They're good girls. That made it easier."

Ranma put her arm around the lavender-haired demoness. "They all are."

For a moment Cecilia's tail stiffened and pointed downward, but after sensing the warmth radiating from the redhead she eased up and leaned into the hug.

"You've done good."

Cecilia raised an eyebrow. "But you can still help me?"

Ranma rubbed Cecilia's arm. "Sure."

The lavender-haired girl looked over. "With... security?"

"It's a dangerous world. You're lucky JTF2 found you first."

"Well, I was afraid you'd find us," Cecilia sheepishly admitted.

"Awww, you were scared of me." Ranma hugged her tighter.

"It wasn't cute! You're very scary."

"I am?" Ranma frowned.

"My nightmares, my spawn's nightmares were all about you!" Cecilia wailed. "Do you know how many nights I had to soothe my girls because they were afraid you'd be coming for them?" Her knees weakened and she felt her weight being held by the redhead. "The most I ever hoped for, the most I ever dreamed... was to be left alone."

Adding her other arm, Ranma lifted the girl up. Holding the girl close, the redhead stared into the other demon's eyes. "Your brood will not need to fear me."

Cecilia blinked but those violet eyes stayed locked on her. "But what do you want? My girls can make yours very happy... I'm sure-"

Ranma loosened and arm and tapped Cecilia's lips. "There's no need to force that. We're family, and Alexia is gone. I promise your girls will be protected."

Cecilia looked down. DarkStar's hold was comforting, but... "So, is that it then? Spoils of war? Alexia lost; you won."

"Sure, why not?" Ranma grinned. "Better than the alternative."

Cecilia's stomach tightened. "Alternative?"

Ranma grinned and lifted the girl back to her feet. "Well there's your nightmares."

"That's not funny." Cecilia pouted.

"Now, now, you're doing great," Ranma patted Cecilia's shoulder. "Don't worry I'm not the beast Alexia made me out to be."

Relishing the contact, Cecilia expanded her senses, making sure she could still feel the broodlings that were out running with the Black Devils. "Thanks, I just... it's been so hard."

Ranma's eyes flicked to Nariko who gave a slight nod. "Oh?"

Cecilia automatically started walking towards her brood's building. "You know what it's like, being a... brood mother."

"You had a tougher time of it than me."

Stopping, Cecilia turned and broke out of Ranma's one-armed hug. "Huh?"

"I had my family and friends supporting me. You, you were completely alone." Ranma's eyes again went to Nariko.

Frowning, Cecilia turned to look at the black-haired guileless demon "What's this about?"

Ranma chuckled. "Nariko likes you."

"Really?" Cecilia arched an eyebrow at the quiet demoness. "So what do you think of me?"

"You remind me of mother." Nariko's red eyes softened before she lovingly looked towards Ranma, who stepped over to the teen.

Sensing the powerful affection, Cecilia blinked. "Huh..."

"Something wrong?" Ranma asked, embracing her daughter.

Looking over her shorter mother's head, Nariko almost passively watched Cecilia.

"Familiar, that's all," Cecilia muttered. Those red eyes were colored by experience, but beneath that, at its core... was an eager little broodling, hungry for love. Cecilia opened her mouth, but closed it after a moment's thought. Unlike the majority of DarkStar's spawn, Nariko was never Mother Alexia's.

But she was DarkStar's eldest. She was the first demon that DarkStar turned, which meant that any... damage... Despite herself, Cecilia's eyes widened in shock, and she wondered just how DarkStar could have failed. What had gone wrong with Nariko?

Ranma glanced at Cecilia's tail. "You seem distracted."

Cecilia paused. "Well, my family did get relocated by military force," she eventually said.

Ranma shrugged. "Yeah, that'll happen."

"You're taking this well." Cecilia stopped at the door to her brood's barracks.

"I've had time to get used to this, and besides this gig isn't without benefits." Ranma smirked showing her fangs.

Cecilia laughed. "So, what are you two doing today?"

"We've got some training, but that's not for a bit." Ranma looked to Nariko. "Why?"

"Really?" Cecilia opened the door. "How long is a bit?"

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Serenity saw the pair of demons glide to the table she and her Senshi sat at in the Mess Hall. "There you two are."

Rei looked up at the clock on the wall. "You're late, too."

Her mirth receding, Ranma idly adjusted her vest. "Really?" She then made a production of looking at her wrist. "Not by my watch."

"That clock is running fast," Nariko's mirth deflated slightly as she looked at the wall-clock.

"Still, you two are obviously disheveled." Kiri noted.

"Yeah, and you smell like sex," the blonde who looked like Usagi blurted.

The redhead raised an eyebrow.

Kiri sighed. "Yes, that was what I was alluding to."

Ranma crossed her arms. "And what does that matter? We're on time and we're ready for training."

Rei narrowed her eyes.

"There's no need for hostility," Serenity said before turning to Rei.

"Maybe it's jealousy." Nariko buoyantly said. "They excel at neither skill."

Rei bristled.

Serenity held up her hand. "Yes, anyway. Back to today's training."

"Good." Ranma smiled fractionally. "Today we'll be doing the basics. Various ready positions, grips for those of you with weapons, 'trigger' management, various draws, and clearing any malfunctions."

"Malfunctions? It's magic." Makoto asked.

"Just because it's more reliable than mechanical means doesn't make it foolproof," Kiri stated.

Ranma nodded. "Right. Then we'll start with shooting on the move. You girls are way too static. Following that is offhand casting, and the situations where you'll need to do it. Then after lunch we have tactical skills with cover, concealment and the difference between the two. Something else you're really lacking in."

Serenity sighed. "Yes, yes. At least we're not giving those speeches anymore."

Ranma blinked. "Right, we've also got structure clearing and shoot – no shoot decisions. We'll also see what kind of rapid fire and precision limits your attacks have. From various angles and positions."

Rei raised an eyebrow at the list. "What happens when we finish with that?"

"Why you repeat it." Ranma said, shocked. "Again and again."

"Most of training is practice, repetition." Nariko added.

"Practice doesn't make perfect. Practice makes permanent," Ranma explained.

"You won't have time to try to remember, try to recall this stuff. That's why we keep it simple."

"I'd hardly call your combat style simple," Kiri noted.

"That's because you haven't been trained." Ranma snickered. "It's all very simple."

"Not terribly reassuring. How come simple is better than what we've been doing?"

"What you've been doing is sloppy, slow and stupid. Simple doesn't mean easy. Simple just means minimizing the chances to screw things up." Ranma shook her head and before looking to Kiri. "That's what you don't get. Combat screws up enough plans, enough schemes. Keep it simple, keep it flexible."

Serenity looked between the demons and her Senshi. "Right, uh... sounds good."

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"So, who do you think is worse?" Shest leaned back onto a tree trunk and looked at the valley that spilled below them.

Desyat raised an eyebrow.

"It's a quick either or question."

"Who are you talking about?" Desyat sighed before switching to an inaudible transmission . _"Magical girls versus mercenaries? A hoard of shifty South Slavs versus a cocky thug in an ugly suit? Or maybe this is your circular way of asking me about a certain de facto-realist versus her true-believer subordinate."_

"Perhaps I'm inviting a comparison between nightmares, yours versus mine." Shest rose to her feet, and kept rising. Levitation was a vital compliment to her other powers.

Desyat's hand snaked down to one of her blades, concealed by her light jacket. "_I didn't think yours could be described as a who,"_ she eventually said taking care to scan their surroundings.

After planting a surveillance pod against a thick branch, Shest lowered herself and then her gaze.

_"You did push very hard for Galina to accept the agreement Krasnaya offered Arisha," _Shest transmitted back.

_  
"I know what Krasnaya and her ilk can do to us, you know what they can do to us, what they did to Vosem."_

_"And what you saw was worse?"_

Shest chuckled, and adjusted the plain backpack she wore. _"You don't get it. You weren't in the hotel room with us, and even if you were you couldn't... see."_

"Pardon?" Desyat asked out loud.

This time Shest's laughter had a more prolonged and pained termination. "Wrong question, wrong question."

Desyat studied her companion's face. Shest always was a bit... different. Alone, she was the only one who could manage the Deep Diver system. "What's the right question?"

Shest chuckled as they walked down the forest path.

Desyat stopped. "Well?"

"Do I have to tell you everything? Shest closed her eyes. _"We've been led to believe that the Zaika and her ilk have a weapon, but... You read Liza's dossier?"_

Desyat gave a resigned sigh. _"The one she wrote before or after her sockets rejected the first set of oculars?" _She clarified.

_"Yes, Krasnaya really damaged the poor girl. It was generous of Galina to assign her research duty,"_ Shest's voice was carefully even.

_"At least we had enough spares to put in yet another set."_

_"Might have been best if we didn't,"_ Shest muttered.

Desyat coughed. "Hopefully she'll be a hundred percent... soon enough."

_"It's those books... we don't know who we're dealing with."_

_"You're not talking about Krasnaya."_ Desyat said while Shest planted another device.

Giving a short bitter laugh, Shest shook her head. _"That much should be obvious."_

_"Aren't you putting those a bit close_?" Desyat asked, referring to the surveillance pods.

_"No, this is how Galina wanted them," _Shest sighed._ "I don't get this whole idea, we know where they're training. Why are we bothering way out here?"_

_"Because any closer and they'd know we were watching."_ Desyat shook her head. _"Think about it. Relocating to a more secluded area works to their advantage. They're the ones that have to work with one hand behind their backs in an urban area."_

Shest let herself fall to the ground. "At least it's a nice hike."

"Yes," Desyat adjusted her scanners. _"Galina thinks that they'll use a national park for training."_

_  
"Or maybe we're the ones being trained," _Shest's transmission had a sardonic undercurrent. _"You have to admit, the risk of discovery is good motivation."_

_  
"And yet here we are chattering." _ Desyat pulled out a paper map and checked their orientation, just like a normal girl on a hike.

_  
_Shest laughed. _"They can't track our transmissions, not at this range. If they were close enough to pick up signals this weak, they'd be close enough for us to detect them."_

_"There's other means than technology."_ Desyat looked to the west, the direction of the mercenary base.

Now, Shest stopped. _"Yes, your... guest is a problem."_

_  
"I'm not the only one he's bothered; remember the business card Galina found?"_ Despite herself, Desyat smirked. Strategically, she knew it would have been better if she had simply gone mad, the idea of yet another faction watching them by ill-understood means was disquieting, to say the least.

However, confirmation that this Murdock, as he called himself, existed shored up Desyat's sanity, at the expense of increasing their risks and rote paranoia.

_"Arisha and Dve'nadtsat found the tainted tools." _Shest gently reminded.

_"I know, I'm the one that suggested they check them!" _Desyat venomously transmitted.

_"So you think this Murdock infiltrated a precision instrument company to dope a traceable impurity as a... distraction?"_

_  
"Sure, we don't give our tools the same scrutiny as our parts, that's what the tools are for, but our tools always have to be close at hand. Makes for an appetizing explanation for his ability to locate us doesn't it?"_

_  
"And this is a convenient way for us to stop eh? Is there no end to your paranoia?"_

_"I'm still alive." _Desyat shook her head and the two resumed their silent walk.

_"I agree, we need to be vigilant and expand our knowledge."_

Desyat sniffed. _"Murdock's not alone as a problem. So, back to Zaika. She has something? Some... pet?"_

_  
"Look at Dve'nadtsat's reports. Does that seem so far fetched?"_

_  
"It should be. I can accept that non-human creatures exist. That's just aliens but... the world is logical, it's scientific. It's all physics. Even Murdock's work ultimately has an explanation."_

_"Physics."_ Shest snorted._ "Physics explains what I can do, that doesn't make it sane. Face it, the physical world is merely a worm-eaten deck nailed to rotted pilings sunk into quicksand. Just because we can walk on it doesn't mean it's stable."_

She shook her head. _"Look at us. Do you know why it never went past us? Why we were the only prototypes that worked? Our cybernetics aren't that special, hell, we can make most of them ourselves."_

_  
_Desyat prepared another device and scanned for a suitable emplacement. _"It's our flesh. A unique genetic quirk."_

_  
"Then how come clones didn't work? You remember the twins from Vladivostok."_

Desyat shivered. The other subjects were... she paused and blocked off her memories. _"What's your point?"_

_"Comrade Scaglietti's shortcut."_

_  
"Yes, he found a way to get our cybernetics to interface with our bodies, but that's just magic."_

Shest raised an eyebrow. _"Just magic? Weren't you just trying to defend the rational nature of the universe?"_

_"Magic is any sufficiently advanced technology."_

_"No, it's not. Magic is something worse. It's the worms; it's the rot. You can use it to eat away at the rules, the structure of things but.... it comes at the cost of your footing. Don't you see!" _Shestslammed her hand down and it slipped through the ground._ "Magic is how we cheat. Using bits of it we can cut corners and stay safe but what I did... that pulse. There's a reason that... thing was there."_

_"I though you triggered the pulse in response to... what did you see?"_

Shest gave a wan smile. _"The truth."_

Desyat kept her expression neutral; those words were never good.

_"The truth."_ Shest repeated._ "The truth is... We thought we could make politics rational; we thought that we could have a scientific technocracy; we believed that in the end we could make humanity better; we believed that we had the knowledge make a better world a world that would be steered by our hands." The cyborg laughed. "Why shouldn't our understanding of the how the universe works be any less flawed than our understanding of humanity?"_

_"If Arisha heard you..."_

Shest snorted. _"She'd yell at me until Galina shut her up."_

_"So... is there a match? Between what you saw and what Dve'nadtsat's research dug up?" _Desyat stepped back and circled around slightly. The forest was quite scenic, worthy of being a park or a wilderness training facility.

_"It doesn't make sense." _Shest looked down._ "If the Zaika and her flunkies can control..."_

_"They've got something real bad up their sleeves don't they?" _Desyat sighed.

_"And that's wrong. People that can enslave a cosmic horror to use as a panopticon shouldn't be so... incompetent. Dve'nadtsat's reports are clear, fools don't deal with these creatures and survive. Do you think your Murdock is a fool?"_

_  
_Desyat's eyebrow raised. _"Yes, but where is this going?"_

_  
"Someone that can inslave what I saw, and use it as a reconnaissance and surveillance tool, they can't be dumb, not if they want to stay sane."_

_"And yet Zaika is..."_

_  
"A spoiled moron," _Shest smirked._ "But we knew that."_

_"Yes, yes, you've deduced that an empty headed princess is being led around by her nose. Maybe they're just too dumb to succumb." _Desyat eyed their path.

_"Ignorance is bliss, but there are limits. There's more at work here than we think."_

Desyat smirked. _"Really? Did the demons, magic, or the global conspiracy clue you in?"_

_"Being a pawn is delightful_," Shest moved a few rocks to place on a device.

Desyat knelt down and studied a pile of beer cans and other debris. Rising from the potential shrapnel pile she looked around the forest floor. The capitalist's decadence did make for strange behaviors.

"You'd expect more," Shest noted moving to Desyat's side.

"I'd blame our friends but..."

"What do you expect from people that think they can own everything? They don't want to wreck their property," Shest said... mechanically. In the motherland the people owned everything, everything. Thus things were disposed in whichever way served the greatest good, mostly leaving equipment out to slowly rust back into the earth.

Desyat raised an eyebrow. "You okay?"

"I don't like it here," Shest nearly snapped. "Sorry, it's just..." she shook her head.

_"We're still well away from the fences and their sensors. This is an area hunters still use, we're... okay." _Desyat reassured.

Shest chuckled. _"Yes hunters do use this forest."_

_"Poor choice of words."_ Desyat cracked a smile, and led her partner back down the path. _"Come on. The sooner we get done here the sooner we can get..."_

_  
"Yes, back to our plotting and squabbling South Slavs."_

_"Would you rather deal with Murdock? Or maybe help Dve'nadtsat."_

Shest sighed, the Deep Diver system was hers and hers alone. _"I don't have a choice now do I?"_

_  
"So it goes." _Desyat shrugged.

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As the wind blew through heavy pine trees, the queen sighed, lifted herself up, and hit her head on the bunk above her. She grumbled, rubbed her head, and slipped off of the bed.

"Too tall," she muttered. Stretching her spine she shifted over to the beds and smiled at her sleeping Senshi. After a few seconds she turned to her staff, running her hand down the polished wood.

Her armored gown hung on a peg from the bunk's vertical support, shorts and a Lycra top were on top of her case, but... she was already wearing a silver bodice under a gauzy white chemise. She stretched her shoulders, wincing slightly at the light, and not so light, bruises from the previous days training. Shrugging, she slipped a leather belt over her shoulder, holstered her wand, and slipped on her armored boots. She walked to the heavy door and disengaged the lock. The door swung open and the agents on the other side snickered.

The queen looked down and chuckled at the incongruity herself.

"There a problem?" Andrea politely asked. She was not a fan of this operation, nor being stuck out in the middle of nowhere, but at least things were more... controlled.

"No just stretching my legs and using the restroom."

"Right, Steve, Jared escort," Andrea drawled.

Agents Deschain and Dirac nodded and flanked the silver-haired young woman.

The queen turned to the more lanky of the two agents guarding the hallway. "So you're the one that adapted our jamming crystals."

Jared shifted his rifle. "I'm on the team yes."

"So who did you piss off to get stuck babysitting?" Her levity crashed when she noticed the exasperation on the men's faces. "Sorry, I was just trying to make conversation... I didn't... I know you're short handed and watching me is...."

Jared sighed at the babbling woman. "No, it's not that. This is just part of the job."

"Miss your operations rotation?" Deschain chuckled.

"Kinda." Jared shrugged.

Stopping in front of the bathroom, the queen raised a silver eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"Jared's got an inter-dim rating, which means he's often brought in when things start getting... screwy."

"Yeah. Anytime there's weird stuff with teleporting or phasing, they call in inter-dimensional specialists." Jared nodded to Deschain who then stepped into the bathroom.

The queen nodded. "So, with all the stuff going on here..."

"We thought we had more time, then those Russians started their games."

"Hopefully they won't do that again," she said stepping towards the bathroom door.

The door opened and Steven stepped out. "It's clear."

"Uh... thanks." The queen stepped into the large bathroom. Bearing marks of recent repair, it was a plain affair; with bare concrete flooring, a few stalls, several urinals, and row of sinks on a countertop. She eyed a stall, but instead turned to the mirror.

Gasping, she looked at her body. Despite not being tied very tight, her bodice was very... supportive and her camisole only provided minimal concealment of her wiry, but endowed form.

Rotating her forearms she arched her head and back, causing her spine and slender neck to crack. _Man... no wonder Mom liked those tight gowns. Anything to help with support, _she thought to herself.

She looked down and truly understood the agents' mirth. Her camisole barely reached her thighs and below her waist all she had on was a pair of gray panties and her boots. "Great... way to look regal," she sighed and pulled at her hair, causing her bun to disintegrate, spilling her hair down her back.

Sighing, she picked up a few silver strands of her newly shortened hair. and ran them between her fingers. She shrugged and went to one of the stalls. Recalling Eve's advice, she adjusted her belt to keep her wand holster stable.

After finishing, she got up and readjusted her clothes. Exiting the stall, the queen halted. By the sink a blonde with twin pigtails stood stone still, her eyes casually resting on the queen.

"Uh... can you at least blink?" Serenity hesitantly suggested as she began to wash her hands.

The princess closed her eyes and then slowly opened them; part of her wondered if her plan was worth it, and if this were the best time to tell the queen.

"I didn't think... I mean..." The queen turned to her "daughter". "Do you need to be here?"

The blonde frowned. "You were gone."

"Awww... Mina.... you don't have to do that."

Smiling the younger teen's features animated, she wondered if her queen really knew what she would have to do to protect her. "Mother, don't be silly. I'm the one they're after."

Serenity narrowed her pale-blue eyes. "Mina don't be this way."

"What do you expect me to say?"

The queen looked down. "I don't know. I don't know how I feel, this body..." she looked at the mirror.

The blonde shrugged. "It's just a body." If her queen had body issues now...

"Yeah... I guess you've been through worse."

The faux-princess stared, wondering if her plan was the right thing to do. It seemed basic enough but...

"This is a new hairdo and face. Not like what..."

"You mean Ami?" The blonde smirked. "Yes, this is nothing. This isn't the first time I've done this." She turned to look at her reflection. "But how are you handling things?"

"I feel like an imposter."

The princess chuckled. "Though that's not true, is it."

Petulant eye rolling was jarringly inconsistent with the silver-haired woman's lean regal frame. "Yes, again with the succession. It's just such a mess. First Luna doesn't tell us who the princess is, then she forgets that the princess is actually the queen."

The blonde's eyes flashed red. "At least you have the option to ignore your stupid feline advisor."

Serenity watched the crimson quickly retreat from the other girl's irises. "I'm sorry."

The blonde turned away; perhaps tomorrow would be a better time to propose her plan. "You should be trying to get sleep."

"I'll be ready."

Minako-as-Usagi looked her queen over. "Yes, unless DarkStar decides to wake you up early."

Serenity sighed. "She would surprise me like that."

"Could be worse. The Russians could be the ones that wake you up early."

"We're on a Company base." Serenity's eyes darted to the door.

"Yes, they've shown a great reluctance on attacking WIC," the blonde dryly remarked.

"Are you okay?"

At the end of her rope, the blonde looked up. "Well, you've reminded me that my cat was killed, that I've been mutilated and transformed by an insane, wannabe dominatrix, and that I'm pretending to be you. I guess being killed once by the Russians isn't enough. All this while you've also complained and whined about how people expect you to be a queen and leader."

Serenity lowered her head. "Uh..."

Minako narrowed her eyes. "You're supposed to rule the world one day, and this is what you complain about."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." She had made her decision. Her queen needed her help; Serenity needed the most protection she could give her.

Looking up, Serenity saw a facsimile of herself spread her arms. She stepped forward and let the shorter girl embrace her. She then gasped when the blonde tightened her arms.

"The more you do something the cheaper it gets." Resting her head on Serenity's chest, Minako increased the pressure, crushing herself into the taller, more developed women.

"Breathing..." Serenity tried to expand her diaphragm. After managing to inhale, she felt the pressure lessen, but that was only because the force had spread over a larger area. Even the blonde's legs were pressed against the queen and felt... embracing. Looking down she saw Minako's form turn golden and begin to... run.

The warm pressure spread and soon Serenity found her vision cutoff, her mouth and nose were also covered though she still found air being eased in though some type of valve system. Completely enveloped, she was momentarily pressed down by Minako's full mass. Soon however her encasement went rigid and she found her weight supported. Not just her limbs or her curves, but her entire body was being lifted and held.

The covers over her eyes snapped off and Serenity let out a shocked gasp. Reflected in the mirror was what would happen if a battleship and a Victorian queen mated. Tons of metallic armor had been shaped into a widely female form.

Looking down she saw that she was much higher off the ground than before, at least eight feet. Emerging from a solid annular anchor around her waist, rings of interlocking heavy golden plates descended until they hovered just above the ground. Internal buttresses supported each baroquely engraved plate while still leaving room for her legs to move.

Stepping forward, Serenity could tell that her feet had a slight heel and were thickly encased in some type of boot-like footwear. She looked around, concerned at how much... smaller the room was. She expected the ceiling to be a bit lower, but not become oppressively claustrophobic, and as for the walls, she had crossed the room in less than a single stride and risked hitting the walls, let alone fitting through that tiny doorway.

She looked back down at her dress. Unseen by her, structural armor needed to support the weight was so massive that it added a several inches in diameter to her legs, bulking her thighs out to where they distorted and spread out her armored skirt, exaggerating her legs and buttocks.

Atop the skirting anchor ring, the armor continued. Gold over an inch thick ran from her waist to her chest, which had grown in apparent size to a disbelieving degree. This armored bodice was polished to a mirror shine and flexed with high liquidity. The only adornment was an upper "hem" engraved in a scalloped pattern that consisted of dozens of crescent moons.

Above this hem which came down in a gentle "U", her armor thinned to a mere quarter an inch. The "skin tight" silver ran up and around her neck and over a face that was recognizable as Serenity's, if severely rounded by a thick silver coating. Over her eyelids and lips the armor thinned, though was still about an eight of an inch. Between engraved eyebrows a crescent moon nearly glowed with golden light. Her gray-silver Serenity eyes were right at home behind the armored mask.

Her ears, the back of her neck, and the rest of her head were all protected by several inches of armor that was sculpted into a tightly bound golden bun, reminiscent of a redoubled French braid. A silver crown with elegant arches nestled into her helmet hair; its ruby crescent moon centerpiece a pale sister of the one on the queen's forehead.

Stoutly armored, but long, arms descended from layered shoulder plates; the uppermost of which came even with the queen's eyebrows. A five inch mirror-silver crescent moon adorned each hulking shoulder mount. Coming out of a series of articulated elbow pieces were massively engraved and simply massive forearm guards that added at least two inches of material on each side.

Emerging from her forearm guards were not hands but weapons. Her left arm terminated Minako's silvery sword, while her right now sported a bulked version of her wand. Bearing two brutally heavy scalloped crystal crescents, the shaft was flush with her forearm armor. Runes sullenly glowed along the shaft of the wand. Serenity could still feel her hands, but they were buried under layers of armor and could only manipulate her weapons.

_"What do you think of my gift?"_ Minako's voice whispered into Serenity's ear, and it was Minako's voice not the Usagi voice she had been using.

Serenity lifted her left arm; that is to say she twitched the muscles and the Venus armor responded by moving the armor around her right arm. "What?" she asked, more surprised that her mouth actually opened than that it had deepened to countertenor, a bit too deep for a normal female voice

_"Putting me inside golden exo-armor was the first thing Ami did to me."_ Minako's whisper chuckled. _"Then she turned me into the armor."_

"Is... is this what Ami planned?"

The whispering laugh repeated. _"My, no. Ami simply thought the armor was a neat way to transform me, but I was thinking of a way to protect you and... the armor does that."_

"Why is it so... heavy? I look like a fertility statue."

Within the armor, warm pressure pulsed up and down Serenity's form. The pressure was even to the point of cutting down gravity, and she felt like she was floating in warm steadily pulsing water. It took her a moment to realize that she was feeling Minako's heartbeat.

_"That's not me, I simply accentuate your curves. As for the thickness, those Russians have some heavy firepower. This is the best I can do to protect you."_

Serenity continued to stare at her armor... her Senshi. "Wow... that's really some protection."

_"Thanks,"_ Minako said shyly.

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Agent Dirac blinked at the feed on the portable display. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever seen," he said checking his rifle. "And I've worked on these girl's magic trinkets."

"Explains the scanner jump," Deschain muttered going through his gear. "I've got a couple charges, we could rig the door up, pull back" he suggested glancing forward and to the left.

"No. They'll take the door." Kasumi pointed to the two demons. "Steve keep on the feed and the scanners, if they go funny we'll act. Until then we wait for Ranma or Captain Jarvis to takeover. "

"Some extra oomph would be good," Misako suggested, shouldering "Sasha".

"No, Mining the door will force us to withdraw a bit, and I want you two to be close if things go bad."

"It looks big, maybe slow, clumsy." Nariko said, fingering her sword's hilt.

"Right," Kasumi exhaled. She could see why Ranma found this girl so... frustrating.

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Staring at the armor's... at her reflection, Serenity frowned... causing metallic lips to shift. "How are you talking anyway?"

_"Same way I talked in my metal form. I've got speaking crystals near your ears. This can patch in other commutations and audio input. I can even give a visual overlay."_

Serenity blinked and found translucent blue lenses slide over her eyes. Displays formed and a few icons and text appeared before the lenses vanished. "But how..."

Minako laughed again. _"I told you, Ami already built the suit. I just adapted her systems. I don't recommend talking in battle; an open mouth isn't armored. Don't worry, we can still talk in a fight. but I can filter in air for us if needed. It's totally self contained, and powered by my Senshi magic. Your magic can power it too, right now it's hooked up to your wand, but there's other systems that can use that extra power." _

Serenity lifted up her arms, bearing a broadsword the other an artillery-class wand. "How can I eat?"

Minako chuckled. It was good that Serenity did not ask about external speakers, even through there were obviously internal ones by her ears. She wished that she could have started with full containment, but knew her queen could not take being mute... yet.

_"I'll teach you how to use my blade,"_ Minako assured as the sword shrank in length, becoming thinner. When it was only eight inches long the center of its tip retreated forming two tines backed by a razor sharp edge on one side._ "Though this is a battle form. Fine manipulation isn't the point."_ Minako's vocal assurance was followed by another warm massage.

"Battle, how can I even move?"

_"You've been moving just fine. We're enormously strong and can move rather quick."_

"We..." Serenity rolled the word around in her mouth. "Still... we are a giant armored... queen."

_"This is where your power helps. DarkStar's suggestion that we look into Wraith Raider cloaks got me thinking and..."_ Minako chuckled as all of their armor became more and more polished. After becoming mirror-like shine, it shifted.

Once again Serenity gasped. It was not total invisibility, but it was like being covered in a roughly translucent paint. Within the room, her shape was obvious, but at a distance she would blend into the background.

_"Of course I've also got a jammer and teleportation spells," _Minako chuckled, returning them to visibility.

"It's a start," Serenity allowed. Watching her, currently, fork-ish limb she started moving her encased left fingers.

_"Oh, suppose we start training you on your new appendages,"_ Venus chuckled as the lenses reappeared and went from blue to clear. Several simple displays popped up, virtually hovering a foot or so in front of Serenity's eyes. _"First, I'm sorry, but it will help you learn."_

There was a slight pain in Serenity's hands and a headache as a modified version of one of Mercury's spells triggered.

_"Now just lean back and let your fingers move,"_ Minako said before the blade grew out. Each time it changed lengths one finger moved a certain way; thickness caused another finger to move, length another. The changes were accompanied with a heads up display showing the changes. Serrations, tines, curves, tips and other changes popped up as well.

The demonstration cycle completed, Serenity then started moving her fingers and was rewarded with a vast array of blades and even a couple axe-like shapes.

_"Now for a tutorial,"_ Venus said, as a sword shape appeared on the "display".

Serenity nodded, her headache lessening and her hand feeling somewhat but not really numb. A simple broadsword appeared before her. Smirking, she adjusted her fingers to match her blade to the display. Once that happened the image was replaced with a thicker and curved saber. She then fiddled around until she got a match and the display changed once again. It rewarded points for speed and detracted points for errors.

With practice it took her less time and fewer mistakes to get a match. As puzzles grew in complexity, it took less thought about the fine motions. "Pretty fun game." she said after completing a dozen "levels."

_"You're doing great!" _Minako proudly said.

After a couple dozen more quick levels, Serenity stopped thinking in terms of fingers and started simply thinking in shapes, and letting her hands respond to the controls. As such, her score started spiraling up. "Good idea. It's just like a videogame."

_"I knew you'd like it. Now let's get your other arm into it." _ Minako smoothly said as the display became a split screen. The left half had the sword game, while the right showed her giant wand cannon. _"Your wand has less visible flexibility, but there's still a few spells you can use with it. I'm sure we can think up more too."_

Serenity nodded and started playing the new game. Minako was right, her wand was not that complicated. Especially since she could not fire it, not in the bathroom. However, it did just enough to split her attention to further reduce the amount she thought about it.

"Hey Mina... this thing's got your attacks too."

_"Why yes," _Minako chuckled. _"It'd be very silly if we went from two to one and lost firepower."_

Serenity paused the game and zoomed in on the wand display. "Okay... but there's this little bar chart that says its like twice the power of before," she said, not wondering how the chart knew what her unsuited power was.

_"Yes, it'd be only slightly silly if we went from two to one and merely maintained firepower."_ Minako gave Serenity another full massage. _"Not only can we tap into both of our powers, but this is a heavy duty wand that can channel a lot more strength and give even more control. Sure it weighs sixty pounds but that's not a problem anymore."_

"Oh.... nice." Serenity leaned back and savored the sensation of having her back unknotted, her curves caressed, and her stress melt away. She then shrugged causing almost seismic scale motion in her shoulder plate. She un-paused and returned to playing her game. After a good ten minutes she laughed and exited the program. "Okay, Mina... you're right. I can see these being useful in battle," she said idly waving her sword arm. It came down on the counter and feeling the edge begin to bite, Serenity shrieked and retracted the blade, preventing further damage.

Serenity looked at the sword. "I could feel that!"

_"Of course,"_ Minako gently said. _"What good is a blade if you can't sense it."_

"How?" Serenity said as she gingerly placed the blade on the sink and could feel the cool metal.

_"Once the game mapped your motions, I was able to tap the blade's a sensor array in. Similarly, if someone touches the armor, you'll be able to feel it."_ Minako said a bit smugly.

"Another one of Ami's tricks?" Serenity said as she stepped over to the hand dryer. She made a blunt-tip blade and feeling the activation button, she pressed it.

_"The armor was; the sword was a quick mod on my part,"_ Minako said as Serenity held the blade under the jet of warm air.

Putting the blade across the blower Serenity laughed. "Ooooh, feels nice," she said, picking up the air's warmth and force.

_"I'm glad you like it. Your arms will be very important in battle."_

"Great game." Serenity nodded. The blower stopped and she drew back her sword and gave a few swings. Knowing what air felt like she could now feel the wind as her blade cut through the air with each stroke.

_"Having fun?"_ Minako drawled.

The door clicked open and Serenity automatically spun, heaving her bulk towards it. Her sword grew and came up in a defensive position while her wand leveled at the intruder.

The petite form of Kiri Meiou blinked. She leaned back into the hall at the mixture of tense and amused agents, demons, and demonic agents. She pulled herself back into the room, and for a brief moment her eyes flashed with iridescence.

Serenity paused, unsure if the smaller girl was annoyed, amused, or angry. In the brief moment where it looked like Meiou was deciding what to be, Serenity was reminded that "Kiri" was simply a fresh body that Pluto was inhabiting.

Kiri blinked again and stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. Walking around the titanic armored form, Kiri hummed to herself.

"Well?" Serenity said after the green-haired girl had completed a couple laps. "Aren't you going to say something."

"I could make a pun about not thinking Minako had it in her to be a princess." Kiri then leaned forward and ran her hand over Serenity's right gauntlet.

Awed as she felt the contact, Serenity then gasped when Kiri ran her hands over the prongs of her wand. It felt almost as good when Kiri switched hands and placed her palm over the immense curve of her chest.

"I knew Minako was up to something, but this..." Kiri gave a single laugh. "It figures. This was what Mercury did to her after all." Her tone turned flat as she gave a mental note to place a call in the morning.

"Oh? You know? Of course you'd know. You're all knowing on stuff like this, but not anything important. Like preventing Mamoru from dying, or finding where the Russians are. How come you don't know that?" Serenity demanded, the armor further deepening her voice from countertenor to tenor and gaining a bit more reverb.

Kiri pursed her lips. "Did you two really think you could spend three quarters of an hour in the bathroom and not be noticed? At first I thought you two were relieving stress. Turns out I was right, and explains why the agents laughed when I suggested you two were simply having sex." Kiri sighed. "Anyway Ranma's coming in. Should be... interesting." Pondering ruined plans, Meiou kept her face even. She knew the other demons were waiting for their Mother, which suited Kiri fine, the less she had to repeat meetings like this, the better.

"Ranma?" Serenity looked down at the vast expanse of amour. "What'll she think?"

Kiri thought of the sight in the hallway and laughed. "That you and Minako went and turned yourselves into a war behemoth." she patted the back of the anchor ring where it rested above Serenity's back armor and gargantuan thigh supports. She chuckled at the queen's reaction. "You could always take Minako off."

With shocking speed, Serenity rotated 180 degrees. Her silver visage looked down on the short girl. "No. That demon's been on my case about not taking things seriously, not being a real warrior. Let her see me now. Let her see what Minako's done for me."

Kiri smiled, partially at the view that loomed above her. "Oh, and what does Minako think of this?"

Serenity tilted her head. "Minako promised to do her best to protect and serve me. This is what she wants."

"Well, it's an interesting try," Kiri admitted as she circled back around. She then stretched up and ran a hand over the eight foot tall queen's "hair".

"Man, I'm not sure what Puu's looking for, Mina," Serenity muttered. Unfortunately even mutter carried when it was rather deep and slightly reverb.

Kiri smirked and stepped back.

_"You know, you don't have to talk to me,"_ Minako chuckled.

"Really?"

Shaking her head, Kiri stepped to the sink and gave her hands a quick wash.

_"Yes you can just think to me, I've been mapping your thoughts every time you speak. I'll show you."_

Serenity felt the armor on her face constrict as her jaw was pulled closed and her armored lips sealed. She tried to talk but with her jaw frozen a more echoed version of her deep voice bounded to her ears. _"What the?"_ Serenity blinked. _"How... I can't move my mouth."_

_"It's simple."_ Minako assured. _"Every time you talked spells monitored your surface thoughts. After a half hour they've got enough to simulate your speaking."_

_"Oh another of Mercury's things But... you can read my mind?"_

_"Only what you're 'saying' "_ Minako chuckled.

Kiri looked at the still armored queen. "Are you okay?"

_"Just nod,"_ Minako whispered.

Watching the huge rounded face give a mechanical nod, Kiri sighed.

_"What should I say?"_ Serenity asked.

_"Do you need to speak?"_ Minako gently asked.

Serenity turned and looked at the perplexed young woman. _"Well yeah!"_ She tried to open her mouth but found the armor holding her jaw in place.

_"Let her ask a question."_ Minako assured.

Serenity frowned, and was surprised that her armor let her lips do that, but not open.

"So... any reason for the silent treatment? Or is this just a nice little gift?" Kiri patted Serenity's skirting.

_"Well?"_ Serenity impatiently asked.

_"Now you think about your answer."_

_"You tell me, you're the one that wanted to show this to me."_

_  
"As you wish my Queen,"_ Minako's voice was bemused.

Kiri tapped her foot as the armored figure not only went silent but still.

A couple seconds later the Queen's mouth opened. "Apologies Puu, Minako was merely showing how my internal communications eliminate the need for me to vocalize with her," her deep resonant voice recited, as if reading off a display.

Kiri looked up and saw a blue glow around the queen's eyes, confirming her suspicions.

Serenity tried to reopen her mouth, but found the armor had once again locked. _"Did I do good?" _she confusingly asked.

_"Perfect,"_ Minako allowed a massage. _"See how much better that was?"_

Giving a silent moan at Minako's "magic fingers" Serenity thanked the discretion the sealed mask afforded her. Not only could Kiri not hear her, but Serenity knew that her flushed cheeks were also concealed.

_"See, privacy can be fun_," Minako giggled, increasing the frequency of her kneading.

"So, it's some training?" Kiri asked.

Serenity nodded.

_"That's good, no need to risk breaching your armor just to say yes," _Minako whispered.

"Well, good enough." Kiri shrugged. "I'll get the others. May as well have them see you before Ranma arrives."

Serenity raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, Rei's gonna have fun with this," Kiri snickered as she stepped out of the bathroom.

After the door closed, Serenity turned back to the mirror. _"You seem happy."_ Minako tracked the big, closed lipped of course, grin on her queen's face

_"I don't think anyone can say I'm not being serious about battle, now." _Serenity snickered, looking at her arms in the mirror.

_"Well, we've still got a lot of training. You still have to learn how to use the armor." _

Serenity nodded. Hearing the door open she turned and smirked at the three Senshi and one Mau.

The cobwebs of sleep were immediately banished by the sight before Makoto. She had gotten used to heavily armed demons and soldiers, but this...

Starting, she looked up, and up. Dominating the room, towering above her and Rei was a riot of polished and engraved metal and silver. Her eyes traced up the ranks of interlocking armored plates that marched up and in. Then they went over the solid girth of some sort of flared heavy ring. Above that convex and hugely concave curves reflected a distorted image of the room and the Senshi.

On either side of that were reinforced gauntlets. In place of hands were two partially recessed mounts, one bore a shimmering sword that lazily changed shape, while the other held a giant, stumpy wand eight inches long, six inches in diameter. The wand was covered in even more intricate runes and tipped with a pair of heavy crescent shaped crystals. The figure's arms went up into set of oversized golden pauldrons. The uppermost section of each was emblazoned with a giant mirrored crescent moon.

Relatively speaking, the armor thinned for the figure's upper chest and face. It turned silver and consisted of a faithful if rounded rendition of Serenity's face. The back of her head bore a solid mass of silver sculpted into a braided bun. Her ears were covered by the hair sculpture, her nostrils looked sealed, her lips were held together and armored, and her eyes were solid deep blue framed by silver eyelids. A thin silver crown with a single ruby crescent moon as its center piece was built into the armored hairpiece.

The ruby moon was overshadowed by the golden moon that dominated the giant figure's forehead. Smoothly the golden queen turned her head towards the Senshi and her face shifted into a close-lipped smile. Her arms went down to her sides, or at least rested her weapons on the flared bell of her skirting armor.

Now completely still, the eight foot tall figure looked even more statuesque.

Cradled in Kiri's arms, Luna blinked and nodded with recognition.

"What the hell's going on?" Arms enflaming, Rei turned from the queen to Puu. "Don't tell me Mercury actually got Usagi? Mina's just been a trap... again?"

"Do not speak ill of Minako," Serenity intoned, leveling her blade in Rei's direction.

Spine tingling, Rei turned towards the sonorous but still female voice. Swallowing, she looked past the blade to Serenity's impassive, silver visage. "So what is this all about?"

_"What should I say?"_ Serenity asked Minako.

_"Why do you need to say anything? Delegate." _Minako displayed an arrow pointing to Kiri.

_"Right."_ Serenity transmitted before turning to Meiou and giving a nod.

"Oh? Okay then." Kiri raised an eyebrow. "Remember how Ami turned Minako into that gold armor? Mina adapted that form into-" she gestured at the queen. "- this."

"That's some heavy armor." Makoto stared at gold globes, each seemingly bigger than her torso.

Serenity smirked and shifted her angle to give Makoto a front-on view.

"This is crazy!" Rei glared. "Without telling anyone, Minako decides to scrap the decoy plan to turn herself into... this? What even is this?"

"It's imperial armor," Luna said squirming out of Kiri's grip. Leaping onto the armored skirting, she grinned smugly before bounding up over the golden chest. "Not a bad version," she said examining the armored face before lying down on the space between the shoulder guards and neck.

"You know of this?" Rei eyed the prone cat.

Luna looked up from her sprawl. "A certain blonde did ask me about the Wraith cloaks and anything else I could remember."

"Great, is this another upgrade you've pulled out of your butt?" Rei demanded.

"Not really. The queen never bothered with such armor. She had enough control and experience with the crystal to make it moot. Members of the extended family did use such devices, but their construction was expensive, complicated, and not something that fit the Senshi. So, neither they, nor their designs were sent forward. "

"Really?" Makoto asked. "And now you remember what wasn't preserved?"

Luna hesitated. "Fine... I don't quite remember what was stored, but I know that stuff was stored... and there's got to be plenty of military hardware that the Queen didn't preserve. She was a bit pressed for time, what with the major defeat and all."

Luna looked up at the silver face. "But... that didn't mean one of you couldn't make an approximation."

"This... this is artillery, while the Sailor Senshi are... a scalpel?" Makoto asked.

Kiri nodded. "And when a pro-Unification, political message needs to be sent."

"This is still insane. The queen had the right idea." Pausing, Rei floundered, trying to wrap her mind around the glimmering immensity that dominated the room. "We don't need this type of... weapon."

"They can separate," Kiri mildly reminded.

"So? Unless you manage to hide **every** single time they fusion, merge, or whatever, the Numbers will wise up, but that's moot as even if... IF this is kept a secret you've still got a giant lumbering target with crescent moons!"

"Yes, that much is obvious." Kiri gave a wry smile.

"The point of this decoy princess plan was to reduce the firepower concentrated on Usagi."

"That's a real problem. First of all we have to see just how well this suit works, before scrapping the whole decoy idea."

"Good, at least someone's thinking." After Rei sighed, a shadow fell over her. Mute, Rei was transfixed as the queen closed in. Unfortunately for Rei, Serenity's dress stuck out furthest.

The armored edge of the skirting pushed Rei and knocked her forward. As Rei tipped over, Serenity bent at the knees, causing the interlocking layers of her skirt to telescope slightly.

Rei found her head landing in the V where Serenity's chest armor shifted from thick gold to less-thick silver. Shocked at the relative softness of the armor, Rei felt herself being pinned back by the flat of a currently dulled blade and the wand-barrel. Still digesting the embrace, Rei hardly noticed her feet being lifted off the ground as Serenity returned to her full height.

"Don't be a bad girl," Serenity's deep voice crooned, cradling Rei.

Rei flushed both at the mortifying embarrassment of her position and the disturbing warmth emanating from the armor.

_"A bit simplistic, but to the point,"_ Minako noted, her voice almost... distant. Part of her did miss having hands, if only to pet Luna. Though it was nice to have a cat again. _"How's it feel?"_

_  
_Serenity looked down at the almost... drowsy Rei. _"She's angry, but calming down. This energy transfer works!"_

_  
"We've got power to spare."_

Serenity gave a mental nod before her mouth opened. "Minako put a lot of work into this, and we are going to try it out. Right?"

Rei gave a dazed nod.

Makoto tilted her head at the tableau before her. "Are you using the power of love?"

Serenity turned her head up and gave Makoto a little smile.

"Only you would find yourself turned into a giant magical war machine and still think to use love." Makoto chuckled while taking a discrete step back.

"We do have both of 'em working in there," Kiri added.

"I promise, I will do my best to protect you all. You serve me and you deserve a better Queen." As Serenity spoke her wand rose up and the crystal crescents cupped the back of Rei's head. A silver flash enveloped the girl, then darkened and turned to a red aura. Broadly smiling, Serenity lowered Sailor Mars back to the ground.

"I look like Venus." Mars stared at her uniform, the seifuku style was the same, but the bodysuit and skirting had changed from silk to polished bronze. Her dark purple bows and ribbons were still fabric, as was her red collar. Instead of white gloves, she had finely articulated metal armor over her finger. However, her shoes had transformed into molded bronze high heeled boots and leg guards emblazoned with her symbol.

"Our queen is biased to that style," Kiri noted while Luna smirked.

"Oh, I remember," Mars shrugged her shoulders. The metal bodice was disturbingly form fitting, even taking into account her belly button. At least the magic was adaptive enough to let the material shift with her body's motions.

"That's really cool!" Makoto appraised, stepping around Mars' new uniform.

"If you're such a fan, why don't you do it?" Mars groused.

"Well.."

"No, I insist." Rei smirked.

Finding her wrist grabbed by a vise of bronze, Makoto found herself flung in the direction of the queen, who moved shockingly quick to catch her. Makoto sighed happily; the embrace should not have been comfortable, it should not have been warm, but...

There was a flash from the wand and Sailor Jupiter stood in a twin to Mars' uniform. Save she had pink bows and green collar over sea green patina copper armor. Fingering her skirt, Jupiter looked up to see Serenity's proud smile.

"Damn, I'm next," Kiri sighed. Running and jumping up to hug her queen, she concentrated and felt both Usagi's rushing love and Minako's smug satisfaction. The queen's power flooded her and as Kiri's clothing transformed something knocked... loose.

Armor went from metal to shaped sheets of obsidian that wrapped her young frame. Holding the long shaft of the Garnet Rod, Sailor Pluto looked down at her black armor. Fleeting iridescent whirls danced its surface.

"Why don't you have metal?" Mars asked.

"This fits my theme better." Pluto stated, making sure that she was stabilized. It would be embarrassing if she had to get a new body, after less than a week in this one..

"I dunno, all those rainbows and reflections are rather cute."

Pluto's pout underscored her apparent age.

"What is it supposed to show, infinity and time?" Rei asked.

The green-haired girl gave Rei a long glance. "Whatever, let's go with that," she said, looking at her watch.

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Waking up, Cecilia untangled herself from her brood. Smiling she stood up and walked over to the bathroom at the end of their barracks. Afterwards she opened a trunk and started getting dressed. She was nearly done when an explosion went off in the distance.

Her ears perked and as she scrambled over to her radio there was another more distant explosion. The door opened and after recognizing the visitor, relief flooded the young demon.

"Sorry, there's some heavy... weapons testing going on today," Lieutenant Hanna Hill said, her eyes darting to the stirring brood. Eating habits were one thing, but Hill found something strange about communal sleeping.

"There wasn't any live-fire training scheduled at this time." Cecilia had checked out the schedule, if there had been she would have woken up earlier.

"This is... sudden." Hill stepped back into the pre-dawn gloom. "Maybe you see it."

Cecilia raised an eyebrow, and a second later a wide lance of light shot out in the distance behind the officer. Blinking she walked up to Hill and... stared.

At the far end of the joint training camp a golden figure steadily lumbered across the clearing. It was only when Cecilia saw DarkStar running several meters behind that she realized just how big and just how fast the metallic figure was.

The thing was three feet taller than DarkStar and over twice as wide, if that giant skirting was counted. However, despite a plodding lope, the thing managed to stay ahead of a running demon. Idly, the demoness wondered how friendly this giant was.

Cecilia saw DarkStar sprint up and point towards the mountaintop ruins. Raising an arm, the golden thing obliged. There was another burst of light which was followed by an explosion that further pulverized the concrete and stone wreckage. The redhead shouted something and the figure nodded, before running a few paces, lowering itself, and then... leaping.

Cecilia stared as the figure arced skyward. Her eyes went down to see the crater the giant had pounded into the ground with its oversized legs. As such, Cecilia missed the ignition. Darting her eyes back up, the demoness' jaw went slack at the sight before her. For a couple more seconds a pulsing plume of light blasted from the bell-like nozzle that was the figure's skirting.

Further boosted the giant reached an apex of at least a hundred feet before falling towards the ground. This time Cecilia saw the... engine ignite and retard the giant's fall. Despite the retrorocket's deceleration the gold figure thudded into the hillock, but not before its other arm lashed out forming a twelve foot long blade that sliced clean through one of the broken-down target cars.

Almost smugly, the figure retracted its blade and took a step out of the flattened crater. As it turned one foot sunk into a bit of mud and the figure tilted over. The edge of the armored skirting caught on the hillside twisting it and hastening the golden giant's fall. This time the thud was less impressive, though there was more damage as angular baroque armor churned through the turf as it rolled down the hill.

Cecilia watched DarkStar saunter over to the fallen figure and rap it on the head with the butt of her sidearm. "Huh."

"Yeah... that was... " Lieutenant Hill sighed; she could deal with the demons. They might be alien but at least they were more grounded, unlike these other girls.

"Some sort of magical thing the Silvers are testing?"

"That's what we were told." Hill watched the contraption slowly right itself. "As a heavy weapons platform, it's powerful enough, until the damn thing falls over."

"It's all shiny."

Hill sighed again. "Those girls are adverse to camouflage."

"At least they're testing it here first, and not just dropping it into battle."

"Small favors." Raising an eyebrow, Hill reminded herself that the bowed demoness was older and more experienced than she looked.

"I should get the girls ready and start warming up the Mess."

"Any problems with KP?

"Nah." Cecilia watched as the demons resumed herding the disconcertingly quick behemoth. "Cooking for eight, cooking for fifty, once you get to a certain size it scales pretty easily."

"And it gives your girls something to do."

"There's more for them to do here than at the house, Lieutenant." Cecilia chuckled. "They brought their books, toys, movies, and games, but out here they can actually play outside and meet new people."

"Good. Keep an eye out for these Silvers. They could start trouble."

"Told to the sex demon." Cecilia smiled.

Hill watched as the golden figure made another rocket-assisted leap. "I have some idea what you and your girls can do, but I don't know what these... Magical Girls are about, and neither does WIC. That worries me."

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Using a blunted blade, Serenity reached out and slid a chair away from the table. She stepped forward, nearly bumping into the table edge with her skirting. She lowered herself slightly so that the bottom of armored skirt touched the floor.

The mess hall had been driven to silence by her sheer size and plodding footsteps and now the brushing sound of her skirt's interlocking segments sliding against each other rang out. Each layer of the skirt telescoped a bit into the layer below, steadily pulling her forward and lowering her height. Laying on the table, Luna passively watched.

As that happened she folded her knees under her until she was in a double kneel. Soon Serenity's elbows were about even with the tabletop, and she inched forward on her knees. Serenity put her wand arm on her lap and shifted her blade to the twin-tined, knife configuration.

"Yes, much easier than simply getting out of the... suit." Mars dryly noted pulling out her chair and sitting down across from her queen. Feeling her legs bump up against Serenity's skirting, she immediately regretted her choice in seating.

Luna rose to her feet, jumped, and then climbed to the armor's shoulder.

"It's good... practice?" Makoto asked, taking a position next to her queen, but still offset by a couple feet by the skirting.

_"What should I say?"_ Serenity asked.

_"Why should you say anything?"_ Minako's voice was amused.

_"But I'm just here because I'm hungry."_

_"I'm hungry too. That training did wear you out, but I think they'll figure out you're hungry,"_ Minako shifted their head and highlighted Kiri.

Her nostrils opening to the outside, Serenity was suddenly hit by the scent of frying bacon, sausage, ham, and dough. Mouth watering, Serenity watched as Kiri approached with a loaded platter.

Sword arm quivering, she looked at the stack of sugar-sprinkled pancakes, the pile of fried dough fritters, the shimmering links of sausages, the heaping bowl of cut fruit, and a full carafe of juice.

_"Enjoy,"_ Minako whispered, unlocking Serenity's mouth.

Reaching down, Serenity managed to cut a pancake but then stumbled trying to fork it with the end of her arm. After giving a whine that only Minako could hear, Serenity found her arm being guided and a steady supply of morsels began arriving at her mouth. Each one coming just after she had finished swallowing.

"That's... weird," Rei picked at her cereal, but was transfixed by the conveyor-like motions of Serenity's left arm.

Makoto raised an eyebrow. "Why? This is normal volume for her, if anything she's being a bit slow."

Rei nodded. "And neater... did the armor come with table manners?"

From her seat next to Rei, Kiri looked over. "Yes, Rei. Yes it did."

"Yeah... that's true," Rei winced. She looked over to see their giant queen pause, midway through her consumption. The sword arm went out and caught one tine inside the handle of the juice carafe and another outside it. Another tine grew out and all three thickened forming a strong grip over the handle.

The pitcher was raised to her lips and the blade twisted just enough to being a steady pour. The progressive inclination paused a once in the middle to allow Serenity to catch her breath, but soon the entire carafe was drained and placed back on the platter. Serenity reconfigured her blade and resumed her meal.

"Great throat control. No wonder DarkStar's been so friendly with her," Makoto commented.

"Mako!" Rei exclaimed.

"What? Minako'd make that comment if she could."

"Given Mina's location..." Kiri looked over to Serenity's platter and seeing it three-quarters done got to her feet.

"Well, this is quite the show," Rei leaned back and looked around the Mess.

"They're not staring that much are they?" Makoto looked over her shoulder and saw the collected soldiers, agents, and demons. "They're not all..."

"There's a two-ton, two-meter tall, silver and gold queen chowing down in front of them. Of course they'll stare."

"At least our queen's more eye-catching than the demons," Makoto offered.

"Yeah, at least." Rei watched Kiri return with another platter. "So, where's she putting it all?"

Makoto glanced at the protrusions on the queen's chest armor. "Internal storage?"

Rei sighed. "You're really trying to fill Mina's shoes aren't you?"

Makoto shrugged.

"Well, enjoy it while you can," Kiri noted. "There's no guarantee that the Company will agree to this little plan."

"You mean someone sane may actually put their foot down? Thank heaven for scary secret agents," Rei snorted.

"I'd put a stop to this if I really thought it was harming the Queen," Kiri noted.

"Reassuring," Rei said, dryly.

On the other side of the Mess, the two ranking succubae observed the Senshi. "What are your thoughts?" Eve filled her cup of coffee and nodded to Hazel, who was setting up a fresh pot.

"I think you can guess," Ranma glanced over at the golden queen.

"I don't know, you seemed to enjoy teasing that sword of hers." Eve smirked.

"That armor's not... all... bad, but..." Ranma shook her head. "I didn't expect them to screw up things quite this quick."

Eve nodded slightly. Given what they knew of Minako's "changes", they had a scenario similar to this outlined.

"The plan barely lasted a full twenty-four hours."

Eve eyed the queen. "We can scrap it. Force them to abandon this silly armor idea."

"Yes, we can." Ranma said, thoughtfully.

"You're not recommending that we give the order now?" Eve asked.

"When push comes to shove can we keep Serenity out of armor?"

"Really, we cut our losses then?"

Ranma poured herself a glass of juice. "We're supposed to be training them, something they badly need."

"That armor will require even more time in training, time we may not have."

"And we would have to abandon our decoy plan."

"Even if we still had a decoy, a giant armored suit would be a prime target," Eve noted.

"Yes, though that's not exactly a bad thing."

Eve chuckled lightly before taking a sip.

"Oh, not that way," Ranma rolled her eyes. "That suit certainly _looks_ impressive."

"Really? From what I saw, all you needed was the right tool and she'd open up like a canned ham."

"That goes without saying. We'd really have to bring in Mom to run some tests. See how good that stuff really is but..."

Eve raised an eyebrow.

"But the armor's not the weak link is it?"

Eve nodded. "The weak part's the same as it always was."

"Yeah," Ranma agreed, thinking of Usagi. "Maybe requiring constant training isn't such a bad thing."

"I thought that was your plan, before the armor."

"Sure but now Serenity's got a shiny new toy to try out, and someone real close to her giving moral support."

"Yes.... her." Eve sighed. "Do you think Mercury is clever enough to pull this off?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Ranma asked, guilelessly. "Yes, her stated goal is to upgrade the Senshi to serve and improve Queen Serenity. And yes, she's transformed people into suits of magical armor." Ranma's innocence evaporated. "What do you take me for?"

"That doesn't answer my question."

"I don't think Akumi is competent enough to put such a plan into motion. However, a successful operative will ensure that her opponents underestimate her."

"Like the part you play?" Eve smirked.

Ranma smirked. "However, if Akumi had been planning to use Minako this way... well..."

"She would have done it already."

"Right after the Soviets' attack, by my guess. The offer for protection is made and..." Ranma waved her arm to the opposite end of the Mess.

"Before they had to come to us for protection."

"Back when the Princess still believed she could handle this on her own."

Eve nodded.

"No, while this is Akumi's style... she wouldn't stand for this."

Following her sister's gaze, Eve watched as Kiri ferried yet another platter of food. "An excellent point; more-so than you, she fears Meiou's influence."

"And she's impatient. No, if this were Akumi's work, Serenity would have already blasted her way out of here, run out of jammer range and teleported to God-knows-where."

"That doesn't preclude Akumi from being behind this. It's entirely possible her plan derailed with Venus following someone else's agenda," Eve noted.

"That goes without saying." Ranma kept her eyes on the golden figure. "That's pretty much what Meiou and the Queen told me. Venus took advantage of what Akumi did to her and made herself into a protective suit. So Akumi had a hand in this."

"But it's a question of degree," Eve sighed.

"Right, we can't dismiss Akumi." Violet eyes narrowed. "This chain of control here is getting a bit too long for my taste."

"Right, and then there's how much influence little Kiri has in all this," Eve added.

"We've been watching Puu, what you're forgetting is the new influence here, someone that literally has the Queen's ear."

Eve chuckled. Minako was the gatekeeper, controlling everything that the Queen saw and did. "Clever girl."

"Yes, a gatekeeper that's about as big of a bimbo you can get and still be able to breathe and walk at the same time."

"This is the same girl that managed to operate alone in England before joining the rest of the Senshi in Japan?" Eve raised an eyebrow.

"Doesn't keep her from being a bimbo."

Eve chuckled. "Still, this does mean that Meiou has been usurped. The Queen's new advisor has complete knowledge and privacy. You've seen how she talks now. The hesitations, the scripted lines."

"On the upside, there's no whining and less babble."

"That alone should raise your paranoia, if it's still a bimbo leading a bigger bimbo, as you presume." Sipping, Eve looked out at the Senshi. "This does complicate our contingencies."

"Then it's fortunate that we're learning as much as we can."

"That's what Meiou's doing."

"Her being caught flat-footed has lost its novelty," Ranma dryly remarked.

"That shiny new uniform is amusing."

"Yes...." Ranma narrowed her eyes as she looked across the room.

"No comment about a creepy 'little girl' wearing black armor and red eyes?"

The redheaded demon gave Eve a sideways glance.

"It's still understated compared to what the others are wearing. Polished metal." Eve shook her head.

"We knew they'd cause problems."

"Them gaining metallic power-suits was something we considered, but... we didn't think it'd go this far."

"The queen is lacking in understatement." Ranma remarked she turned and exited the mess hall.

"Your plans?" Eve asked as they stepped outside.

Ranma scanned the forest to spot the barely visible innermost line of fencing. "We train them; we learn. We don't have much time to make our decision."

Eve frowned. "The queen's armor?"

"Decoy plan aside. This adds new layers of control."

"You think we've been conned."

"Of course. Meiou's got her plans, but... Venus. That's a new one."

"We could be overestimating her. She is a bimbo," Eve proposed.

"That makes the perfect cover. People don't suspect halfwits."

Eve smirked and wrapped an arm around the smaller woman's shoulder. "I've taught you well."

Ranma purred. "Complacency kills."

"So you're not ruling out Mercury?"

"Not entirely, no. If I were her, I'd simply use Venus to bring the queen back to me, but we know she's not one for simple plans."

"A mole?"

"Sure," Ranma shrugged. "Have the queen built in power then take all the Senshi and then us. It's crazy, but this is Akumi we're talking about."

"It could also be a case of defective control. Maybe Venus is following a holding pattern due to a lack of fresh orders. Maybe our jammers interfere with such transmissions. Which means if we let the Queen get in range of Akumi..."

Ranma sighed. "We'd have the queen transform into... what?"

"Really? You wonder what a deluded dominatrix with queen issues would do once she gets her prize, conveniently encased in liquid precious metals?" Eve asked with mock innocence.

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Kiri stepped into the bunkroom and sighed slightly. Sitting, or at least resting on partially telescoped skirting was the queen. Looking away from the room-dominating golden figure, Meiou checked the beds; they were empty.

"Well... this is new."

Eyes closed, the queen turned to Kiri.

Meiou stepped forward. "Serenity?"

"The queen is asleep," Minako's voice emitted from the crown's crescent ruby centerpiece.

Meiou eyed the flashing gem. "So you've decided to talk."

"Does the Queen need to be disturbed?" Minako became a bit more atonal.

"Does she?" Kiri raised an eyebrow as she started pacing in front of the auric armor. "I was under the impression that you were both being given some time to sleep, given the early morning training."

"She is asleep."

Meiou smirked. "Of course she is. What better place for her to sleep."

"What do you want?" Minako asked, with just enough inflection to be icily terse.

"You can talk, to her, but not with this little speaker." Kiri leaned forward and looked up at the looming figure. "So, what are you whispering in her ears? How are her dreams?"

The armored head tilted slightly.

"Yes." Kiri narrowed her eyes. "I can see it now: her on a raised dais in a shimmering court as courtesans lovingly polish her, polish you." Kiri's eyes went to the queen's left arm. "Or maybe it's more visceral. Maybe you have her out conquering. Introducing her to imperial pleasures?"

"Oh! good idea. I was just giving her a massage."

Meiou sighed. "Very cute."

The mask bearing Serenity's face smirked.

"You're going to have to let her out sometime."

Venus straightened her head. "If you don't want to talk to the queen, then why are you here?"

"You're the one I want to talk to."

"Really?"

"There is a great opportunity before us."

Minako laughed. "And you worry about what I'm saying to the Queen."

"Of course!" Kiri glared. "I'm supposed to be the manipulative advisor. Though we can work together. It's a good start, but with my help..."

"Aw, how cute," Minako's gushing clashed with the golden form's gravitas.

Kiri pouted. "What? You want to cuddle next? Maybe some petting?"

"You didn't mind petting earlier in the morning." Minako countered. "It would help."

Kiri sniffed. "The queen does like affection."

The armor's serene face looked smug.

Running a finger along the waist-armor's anchor ring, Kiri looked up. "You're right, but do you realize the dangers? Look at Ami, if you break her heart...."

Minako nodded. "She'll remake me."

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"Yes Cecilia," Ranma said as she watched Sergeant Olsen Brummet and Corporal Cordell Giddings unpack a crate of Canadian variant FN FAL's.

"Nineteen-eighty-one?" Cecilia asked looking at the date on the large crate.

"It's a good year," Olsen noted as he stripped the packing material off one of the rifles and

Cecilia raised an eyebrow at Ranma.

"Weapons don't go bad. As long as they're stored properly," Ranma added, eyeing the seals and coatings on the weapons.

"Yeah, Cosmoline does the job, it's just a pain," Cordell noted, fingering the anti-rust grease that coated the weapons.

Giving a thoughtful hum, Cecilia eyed Ranma.

The redhead eyed the two troopers. "If you'll give me a moment." She turned to Cecilia and led her a couple paces away. "Yes?"

"It's just...." Cecilia's eyes went to the guns.

"Don't worry. Your girls won't actually be using those rifles. Not at the start. The Black Devils have some spares for your first lessons. Then once these are checked out and upgraded to modern spec, you can have them."

Cecilia's cheeks pinked slightly. "It's not that."

"Oh." Ranma frowned. "Would you prefer something WIC-make? It's far too early to use a full HOG, and the lower section fires the same round as those Canadian guns."

"No..."

Ranma tilted her head. "Then what's the problem."

"It's all this." Cecilia waved at the weapons. "I'm not exactly comfortable with my girls using assault weapons."

"Assault rifles." Ranma corrected. "An assault weapon is just a political term. Basically any gun that looks scary. An assault _rifle_ is an actual combat weapon, one with select fire. So they can work as a semi-auto carbine or a burst fire or a full-auto light machine gun or some combination."

"That's... not what I meant."

Ranma blinked. "Why? Your girls will get the best and safest training."

Cecilia looked down.

"You're a demon that can lob fireballs, cut through steel, and seduce just about anyone. Your girls could already hurt a lot of people if they were irresponsible."

"I've just never used... I mean I never really hunted..."

Ranma chuckled. "I'm Japanese, and spent a lot of time wandering China learning martial arts. Guns were even more alien to me." The redhead frowned at Cecilia's expression. "This isn't about guns is it?"

The demoness bit her lip, her curls obscuring he face.

"You'd be apprehensive about the physical training too. Any of the marital arts."

Cecilia nodded.

The redhead sighed. "Cecilia... Sissy," Ranma's voice softened. "You still have a choice. You can go back to having a quiet life. The Company can relocate you. You can go back to just having a family and raising your girls, but... if you want to stay. This is how it's going to be."

"We're not... well, not fighters."

"And yet you still want to help."

Blushing slightly, Cecilia looked down.

"Yes, you agreed to be support staff, and that's vital, but... that doesn't matter." Ranma gave a charitable smile. "Our enemies don't care. In a crisis you can't panic, you can't freeze. If you want to help, this is a part of it. Training reduces the risk."

"I know." Cecilia raised her head and met the brood mother's soft eyes. "How do you handle it? Knowing the risks, knowing what could happen to your broodlings?"

Ranma gave a wan smile. "I try to do the best job I can. I give them the love and support they need. That includes training. It can be hard on them, but life is hard."

"Well, that's reassuring." Cecilia sighed.

'That's life." Ranma eyed the other demoness.

"Right. I agreed to the training, let's do it." Cecilia steeled herself.

Ranma leaned in an hugged her. "I can't promise that nothing bad will happen to your girls, but I can promise that they'll be able to fight back."

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Galina smiled as the tall man entered the hotel room; Desyat closed the door behind him. "Why hello Zhivkov." She stood up.

"Really? Was Cherverkov too obvious?" de Veste groused from his seat.

The apparent Zhivkov bristled, while his clothes were not terribly well-tailored, they did not clash. "At least you know your history."

"It's nothing." Mal shrugged. "Former prime ministers do make for obvious pseudonyms. Really it's not like any of us are using our... Christian names," he said with a chuckle."

Zhivkov inclined his head. "And what might I call you?"

Mal looked over to Galina who nodded. "Mal. Mal de Veste," he said flatly.

"I... see." Zhivkov turned to Galina and, facing away from Mal, raised an eyebrow.

Galina eyed the plaid-suited man. "Todor, I assure you Mal's skills will come in handy. He has already proven his usefulness."

"Oh?"

"I showed them how to sweep for some... exotic bugs," Mal explained.

Zhivkov nodded. "Yes, well there are questions. Comrade Kolarov was quite... colorful on the information you've furnished us so far."

"Todor, we've worked together before. That's why I knew I could trust your men. Can you not trust us?"

Zhivkov frowned. "This is different than your... enhancements."

"If the work is too much you can go home." Mal played with his pinky ring. "Go east until you find a general that needs some... cleaning. Plenty of work, if you can keep quiet about it."

At first, Zhivkov reddened at man's suggestion, but there was no disparagement in his suggestion. Worse, he was right. In a pinch it was relatively easy and fairly profitable work.

"Do you have a problem with the terms?" Galina idly asked.

"That is not what worries me." the Bulgarian narrowed his eyes. "These demons and all this magic, it's a bit much. At least the capitalist mercenaries are basic enough." He dared not ask why the likes of Galina even needed him and his men.

"No!" Galina yelled. After a moment she motioned for Desyat to stay her hand. "What are the three teams used in a basic ambush?"

Zhivkov blinked. "Pardon?"

"This is basic." Galina turned away from the former soldier. "What are the components of an ambush?"

"Uh," Zhivkov's memory went back to the balmy summer days in a barracks on the steppes learning from the Red Army. "Assault, security, and support."

"Indeed. An attack goes so much better when flanks are secured and supporting fire can be called upon. The capitalists so love their force multipliers." Galina chuckled. "Not that simplicity doesn't have its own virtues."

Controlling the growing dread in his chest, Zhivkov nodded. "Then that is our role? We counter their support?"

"It's for the best. You wouldn't last if you got in close with these girls," Mal stated in the same even voice.

"And your team would?" Zhivkov made sure to keep his tone free of accusation.

Galina faced the Bulgarian. "Slightly."

Zhivkov swallowed, no longer able to fully contain himself. "So the events in the news..."

"A spectacular failure." Mal levelly looked to Galina. "Casualties? KIAs?"

Zhivkov clasped his hands behind his back. "Casualties," he repeated. He heard rumors that one of the Galina's team had been killed, once, when an ammunition dump went up but...

"Yes. We are under-strength."

Straightening his ring, Mal leaned back in his chair. "Now we lift the veil of ignorance."

"I see." Zhivkov tightened his grip. "And if I may ask what... specialty does your team have?"

"Team?" Mal chuckled. "Tell me comrade, are you a religious man?" He adjusted his pinky ring, amused.

Pain shot up Zhivkov's wrist. "What kind of question is that?"

Mal nodded. "Interesting."

"Not going to call me a mercenary?"

"Why?" Mal tilted his head. "We all kill people for money. I really can't begrudge you for that."

"Then why?"

Mal smiled, oily. "Sorry for the distraction."

A'deen eyed the suited-man. "Comrade de Veste works alone, normally."

"I see." Zhivkov shifted his grip on his wrist.

Zhivkov sighed. He could understand the value of his men. This was not the first time he had worked with the Numbers. As A'deen implied, even... superior troops could benefit from additional support and security. A single man however...

"No, you don't. That's the problem with your kind, when faced with something that doesn't fit your little world view you ignore it, you lie, you deny. Normally, that's a plus, it makes my job easier, but now... Fortunately, I'm not that worried. With your revolutionary remnants that'll just make for a nice distraction. These demons like to take their time with their kills, and you're bringing a lot of warm bodies." Mal said, his voice returning to its flat almost disengaged tone

Galina glared.

Zhivkov's eyes widened slightly as he watched Galina open her mouth then stop and turn away from de Veste. Aside from Red Army superiors, from way back, he knew of nothing that would stay her acid-tongue. Especially with an impertinent... hireling.

Galina paused. "Mal is correct. Zhivkov, if you fail, if you underestimate this enemy, your men will be devoured by monsters."

"Have you shown them battle footage?" Mal mildly asked.

Zhivkov raised an eyebrow, while Galina and Desyat went still.

"Ladies, it's in your eyes. Now maybe your optics don't have a record capability, but I doubt it. It's your prerogative how much you want to share, but... you, Todor, should know what your men could go up against."

Galina pursed her lips.

"The footage you sent me was... minimal. More would be helpful," Zhivkov allowed.

Mal adjusted his glasses. "Apologizes if that was too presumptive."

"It's a fair point." Sighing, Galina's eyes flicked to Desyat, who still stood silently near the door. "We'll get you the footage."

"Thank you," Zhivkov nodded.

"If you come up against these creatures, don't hesitate, don't let them get close, and don't let up your fire." Mal leveled his gaze at the Bulgarian.

"Right." Zhivkov wondered if he would get advice that was not applicable to both the demons and Galina's team. "What of the other girls, these... magic users?"

"Poorly led, poorly trained, poorly organized. However, their offensive capability is not to be trifled with. Unfortunately, we have even less detail on their weapons than we do on the demons'."

Zhivkov nodded. "Though this is the group with the primary... client."

"Yes, our 'client's' inner circle are useful targets of opportunity. From our information they provide key support and we've already whittled down their numbers."

"Wouldn't eroding her human support push her further into the hands of the demons and the Company?" Mal asked. "Seems to me, that's having her trade up in terms or protection."

"An unfortunate consequence of her continued survival."

Zhivkov restrained a frown. Clearly, the situation had gotten worse. Otherwise A'deen would have no need to hire them. "And where have your losses come from?"

"The demons, exclusively."

Galina glared at the brutish man.

"Your caution of them is obvious. It seems to me, that they are your enemy. That these human girls... are just a way of keeping score."

"We aim to complete this mission." Galina narrowed her eyes. "Killing our target is what counts."

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_"Are you sure you want to do this?"_ Minako's voice transmitted.

Usagi lifted her arms and leaned forward trying to look down past the immensity of her chest. She succeeded but that only gave her a slightly better view of the belts of armor that spread out and down in a bell-shape from the thick anchoring circlet around her hips. _"Please... humor me," _Usagi eventually mentally commanded.

_"As you wish,"_ Minako replied.

Usagi gasped, her silver lips parting. She felt her body split apart as her torso separated from a seam that ran down the middle. Similarly, she felt her skirting decouple as the staggered layers disconnected and separated, revealing immense golden legs, which then began to peel apart.

While the undersides of her arms popped open and her hair pulled back, her face melted away. And then... it was no longer her body splitting and pulling apart, it was her armor. Hesitantly, she pulled her arms and felt them slide out of their housings. Goose-bumps formed on the suddenly exposed, suddenly chilled skin.

She stepped forward, almost stumbling at the height difference between where the armor placed her feet and the floor. Taking another half step she nearly stumbled again, this time at the drastic width reduction of her foot-print.

"Weird," she muttered, looking at her hands. There was no overlay display, no additional information, just her eyes and ten naked slender digits, but most of all there was no voice. She turned back to the armor. "Mina?"

Looming above the silver-haired queen, the armor looked disemboweled, harvested for vitals. Gently pulsing, silver veins and arteries ran throughout the cavity and she could see the support structures that held her body within. Serenity shuddered at the sight and unconsciously took a step back towards the armor.

Frowning, Luna scrambled off of the armor just as clacks and metal rasping against metal resumed. The hair-helmet flipped back, the arms resealed and the chest closed back up. For a moment the armor looked almost normal and Serenity's heart sank at the sight of the faceless suit.

But the closing continued, and armored sections accelerated the pace with which they folded over each other. Shoulder plates collapsed inward while chest armor peeled back and armored skirting telescoped inward and upward. The blade rapidly receded into a more traditional shape and the crystalline mountings of the heavy wand collapsed in a domino-like cascade.

Gold and silver armor folded into itself transitioning from hulking Imperial armor unto the relatively lithe frame of Venus' golem form. Eyes flaring red, Venus sheathed her sword and handed the crescent wand back to Serenity.

Serenity accepted the wand with a bow. "Thank you, for everything."

A slight smile passed Venus' golden lips.

"Well how sweet," Kiri said stepping into the bunk room. "But I don't think this getup will work."

Venus nodded slightly.

"Well, what?" Serenity crossed her hands over her chest, momentarily amazed that they were small enough to allow such an action. "Do you think I shouldn't ever leave the armor?"

Kiri sighed. "Maybe if Mina... or Usagi or whatever we're calling her now, didn't have the Venus symbol all over her armor. We kind of want those Russians to think that they've actually killed three of us."

Serenity's eyes sparkled. "A makeover then?"

"She's already made herself into your armor." Kiri nodded after a moment. "Yes that will do. Mina, can you do a more... toned down version of your big armor?"

Venus nodded and there was more rasping of armor. Shoulder armor folded out and the skirting went from the Senshi pleated to something a bit heavier, while still reaching just above the knees. Her hair went from a centurion-like golden crest to the sculpted metallic hair bun. Returning to the wrist mount, her sword once again became a permanent fixture.

Kiri nodded as the Venus symbols reverted back to crescent Moons. "That can work."

Minako smirked.

"Though it's still a bit suspicious having an animated armor suit, but so is the big suit that you two make." Kiri shrugged. "I presume you can still look human?"

Her expression turning to a smirk, Minako had her armor collapse until it became golden skin which then paled into a human tone.

Looking at... herself, Serenity shook her head. "I still get weirded out by that."

"Not the first time," Minako laughed with Usagi's voice.

Kiri nodded. "I suppose the princess becoming –well- princess armor works."

"Especially since everyone else has metallic armor. Other than you." Serenity turned to Kiri.

"Hmm... and what will the Russians think if they see the princess merging with the queen?"

The other two girls frowned.

"I'm not so sure they'd take kindly to a bit of Lunar Love Queen," Luna muttered.

Serenity's eyes glinted. "Oooh."

"Please don't give her ideas," Meiou sighed.

"What? You're not amused by the idea of a giant shiny Cupid?" Luna asked.

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Half of a hill had been excavated and used to widen the remaining half and even bring in the far ends, making a miniature box canyon. Standing before the several meter tall berm were pairs of metal risers, with a sheet of cardboard straddling each. Three meters in front of the earthen mound and the targets were four bundles. The precision machinery gave a dull shine, the containers of high energy chemicals sat fat and heavy, and the fabric harness and pouches rested in curled tangles.

In front of those were four vaguely-teenage girls with loose green jumpsuits and chalk-white skin. A vaguely sulfurous scent rose from them. Standing behind them were three older women, in similar if more... ready clothes.

Nose flaring, the one with green eyes smiled slightly. "Okay, you've all managed to use rifles without killing yourselves, now we're going to see if you can handle the next thing," Misako barked to the assembled succubae. "You, what's the first rule?" Misako pointed to the succubus standing at the end of the firing line.

Hazel's eyes widened as she tried to recall. "Assume every firearm is loaded?"

"Right." Misako smirked. "Always treat it like it is loaded, and related, when you start carrying always keep it loaded, an empty gun is just a pricey club. You, next rule." Misako said, pointing to the demon on the opposite end from Hazel.

Desiree's eyes looked to Hazel and Auntie Ranma and that Company officer. "Well... Control the muzzle?"

"When?" Misako's voice was deceptively gentle.

"All the time?"

"And why is that?"

Desire's eyes darted down to the handgun just ahead of her feet. "Because it's always loaded... and the muzzle is where the bullets come out?"

"Heh. Not bad," Misako smirked and looked to one of the girls in the middle.

"Third one?" Meredith asked. "Right. 'Trigger finger off the trigger and out of the trigger guard.' " She quoted from memory.

"And when do you do that?"

Meredith was about to say 'always' but stopped. "Until you're ready to... shoot?"

Misako nodded. "There's a whole issue on when you're ready to shoot, but that's for later lessons. Right now we're giving the basics. Prissy last rule?" She said without looking at the girl.

Priscilla chewed her lip. "See that it's unloaded. Prove its safe?"

"What does that mean? Since the first rule says your gun is always loaded?"

"But it's not..." Priscilla froze at Misako. "I mean we emptied our rifles when we cleaned them this morning. That nice Sergeant had us check them."

"How?"

"Removed the magazine and worked the action. Then looked inside. Then worked it again."

"Exactly," Misako beamed. "It's good that you're being cautious. What's the saying Lieutenant?"

Kasumi looked up. "Complacency kills."

"That's right." Misako nodded. "Obey these four rules and I'll guarantee you won't hurt yourself or your family." The green eyed girl walked behind the four succubae. "You might be wondering when you'd actually use these weapons. Right now you're support staff, but more importantly you're demons. You can already call up various attacks, but..." Misako smirked. "It's far better to have a skill and never use it, than it is to need it and not have it. Isn't that right Mother?"

Standing off to one side, Ranma's eye went up and her hand went over the handle of the SSP she wore on her hip. "Yes, Misa." She looked down the line of demons. "I've had to use my weapon in battle, and I was glad I knew how to use it. In a fight you won't have time to think, you'll just have your instincts and your training. These weapons are no different than the other skills you're being taught."

"Right, bend down and pick up your guns. Do not load them." Misako's eyes glinted. "Hazel! Your gun's drifting. Rule two! This is the SSP; it fires the five-hundred S&W cartridge one of the only handgun rounds that are actually effective in NH combat. Each magazine only holds seven rounds so reloading is vital."

Hazel blushed and angled the weapon's muzzle back downrange.

Simultaneously Ranma and Kasumi stepped in and made sure that fingers were off the trigger and out of the trigger guards.

"You didn't forget everything from this morning." Misako nodded. "Now take your fingers and hold the grip with your middle and ring finger."

"Closer, get it right up on the beaver tail," Kasumi adjusted Desiree's hand so that the beaver tail guard on the back of the grip was flush with flesh between the demon's pointer finger and thumb.

"Right. Now rack the slide." Misako sighed at the younger girls. "No.. you don't ride the slide. In a fight, fine motor control goes right out the window." She pulled out her own weapon, released the magazine, and cleared the chamber. "See, just get a good grab on the slide with your off hand. Then once you have it take the hand holding the gun and push it forward. Then let go of the slide. Right! That's it. See how much stronger that is."

"Ohhh, that is simpler," Hazel nodded.

Misako smirked. "Right, now use the slide lock and hold the slide back.

"Remember that is called a slide lock, not a slide release. Now if your magazine goes empty, it'll look like this. Now why don't we use the slide release?"

"Uh... it's a fine motion?" Meredith asked.

"Yup, though the good part of the slide lock is that you can use it one handed, but one handed reloading is an advanced subject. But if you don't use the side release then how do you work the action? "

Hazel blinked. "We just rack it like before?"

"Right, keep it simple. You're not going to have time to think about how to reload. Speaking of that, place your weapons back into the holsters, and then pick up your belts."

The broodlings complied and slipped their belts on. Kasumi and Ranma then helped them adjust the holsters and magazine carriers.

"Good, good." Misako smirked. "Now you'll learn how to draw and holster. Won't that be fun?"

Hazel's heart-shaped face turned quizzical. "Yay?"

"After that you'll get to shoot."

"Oh." Hazel blinked. "Yay!"

"Yay, indeed." Gravely nodding, Misako turned to her mother and broke into a quick smile. Looking over the redhead's shoulder, her grin broadened even more. "Oh, hi grandma!"

Ranma turned and spotted her mother approaching, lab coat incongruously draped over a set of WIC armor.

"Well, well, how's the training?" Nodoka asked, stepping up to the range from behind the firing-line.

"Just starting," Misako said.

"They're doing good though."

"Of course, they're family," Misako proclaimed.

"BlackSky would be proud," Nodoka murmured, pensive.

"Yeah, especially since they got away from the Alexia's influence." Ranma glanced at her mother.

"Family is important, it's good that you're helping yours."

"It helps that they're agreeable." Despite her smile, concern crossed Ranma's eyes. "You complete the examination?"

Nodoka nodded. "Misa-chan, can you spare her?"

Misako raised an eyebrow. "Lieutenant Tendo's more than enough."

Ranma turned to Kasumi and gave a slight nod. "Right, help Misa and the girls then. Good luck with the lesson, Dear," she then said to her daughter.

After the officer and her daughter had walked several paces back to the buildings, Nodoka turned slightly. "Having her teach?"

"It's good for Misako; she can use more responsibility," Ranma said as four shots barked in the distance.

Nodoka nodded. "And the rest of Cecilia's brood, where are they?"

"With Akane and Nariko learning the basics of hand to hand. Sophie and Morgan are helping too, may as well sharpen their training too."

"Quite the little school you've got going here," Nodoka chuckled.

Ranma frowned. "Well it's not like we're going to Furinkan anymore."

Nodoka patted her daughter on the shoulder. "It's part of growing up. You girls have only so much time."

"Yeah.... anyway, JTF2 is learning well enough. It helps that they've seen some NHs and Cecilia's girls seem eager enough. Apparently, they did good on rifle this morning."

"But you're not concerned about them."

Ranma stopped walking. "Mom, you examined her... them. What's the story?"

"It's... something else." For a brief moment Nodoka tried to hold in a grin. "In truth, it's actually not that bad... Well, if you ignore the gaudy embellishments. While hands are a real pain to protect due to the articulation, simply covering them up is... limiting, and permanently affixing a sword like that..." Nodoka shook her head.

"It's pretty dumb. I suppose having it become a big claw could be livable, but as it is, it's far too hobbling." Eight shots, in four overlapping pairs interrupted Ranma's response. "And that giant skirt?"

Nodoka chuckled. "It isn't completely absurd. Really," she defended against her daughter's skeptical expression. "Firstly, it gives protection. Sure her legs are huge, but that's because they support all that mass, that's not all armor. The skirt also acts as a screen barrier too. Explosives will detonate against that first, not her legs."

"It's a giant metal ball gown."

"And that shape allows for fair leg mobility and allows it to act as a nozzle." Nodoka shook her head in recollection of that pre-dawn video footage. "And an overlooked thing that skirt does is stabilize. Not only does it lower her center of mass but since it's spread out, the armor increases her moment of inertia. Not that she still won't fall over due to absurd ground pressure."

"Yeah her footwork really, really needs improvement."

"Not just footwork, but wooden stairs, mud, decking, maybe even residential buildings are right out. Which just nails home how worthless she'd be in urban combat. The skirt is an interesting solution but... it's far too much. Its protection comes at too high of a cost in bulk and weight."

Ranma nodded.

"But the weight overlooks something else." Nodoka's eyes gleamed.

"Oh?"

"The whole armor weighs far more than the sum of their masses. Even if you add her golden golem mass to Serenity's. That's a real powerful summon right there."

"Expanding the brood's capabilities?"

Nodoka nodded. "Being able to 'dial-in' your level of armor in combat would be exceedingly useful. Unfortunately, it's extremely energy intensive, though we might be able to get a workaround via your demonic summoning."

"She's showing off," the redhead mumbled, looking out to the buildings. "Overall?"

Nodoka shrugged. "In a vacuum, it's an impressive weapons system. Her main weapon is a much better focus. That makes it easier to channel heavy energy blasts. However the sword and armor are shiny enough to make her feel invincible and clunky enough to be a real hindrance.."

"Oh, you checked them out?" Ranma smirked.

"The sword is very flexible. Which... mitigates the insanity of how it's mounted."

"I don't think that it's a weapon."

Nodoka raised an eyebrow.

"The only reason the sword's like that is to leave her without hands. It forces her to manipulate the sword, forces her to lean on Mina."

Nodoka nodded. "I noticed the pauses too. She's waiting for advice."

"Probably why the armor's so thick, insulates her from anything Mina doesn't want her to know about."

Frowning Nodoka nodded again. "Yes, the armor that is quite resistant to small arms fire and many smaller crew served weapons. Probably weak to HEAT though. Personally, there's some room for improvement in her armor."

"Really? Do they know it?"

"Daughter, I am an agent." The scientist smirked. "I complimented them on their skill in building various armor laminate, which allowed me to take some samples. It's... creative work, and I can come up with some improvements, if you want."

"Let me rephrase. Do you think Mina knows?"

"I think the armor does the job it was designed to do." Nodoka gave a hollow chuckle. "The armor itself is a rather interesting, if unoptimized, blend. Pure gold is a rather pathetic armor, given its properties, but that's mostly an aesthetic choice. Really it's a lamination of several materials charged with the expected Silver energies. This is similar to the current metal armor the others wear, on a larger scale of course, and fundamentally it's the same as their cloth armor as well, save for a different substrate.

"Now simply scaling up the layer-count and replacing the matrix with something stronger is a brute force way to improve protection, but it's hardly the most efficient. Though when dealing with a design that seems... generous with issues of weight and bulk, mass has an effectiveness of its own."

"Noted." Ranma nodded. "Do you think it's usable?"

"Honestly? It doesn't seem suited for this type of combat. That's being very generous." Major Saotome smirked. "I suppose such a suit would fill the self-propelled artillery TO&E of the Silver Empire. From that perspective it's not that bad of a weapons system. As long as you keep to fields and away from built-up areas. Still such a system would ideally have an escort to deal with anything that got close. Technically, she is smaller, more mobile and less bulky than our... vehicles."

"Which we don't use very much and would get torn apart in close combat anyway."

"Right, we did fire a GPS-HIMARS system, but that was in a specific situation. And it's curious she hasn't gone for less armor in exchange for more mobility, while keeping the same firepower. "

Ranma leaned on her mother. "We could try that, but I think there's a specific reasons she's so bulky and has fixed weapon mounts."

Nodoka hugged the shorter woman. "Possession and fear of loss do seem to be quite apparent here."

Ranma sighed happily. "Yeah, her problem isn't a lack of protection, it's a lack of control, and well that's her game."

Nodoka nodded. "Right, slower responses, fewer words; she was consulting."

"Sure, Serenity was letting someone else do the thinking, having someone else make all the decisions for her."

"Only now we can't see her abdicating all her responsibility."

Ranma nodded. "Right! The armor doesn't make her be more decisive, it makes her less. Eve and I were talking about that this morning."

"That shifts the balance of power."

"Yes," Ranma narrowed her eyes. "Seems to me that it's just like Puu pulling her strings."

"Puu doesn't completely encase Serenity, nor does she control everything she sees, says, and does."

"Clever girl."

"Don't be so sure of that, Dear." Nodoka cautioned. "Be wary of her, yes, but don't fall into the same trap your rivals do. Sometimes an airhead is just an airhead."

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After watching the trio of clay disks explode, Nariko absently looked at her watch. "Right, break time."

Jupiter nodded and got up from her crouch and rejoined Mars and Pluto.

Sophie nodded. "Good work, fair accuracy and okay team tactics."

"Really?" Mars flicked a bit of dirt of her bronze skirting.

"Oh yes, especially you and Makoto." Sophie said as she secured the trap machine. "You've worked together for years, it shows. You've got power and teamwork, you just need more formal training."

Kiri smirked. "You should have see them before I started working on their gunnery."

As the group started walking back, Sophie appraised the armored girls. "That's only part of it, team skills are critical. Without them you're just individuals in a big fight."

"So you expect us to run about shouting 'Cover me' and 'Covering'? " Mars raised an eyebrow. "That's a bit obvious isn't it?"

"That's where teamwork comes in, when you work with someone long enough, you start to predict how they're going to move," Sophie explained.

"They complained when I trained them, too," Kiri noted as they walked across the base.

"Yes, they'd do that," Sophie absently replied.

"Our meeting," Nariko reminded.

Rei blinked. "Hmm?"

Sophie nodded to Nariko. "We'll be back, enjoy your break."

"Huh," Makoto said watching them walk off.

"Suspicious?" Kiri asked, as the two demons rejoined other demons.

"Let's see, scientists are poking at the queen and... Usagi, and the demons are suddenly grouping up. Yeah, I don't think DarkStar's up to anything," Rei grumbled.

Meiou's smile held traces of condescension. "She's not human. Don't forget that, they don't think like you do. A creature like her, her motives are either hopelessly complex or dreadfully simple."

Looking at her distorted reflection in Pluto's armor, Rei grimaced. "That's not reassuring."

"That's not my job." Kiri smirked. "My job is to serve the Line of Serenity."

"It's Ranma, I'm betting on dreadfully simple," Jupiter interjected.

"That's what she wants you to think. No one who's done all this-" Rei snorted and waved her arms to encompass the multi-national base, and the ruined AOM facility. "Could be simple."

"You make a good point." Kiri chuckled. "There is definitely more at work here."

"I liked it better when we could just fry everything that wasn't human," Rei muttered.

Kiri raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Rei demanded, glaring down at the shorter girl.

"Well, we are being trained by demons, and our main enemies right now are human. Oh, and there's what our blonde friend's been turned into," Jupiter stated.

"And things have gotten a lot more complicated."

Pluto shook her head. "They always were complicated."

"Really?"

"Remember the Black Moon Clan? Time traveling insurrectionists under the thrall of an ancient horror. Or there's the Dark Kingdom. Again, a rebellion to the Silver Empire under the thrall of yet another ancient horror, but this time the roots lay in the problems of the occupation and pacification of Earth."

"Yeah, but we still just fried them all," Jupiter reminded. "Well, until we got killed."

Kiri chuckled. "Yes, there was that."

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Adjusting her chest-rig, Ranma looked up at the queen, but only slightly. "Not armored-up?" she asked, absently nodding to Minako.

Currently in her Moon princess guise, Minako nodded from her seat next to the Queen.

"Luna recommended that I.... unwind," Serenity looked down at the cat luxuriating on her lap.

Ranma chuckled. "Fine."

"This is about that? You're deciding whether or not you'll let me... us fight how we want."

The redhead laughed as she slumped down onto a bunk and looked across the room to the couch where the "royalty" sat. "It's your choice. Fight how you want. It's your choice."

Frowning, Serenity idly pushed a lock of silver hair back into her bun. "Meaning that it's my choice whether or not I'll get your protection."

The demon's smirk split, revealing her teeth. "I'm under no obligation to cater to your every whim."

Minako blinked, slowly deliberately. "Meiou really should have gotten better terms on that contract."

"Maybe she wanted to minimize her queen's demonic entanglements." Ranma eyed the drowsy cat, warily. "Maybe she was worried that a compromised Senshi would takeover the queen."

Serenity glared. "Minako is not compromised!"

"She was. And now her little experiment has put our plans at risk. Has put you at risk." Ranma spread her fingers. "My help depends on your obedience."

"Now I know how my mother felt." Serenity sighed.

"Do you now?" Ranma laughed. "If I recall, I wasn't terribly assertive back in that life."

Serenity's eyes narrowed. "Not you, BlackSky."

The redhead's lips curled into a tight smile. "Usa.. Usa... Usa... Even you're not so inept that you'd blindly deal with the likes of my grandmother."

Luna snickered.

"But you can?"

"You're right, look at who you're working with now." Ranma then shook her head. "We're family. Even I'm not going to foolishly deal with her."

"Oh? Mother... Serenity... you know... There was that deal the Silver Millennium made with her. That worked out well."

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "BlackSky got her pick of Earth's mages, destroyed a rival, took all her land, avenged her favored granddaughter's death, and got her back. Meanwhile the Silver Empire started a troublesome occupation that planted the seeds of the Fall."

Serenity – Usagi stared at the demon. "That's...."

The redhead leaned back, smiling broadly.

"You're not even accounting the current situation." Luna rolled on her back. "We are at your mercy."

"And yet you still screw up" Ranma's grin floated merrily. "Now that's just too paranoid; even eldritch demon queens have limits. Of course I could be lying to keep you conveniently complacent."

Minako narrowed her eyes.

"I think we've drifted from why I came here. Unless you want to talk with grandma BlackSky. There are several ways she could solve your problem."

"The combat cyborgs?"

Ranma sighed. "Where's your imagination? I'm certain BlackSky can accommodate."

"Accommodate what?"

Frustration doubling, the demon rubbed her head. "How blunt do I have to be? I'm trying to broker a Faustian bargain here."

"I don't think that's what mother had in mind when she sent me forward."

Still holding her forehead, Ranma chuckled. "Yes, her deal with BlackSky went over so well."

"Why are you doing this?"

"You brought her up and _you_ decided to play mecha," Shifting her eyes to Minako, Ranma's voice was stern. "And don't you act like you're too good for this. You've already made your deal-with-a-demon."

"Are you trying to make me regret my choices?"

Radiating the patronizing warmth of mock contrition, Ranma bowed her head slightly. "Some degree of self examination or self awareness would be nice, and it would at least make saving your life from your own gross incompetence less of a chore," she smoothly said, her eyes smoldering with amused contempt.

Serenity glared and gripped Minako's hand. "I get it. I'm not as smart as you. We can't all be eloquent and sophisticated"

Smug confidence shattering, Ranma rolled to the side in fits of laughter. Laying halfway on the bed she looked up. Battered by continual chuckles, Serenity had tightened her grip, seemingly liquefying Minako's... compliant hand.

"Sorry...." Ranma pulled herself back up. "I'm still getting used to..." She shook her head and then ran her fingers through the tussled tresses, feathering further. As that happened, her tail came out and curled around her hips and flopped over the end of the bed where it lazily swung back and forth. Finally, she extended her horns. "There, may as well play it to the hilt." Ranma then leaned forward. "Now..." she purred, literally. "This is a bunk room. We can even have Minako too. I really don't mind blondes."

Minako turned to Serenity and gave a quick smile.

Door knocking open, two meters of terse Teutonic shapeliness strode in. Eve's icy blue eyes scanned the room.

"Well, speak of the devil." Ranma chuckled.

Minako's face brightened. "Oooh, you like puns too?"

"Don't get her started," Eve said. "You didn't tell them?" she asked Ranma.

"Didn't get the chance. Queenie over here started talking about Grandma."

Eve nodded.

"So, what, you figured the conversation was going on too long and barged in to derail it?" Serenity asked.

"Don't be silly." Luna rolled back onto her belly. "She probably just watched the video feed."

Turning to Serenity, the tall demon chuckled. "Unless mein Schwesterchen wants to feed on you, we do have a schedule to maintain."

Ranma smirked. "Technically... you're the little sister here."

"So that's it. Not even going to use the new armor Min- er... Usagi came up with?" Serenity glared, her cheeks flush at the continued charade.

"Actually, we need you two to get back together." Eve's eyes glinted.

Ranma stood up and rocked her feet. "It really would have been better if command denied your little suit, but Jacob's got a sense of humor. To bad for you."

"I don't understand where you got this notion of Colonel Edwards possessing a sense of humor." Eve deadpanned.

"Why is this so difficult for you?" Serenity demanded. "If anyone should love big weapons and heavy armor, it's you guys."

The demon sisters looked at each other.

"At least she didn't say we were compensating," Ranma swished her tail in thought.

"Penis envy? Really, must we be so Freudian?" Her tail flicking back and forth, Eve glanced at her SSP; its tip only a hair shorter than the dress uniform skirt it was holstered to.. "I don't think envy is the right word. It's not like we're talking about a difficult commodity for a succubus to acquire."

"Though Morgan is... attached to her gun."

"Really? Need I bring up Misako, or is that too obvious a retort?"

"True, Morgan hasn't named hers."

"Oh? I've heard her whisper a certain name around her gun," Ranma teased.

Eve chuckled. "Please, Morgan didn't even kill that girl with her rifle."

"This... doesn't answer my question." Serenity sighed.

"Oh, but it does," Ranma's voice was almost sing song. "Sure we could clank around in great big shiny armor, and lumber around with mini-guns, but... why?"

Serenity blinked.

"Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should."

"You're telling me to not push the envelope? You?" Serenity's eyes were wide with disbelief.

"There's a difference between equipment and performance. This thing is a careful balance between protection and weight," the redhead tapped her vest armor. "Not because an extra kilo will make it too heavy to carry, but because every bit saved gives more... space, more maneuverability. I can do all those fancy moves and do them that fast in spite of my armor not because of it."

"My armor's different." Serenity squeezed Minako's hand again.

Ranma smirked. "No it's not."

"Yes, it is a wonder," Eve's voice was dry.

"That's not a complement, is it."

"Wonder-weapons are symptomatic of various State illnesses. Sometimes it's as benign as superpowers with more money than sense. Other times its the perspiration-inspired desperation of potentates, presidents, and tyrants gambling that grandiosity trumps tactics. Either way it's a magnificent waste of resource."

Serenity sniffed at the miniature lecture. "Then why are you helping me?"

Eve smiled. "Well, it's not always a waste, at least in the long term. Such projects do provide rich scavenging."

Ranma nodded and tapped the jammer pinned to her chest.

Serenity paused. "You don't care about it as a weapon."

"It's not a weapon. It's an unpleasant surprise. If you insist on this foolishness, we'll get what we can out of it. If you insist on fighting with it, we'll make sure it's not a deathtrap, for us. If you continue to disobey we'll turn you out. If you protest, I'll full-fill the terms of our first contract." The redhead carefully lectured, her forced grin never leaving. "Are we clear."

Serenity patted Minako's tensing hand. "These aren't new terms, are they?"

Ranma shook her head.

"And anyway, not all wonder weapons are a waste," Serenity's hand went to the wand strapped to her belt.

"Sure, two even managed to end the last World War," Ranma flatly said.

"I am death destroyer of worlds?" Eve quoted. "Though I'd call the Manhattan project more terrific than wondrous."

"Terrific?" Serenity asked, helping Luna get back up to her shoulder.

"English is a funny language." Eve opened the door. "In addition to being something good, terrific can refer to something extraordinarily intense or something that causes terror. I believe those two qualify."

"See! Not all wonder weapons are failures." Ranma gushed. "Just look at what the wonder you inherited has done.

Serenity narrowed her eyes. "That's why I like the armor. It gives me more control. I don't like the Silver Crystal. Do you have any idea what it can do? Do you realize how afraid I am of losing control?"

Ranma paused and then nodded. "So afraid that you hired a demon to kill you if you did."

"Yeah." Serenity glared. "So maybe, it's not best to make fun of attempts to give me a bit more control."

"Yes, more control." The redhead tilted her head and nodded to her sister.

"Little Lunar leader, what do you think this training is supposed to accomplish?" Eve asked with mock gentleness.

"And is it really control if you're depending on someone else?" Ranma's eyes went to the "human" blonde next to Usagi.

Serenity inhaled. "So what do you want me to do?"

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Hotaru blinked at the spiky-brown-haired teen. "What makes you think she's Sailor Moon?" She shot a glance to her companion who simply smirked and leaned back on the park bench.

"Told you so," Usa chuckled as she looked up at the bare cheery tree above her. The leaves had fallen off months ago and it would be nearly half a year before the petals would be ready.

Shingo sighed from a nearby bench that faced the two girls. "Our family name is Tsukino. Tsuki, moon. A bit obvious. And let's not forget that the horrible pun Tsukino Usagi makes." He looked past them at a pair of salary-men relaxing a few benches over.

Usa nodded. "Rabbit of the Moon."

Hotaru frowned. She had not expected things to go this way. "Okay, it's an uncommon name, but its not unique."

"You didn't seem that fazed when I popped up?" Usa pointed out.

"Yeah, funny that." Shingo narrowed his eyes. "I never seemed to question this new pink-haired red eyed cousin that none of us ever heard of. Neither did my folks. Meat-ball head did."

Hotaru smiled slightly. "What clued you in?"

Glancing at a couple walking down the part path, Shingo smirked. The woman's dress was nicely curved.

"Usagi's new friends?" Hotaru asked.

Shingo shook his head. "Nah, sure Usagi got her new friends when the weirdness started a few years back, but.... I mean it's Usagi. Anyway, they left on the exchange trip, and the weirdness stayed here. My suspicions, my questions went away. It was all a coincidence."

"What happened?"

"Osa-P closed."

Hotaru tilted her head. "What?"

Usa chuckled. "Oh, that's clever isn't it."

"This have to do with Naru?"

"Of course," Shingo snorted. "Miss Monster-bait and her mom vanish. That got me curious...." A splashing noise distracted him and he turned to see a bunch of older girls easing a miniature boat into a nearby pond.

Hotaru gripped the bridge of her nose. "And you started checking out the news."

"Terrorism, gas explosions. It's almost as if something strange is going on in this Toronto. The very city where my sister and her friends are studying in."

"But what about the strangeness here?"

"You two are here," Shingo stated.

Hotaru nodded, understanding the dual meaning of his words.

"So how come my sister's a super-hero? And how come it took so much for me to see it?" Shingo asked, his eyes going back to the salary-men.

"So, it seems you figured it out." Hotaru frowned.

"Only after it beat me over the head. It's like how I didn't think too much was strange with Usa there," Shingo waved at his "cousin". "At first. After she'd been gone for a couple years, that's when she started seeming strange."

"The spell wore off then. Stupid Luna-P," Usa grumbled.

"Maybe that's what happened with the other stuff," Shingo shook his head.

"Anyway..." Hesitating, Hotaru looked down; she was not sure of Setsuna-Mamma's idea, but orders were orders. "Yes, your sister is Sailor Moon."

"And why are you telling me this?" Shingo raised an eyebrow. "Clearly you two are on the same team. Given Usa's past history and what you're telling me, but why? You two didn't even know I'd figured it out, so you're not here to hush me up. You're not surprised when I said she's in Toronto, so you know where she is. You also know that Naru's gone missing, so.... why, why me?"

"How much do you know about your sister's friends?" Hotaru looked up.

"What do you mean?"

"What to they all have in common?" Usa added.

"Not much. Height goes from Makoto to Ami. Brains also goes from Ami to Mina or sis. Then there's personality... I dunno... they're all female."

"What about their families?" Hotaru pressed.

"Makoto's an orphan... I think. Rei was at that shrine with her Grandfather. Doesn't Ami have a mother that's a doctor? I don't know about Minako"

"What's missing? Something they don't have but Usagi does."

"Fathers?" Shingo guessed.

"So close." Usa chuckled. "No Rei's father is in politics and Ami's is an artist. Both are a bit... estranged."

"There's something else they're missing." Hesitating, Hotaru glanced at Usa. "We're missing. All of us."

"Siblings." Shingo frowned. "None of you have any brothers or sisters."

Hotaru nodded.

"Usagi's the only one. The only one of ten of us."

"I'm the only one, then?"

Usa smiled thinly. "And you were wondering why we're talking to you."

Shingo frowned. "Well shit."

"Don't want to be a-" Hotaru paused for half a second. "Superhero?'

Shingo shot the girls a level gaze. "I question the timing."

"So you're suspicious that after years of being in the dark and sitting on the sidelines that now you're suddenly being called up?" Usa giggled. "Smart boy."

"I'd also like to know why there's two spooks watching us," Shingo asked his voice lowered.

Usa slowly, deliberately turned her head and looked at the two agents. "Shame you only noticed them."

"He didn't just see those two," Hotaru corrected. "He noticed the pair that walked by, or at least the 'wife'."

"Who wouldn't? That's a great dress," Usa counted.

"Still, and he also noticed the girls by the pond."

Shingo sighed. "Those are high school girls, they're playing with a little remote controlled boat, a pink boat."

"It's a fair disguise. Just get some youthful looking women, stick them in the right uniforms," Usa nodded.

"Odds that that the crate they've got for the box has hidden compartments?" Hotaru asked.

"Who are they? And if they've got subtle surveillance then why bother with two guys in suits? Isn't that a bit obvious?"

Usa smiled. "Clearly, they want to be seen."

"Want to be seen." Shingo blinked. "But you don't mix obvious surveillance with subtle. That there's obvious surveillance shows that someone's watching! Sure, it could distract from the real surveillance, but it doesn't hide that surveillance is going on. It makes no sense."

"Really now? Are you sure there's no reason?"

"Fine" Shingo turned again and frowned at the boat and the girls using it, one of them a blonde, looked up at him and gave a little wave. "Wait... three groups A, B and C. There's obvious group A. They're there to say 'You're being watched'. Then less obvious B is there to say 'You're being watched, and we're letting you know that you're being watched intentionally', meanwhile obvious C is there to up the chances of spotting someone in the obvious B role."

Usa beamed. "Yes, they're showing they can watch us, while also showing they can watch us without us knowing."

"Also their actions strongly imply there's at least a group D," Hotaru added.

"Unless there's more 'obvious teams' and they're doing a test to see how many we can spot."

"They would learn more about our abilities, while also being good training." Usa smiled.

"How do you two know all this? Let alone notice the other two teams? Who's doing this? Isn't this a lot of people to send, for what? What do they want with me?" Shingo demanded.

Usa smiled and glanced at the waving brunette. "Well, I think that one's checking you out."

Hotaru arced an eyebrow. "I didn't know the Company employed perverts."

"She dresses up as a schoolgirl for undercover work."

"Well... she could be the right age. Maybe that's a batch of cadets, or full agents that were just recruited young."

"Great... so instead of perverts, they're budding sociopaths harvested from society and given paramilitary training." Usa gave a broad and disturbingly sincere grin. "That's much better!"

"This isn't answering my questions." Shingo glared.

"No, it's not." Usa smiled. "Besides you guessed why we're here."

"I'm not going to take some magical trinket, not with unanswered questions."

Usa tilted her head.

"After all this time you drop in and now call me? And it's because of my..." Shingo's eyes narrowed. "What happened to her?"

Usa turned to Hotaru. "We've got a clever boy."

"What happened to her?" Shingo repeated.

"Nothing, yet." Usa frowned. "But... it's getting desperate."

"And there's something only her or a blood relative can do?"

Usa gave a bitter little smile.

"What about you?"

Crimson eyes hardened as Usa's expression soured.

"There is the family resemblance. Maybe you're not a cousin, but you are something, and you're already a part of this. Why not you? Why me?"

"Because I've already been tapped. When the time comes... it'll be a two-man job," Usa smoothly lied.

"Then why are you over here? You needed to split up because there's still attacks in Japan?"

Usa inclined her head.

"Now I'm starting to see why Usagi was so empty headed," Hotaru smiled, showing her teeth.

"Nah, he's always been a little wise-ass."

Hotaru's grin broadened. "Good, he'll fit right in. Maybe then Puu will actually call us in."

"Maybe," Usa frowned, looking at Shingo.

"Hey! I haven't agreed to this."

"Oh, but you will. After all, if your sister can do it why can't you?"

Shingo glared. "You haven't answered all of my questions."

"In other words you've given us your terms for joining up," Hotaru proposed, her lips sliding back over her teeth.

"It's better than what Usagi demanded from Luna."

Shingo shook his head. "Who are all the spies?"

"Mercenary organization that hunts monsters using big guns," Usa recited.

"That just happen be watching two magical girls on a recruiting drive?"

"Well, we are on the same side," Usa dryly stated.

"It's a start. Are they hiring?"

"What, you want a gun?" Usa teased.

"It'd be better than roses."

"Don't worry about it," Hotaru smirked.

"Right.... Wait... Luna... the cat? That stupid thing was Sis' mascot?" Shingo rubbed his forehead and looked out at all the... spooks. "That explains a lot. Fine, I'll do it, not like I'd screw things up worse."

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An engine's roar reflected off the thick road-flanking trees. The disturbance, a purple Harley Davidson Night Rod flew down the meandering asphalt ribbon. Wearing shiny, black leathers the driver raced down the darkened road. Slowing to go down a side road, the motorcycle sprayed gravel behind it. The pressing trees suddenly abated, revealing a homely brick building standing in the clearing.

Barely illuminated by a sliver of moonlight, a handful of stars, and a single cigarette, a Dodge Charger sat in front of the small building. After the motorcycle stopped, the driver got off. Unzipping her leather jacket revealing a handgun her right hip.

"Well, it's been a while hasn't it, Red?" the smoking man asked as he leaned on the hood.

Ranma's eyes tracked around the forest. "What do you want Murdock?"

The mage laughed. "Oh, so cold."

The redhead gave a violet flickering glare and strode forward.

"Please, dispense with the theatrics." Murdock flicked his cigarette away. "If you were here for blood you wouldn't have simply driven up."

Stopping a few paces before the man, the demoness sighed and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Fine, to business." Murdock rolled his eyes.

"Yes."

"It's about the combat cyborgs."

Ranma's brows arched. "Another of your clever ideas?"

Murdock chuckled. "Do you really think I want our little queen dead?"

The crimson eyebrow lowered. "So... are you just going to waste my time?"

"I got you away from the helmet-haired nitwit and gave you an excuse to ride your bike. And really, it's been a long time since we talked." Opening his coat, Murdock pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

"Well, you've been busy. Making friends and all."

Flames briefly illuminated Murdock's smile as he lit a fresh cigarette. "And you've had family to take care of. We've all been oh so busy."

"And how is Akumi?"

"She's got this new plan. What you'd expect, really." Murdock sighed. "Standard villainous stuff. Maybe I should have stopped with you."

"I'm not sure how insulted I should be at that."

"You really were my best work." Murdock looked the demoness up and down. "So, much potential. So much being exercised. Refreshing really."

"I'm glad I meet your standards, but compared to Akumi you hardly screwed up my life. At least you never brainwashed and transformed one of my childhood friends... Wait... Naru was Usagi's friend, and they were friends right up until she left Japan."

Murdock waved his hand. "Details, details."

"Maybe Akumi's a screw-up because you smothered her. She'd too single-minded."

"Giving advice on how to build a better villain?"

"Weren't you just saying that it was refreshing of me to exercise my potential?"

Chuckling, Murdock nodded. "Strange, you don't like foreplay."

Ranma growled.

"Temper." Murdock shook his head. "And you were doing so well."

The redhead narrowed her eyes. "I think I'm allowed."

"Going to bemoan your fate? Or perhaps segue into a threat?"

Chucking, Ranma shook her head. "You really don't know me."

Smile breaking, Murdock's cigarette nervously twitched. Then his composure regained and his oily smile returned, but this time he held a hand up to steady his cigarette.

Ranma stepped forward. "Really, you should know by now. I don't make threats. If something is a threat to me, I kill it." Her lips curled up. "I am a simple creature."

"And now you mention that you don't see me as worthy of killing... yet." Murdock looked up at the Moon. "How isn't that a threat?"

"Ask Akumi." Ranma narrowed her eyes.

Murdock chuckled. "Trying to blackmail my minion against me? Do you think I really care. Besides, you've had ample opportunity to kill her, you haven't because our little Queen would be upset."

The demoness froze, her eyes slowly widening, her expression... sharpening. Her increasingly manic grin spit, revealing gleaming white teeth, which themselves split as she began to laugh.

Murdock patiently waited for the demon's side-splitting mirth to die down. "Finished?"

"My... this has to be an act." Ranma wiped a tear away. "You don't really think I'm holding back because it would... offend her."

Murdock grinned. "Even you play politics."

"And the Queen respects my resolve. It's amazing how often idealists will admire someone who can 'Get the job done,' and 'Make the tough choices.' "

"Don't underestimate her, especially when she's pushed to her limit."

Ranma snorted. "Really, isn't that your whole plan?" she dryly asked.

Murdock smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know."

"No... less is more. An unreadable expression has better pressure. Get it right and you can really unbalance someone."

"Please, use the left-handed advice trick."

The redhead smiled and cocked her hip. "Why? It worked when you did it."

Murdock raised an eyebrow at the contents of her holster. "That's not an SSP you're wearing?"

Ranma's eyebrow moved in response. "I didn't mention the runes you've got up."

"That's a 1911 with... rosewood grips, those seem a bit fancy."

"They're cocobolo, and they were a gift."

Murdock tapped his chin. "You know... there are some succubus meeting rituals."

"Do tell," Ranma dryly remarked.

"Palavers have always been an opportunity for betrayal. That's why the tradition of disarmament came up, but demons..."

Ranma chuckled. "Can't be disarmed."

Murdock nodded. "Not easily anyway. Still some Houses took to the practice, and since the action itself was symbolic, so became the weapons. Thus members of those houses would carry an ornamental, but functional weapon that represented their aggression."

"You like talking don't you? You going to give a Latin lesson next?"

"It's just that you're carrying a very pretty and superfluous weapon, not even your normal one." Murdock flashed a grin.

The demoness sighed. "Totally wrong."

"Oh?"

"First, that's not all on the ritual. It's an issue of trust, Mage. Yes, surrendering a weapon is a pledge of non-aggression a symbol of trust. However, a greater sign of trust is for both parties to keep their weapons."

Grey eyes widened slightly. "What?"

"What better way to show you trust someone than allowing them near you with a deadly weapon? That the ritual is even conducted shows a lack of trust. Comrades... comrades-in-arms....well look at the phrase itself. When my Grandmother visited there was no exchange of weapons; she's family."

"So you either don't trust me at all, or you consider me an ally." Murdock shook his head. "You are a frustrating species."

"You presume too much mage." Ranma smiled, flashing white. "I simply carried the smaller gun because an SSP is too big to comfortably drive with, let alone conceal properly."

Murdock dropped his cigarette. "Okay then."

"What do you want to tell me?"

"We can't keep going?" Murdock joked.

"Must we play this game?"

"No more foreplay then?" Murdock's smile died when Ranma failed to smile.

"Galina's been a busy girl."

The redhead stared levelly, a violet flicker crossing her eyes.

"She's been doing some reading."

"Learning then? Well the military experience they had was of limited use. So, they're boning up on non-humans and magic?"

Murdock nodded.

"Do you have a list of books?" Ranma asked, interested.

"Worried about combat cyborgs getting eldritch knowledge? Or perhaps you're more worried about the reverse?"

"A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing," Ranma stated. _Which was why Incognito turned informant. The book-dealer could handle –if barely- someone with Mistress Mercury's skill dabbling with such wares, but a group of magical neophytes..._ the redhead frowned, pushing those thoughts away.

"Yes, we're talking about people that used a reality collapsing weapon as a jamming device." Murdock shook his head, and drew into his coat. Under a steady purple gaze he slowly withdrew a business card.

Ranma caught the tossed card and gave it a light sniff. She then inspected the list of titles; it seemed to match Incognito's "Can't have them ruining your plans. What else?"

Murdock smiled slightly.

"This could have been sent. No face to face," Ranma waved the card.

The mage exhaled. "She'd hired some assassins."

"I see she's not blinded by pride." Ranma smirked.

"No she isn't. You blindsided them last time; they learned. They know where they're weak against you. Magic and manpower." Murdock pulled out yet another cigarette. "The manpower, simply East-Bloc goons. Magic however..."

Ranma smiled internally. The Numbers may have a blind-spot to magic, but Murdock had a blind-spot to mundanes. Galina was not one to hire cheap rabble.

"For that, she found something... special."

"Who'd she get?" Ranma asked, still pondering the quantity and quality of mercenaries that someone with Galina's connections could hire and transport.

"Someone that I can't get a lock-on. Someone that's managed to counter my surveillance, stay ahead of everything I've thrown at him. He's a real spook."

"Money well spent?" Ranma asked.

"Too well spent. It doesn't make sense..." Murdock looked away.

"So... a mysterious magic man's come to give them handy advice on how to escape the scary demons? A bit obvious, but you can't be that worried about them, since it sounds like they've hired you. Kill 'em yourself."

Murdock narrowed his eyes. "Don't you think I tried to worm my way into their good graces?"

"Really? So your winning smile didn't sway them?"

"I thought they'd appreciate a display of how vulnerable they really were. Turns out they don't."

Ranma sighed and glanced at the Moon. "You really don't get women. Do you?"

"Look, you can't count on them being magically ignorant. They've closed up that blind spot." Murdock fingered his tie clasp.

"And suddenly you care that they can block you out?"

"Yes, hardly a unique skill. I can name a few groups that can do that," Murdock's queasy smirk sidled back.

"And?"

"Fine. He's a religious man. I figured that much out."

Ranma cocked an eyebrow. "Catholic or Protestant?"

"Oh nothing so simple as that. Though the being he worships is no less powerful or unknowable."

Ranma frowned. "Great, so a faith of the tentacled kind?"

"Not exactly." Murdock took a drag on his cigarette. "Look, you haven't figured out who hired these girls right?"

"You're not suggesting that some monster from beyond hired the Russian cyborgs to kill Usagi, and then after the hit failed, sent in some cultist to advise them?"

"Of course not, that's just you reading into my needlessly cryptic ranting. I'd never actually reveal something like that."

The redhead rubbed her forehead. "And why do you care? This is your bread and butter ain't it?"

"Because it doesn't make sense!" Silver light briefly reflected in Murdock's eyes. "This being shouldn't be working with them. It shouldn't be trying to kill Usagi."

Ranma's toothy grin returned. "Did the little mage get tricked by some mind-breaking horror?"

Murdock chuckled.

"And of course you won't name it."

The mage simply shook his head. "One doesn't say the name of such things lightly, but you'll be able to figure it out. The object of his worship... leaves a mark."

"Another of your messes to clean up." Ranma's eyes sparkled. "You're starting to be more troublesome alive than dead."

"Starting?'

After staring at the demon's face, Murdock's shoulders sagged. "What do you want?"

"When Akumi isn't gloating in an ice skirt she's plotting in her lab, and she's been awfully quiet lately. I want to know what she's up to. I also want to know what you've really found out about the cyborgs, not who they've hired, what you've learned about them." Licking her lips, Ranma paused. "And I want to know why Setsuna is hiding Usagi's daughter."

"And in return?"

Flipping her hand above her head, Ranma's smile vanished.

Shock crossed Murdock's face and the circle of runes around him flared to life. Behind him an explosion tore apart the back half of the Dodge, spraying twisted metal and shattered glass. Rising to his feet, he winced as his ward was peppered with shrapnel.

Turning back he caught sight of the demon ramming straight into his ward. Claws flipping out, she dug through the semi-translucent barrier and... heaved. Screaming, Murdock found himself pulled off the ground by the warding and thrown onto shattered roof of his car.

Violet eyes cold, Ranma extended her hands and a pair of violet streams of fire shot out. Contained by spiraling white beams, the napalm streams skittered off the warding, but easily sliced through the car, which rapidly collapsed under Murdock's weight.

Ranma strode closer to the scrap pyre that burned around Murdock's recumbent form. The gas tank ignited, the exploding flames briefly mingled with the demon's violet aura. "Mage, this isn't a deal, this isn't a game. My patience is at it's limit," she stated after the inferno receded.

Shifting his back to keep a particularly sharp bit of metal from poking the warding, Murdock groaned. Cursing his complacently he looked up at the expected visage: deathly-pale skin, wildly writhing hair, sinuous flames, and cold glowing eyes. "Fine, I'll talk," he coughed.

"Of course you will." Despite the corners of her lips rising, her expression chilled. "But not to me."

Confused, Murdock blinked, until he heard the sound of another motorcycle engine. This one the efficient burr of a BMW.

End Ch 26

I'd like to thank my pre-readers. They read through my most egregious mistakes so you don't have to. DGC, J St C Patrick, Pale Wolf, Wray, Kevin Hammel, Ikarus, Jerry Starfire, and Nadrek.

Special thanks to PCHeintz72 for giving some corrections and ideas, especially on improving the tone to WIC and demonic reaction to Minako's little stunt.

Also special thanks to Cryptic Mirror for creating a TV Tropes page for The Return. Very fun, and I'm looking forward to seeing what else gets added to it. There are still a few more tropes to go.

/FanFic/TheReturn


	29. Chapter 27 Redesign & Relaxation Part 1

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Josh "Sunshine" Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.

Temporary Backup Site.

Other website Temple of Ranma's Senshi Seifuku

C&C as always is wanted.

Warning, the following contains graphic, potentially disturbing, content.

Chapter 27 Redesign and Relaxation Part 1

Eve carefully inspected each of the tools that were laid out in a neat double row. Some were delicate blades of various curves and angles. There were long pliers and hooked shears. Others were far blunter. There was a small double-headed hammer. One end bore a spike; the other a rounded ball peen.

Next came the medical kit. She paid special attention to the bandages, coagulating powders, and other methods of stopping blood flow. The case also contained chemicals that would numb, irritate, or inflame flesh. Most were disinfectants that would help clean wounds as they worked. She made sure the cameras and recorders were functioning.

Finally, she checked the latest improvements to her kit. The rock salt and capsaicin oil had been replaced with sea salt and a variety of aromatic pungent spices. Feeling her sister's arrival, Eve closed her briefcase and looked up. "Are you ready?"

Entering the impromptu control room, Ranma shrugged. Like the rest of the building, the room was unfinished and was more a concrete box than anything else. However, it had electricity, doors, and drains; it suited the Company's needs.

"Really?"

"Sure." Ranma stepped over to the display and looked at the bank of monitors. She smiled at a slight brunette who operated the computers and gave nods to the other technicians.

Most of the displays showed a bound nude man from various angles. The room was bare save for a single chair surrounded by a faintly glowing circle further surrounded by several agents who stood to one side of the room with their weapons trained on him. In the center of the squad Nariko stood with her sword drawn.

Stepping deeper into the room, the redhead gave Lieutenant Tendo a gentle tap on the shoulder. Kasumi looked up and nodded. The rest of her team was armored up and waiting in the room.

"No concerns?" Eve raised an eyebrow.

"Sis, I've seen you work before, and I've done worse things."

Kasumi looked up from the work station. "That's debatable, but I hardly think we're the ones you want moral advice from."

The corners of Eve's lips rose. "Yes all true, but this is the first time you'll be helping, Dear Sister."

"It's Murdock; I've got no qualms about working him over."

"Oh, if only it were that easy." Eve chuckled.

"Yes, yes." Ranma looked over the room.

"Inflicting pain is easy, using it to extract information is challenging." Eve stood. "Just remember the rules."

"Don't answer his questions. Don't let him negotiate. Keep him talking."

"The last one's what the whole point. Secrets go one way. Every time the... client talks that's another chance for him to give something away."

"So, torture's just a way to keep him talking?"

Eve's grin grew. "Why yes. It's basic operant conditioning, specifically, the removal of adverse stimulus. Communication is rewarded with a reduction in pain, reinforcing cooperation. The goal is to make anything other than full disclosure unthinkable."

"Sure sounds like fancy talk for hit 'em 'till he squeals." Ranma smiled showing her fangs.

"Oh no," Eve looked around noting her comrades' discomfort. "There's a delicate balance. Do too little and they'll think they can keep secrets, they'll think they can win." The blonde demon's eyes narrowed. "That defeats the whole point. Pain is used to break them of that hope.

"On the other hand," Eve tapped her chin. "Do too much and they'll say anything to make you stop. This isn't entirely worthless. Most people have poor imaginations, especially in situations like this. Such lies, will have some truth to them. Even cover stories have some value."

"Right, I know this one." Ranma nodded. "People have poor memories, especially under pressure. If the story is too complete, too consistent then they're recalling a cover story they've got memorized."

"Exactly." Eve's face lit up. "This is why we record, why we repeat our questions, why it's a team effort." She gestured to the various agents working in the room.

"On that note, recording is online," the brunette technician said. "Let's check your earphones."

"Thanks Maya," Eve tapped her earpiece. "Check."

"Testing, testing," Maya's voice said in Eve's ear.

Eve gave a thumbs up, and Maya Iverson repeated the test with Ranma.

"I'm setting up a periodic chime so you'll know if it cuts out," Maya said.

Eve nodded. "Ready?"

"Yeah." Ranma adjusted her earpiece.

"Good." Eve opened the door and led the redhead into the warehouse proper. "If he breaks his bonds or starts casting, kill him. If the teleport jammers go down activate yours and do exactly what I say."

"Right no hesitation." Ranma nodded. "And the inhibitor circle?"

"You tell me."

Ranma stopped at the door. "Only one should cross it at a time. It's attuned to hinder rune magic, but would weaken us too."

"Like a wet blanket," Eve said.

"How dangerous is he?" Ranma asked. "How much does it limit him? We don't even really know what he can do."

Eve frowned. "It will take the edge off, but don't let your guard down." She knocked on the door and waited. Agent Patterson opened the door and stepped back.

Nariko nodded without turning away from the prisoner. "Mother."

Ranma exhaled. Intended to be auxiliary storage for the warehouse the room was separate from the rest of the building. Inside there was a greasy pressure, which was exacerbated by the six bodies that were already within. Three metal boxes that resembled the jammers the brood carried were placed at equidistant points on the circle.

Looking at the manacled and shackled man, Ranma chuckled.

"Watch him." Eve knelt down and checked each box, making sure the small vial of blood contained in each had not dried.

Murdock moaned and tried to lift his head.

"We're still good." Eve stood and placed her case on the table and appraised the bound man.

"Nari-chan, Wilde, Patterson: go take a break. Get something to drink," Ranma said.

Nariko sheathed her sword and left the room.

"Don't want her to see this?" Eve raised an eyebrow.

"Nah, just wanted to add some defensive depth. This room's crowded as it is." She nodded to the two remaining agents.

Eve nodded.

Looking between the succubae, a greasy smile crossed Murdock's face. He looked down at the glowing circle. "Using a Silver Millennium ward? Did you get the Senshi's help or is this just more of their magic you're stealing?"

Pacing, Eve appraised the man like a woodworker inspecting a well-seasoned and freshly debarked log. Never looking away from him, Eve kept moving. "I will ask questions. You will answer them. Do you understand?"

Ranma also maintained vigil over the nude man.

Murdock turned to the redhead. "Very funny, kiddo. You caught me; you melted my car."

Slipping open the case, a tiny smile drew across Eve's face; she removed a long, eight inch thick steel knitting needle. A blue fire flared from her finger.

Following Ranma's gaze Murdock raised an eyebrow and looked down. "Really? Been a long time then? You're the one that removed-"

Stepping into the circle, Eve jabbed the needle into Murdock's left forearm. Pulling against his bonds, the mage screamed and the red hot spike was quickly pulled out, still trailing smoke. "You will answer." Eve inspected the needle and discarded it in a special box in her case. "Do you understand?"

Glaring at his cauterized arm, Murdock nodded.

"Good. Your choice is a simple one." Eve picked up a device that resembled a corkscrew, except instead of a spiraling end it simply bent ninety degrees and ended in a small blade. "You will answer. How much you will endure is up to you."

Murdock's gaze lowered for a brief moment.

Smirking at the mage, Ranma ran a finger along the edge of Eve's tool-case. "Come on Murdock, everyone knows what WIC interrogators do: you'll spill your guts, no one will be surprised. They might be a bit mad, but you've had people mad at you before." Ranma's smile widened, showing her teeth. "Besides, spilling your guts metaphorically is much better than literally."

"Hah, you really are new at this," Murdock laughed.

"We'll start simple." Eve nodded. "Under whose orders are you attempting to control Usagi Tsukino?"

Twisting his head around, Murdock grinned. "You'll have to have to ask Red to threaten me again."

Eve whipped the bent blade across his back. It opened a long shallow cut. With her free hand she twisted his head around and pushed it as far forward as the restraint around his neck would allow. The man gave a pained gasp as the air was forced out of his chest.

Yelping, he watched Eve sink the bladed tool into the puncture wound formed by the needle. Grasping the top, she twisted and began to slowly, unevenly cut the flesh between muscle and skin. Like a sword-smith honing a blade she listened to the pitch and intensity of his screams and adjusted the speed and depth of the tool.

After a few rotations she removed the bladed device and let a few chunks fall to the floor. She stepped back exiting the circle. "Now, who ordered you to go after Usagi?" she calmly asked.

Murdock wheezed. "This won't work. I won't betray them."

"Why?" Eve poured alcohol on the blade. "What betrayal are you speaking of?"

Murdock snorted. "You wouldn't understand."

"You're a mercenary, what client is worth this hassle?" Crossing the circle, Eve pressed the blade's tip against his fresh arm. Without piercing the surface, she ran the tip down the length.

Murdock recoiled.

"Who's worth this?" Eve flicked the blade over and sliced off a crescent of flesh.

Listening to the mage's cries, Ranma stepped over to make sure her sister was not between her and their client.

"I think you'll need to hit him again. Smug bastard's too stubborn to try to play ball."

"Perhaps," Eve dug around with the bent blade.. "Rune mages know healing magic, fortunately it takes some time. Which is useful, you have no idea how much of a challenge it is to have a client without cumulative wounds. On the other hand it's like working with a fresh page every hour."

Gasping, Murdock let out a little laugh. "You can't save Usagi from herself, what makes you think you can stop them?"

"You've been burned. The Rune Order abandoned you. Your new bosses have abandoned you. Why protect either group?"

Murdock's pained laughter grew. "Either?"

As the penny dropped, the blonde's poker-face was immaculate. "Frustrating." Eve stood up and returned to the table.

Still keeping her eyes on him, Ranma stepped back so that her sister, who was intently, merrily cleaning her tools, slipped into the edge of her vision.

The blonde selected what looked like a pair of long needle-nosed pliers and a long metal rod. This one had a small section of a wood rasp welded to one end. She stepped forward, her lips forming in a lazy smile.

Murdock looked at the tools and shook his arms.

Eve stood over him for a moment. Evidently satisfied, she put the tools down and took an antiseptic aerosol and sprayed the can on his wounds. A coagulant was applied next, reducing the blood flow to a pair of trickles.

"Tell me mage." She said, replacing the medical equipment. "Why does the Rune Order want to control Miss Tsukino?"

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Fuming, the armored queen strode down the hallway. On either side, Makoto and Rei followed, both bearing worried expressions. Meiou hung towards the back with a small frown.

"Where is he?" the queen demanded to the demon's back, her deep voice resonant.

Half grinning, Ranma slowly turned away from Nariko. To meet the giant queen's eyes she had to look up by more than a foot. "Well, someone's not totally in the dark, and you're up at sunrise too, bravo."

Nariko coughed and gave a quick nod.

Ranma's eyes quickly darted to Meiou before returning to the queen's silver gaze. "Still wearing a little blonde?"

The queen glared.

Ranma shrugged. "You're too late."

"Where is he?" the queen repeated, her sword flexing.

"Awww... does the Duchess Dreadnaught want to try her little blade against the mage?" Ranma ran a finger down the queen's sword.

Solid blue eyes narrowed.

"Again, you're too late: the cleaners already took care of the warehouse." Ranma shrugged.

Golden lips shifted into a hard frown.

Her hands going to her waist, Nariko grinned.

Still smiling, Ranma's eyes hardened. "Don't give me an excuse. It's been a long night."

The queen glared. "I don't know which is worse, the thought that you'd be in cahoots with him or that you'd simply torture him if you weren't. Did you have a nice chat and let him go on his merry way? Or did you cut pieces out of him until he talked?" the queen asked.

The redhead blinked and looked to the green-haired girl. "She doesn't know about the car?"

Meiou looked down.

"Well, someone's got some spirit then." Ranma looked to Rei and Makoto. "What do you two think?"

Rei looked at Makoto and frowned.

"You're not the only one that's getting sick of things. All these secrets, all these lectures, and you constantly looking down your nose at me." The golden queen's eyes flared. "Do you know who-"

"Quiet," Ranma calmly stated. "Yes, I know who you are; I know what you are." Her eyes darted between Makoto and Meiou. "But clearly, you don't know who I am."

The brood mother sighed. "You know I've met with Murdock in the past; you know I've used him as an information source; you know what my sister does; you know that I made her my sister fully aware of what _he_ was and what _she_ would become."

Lacking a retort, the queen held her glare, an easy prospect given her metallic features.

"You know all these things, or at least you'd know them if you'd use your intelligence assets." Ranma gave another glance to Kiri. "Or even if you used your... armor," the redhead's gaze ran along the bulky armored skirting.

"So, you're just another manipulator. One more player peddling deals and secrets. Murdock betrayed you, and you were using him, did he stop being useful today? Maybe your so-very-efficient sister mapped out the ideal time to dispose of him," the queen's voice grew flatter and more distant.

Ranma chuckled. "You're more perceptive when you're angry. Good."

"I didn't expect this. I know you, or I thought I did," the queen's deep contralto cracked. "I didn't think you'd be like... Puu. So cold, so calculating. I thought you'd be... more."

"Less," Kiri corrected. "You... I thought we'd have a maladroit macho martial artist or at least a scared Serenity-submitting succubus. Instead we have..."

"The sum of yours and Murdock's betrayals." Ranma drew back her lips. "Serenity-san, are you quite sure it's wise to use one of your key advisors as an example of my moral decay?"

The queen's glare broke when she looked back to Meiou.

"Though compared to your other intelligence advisor... Well, at least Akumi is overt in her treachery." Ranma flashed another grin to Kiri.

"Ami was corrupted because Naru was transformed by Murdock," the queen hissed. "Now do you see why I'm so angry?"

"Yours isn't the only life he ruined. He's not a pleasant man."

"You should have told me you had him, you should have told me what you learned. I need to know this."

"No. You're my client, not my equal, and certainly not my boss. You hired me to protect you from the Russians and kill you if you were to fall. The methods I use are not up to you. You want a boot-lick or a servant, well that's what your Senshi are for."

Ruby tiara gem flashing, the queen's lips narrowed and shifted her sword-hand.

"Oh?" Nariko asked tilting her head slightly while Ranma snorted.

"Funny way to treat your client, then."

"You hired me for my combat skills, not my manners." Ranma looked at her watch. "There was a meeting with Murdock, and we got information out of him. Right now, that's all you need to know."

"What did he tell you?"

"Look, there's more to this than just breaking fingers." Ranma rubbed her forehead. "Information has to be run down, and data has to be organized and verified. He is a known liar, after all. Maybe I should have helped Eve, or seen what Mom was doing, she's been slaving in her lab finding ways to help you."

"Will you tell us later then?"

Ranma sighed. "Nariko, handle this."

Nariko nodded, and the redhead started to walk away.

"You can't just leave!" The queen stomped after Ranma, but found Nariko before her.

"Any questions you have for Mother, you can ask me."

Looking into seemingly serene, crimson eyes, the queen hesitated. "Look, Murdock knows things. And I know Ranma hates him. She wouldn't let him go unless it was made worth her while. She looks out for herself, and you all," she said, slightly bitter.

"You expect her to spill her guts on demand."

Kiri eyed the demon. "This is a bad idea," she interjected. "We should try a more diplomatic way."

"What if they found out something important? Something we need to know?"

"If it was really that important they'd tell us. It's not like they want us dead." Kiri smiled. "Unless you decide to keep pissing off Ranma."

The immense queen, spun around to face the diminutive girl. "This was your idea."

"Yes. I was wrong."

"Wrong?" the gold queen raised an eyebrow. "Nice of you to admit that. Are you going to admit to all the other things you've screwed up?"

Kiri shrugged.

"It's nearing breakfast time in the mess. I'd suggest you get a good meal in, if you'll be doing training today," Nariko stated before turning away and walking down the hall.

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"Well, this could just work," Mistress Mercury drawled as she circled Virgo.

The purple-haired Senshi looked down at her arms, but not her hands or forearms. Those were covered by her white gloves. Instead she concentrated on the purple hue of her skin.

"How do you feel?" Mercury leaned over and checked the silver crown nestled on Virgo's glossy purple forehead.

The former Amazon closed her fingers. "Cold," she said, her voice distant but almost musical. "Strong."

Mercury nodded while Orion made a few notes. She then ran her hand through Virgo's hair, which was now the same shade, and gloss as the rest of her body. "I told you, you were weak. Your flesh was weak, but... I can make you strong."

"Yes." Virgo felt the crown deeply rooted into what was once her skull tingle. She exhaled and then stopped. There was no point, not anymore.

"Do you have any regrets?" Mercury motioned to Orion.

The auburn haired girl studied the violet figure. Her skin had the wrong texture and transparency to pass as human, but it did have the flexibility and details at least. Her eyes were even more alien. Embedded in a crystal sphere for smooth rotation, purple sapphires seemed to hover within each socket. The shimmering facets of the brilliant-cut gems gave her eyes an unearthly slightly insectile quality.

Virgo turned and stared at Mercury.

"Good, spirit. I was wondering if something had been lost in the conversion."

Virgo's confusion was cut-off by a forward thrust from Orion's double-bladed staff. Virgo screamed in pain, grabbed her swords, and stopped. Clumps of moist-looking, sand-like material oozed from the wound.

Blinking, Orion twisted, then withdrew her blade. The flow increased for a second, before slowing, and eventually stopping. The front of her uniform was torn up, and it and her skirt were covered in debris and fluids of various shades of purple. To her amazement, the wound itself started to... knit back together.

Picking her tablet back up, Orion noted that the process was more akin to the spread of crystals and that the wound itself resembled a... fluid geode that was rapidly filling-in.

"Hmm, less resistance than I expected, and less reaction time." Mercury looked to Virgo.

"She surprised me." Holstering a sword, Virgo ran a gloved hand over her stomach and felt her belly-button reform.

"Yes, you started to trust her." Mercury absently shrugged.

Virgo narrowed her sparkling eyes.

Blue lips twisted into a smirk as Mercury tapped the seam where Virgo's _flesh_ met the metal of the silver tiara. "Too late for any regrets, any lack of trust now, far too late."

Mercury held Virgo's chin and stared into her faceted eyes. "In fact... I'm sure you have _none_, am I right, my creation?"

High gloss, almost mirror-like, dark purple lips curled into an eager smile.

Mercury licked her lips. "Yes... compared to you, Venus was primitive, prototype, but you can see what even she has done."

Virgo's eyes went to the two phones across the room. Sitting on twin end tables, one was glossy gold while the other was a plastic and sickly green.

"She has made our queen strong again; she has given our queen her control, she has given of herself to give our queen the weapons and armor to win the upcoming war." Mercury caressed the pliant crystalline flesh. "We should all strive to become better, and we will improve ourselves. You, my Amazonian friend are the first of a new kind of Sailor Senshi. One optimized to serve our restored queen."

Virgo bowed her head.

"Soon, you will be ready. Soon, we will all be ready." Mercury's smirk was cut off by a shrill ringing. All three turned their heads to the noise.

"Is that?" Orion asked.

"I don't think so..." Mercury turned to look at the phones to see which phone was ringing. It was the green one.

Orion started to smile, but halted after the second ring.

"I thought you got your mother to stop calling you?" Mercury asked.

Orion flushed. "We normally talk over email..." Dr. Nadine Fraiser of North York General Hospital's radiology department was formerly, but unknowingly, Mayumi Osaka of Osa-P Jewelers. She was under the impression that her daughter Orion, formerly Janet, formerly Naru, was at boarding school.

"At least she's buying your story. Of course doctors being far too busy to parent makes for easy cover stories," Mercury remarked. Her own medical doctor mother was similarly conned.

"But mother, doesn't know that line." Orion crossed the room and picked up a lacquered platter that sat atop a small end table. A long cord unspooled behind her as she carried the platter to her mistress.

Mercury eyed the sickly green, phone. A gloved hand hesitated before grasping the dust-covered plastic. "Yes?" she demanded, and for a moment she could swear she heard DarkStar's smooth, throaty voice, instead...

"I'm sorry, was I interrupting? Maybe you finally broke down that Amazon and were having a little orgy, or were you feeling maudlin and decided to waste some perfectly good Merlot," Murdock drawled.

"I was working," Mercury snapped, feeling her stomach go cold, emergency contact aside, the situation felt wrong.

"Oh good, more playing soldier. I suppose if you're amusing enough someone might let you live," the mage humorlessly mocked.

Mercury shivered. This was not Murdock's style. "What's wrong?"

"Did you know that Captain Jarvis has a whole set of little tools? Made them herself, that's craftsmanship, of course it's a family business."

"She tortured you?" Mercury gasped.

"Oh you make it so dramatic." There was a wet burbling in the background. "The whole point of informational interrogation is the application of psychological stress in order to facilitate information extraction."

"And physical trauma can help generate psychological stress?"

Murdock chuckled. "Yes, but it's quite difficult, this is an art. For example, the Captain has these tiny hooked blades. They're so sharp that you almost don't feel them go in. It's a hot pain but quick, then she twists them around. Very... distracting." His voice grew distant. "The room had a drain and everything. She was right, it got so much more... civil, towards the end."

Mercury swallowed. "Did you call for a reason?"

"You just don't get it, you stupid boffin. We screwed up. This woman I'm talking about, Ranma turned her into her sister, knowing what she could do, knowing what she was. Ranma was there when that blonde worked me over, she helped. She knows."

Eyes locking onto Virgo, Mercury froze.

"I'm sure she knows about your plans." Murdock scoffed.

Silent, Mercury eyed the gold phone. She gave a tiny, silent smile. Murdock could only betray what he knew.

The mage continued. "But I'm talking about the big stuff."

"You told her?" Mercury asked.

"Hell yes! I was worked over by an empath with years of experience in information extraction and intelligence. Have you ever tried lying to a demon?"

Mercury's memory went back to various meetings in posh bars. "Yes." She looked at Virgo with a little frown.

Murdock laughed. "We've been played. Played by those serving a puppet queen."

"You're the one that spilled your guts." Mercury looked at where she had spilled Virgo's "guts" and thought. Perhaps past successes could be repeated.

"She already knew! She knew who I was working for; what I was doing; what Setsuna's been doing."

Mercury smirked. "She's a demon, what did you expect? Diabolical plots and scheming are part of it."

Murdock's unhinged titter returned. "No, no, no. Demons are simple creatures. Dangerous, but basic in what they want and how they'll get it. No, DarkStar learned this from humans."

"You created her."

"Yes, paranoia of people like me drove her to become what she is."

"DarkStar."

Murdock scoffed. "The old DarkStar put her trust in Serenity and tried to mediate things. She got killed for it. No, Ranma's making sure history won't repeat."

"What do you mean?"

Murdock chuckled. "You're a smart girl; you can figure it out."

"She hasn't killed me."

"That's because you're useful to her, a threat to the queen but not to her. Handy, safe pressure she can exploit." Murdock chuckled.

Mercury smirked a bit at Virgo and Orion. "Again, why are you calling? Why risk this secure system?"

"It's over. Forget your little plans, the schemes we worked up. Crawl back and DarkStar might just let you live, let you serve your queen."

"What about you?"

"Well, I squealed on several groups of very scary people to another group of scary people, and that isn't even counting the rank disappointment many of these scary people had in me. First I'm going to find a quiet place and have a very large drink and then... well what do you think I'm going to do?" Murdock mocked before breaking the connection.

"Run, hide, and whimper. Like a little girl." Mercury's glare at the dead phone softened. "Not a bad idea," she admitted, grinning slightly. Some distance could be beneficial, and she did know of a place.

Still holding the platter and the phone Orion tilted her head. "So, how bad is it?"

"Our illustrious mage got picked up by DarkStar and her Spooks. He spilled and is now running."

"And he called to tell you this, better than letting us twist in the wind." Orion then collected the phone's receiver and returned the platter back to the end table, spooling in the cable. "Good thing he doesn't know about this place." She left the question unasked.

Going back to her experiment, Mercury slowly turned to face the auburn-haired girl. "Really? How well did you obscure the landline? How certain are you that he couldn't trace it? Bah," she waved her hand. "It's pointless. I know where we'll go next."

"What problem?" Virgo stated as she ran a hand over her healed midsection. "Annoying man leaves. That's good."

Mercury rubbed her forehead. "That part's good, but-" she looked into Virgo's cut-gem eyes. "But he bugged-out after he told DarkStar everything. That hurts my plans."

Purple lips formed into a smirk.

Mercury shook her head. "It hurts your plans too." She exhaled. "Unless... You want your revenge, yes?"

After a moment's wary gaze, Virgo nodded.

Looking at the gold phone, Mercury smirked. "Well, perhaps it's time to look at a contingency plan."

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3

Ranma leaned back as the conference room was locked. Sitting next to her, Eve looked up from a pattern scanner. "Jammers are up. We're secure, Sirs."

Commander Stillwater cleared his throat. "I've been led to believe that this interview with the mage Murdock was fruitful?"

Captain Eve Jarvis nodded. "Sir, it's more supporting evidence to our suspicions."

"We knew his goal was the control of Miss Tsukino." Colonel Jacob Edwards leaned back in his chair. "That's why he killed Mamoru Chiba, sabotaged Miss Saotome's 'awakening', and abducted and converted Naru Osaka."

"Yes Sir, his aim was to gain control of one of Miss Tsukino's confidants, and then her..."

"Which is why that damned armor business is so worrying," Stillwater stated. "Jacob?"

Colonel Jacob Edwards nodded. "What else, Captain?"

"In addition to confirming those judgments," Eve smiled. "Murdock revealed his 'client', who is in actuality his employer: The Rune Order."

Jacob nodded. "We had our suspicions, but..."

"You didn't think his own order would be stupid enough to actually hire him?" Ranma asked.

"Being a rogue agent, given the apparent animosity between him and the rest of the Order, was a useful cover." Jacob said.

"Captain, no offense, but are you really skilled enough to dig that information out of an operative like him, in the time you had?" Stillwater arched an eyebrow.

"What the Commander means is that you only had a couple hours to interview him."

"It didn't take much to get him to spill." Ranma laughed. "That allowed us to offer the deal."

Stillwater nodded. "He's betraying his masters then?"

"Why not? He's betrayed everyone else." Ranma shrugged her shoulders. "And his bosses are gonna hang him out to dry anyway. They think he's a clueless failure."

"And since, publically, he's persona non-grata and worse in the eyes of the Rune Order, one would expect them to assist in his disposal, or at least not begrudge whoever kills him," Stillwater looked to the collection of papers on the table. "Why does the Rune Order want Miss Tsukino? The expected reason?"

"Pretty-much, she's got a lot of power."

"The Rune Order isn't alone. The Path of the Will thought she was an eldritch horror destined to destroy the world," Jacob said, referring to a relatively small cult which took several hostages in a toy store. They sacrificed a mother and her child on a giant crescent moon in the hope of summoning Serenity.

It worked. They were all killed; their leader, Master Kronecker's skull was crushed by Usagi's white gloves.

"Don't tell me they were behind the Path of the Will?" Stillwater asked.

"Murdock doesn't know, but he did say that the Rune Order had plenty of books like the one the Path used," Eve stated.

"Yes, the Order is supposed to keep dangerous texts out of the wrong hands," Jacob frowned. "What other pies does the Order keep their fingers in?"

"Probably the Youma attack on Furinkan. Though Murdock may have done that himself," Eve frowned. "I didn't press him too closely on that, there were... bigger fish."

Stillwater waved his hand

"However, Murdock's pretty sure the Rune Order's behind the Assembly of Man," Eve stated.

"Really? Those God-botherers don't seem to have the patience to deal with magi," Stillwater stroked his goatee.

"It does explain why they wasted most of their troops trying to stop me," Ranma smirked. "Someone was pushing them."

"It wasn't revenge on the acolytes that you took?" Jacob asked.

"Hell of a coincidence, two of my childhood friends join the Assembly? Sure they wanted revenge on me, but I wasn't even a demon when they joined, and their loss sure makes for a convenient excuse."

"The common officers and troops have their casus belli," Stillwater shook his head. "Does the Assembly really have a Hollis situation?"

"Hollis... a high placed mole?" Ranma asked after pondering the context.

"The highest," Jacob nodded. "Sir Roger Hollis, Director General of MI5 and Soviet mole. Place a traitor that high and you've got nearly the whole organization."

"It's possible. We don't know much about the Assembly Council. Maybe it's High Father Corvine or maybe it's the whole bloody council," Jacob frowned.

Stillwater smirked coldly. "If I were the Rune Order, I'd go the latter way. Just in case any up-and-coming Bishop that tries to do the right thing and reveal the High Father's treachery to the Council."

"We haven't heard much of them?"

"We don't hear much about the Council, period, and that was before WIC started hunting down the Assembly." Jacob sighed. "I'm willing to consider that the Assembly is the Rune Order's cat's paw. But why? Why waste their forces trying to kill Miss Saotome here."

"Control," Eve explained.

"I got away from Murdock. Murdock got away from the Order, but I was getting closer to WIC and to Usagi." Ranma shook her head. "They saw me as the biggest threat. If I made Usagi a demon they'd have little hope of controlling her. Where we," the demoness smiled, "would have her eating out of our hands."

"And now the Rune order has only a bare fraction of the forces they expected. Alternative forces..." Stillwater sighed before taking a sip of water.

"The Russians?" Jacob asked.

"Murdock didn't hire them, but he has managed to keep some surveillance," Eve stated.

"This was before they hired a cultist who could sniff out his bugs." Ranma added.

"Murdock has admitted to being cut off from his superiors. I doubt they'd tell him if they changed tack."

"Simply killing Usagi does cover cases of corruption and conversion, but... they went through a lot, a lot of trouble to set up a scheme to control her. Are things that bad for the Order?" Ranma asked.

"As you said, they invested a lot of work, a lot of time. If their timetable is as pressed as ours then they could be looking at a wall. Their prime operative failed and rendered unreliable. They've lost hundreds of ground troops. For all that their target has drifted even further out of reach." Jacob explained.

"Why not kill her?" Eve rhetorically asked.

"That is our backup plan." Stillwater stated.

"But it doesn't have to be the Order. Usagi has plenty of enemies."

"True, and the Order would see such assassins as fortune's smile" Jacob tapped the table. "I suppose that's strong evidence they want her dead."

"If we presume the Order is behind Murdock," Stillwater stressed. "But yes, if they still had hope for converting Miss Tsukino they'd try to stop the Russians."

"And given their initial ignorance of magical means, a cabal of mages should have been able to hurt them," Jacob said.

Ranma leaned back. "Okay... that's something. The people behind this, they want Usagi dead. That's something, but still we don't know who hired the Numbers."

"Most of Miss Tsukino's enemies are dead," Stillwater stated.

Eve smirked. "That doesn't mean much, Sir."

"Back from the dead? Or simply not really dead?" Stillwater raised an eyebrow. "The new Tokyo branch has been running down as much as they can. No real leads though."

Eve shook her head. "Nothing that supernatural. Simply a deadman contract."

"Ah," Jacob nodded. "That'd require someone with foresight, money, and a conception of mortality."

Ranma looked down from the ceiling. "So, it's insurance then?"

Nodding, Eve warmly smiled.

"Right, so one of Usagi's enemies realizes that these Sailors could actually kill her. So what... she nips out and makes a deal 'If I die please hire some assassins to kill these girls' ? Why are the Numbers attacking now then?"

"The traditional method involves drawing up a contract with a willing law office. Oblique terminology and sealed envelopes are used to maintain discretion. Periodically, someone contacts the lawyer. This keeps the contract from going out," Jacob explained.

"And if she dies, then no more calls, and eventually the hit goes out." Ranma shook her head. "Revenge from the grave. Cute."

"Insurance does bring peace of mind." The corners of Jacob's lips went up infinitesimally.

"That doesn't help... us. It still could be the Order. It could be an old enemy that survived. Maybe they hired the Numbers now because they think Usagi's more vulnerable here than in Tokyo. What with the Senshi split and all."

"Or it's taken them this long to raise the necessary funds to hire the Russians," Eve added.

"Right." Ranma nodded. "But it could be someone Usagi killed, and after however many years their revenge is finally starting."

"Or it could be some other group. Maybe this is a Path of the Will situation." Eve tapped the table. "But instead of having goons with guns they've got a bunch of money and underworld contacts."

Jacob scribbled a few notes. "Well, we've got a bit more information. We'll have our branches rattle the bushes."

"We can see if the Papal Expeditionary has dug anything else up," Stillwater said.

"I suppose it's not good to concentrate on who'd actually know how to hire the Numbers." Ranma suggested.

"We've been working that angle, but... there's plenty of middlemen. Likely the ones that commissioned the hit didn't even know they were getting the Russians. Not specifically at least."

Ranma shook her head. "What an impersonal way to kill someone."

Eve blinked. "Really? You've never questioned missile strikes or my daughter's work."

"Distant isn't the same as impersonal. I know Morgan. I trust our missile crews. But having someone you've never met and can't vouch for..." Ranma waved her hand. "Not a reliable way to kill someone."

Jacob smiled inwardly at Ranma using the word "our". "So, Murdock didn't find out who hired the Russians. What has he found out?"

"They've hired their own mercenaries," Eve said.

"This cultist for one," Jacob frowned.

"There is the other group. They hired the Thracian Union, a Bulgarian group. Deeply against Glasnost and other reforms, the Union styled themselves as a paramilitary reincarnation of the Fatherland Front, one that would bring the organization back to its World War Two roots by focusing on action and anti-corruption and national unity."

"Clearly they failed, and were left out in the cold." Stillwater allowed a tiny smirk. "We have another hard-line group that felt betrayed by the corruption and eventual fall of their communist leaders?"

Eve nodded.

"Thracian... huh. The communists do have a secret love for nationalism, especially when it comes to appearing cultured and historically educated," Jacob chuckled.

"Sir." Eve's head gave a curt bow. "From our database, it seems the Union spent the nineties doing odd jobs in the Balkans and other hot spots. Also the collapse and cutbacks of the Bulgarian military gave them a surplus of equipment and a source of men."

"And with continued work, and given the other liquidating East Bloc nations, they've managed to keep themselves supplied," Jacob frowned. "And given what the Numbers had been through, they'd be kindred spirits, or at least they'd have spent some time in the same circles."

"Manpower, equipment, professionalism? What are we looking at here?"

"They haven't moved into the city yet. So far it's just been a few representatives of the Union. Apparently, Murdock didn't know much of their strength." Eve explained. "But our sources give a total force of about company sized. Maybe four or five platoons. They've got the expected East Bloc arms and in the past have used heavy machine guns, RPG, demolitions, and anything they could bribe out of an armory."

"Vehicles?"

"Nothing above armored cars and trucks. They're mostly light infantry and cleaners. They don't have a history of going head to head against regular military."

Stillwater frowned. "I didn't think the Russians were being paid this well. Quite a commitment. Unless... they're willing to take a loss and complete their target out of a sense of pride and revenge for their fallen comrades."

"They could be putting everything they have, spending all their reserves, all to make sure she's dead." Ranma nodded. "I can understand that motivation."

"This assumes they've hired the whole Union," Eve stated.

Ranma gave a quizzical look at Eve while the two senior officers exchanged blank looks.

"It is a possibility, Sirs. The Numbers may simply have hired a few specialized teams. Perhaps some sharpshooters or missile crews or even a couple mortar teams."

"Broad range of what they could have hired. Professionalism?"

"At last check, their officer and NCO equivalents are all veterans." Eve looked down at her notes. "At least forty percent of their regulars are also surpluses from the communist fall. It started out with more, but over the years many walked away from the Union. Those that have been hired on accept being a mercenary outfit, and their skills seem to be acceptable for the work."

"We'll need to analyze their past operations," Jacob looked to Stillwater.

"I'll tell General Anderson. It's clear that the Numbers want to have more bodies, unlike the remote turrets they've used before, they want a force with more flexibly and more mass. Potentially, this is a lot of men and material they're moving in."

"With enough time and distribution they can get it in pretty quietly. A few hotels, a few storage places for anything big, and renting a bunch of cheap apartments is popular," Eve noted.

"Right. What about this cultist?" Jacob asked reading the report before sliding it to Stillwater.

Eve sighed. "The Numbers aren't just augmenting their manpower. They're getting some NH and magical expertise. The guy they've hired..."

"He's got Murdock tweaked. He's the whole reason Murdock came to me in the first place," Ranma said.

"Did Murdock say which God?" Stillwater asked his eyes glancing over to Jacob.

"No Sir, he was quite adamant against it. He gave a pretty solid hint but he was most unwilling to say a name. He even refused to use a Love-coda colloquial name. Securing the guards and transcripts became... difficult at that point."

"Well that's ominous," Jacob frowned. "Great Old One?"

Eve shook her head and stood up. "Higher."

Ranma noticed Stillwater tap the tabletop a couple times.

"And this person is giving advice to mercenaries possessing equipment capable of dimensional collapse? Even the Silvers aren't that insane." Jacob watched as Captain Jarvis rechecked the jammers and locks.

Nodding, Eve sat back down. "If it's any help Sirs. He gave some hints, fairly oblique but... it's not Black Goat, the Blind Ape, the Witch, or the Sultan. Also given his apprehension, it's likely a deity in the Love-coda."

"Lovely," Jacob said, eliminating candidates from his mental checklist.

Meanwhile, Stillwater mutely stared, especially at the corners of the room.

"We did have our suspicions, Sir." Jacob reminded.

"Yes, yes. The nature of the incursion, the prophetic hints, and the various scanner readings..." Stillwater sighed.

"Murdock was also real paranoid about being watched," Ranma added. "And this is a man that figured out how to block Meiou."

"There is a degree of familiarity," Eve added. "Especially in providing intelligence on magical elements."

"Work that connection." Stillwater soured. "Sometimes, I really regret the Company's past work."

"Howard Philip's writings have permeated society and provide fair warning." Eve looked down. "Or at least can act as an early warning tripwire. Someone's more likely to spot the symptoms if they're spelled out."

"Yes, but they also increase access and provide a... gateway to anyone with enough interest. In many ways he got a bit too close. The Love-coda is not that far off. Named-by-reference is still Named." Stillwater looked to the blonde demon. "What else did Murdock have on this cultist?"

Ranma blinked. "Other than worshiping a mutli-angled horror from beyond?"

"His description has given us a likely target," Eve pulled a photograph out. Grainy, black and white, at an oblique angle, and cropped, it showed a brutish man in a garish suit walking down a tarmac.

"Not just 'technical' advisor?" Jacob ventured.

"Right, Sir. He's been linked to a handful of killings. Mostly in Europe but recently in South-East Asia. Nothing substantive, but he's been around for a while, at least two decades."

Hearing the conversation, Stillwater mulled over the situation.

"Methods?"

"Firearms. Close-in." Eve stated.

"Really." Jacob frowned. "Unusual choice."

"Obviously, we only know some of his missions. Reports are... confused."

"Glamour and mental fogging is possible," Stillwater studied the photograph. "I really don't like this coat. Are there any color photographs? Or something with higher resolution?"

"Non-Euclidian-weave?" Jacob chuckled.

"A man wears an ugly suit for a reason," Stillwater stated.

"I'd recommend preemption when confronted. If he's serving who I think he is, hesitation would be lethal."

Stillwater nodded. "Signs point to him having a dangerous level of knowledge."

"Agreed, Sirs. For the suit, it's possible he likes it," Eve frowned. "However, he's made an effort to avoid Company, Directorate, and Vatican attention. He only came up in our unconfirmed database."

"And now he's advising these Russians against us. We need more information on this fellow. What's the nome de guerre?"

"Mal de Veste," Eve smirked.

"Of course," Stillwater paused. "Right. Given who he worships this could be... interesting."

"You assume he's got the-"

Stillwater cut off Jacob. "I don't assume anything. Especially when it concerns the Threshold. You know what it can take to earn this being's favor. And here and now we have this man... with these Russians."

Jacob sighed. "At least we managed to warn the Russians."

"But you said it yourself. 'This person is giving advice to mercenaries possessing equipment capable of dimensional collapse.' "

Ranma shrugged. "You knew this was going to happen. All sorts are crawling out of the woodwork." The redhead looked at the grainy photograph. "Besides, there's a use for him. As far as we know, he hasn't seen the Silvers, has he?"

Stillwater nodded. "It would confirm some of our suspicions."

"Though we do have to address Miss Tsukino's... armor use," Eve said.

"Major Saotome has a mitigation strategy," Jacob said.

"Right, now if the Order isn't behind the Russians. They've got to be regrouping. They've invested too much in getting Miss Tsukino to abandon it," Stillwater stated.

"Now that we have a lead that points to the Order being behind this, we can apply more force on investigating them. See if they've hired anyone."

"What about Akumi?" Ranma asked. "Her drunken ramblings are cutting awfully close to home. How much has she figured out? She's got her own plans and is going to strike Usagi. It's a matter of time."

"Miss Mizuno can be your responsibility if you wish." Stillwater leveled his gaze at the redhead.. "If you think she can be used to stabilize Miss Tsukino then that is advisable, if she's a lost cause then it may be best to cut her off before further trouble."

"She thinks Usagi's being corrupted by otherworldly forces; she thinks compared to that I'm the safe influence on her little queen." Ranma looked down at the photo of de Veste. "Her paranoia can cause some real trouble."

"Paranoia is like drink, a little is healthy but too much and it starts to blur your thinking," Eve noted.

"What does Murdock know about Miss Mizuno's activities?" Jacob asked.

"Any day she was going to bring him over to show her latest development. The constant delays annoyed him, especially since he, supposedly, did not know the location of her current lair."

"Miss Aino's new armor?" Jacob asked.

"Timing doesn't fit, Sir."

"Minako and Usagi came up with their stupid armor a couple days ago, and Akumi's still dawdling."

"Though this is hardly welcome news," Stillwater frowned.

"It gives us time to work our angle though," Jacob interjected. "The armor does give us options."

Stillwater reluctantly nodded.

Ranma chuckled. "Yeah, but it also means our pretend dominatrix is working on something else. Something we don't know."

"Does Murdock have any inkling on what this new project is?"

"After some encouragement he gave a few of his theories. Given the literature Miss Mizuno's collected he believes she's digging into power channeling and other support systems Pattern Silvers use. He thinks that Miss Aino was a prototype. However, the delays show that the new... designs are not without considerable upgrades," Eve explained.

Jacob nodded. "Right, more transhuman claptrap."

"This bears some similarity to the... upgrades that Miss Tsukino and Miss Aino gave their comrades," Stillwater noted.

"Akumi's goal is to prove that her Senshi are stronger and that she is worthy of being Usagi's right hand. From there she can influence Usagi and show her what is required to be a strong queen."

"Thus bringing the Miss Tsukino under her sway and transitively under the Order's control."

"Which is what is so worrying about the Tsukino-Aino fusion. Any residual control in Aino would bring Tsukino under Miss Mizuno's heel and thus Murdock's." Jacob turned to Eve. "I trust you explained the situation to him?"

The blonde nodded. "He believes we let him go in order to secure Miss Mizuno, and that we will protect him from the Order once his work is complete, or at least he was convincing enough to that effect."

"We could have just killed him," Ranma grumbled.

"And destroy such a useful tool? You are the one that brokered the deal with him."

"I guess the mere fact that he's alive proves he squealed. That's gotta get the Order tweaked." Ranma grinned, showing her fangs. "If they're sloppy they'll send a hit team."

"Proving to him that they're hanging him out to dry."

"Good. He expects people to have backstabbing and Byzantine plans. Let him see what he wants."

"It was nice to finally get someone to accept one of my Faustian deals."

Eve put an arm around her sister's shoulder. "It's okay. Give the Russians more time... and more casualties. Your offer will be more appealing them, and that's not even counting Tsukino."

Ranma nodded.

"As for your offer to Miss Mizuno, you did come on a bit strong, and if she actually knew you, she'd realize that you don't lightly offer to turn someone."

"She didn't object for that reason," Ranma muttered as she leaned onto her sister.

"Right, so we have the possibility of the Rune Order being behind much of this, from Murdock to the Assembly of Man, some new paths on who hired the Russians, the Russian assassins hiring Bulgarian mercenaries and a... cultist, and Miss Mizuno is planning some new transhuman upgrade," Jacob listed.

"Is that all?" Stillwater asked with mock levity.

Holding a snuggling sister, Eve paused. "Sir, we suspected much of this. The only thing truly new to us is the cyborgs' outsourcing. Which is why Murdock approached us in the first place, something he has not done in quite some time."

"You guys knew this goober had a head full of secrets. Don't get all sour just because I finally handed him over."

"There was one looming blank-spot in his testimony," Eve stated.

"No direct mention of Miss Tsukino," Stillwater completed.

"Either he gave up on her, still holds hope on Miss Mizuno, or he managed to conceal a new plan from me." For a fraction of a second Eve chewed her lip. "I didn't have full.. freedom or time to work him over."

Jacob turned and caught Stillwater's slight nod. "Understood. We did not expect full disclosure, and this is more than we expected. We'll need to be careful with this information, especially since it's from a very questionable source."

"Limited distribution will follow verification. The Russian outsourcing is the most urgent, but the Rune Order is the most long term, and needs the most support. A plausible sounding unknown is more damaging than an outright lie." Stillwater stressed. "Perhaps we should take advantage of this meeting to discuss... countermeasures."

"Usagi is getting more obnoxious," Ranma frowned.

"You wanted her to be more assertive," Eve smirked.

"I'd prefer more competent. Maybe we'll have to shoot for obedient."

Stillwater raised an eyebrow.

"I've been thinking on what she's been lacking, what she needs. Why she's been such a jerk," Ranma offered.

"Run it by me when you get something solid." Stillwater nodded.

"Our response to events like the Tsukino-Aino fusion can be tightened up," Jacob smoothly stated. "And the supplemental systems could use some testing."

"They're happily giving us the access." Ranma grinned. "Still, mother would like that. She's learning a lot, and that Dirac kid's got some interesting ideas."

Eve matched her sister's expression. "And Morgan has been itching for more practice."

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"Did you have a good drive?" Mal de Veste asked without looking up from his menu.

"Must you dress this way?" Zhivkov sighed as he slid into the booth opposite the garish-suited man.

Mal shrugged.

The Bulgarian looked out the window; the burnt-out husk was out of sight but he knew it was there. The route in had passed several other demolished and burned out buildings. Work crews were still repairing the damage from the battle. "You want me to see destruction? So, this is nothing."

"Yes, yes." Mal shifted into German. "The Balkans very scary place."

Zhivkov chuckled and let a bored waitress hand him a menu. "Not first time this happen in the West either," the officer said in the same language as he read over a list of mediocre sandwiches and pancakes. "Very busy girls. You know this."

"This wasn't them. At least not entirely," de Veste smiled. "Besides, that's not important part..."

"The important part is that they lost."

"And that the enemy they fight is so... free. Most times the West..." Mal shrugged. "They do not do this. Not this open."

Zhivkov frowned.

"You are a loyal man, this brings problems."

The head of the Thracian Union looked up at the approaching waitress.

The young woman looked between the suddenly-silent suited men. They seemed to study her, the garish and brutish man staring at her eyes, the more... European man at her hands. Both then glanced at their menus and immediately placed full orders, instead of getting drinks first and then ordering meals.

After she left, Mal shook his head.. "I, I can leave whenever it gets bad. Business will sour, but I manage," he said returning to his somewhat stilted German. "You however, you have responsibilities."

Zhivkov laughed. "You don't trust them?"

"I trust that they'll pay if we all live. Communists are funny like that; they of all people respect the power of currency." Mal tapped his ring against the tabletop.

"Ah, so you're looking for insurance?" Zhivkov asked, concealing most of his annoyance.

Mal finally lifted his eyes up. "Dear Comrade no. I have my insurance." He reached into his suit coat and pulled out a large envelope.

Zhivkov clicked his tongue at the photograph. It was a glossy black and white of a diminutive girl with somewhat dark skin and medium to light hair. Despite capturing her at an angle the girl's eyes seemed to bore into the cameraman. Putting the photograph down, he unconsciously made sure to flip it over.

Chuckling at the other man's actions, Mal nodded. "We are both men of the world. We both know the security that leverage can bring us."

Zhivkov shook his head slowly. "You admit..."

"I admit to planning what you plan. Galina needs us, as long as we are discrete, as long as she does not betray us..."

"But her?" Zhivkov tapped the table. "Why? She's a target."

"Yes, unlike what you plan to do, mine is a target." Mal grinned wolfishly as he turned the photograph back over. "Quite the impression she gives."

Zhivkov stared at the piercing, almost disappointed eyes.

"They say that taking a photograph captures the soul."

The Bulgarian coughed and looked back up.

"Total rubbish." Mal laughed. "For purely optic recording to capture that information, would require an abnormal intensity affecting the visible spectrum, though if it were to happen..." He leaned forward, the pattern on his suit seeming to shift. "It would be quite the thing wouldn't it?"

Zhivkov turned away from the image. "I must admit to being... over my head."

"With enough force, they die just like anything else. That's the way of flesh."

"Our employers or their targets? Ah, both."

Mal smirked, teeth gleaming. "Everything dies. There is only one eternal being."

The mercenary communist sighed. "So, are we working a deal?"

"Deal implies exchange and compromise. I prefer to think of it as an understanding."

"Non-interference on... insurance policies? And our employer?"

"If we need the insurance, then I hardly think her concerns are that relevant."

Zhivkov frowned.

"But as I said, you're at a disadvantage. You're a loyal man. You have responsibilities. Perhaps her concerns are relevant." Mal went silent and leaned back as the waitress returned with their meals. "But at least you don't have to worry about me," he said digging into his hash browns and bacon.

Zhivkov sipped the coffee "Small favor."

"Do you think insurance will be required?"

Staring at Mal, Zhivkov pondered. "Our own reconnaissance has confirmed much, but there is even more that is unknown. If the information about the enemy she has given us is not exaggerated... there will be much blood."

"Theirs?" Mal smirked.

"That is the hope, but if these... monsters get close." Zhivkov took another sip.

"You will have support. Our employer and her comrades. yes?"

"I've seen her comrades in battle. I am... apprehensive at the idea of getting between them and creatures that have forced them to acquire reinforcements."

Mal snickered and continued eating his meal.

"Clearly, I don't intend to have my men stuck between them."

Nodding Mal chewed for a bit. "Men plan, god laughs."

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"Are you ready?" Nodoka looked over her clipboard at the armored figure.

The queen looked to Kiri who gave a big smile and discretely remove a cable that connected the queen's head-piece to a small laptop and array of crystals.

Kiri picked up the crystals and slipped them in small leather case.

"So, what have you two been doing?"

"Improvements," Eve tersely replied. "Mitigating some of the most severe deficiencies of the armor."

The queen set her jaw. "I thought you didn't like it."

Eve gave a sympathetic nod. "We don't, but if you agree to our improvements and follow our commands. Well, we can see how it goes."

"Really?"

"You being encased in protective armor has appeal. As long as it doesn't make you a sitting duck."

"There is much from Silver Empire that Minako didn't know about when she made the first version." Kiri said.

"So what did you do?" the gold queen asked.

Kiri blushed slightly.

Nodoka cleared her throat and Dirac took that as the signal to start the various scanning recorders. The officer continued. "The change in armor design was akin to the difference between a battleship and a battlecruiser. Battleships and battlecruisers possessed similar firepower, but a battlecruiser used a slimmer hull and less armor to gain speed and maneuverability. We'll do this with you. You won't be a hulking nine foot monstrosity, but you'll be able to move."

The armored queen nodded. "Fine." The familiar, constant pressure and encasement... changed. Her body felt like it was floating in complete numb, dark, silence.

A warm embrace and a gentle massage heralded the changes. "_You'll love this,, my Queen,"_ Minako's voice cooed directly to Serenity as sensation returned to Serenity's limbs and her eyesight and hearing returned.

_"Feels nice... very... light."_ Serenity replied via the same connection. She looked down at the scientist and noticed that her body was indeed... smaller.

"See, only seven feet tall, and at least half a foot of that is 'hair'." Nodoka smirked. "As I said, similar to a battlecruiser you have a slimmer profile."

The queen nodded. The thinner armor actually gave a curve of stomach and hips, instead of being a single multi-inch thick mass. Improved composite layering and magical strengthening allowed for a reduction in the thickness of her bodice and slimming of her pauldrons, which were now short enough that she could actually look over her shoulder.

In contrast her facial armor had thickened, making a smoother more masklike visage. The blue lenses over her eyes had also grown and were strengthened by the strongest layering on the armor. The sculpted mass of hair that served as an integrated helmet looked mostly unchanged. There were more gems on her crown. Her display and Minako quietly informed her that these were the probes for a suite of new sensors and transmitters. Several magical and mundane scanners that could fit in the space of her hair-bun without compromising the armor were added in.

Her forearms still terminated in heavy gauntlets. She flexed her sword arm and found the blade retreat spit and form into a quartet of grasping claws. For a moment she was rapt by the complex sliding, bending and hinging the digits could accomplice. With a golden smile she made a long central spike shoot out of the middle of her "palm". Nodding she gave another motion and blades lining either side of the claws blunted and retreated, forming less lethal manipulators.

Her right forearm was the standard wand barrel. Though this time the crystal prongs sticking out of it could flex and served as another set of claws, just as sharp as their metallic cousins. Both magical taps flowed into the wand structure and to a series of bands built deep under the armor. Each gently hummed and quietly absorbed spare energy.

She looked down and saw the same ring anchor around her waist and from that a series of interlocking plates that made up her skirting. Like the rest of her armor the ring was a bit thinner and formed more shapely, while the bell shaped skirt flowed closer to her legs, occasionally revealing an actual contour.

Major Saotome chuckled. "Yes, you're less wide. Now you can go through doors. Also, you're half the weight you were before. This mitigates a lot of ground-pressure problems, things like walking in mud or up stairs. We've also put in four 'float systems'. " Nodoka pointed to a quartet of round bulges on the armor, two on the front above the stomach and another pair below the waist in the back. "Embedding them further cut into your armor, but they'll place you at a human mass, less if you want to."

The queen nodded, while not visible she could feel the devices emplaced behind the generous armor housings on her buttocks and chest, which also explained the size of those generous structures despite the lighter armor

"Silver tech, so it should integrate fine," Dirac added, as he made sure his equipment was still recording. Gravity resistant magic was quite difficult to get stable, if they could reproduce it.

"One of the Russians uses a similar technology to enable her to float while phasing through matter."

"Even without the floats your weight's low enough that you don't need those massive clogs you had before, but... you should probably dial your mass down given the footwear you do have."

Feeling the couple inch incline her gold-composite wedge heel boots had, the queen nodded and powered up her float system. She felt a slight tingling centered around the generators and the pressure on her armor lessened, easing the load on her systems. She did feel her hips spread apart a bit, giving her feet a wider more stable base.

Circling the queen, Kiri nodded. "This could do it."

"Field testing will be required, but mitigating the weight and maneuvering problems should really help," Nodoka appraised.

The queen's silver lips shifted into a smile. "Thank you," she nodded to Major Saotome. "I'm sorry we've been such a burden."

Nodoka frowned. "You should apologize to my daughter. She's the one committing so much of her time to this."

The queen lowered her head. "Yes... yes I should." She tilted her head. "Good idea."

Kiri ran a finger along the queen's armored skirting. "So, any viability?"

Major Saotome shrugged. "Honestly? You're still down one Senshi with this scheme. I'm not sure the extra firepower and armor makes up for that loss. You'll also need to train them to use the armor, a lot. And this all ignores the problem that she's still quite slow and despite the armor she's vulnerable."

"Immersive training?"

The queen blinked.

Nodoka raised an eyebrow, and mentally made sure to emphasize this in the contact report. "I'd consider the psychological factors first."

"Yes." Kiri smiled slightly. "That could be a problem."

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She was a large woman. However, she was not stout; she was too tall and not wide enough to be accurately called that. Big-boned seemed to fit as she was broad in shoulder and height, though she was also generously and heavily curved. Further difficulties in classification came with the lack of any stomach bulge.

She was clothed in a sculpted leather gown. Each section was tooled in flowing patterns and cured with a golden shine. A built in bodice supported and exaggerated an already ample chest. Flowing over her legs were a series of somewhat-stiff, shining leather scallops that ran to the floor.

A silver cape-like mantel rested over her shoulders, its leather gathered at her upper arms to form puffy tiers. It was tied over her neck with a silver broach. Thin leather sleeves went down her arms. Her hands were clasped in front and were covered by a muff. The silver-furred cylinder was fluffy and wide, extending far enough to cover the cuffs of her sleeves.

A folded and tightly twisted bun adorned the top of her head. Honey blonde, the lacquered structure added four more inches to her height pushing her total well over six and a half feet. A silver crown set with a ruby crescent moon sat in the bun.

Thick, oval-shaped, blue-tinted lenses obscured the eyes on a serene if circular and severe face. A somewhat too small, adorable little nose clashed with a broad-soft chin. The golden half-rim glasses' temple arms ran back and under her hair where they presumably hooked over her ears. Hanging silver earrings with sapphire orbs descended from the sides of her hairbun.

Silver eye shadow and thin eyebrows were visible just above the blue lenses. Plump pursed lips glistened in metallic maroon as she smirked slightly. A similar if much less intense metallic sheen also adorned her blush.

Rei and Makoto stared as the large woman made her way into the subterranean briefing room, waited for Kiri, who hovered about her like a tugboat escorting a cruise-liner, to pull out a chair, and then sat down, all without removing her hands from the furry tube of her muffler.

Surprising the two Senshi, the chair did not break as if the woman was merely flesh and bone and the woman's dress bent around the chair as if it was merely leather and silk. Her skirt riding up exposed a pair of golden high heeled boots, made out of the same polished leather.

Rei sighed. "Why are you two still playing with this? It's getting really creepy."

"Well, at least she's able to... pass," Makoto tried to find the right word. "I mean she looks human at least."

"_They_ look human." Rei corrected before glaring at Kiri. "And what do you have to say about this?"

"I'm just trying to keep the Queen safe." Kiri took her own seat and then fussed with the mantle over the large woman's shoulders. "If they insist on this armor then I'm going to make sure it's not suicidal."

"How much lighter is she now?" Makoto cranked her neck to make sure that it was a normal chair the leather-gowned woman was in.

"Is this still armor-form?" Rei raised an eyebrow, warily noting the concealment the glasses, the hand-warmer, and the gown itself provided.

"It's a glamour." Kiri nodded. "And while the armor is much thinner now, it's still pretty heavy, so a float system makes up the difference."

"Great, so you gave the two gluttonous blondes an anti-dieting device."

Raising an eyebrow, the queen smirked.

Kiri sighed. "Well, no one had pointed that out to them yet."

"Way to go Rei. At least you didn't mention the built in corset and body slimmer." Makoto added.

"Body slimmer?" Rei twitched. "She's built- They're built like a fridge!"

"She's much lighter than she was before anyway – " Kiri stopped when one of the agents at the door opened it, and a redhead stepped through.

Ranma's nostrils flared as she studied the large blonde woman. "My, you almost pass." She strode forward and peered into the queen's glasses and at the arm concealing muff demurely held in her lap.

Reaching out the redhead pinched the bodiced-bosom and chuckled at the high pitched squeal the queen gave. "Fairly stiff, but you can blame that on the thick leather. Doesn't feel like metal armor, and that's what counts."

The queen opened her mouth then closed it and finally arced up an eyebrow.

"Ohhh, I do like the strong silent type," Ranma purred as she slid onto the queen's lap. The Queen's arms shifted placing the furry muff atop the redhead's thighs. Through the wall of the furry tube Ranma could feel the various claws and prongs that made up the queen's "hands". From her perch, she found her chest being pushed aside by the more massive leatherworks of the Queen's.

"Finally acting like a sex demon? Took you long enough," Rei snorted.

"Just admiring my Mother and Kiri's work."

"Now that you've had time to check things out can you tell us anything of what Murdock has told you?" the queen asked in a rich voice that was deeper than Serenity's but higher and much less echoing than the previous armor's.

Ranma smiled. "Well, your mouth moves pretty naturally, doesn't look like you're wearing a mask or anything."

"Thank you, but we do think that this is important information."

Ranma tilted her head. "Insistent, but will you be polite?" she ran a finger down the tooled leatherwork of the queen's bodice. Taking in the shift in scent, redhead smiled

The queen paused and nodded.

"Good, now can you go back to how you really look?"

After a second the queen's face began to stiffen and shimmer. The appearance of hair and flesh gave way to sculpted metal. Glasses sunk in and became the lenses to her eyes while her half cape gave way to armored pauldrons. Cleavage tuned to silver while her gown shifted to a mass of sculpted armor plate and interlocking skirting.

With a contented smile, the queen withdrew her arms from the muff exposing pronged ends to her wand and sword arms. The queen looked down to see the succubus playing with the small furred tube.

Smirking, Ranma put the muff down on the table and ran a finger along the edge of the queen's mostly retracted sword. Suddenly, her other hand went up and ran those fingers on the inner lip of the wand's barrel.

Deep within, Usagi shivered and her blade extended an inch, slicing the demon's finger. Ranma gasped, but allowed a few drops to fall onto the sword before drawing the dripping appendage up, over the queen's chest, and into her mouth where she sucked the wound.

"Naughty," Ranma said after pulling the rapidly healed finger out.

The queen lowered her head. "I'm sorry."

"Well, that's a start." Ranma's face, which was reflected on the queen's face, brightened. Using her palm she wiped her blood off of the queen's chassis and then hopped to her feet.

The queen looked at Ranma. "No, I mean it. I'm sorry I've been such a hassle. I..." She lifted a gauntlet. "I don't know anymore."

"Again, it's a start," the redhead patted the queen's arm.

"I promise, I'll make it up to you."

After raising an eyebrow, Ranma looked at her watch and motioned to one of the agents at the door. "Right. Steve, let 'em in."

Agent Deschain nodded and opened the door. A blonde succubus, carrying a small grey device and a Company officer with a leather file folder, stepped through.

"Put it right there, Ucchan." Ranma pointed to the end of the table. "Kasumi, I think we're ready for the briefing."

Lieutenant Tendo nodded and took position inside of the room, behind the table and opposite Ranma.

Putting her arms back in her muff, the queen frowned and shifted back to her human glamour.

Ukyou nodded, set the device down, popped a tiny two-button remote off of it, and activated the device. An aperture irised open on one end and projected a blue rectangle onto the wall. After some adjustment, the platinum blonde handed the remote to her mother and took position in the back of the room, eyeing the armored queen.

"Here's the big thing we learned." Ranma depressed the remote and the blue rectangle shifted to a group photo of several military-garbed and armed men. "Galina and her little friends decided to get some hired guns."

"But they're the mercenaries... " Makoto blinked. "Can they do that?"

"Why not? The Company hires contractors, isn't that right?" Kiri grinned at Ranma.

The redhead chuckled.

Kasumi cleared her throat. "We believe they're hired two groups. This is the larger one. We just got outside confirmation on this one, the Thracian Union." The projector shifted to some statistics and images of weapons.

"They got some of their commie friends," Rei sighed. "Great... how many?

"Total force size: between a hundred fifty to two hundred. We don't know if Galina and her friends hired them all, but according to Operations Centre Two all of their known facilities in the Balkans are down to skeleton crews. They're well equipped and experienced at fielding large numbers."

"Maybe they have two jobs," Makoto ventured.

"I'm seeing a lot of East Bloc surplus. Anything other than small arms?" Kiri asked.

"Some heavy machine guns, and maybe a few crew served missiles, definitely mortars." Kasumi raised an eyebrow. "They'd also have RPGs."

"So, a couple hundred guys with guns? Didn't you guys kill that many from the Assembly? Like right here." Rei waved her arms around the room.

Ranma nodded. "Yes, after an ambush of theirs, we were able to track them back to this base and strike them before they could muster and attack."

"I'm certain the Russians have learned about that mistake and are planning their counterstroke." Kiri looked to the display. "Have they ever worked with the Russians?"

"Maybe." Ranma used the remote and the projection shifted to two timelines. One for the Numbers and another for the Union. "As you can see there's some overlap and areas where they might have been on the same operation."

"The Union seems to have been providing support and security for the Numbers in the past. This fits the disparity in capability and size between the two groups," Kasumi added.

"Threat?"

"They're above par for mercenary groups. They're unusually large and have been successful for a couple decades. Most of their work has been fairly low-key though. They normally don't go up against regular military. Doesn't look like they have any experience in fighting non-humans though." Kasumi shrugged.

"But they won't be alone." Kiri pressed.

"Yes, the Russians are gonna use 'em. Manpower's their big limitation. Now they've got plenty of warm bodies."

Ranma grinned at Kasumi's words.

"And why have you decided to tell us this, now?" the queen asked.

"It's appropriate information for you to know," Kasumi stated.

"Not buying the confirmation angle?" Ranma asked.

"I'm sure you have checked out what Murdock told you," Kiri stated.

Ranma chuckled. "We're telling you this so you'll be ready. If soldiers start attacking you, especially if they use these weapons-" Ranma clicked to another slide and the image shifted to a video montage, complete with their firing sounds from the projector's speakers. "-kill them."

"You think we have hang ups on killing humans?" Kiri asked over the noise.

"You don't." The montage completed, and Ranma turned to the other Senshi. "And I know the rest of you have killed before, but this way you won't be caught unaware. We'll step up your training and give you a taste of dealing with RPG's and mortars."

Chilled, Rei looked around and saw every single WIC agent, officer, and contractor smile.

"We can talk about training later," Kasumi said, her smile broadening slightly. "But there's still the Number's other hire."

Pressing the remote, Ranma nodded to Ukyou. She then extended her senses and watched Kiri out of the edge of her vision.

"Gah!" Makoto screamed at the black and white image of a man in plaid suit with a paisley tie.

"Wow, glad that picture's not in color," Rei dryly remarked.

The queen frowned and looked to the pensive Kiri and then back to Ranma. "Who is he?"

"He goes under the alias Mal de Veste," Kasumi explained.

"Of course he does!" Rei's voice was strained with manic glee. "What is he, some kind of hitman?"

"Pretty much," Ranma agreed, eyeing Kiri's... relief.

Kasumi cleared her throat. "Not entirely. Given the strange circumstances around several of his operations, we believe he's a cultist in the service of an entity in the Love-coda."

"Love-coda?" Makoto asked.

"A list of shorthand pseudonyms used to describe and categorize certain non-human beings. It's especially useful when describing entities that are... unwise to call by their actual name," Kasumi said.

"Some of these things hear when you call," Ranma said.

Rei shivered. "Yeah... we've fought monsters like that."

Kasumi nodded. "Correct. Our records are spotty on Mr. de Veste. It was only recently that we confirmed anything pattern related to his activities."

"So you don't know what creepy crawly he's worshiping?" Rei asked.

"Standard unpleasant angled-horror that'll drive you insane if you saw it." Ranma grinned broadly, while Kiri continued to glare at Mal's image.

"Is that what happened to his fashion sense?" Makoto joked.

Ranma sucked air in through her teeth. "Well..."

"No... it's an ugly suit and tie." Rei rubbed her forehead. "Not magical."

"Actually, there's a reason we're only showing you a black and white image," Kasumi stated.

Ranma nodded. "If you see this man, don't hesitate. Kill him on sight. Kill him before he sees you, if possible."

"Don't worry, if I see that suit, it'll be reflex," Rei said.

"Good."

The queen raised an eyebrow. "We are surprised. You're not this aggressive in your statements." She looked between Ranma and Kiri. "Even about the Numbers."

Ranma nodded. "The difference is. You know the danger the Russians pose, personally. You've never seen this man, and wouldn't know the threat he poses."

"What can he do?" Makoto asked.

"His spotty record writes him as a flamboyant if skilled close operator. He's eluded capture even after eliminating well-protected targets," Kasumi explained.

"So, there's a creepy cultist in ugly-as-sin suits that kills people with lots of bodyguards and then walks off scot free?" Rei sorted. "I thought you guys spied on everyone."

"Regrettably we don't have sufficient contracts." Kasumi stiffly said. "This guy normally kills with a gun, sometimes a knife, and one time with wire. Witnesses don't describe any superhuman abilities."

"No flying, no tearing apart cars, no energy blasts, no glowing runes. That's why this guy's dangerous. He just looks like a hard-case in a suit, and he can take the suit off."

"How do you know he's a cultist? Are you trusting Murdock?"

A ghost of a smile appeared on Kasumi's fac. "There are suspicious factors to his operations. The man is quite a good shot, skilled at moving and shooting. He's also exceptionally lucky, having never been wounded."

"There's also that someone is providing advice to the Numbers. They've suddenly gotten quite capable at defeating magical surveillance and masking their Pattern signatures." Ranma added. "This all points to him being a player."

Kiri nodded.

"If he's a cultist which god does he worship?" Rei asked.

"That's classified," Kasumi said.

The queen's eyes went to Ranma.

"Murdock refused to give us a name."

"Don't you have ways around that?" Rei glared.

"We didn't press the issue." Ranma exhaled. "Look there's some things that it's best for a person to not name."

"Especially a powerful mage that's under extreme psychological and physiological stress." Kasumi looked to her notes. "If we find out it will be restricted. It really is better for you not to know."

Rei, and Makoto shifted nervously while the Queen frowned.

"Look, I don't actually know the name of who this mutt worships," Ranma offered.

"I bet he'd tell us. Cultists are like that." Rei said.

"Dunno, some cultists like to advertise, lots of symbols things spelled out in blood." Ranma gave a toothy grin to Serenity. "Others... they burrow down and hoard. Secrets are powerful."

"You don't really know do you?" Makoto asked.

Ranma rubbed her forehead. "Yes... that's what we're saying. That's what makes this guy so dangerous. We don't know what he can do."

"So, he's our main concern?" Serenity asked.

Ranma scratched her chin. "No, I'd say the Russians have the edge in combat power; they've also got more experience fighting you."

"Don't discount the Union either," Kasumi reminded.

"Yes, a couple hundred Bulgarian mercenaries," Makoto sighed.

Kasumi looked at her watch. "Speaking of that, you should get some water and go to the bathroom before we start training."

Makoto groaned.

"Is that all?" Kiri asked.

"That's all Murdock had about Serenity," Ranma said. "Bastard had some stuff on what he did to me."

"He killed Mamoru." the queen stated.

"I had a deal." Ranma shrugged. "You want to kill him, that's fine. We'll give you his address when we find him again. Anyway we're done here." She shut off the projector and handed it to Ukyou.

"You listen to Kasumi, maybe she'll let you wear goggles or at least a cup," Ranma said as she made it towards the door.

Kasumi smirked minutely.

Rei paused. "Wait... a cup? We're... female."

Ranma raised an eyebrow and glanced to Kasumi. "JTF2 didn't complain this much did they?"

Kasumi shrugged. "They're experienced soldiers; they're just inexperienced with the supernatural."

"Ah, well the reverse doesn't exactly work does it." The redhead sighed.

"JTF2?" Kiri asked. "What do the Canadian special forces have to do with this?"

Ranma rubbed her forehead. "Nevermind, just don't be too angry if you forget that women need protection down there just as much as men."

Makoto, who had more martial training, winced and nodded her head in agreement.

"Like the time you used your SSP against Galina?" Kasumi innocently asked.

Eyes sparkling, Ranma tilted her head. "Would compressed rubber be too risky?"

"Not sure about that. Pattern Silvers are very hardy."

Rei's mouth dropped open. "No, you're not..."

"Good motivation to not get shot," Kiri remarked.

Ranma smirked and exited the room, with Ukyou in tow.

The two walked down a corridor and exited the small building. "I did what you asked," Ukyou said, her voice a bit distance.

The redhead nodded. "Was it any trouble?"

Ukyou exhaled. "I'm not... this isn't my exact skill. I'm better at transmitting emotions."

Ranma looked back. "Eve was right out. _She_ would have been definitely on her guard if Eve was there."

"I know. I know why you needed me there. Mom..." Ukyou lowered her head.

Ranma stepped in and hugged the girl. "It's okay. Was it that bad? What I sensed wasn't that bad."

Leaning into the embrace Ukyou smiled. "Oh no, it wasn't much. Apprehension, worry, slight recognition, maybe, all flowing into a gnawing trepidation. She's... worried, worried like she's being extorted."

"Ah," Ranma hugged her tighter.

"I can guess what's going on, Mom. I've been a spook longer than you." The platinum haired demoness looked her mother in the eye.

Ranma hardened her gaze. "Then you know you'll have to keep it quiet."

"It's quite a jump though..." Looking at her Mother, Ukyou trailed off.

"Are you sure about what you saw?" Ranma broke the hug and lead Ukyou towards the motor pool.

Ukyou nodded.

"Good, we'll go somewhere secure and write our reports."

The blonde wilted slightly.

"Paperwork's part of being a spook," Ranma teased.

"Yes... one of the reasons I defected." Ukyou sighed. "Almost makes me wish I didn't tell you what I picked up."

"No, you don't." Ranma smiled.

"Uh... hi." A soft feminine voice coughed.

The redhead turned and nodded at her fellow brood-mother. "Cecilia."

"Am I interrupting?" the lavender-haired woman asked. She was dressed in the grey skirt and blouse that made the WIC dress woman's uniform, though she bore no rank insignia.

"No not anymore." Ranma glanced at Ukyou. "How's things?"

Cecilia looked down but only for a split second. "Well, I was wondering about... housing."

"Being on base is temporary," Ranma reminded.

"Yes, about that. Where will we go? I don't think we can go back to our old place?"

"Do you want to go back?"

Cecilia looked around at the concrete walls of the underground base. "It doesn't seem safe."

"Well, some arrangements can be made," Ranma allowed.

"I was talking with Eve..."

"Eve?" Ukyou blinked. "First name basis."

"At least there's no honorific or pet name."

Cecilia blushed fractionally. "And she mentioned that since we'd be working with you..."

Ranma pinched the bridge of her nose. "Have you been talking with Nariko's father? Big guy, loud, loves hockey."

Cecilia nodded. "And skating is very freeing."

Ranma turned to Ukyou and sighed theatrically. "How do I miss this stuff? Who do I have to eat to prove I'm in charge around here?"

"You have been very busy, with all this Serenity stuff," Ukyou allowed.

"She's not moving in nearby is she?" Ranma asked.

"I uh... my girls can stay on base, or be housed elsewhere." Cecilia wilted.

"No," Ranma smiled and gave the woman a light hug. "I'd be happy to have you as a neighbor." She glanced at her daughter. "I just wish I wasn't kept in the dark on this."

"It was Nariko's idea," Ukyou said.

"Figures." Ranma's shoulders sagged. "Still, having you nearby, you'll be under the same protection as my and Eve's place."

"While making the area a great big target. Though it is the house between ours and Auntie Eve's."

"Great... always wanted to live in a giant compound," Ranma smirked.

"So, that's it? Acceptance is that easy?" Cecilia kept her face neutral and held her tail still.

Ranma grinned. "You girls are being armed. I think that shows a fair degree of trust."

"That's different from living near you," Cecilia whispered.

"But it's much easier to shoot... I mean..." The redhead stopped and winced. "Oh... Dear."

Cecilia rubbed at the corners of her eyes.

"Alexia didn't keep your girls close by did she?"

"If she did, we'd all be dead," Cecilia stated, her eyes glowing slightly.

Ranma exhaled. "That's not what I meant; I though she sent you away towards the end."

"She had other... daughters." Cecilia shrugged.

"But you weren't kept close were you? Mother kept you at arm's length." Ranma shivered, her tail drooping.

"Succubae really are pieces of work." Cecilia laughed. "I remind you that you've killed and eaten dozens of my sisters, and you don't bat an eye. I bring up my mother's deficiencies as a parent and you get all weepy."

Ranma snorted and pointed to her chest. "Demon."

"Never noticed," Cecilia dryly replied.

"So you'll be moving in." Ranma shrugged. "Sounds fine, wish I'd been told earlier though."

"We haven't closed the deal yet; our old place hasn't sold yet," Cecilia said.

"I'm sure the Drake will find someone that will buy it."

"He did manage to find people willing to move out near us," Ukyou reminded.

"That would be suspicious, but..." Ranma waved around the corridor to indicate the facility.

"Sure, sure blame the eccentric real estate mogul in league with demons and cryptic mercenaries," Ukyou laughed.

Cecilia sighed. "Is this really a joke?"

"We could joke about the spoiled princess and the Soviet Cyborgs that want to kill her," Ranma smirked.

"Right." Cecilia deadpanned.

"You're pretty lucky you don't have to deal with that stuff."

"Lucky..." Cecilia shrugged. "The blonde? With the armor? She doesn't seem that... bad. Maybe immature... spacey. Is she that much of a problem?"

Staring off, Ranma gave a little laugh. "Sure."

Blinking, Cecilia frowned. "Ah."

"There you are." Eve smirked as she walked towards the group. Like Cecilia, she was wearing a dress uniform, but she bore the gold bars that indicated her rank.

The redhead turned to her sister. "So, did you know about our new neighbor?"

"Interesting." After tapping her chin, Eve's eyes brightened. "Oh! That's wonderful news."

"Shameless." Ranma shook her head. "How can you lie like that?"

"Years of practice." Eve grinned.

"I guess it's time?" Ranma asked.

"The meeting is starting."

Cecilia tilted her head.

"Need to know," Eve plainly said.

"Right, right." Cecilia shrugged.

"Ukyou should still write up her report," Ranma said, causing Ukyou to glare.

"She can use my office. Just keep any Coda out of it." Eve said as they started walking down the hallway to the suggested room.

Cecilia cleared her throat. "Well, I'll be in the commissary then. Desiree and Hazel are learning some new recipes."

"Go, enjoy it. You won't get to spend as much time as you'd like with them." Ranma smiled and looked to her daughter.

Thinking to herself, Ukyou nodded.

"Great, nice to know my life can get even more complicated." Cecilia grinned showing her teeth.

"At least you started out with the demon-mommy stuff," Eve shrugged.

"I did have a life before I became a demon." Cecilia raised an eyebrow.

"Right, and I had a life before I joined the Company."

Ranma tilted her head. "Sis..."

"It's the truth. Little Casey of Woodbridge University is gone." Eve looked Cecilia over. "We could have helped you with your past. You rejected all of it, for your girls."

"Right, because I really want to open that can of worms." Cecilia crossed her arms over her chest. "We can't all have supportive human parents."

Ranma blushed while Eve's shoulders drooped.

Cecilia adjusted the skirt. "I did what I had to do to take care of my family. Isn't that enough?"

Ranma smiled.

"I can't help but agree. My point was more that some of us..." Eve looked to Ukyou. "Some of us have had to move on. And it's best to close off our pasts."

Ukyou nodded in sympathy.

Cecilia's gaze switched between the two girls. "I'm missing something."

"Warrior for the White Christ." Eve pointed to Ukyou, then to herself. "Heir to the Guardians of the Millennial Reich."

Cecilia rubbed her forehead. "Life was simpler when I was just a whore."

"Hey! Misako was the real white-knight psycho. I was more his handler. I was in it for the revenge," Ukyou grumbled.

"We're here," Eve unlocked the door to her office. "Don't worry Cecilia, that's my point. Things are going to get more complicated, and there's nothing wrong with wanting to wall off your past."

Sniffing the air wafting out of the room, Cecilia grinned.

The blonde turned and looked down at the slender demon. "But you must be careful. Just because you've turned your back on your past doesn't mean it hasn't turned its back on you. Walk away if you must, but don't forget to learn from it before you do."

The lavender-haired woman wilted slightly.

"Lovely moral." Ranma said.

Eve shrugged. "Anyway you can write up your report here, Ukyou. Doesn't have to be long, and avoid any critical terms."

Ukyou looked around the bare office. Its only adornments were the collection of photographs that dominated one wall, and the large mattress and box spring that took up the majority of the back third of the room. "I'm guessing you don't want me to log onto your computer?"

"Nope. Write it out by hand. Individual pages, on the steel top of the desk."

"Great... proper tradecraft." Ukyou's shoulders sagged.

Eve smirked and closed the door. "Have fun"

Cecilia shook her head. "Well... good luck... with... whatever."

"Thanks. We're doing this to protect our families' too," Ranma assured giving Cecilia a long hug.

Purring lightly, Cecilia walked off.

"I like her," Eve said, making sure Ukyou had locked the door.

"It is nice having normal –well- family," Ranma agreed, as they walked down the corridor.

"Normal family," Eve laughed.

"What? Compared to us, she is. It's nice to see that we succubae can be normal."

"Oh, it's not the normal part that amuses me." Eve smiled at her sister.

Ranma put an arm around the taller woman. "You're going to keep milking the whole 'friendless Germanic depressive' thing aren't you?"

Eve nodded.

"Trying to make me forget about the whole Cecilia moving in thing?"

"That wasn't my idea."

Ranma looked into Eve's eyes and sighed. "Right." She turned and saw the door to Jacob's office. "Well... shall we see how the old men will take the news?"

Eve gave a tiny smile before her face slipped into its normal neutrality. She opened the door and let her sister enter.

Colonel Jacob Edwards looked up from his desk. "Ah, good. Didn't have much trouble with Miss Cecilia's moving arrangements?"

Ranma shook her head. "Of course, you'd know about it."

Jacob smirked as Captain Jarvis sealed the door behind her. She picked up a scanner and walked to a seat near the desk.

"Are we secure?" Ranma sat down in a couch opposite Jacob's desk, she picked up a decanter and eyed the amber liquid.

Eve got up from her seat and then methodically checked the jammer feed and then the locks. She then nodded to Colonel Edwards.

"Reasonably, just be careful with any Coda."

"You've seen the video," Ranma said as she poured herself a small drink. "Ukyou's report won't add much but she'll have it in a bit."

"Oh yes," Eve said as she retrieved a pair of ice cubes from Jacob's mini-fridge.

Jacob eyed the scotch and nodded.

Ranma took a sip. "How screwed are we then?"

"A connection between Meiou and any Coda-grade cultists is extremely worrying," Jacob stated while he looked over the redhead with a minute frown.

Eve coughed. "There is the possibility that he is operating undercover and has infiltrated the Numbers."

"And given that damn armor, Miss Tsukino could even be in the loop."

Ranma swirled her glass, letting the ice melt a bit faster. "I doubt it. That thing can seal up body language and keeps her from blurting anything out, but I can still read their _scent_. She didn't expect the Numbers to have anything like him."

"Neither did Meiou in my estimation." Eve conceded.

"So there's a connection between them, but Meiou didn't expect to see him?" Jacob asked.

"You're certain we can't eliminate them all?" Eve's voice had some levity.

"Do we have enough reliable Pattern Silvers?" Ranma asked.

Eve sat down. "Projections of our brood's growth rates are positive but..."

"But Serenity is a whole other scale," Jacob completed.

"If you're right, we can certainly use Usagi."

"You knew her mother. Is there anything different we can do?" Jacob asked.

"The Serenity I knew... she was a demon-dealing imperialist bent on Unification. It's hard for me to comprehend what she became after I died." Ranma took a long sip and then refreshed her glass.

"It does seem she became quite the submaternissima," Eve noted.

Ranma shivered at the obscenity. "I'd like to say her parenting wasn't that bad but... Look, we're training her, and that armor seems to keep her in line. Kasumi's wargames will show us if the physical kinks are worked out."

"And the physiological kinks and the strategic and security risks?" Jacob tapped his desk.

Ranma shrugged. "She's a spoiled girl with god-like powers. Minako's a big risk but after what Akumi did to her..." She forced a cocksure expression. "As for those kinks. Well, they just give us more handles on her."

Eve smirked. "She's pretty mad at you."

"She's mad at herself too. She still wants my approval." Holding her scotch, Ranma lounged back on the couch. "We can use that."

"Can you?" Jacob gently asked.

"Assuming she can perform up to your standards," Eve pointed out.

Ranma raised an eyebrow at the colonel but turned to her sister. "The more challenging it is to get my affection, the more she'll cherish it. It's not just approval she's starved for."

Eve gave a tight smile. "Miss Hino did say it was about time you started acting like a succubus."

Jacob leaned forward over his desk. "Are you sure about this? If you do this it may not be just her trust you violate?"

"I'm sick of the problems she's causing us. If we can use her, we'll use her. If she'll play along willingly then great, if not..." Ranma shook her head and took a sip.

"Are you sure you can handle this?" Jacob repeated, his eyes catching Eve's attention.

Ranma eyed him. "Uh... yeah."

"If not we can take care of it," Eve assured, giving a confused nod to Jacob.

"We still have to deal with the Meiou issue. This Mal de Veste sets off way too many alarms and for Tsukino's main advisor to know him just raises my concerns." Jacob shook his head. "Captain I've got some files Operations Centre 01 just sent down. I want you to compare them with Mr. Murdock's testimony.

Eve nodded in understanding. "I doubt it's a coincidental."

"Great, we'll have to work out how big of a mess this all is." Ranma winced and drained her glass. She looked at the bottom and frowned.

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Virgo looked through the great curved window. Thick, thick crystal, it slanted outward, forming the inner arc of the softly glowing semi-circular observation room full of softly humming and pulsing equipment. However, the purple woman's attention was on what lay on the other side of the glass, within the dome-shaped room.

The windows overlooked a great circular chamber. In the center stood a pair of giant paneled Doors; a riot of details, they were firmly shut, and smoke crept around the floor far below the observation windows.

Out of habit, she exhaled. One advantage of her upgrades was that she was at no risk of suffocation.

Back in the habitat section, Orion had mentioned that their Senshi abilities would protect them from the inert gasses that filled the rest of the facility. On the other hand, Orion had come up with a slew of excuses to stay in the shelter they had converted into a makeshift barracks.

Unlike her previous Sailor Virgo form she found herself able to stay crystalline Sailor Virgo for extended periods without ill effect. Which was a great advantage given the limitations on water and cleaning, especially during the first couple of days after they moved into the ancient facility.

Virgo put her hand on the window. Despite the thickness she could feel a slight vibration. It was as if the circular room on the other side was full of some great machine, instead of a mere set of doors.

The vibration increased, she shook her head. A moment later she pulled her hand away and the sensation lessened.

Mercury walked up behind her. Holding a small silver box, she paused to glare at the gateway. "The Space-Time Door," she said after a moment of silence.

"Dangerous?" the crystalline girl looked to her Mistress.

Mercury cocked her head, a smile crossing her lips. A finger strummed along the box, tapping the star-shaped lock. "In a way, I suppose. The Door is considered the mechanism that gives Pluto her powers over time."

Virgo frowned. "But it Pluto's?"

"Not exactly," Mercury chuckled. "It's a prop, a mockup."

Nodding Virgo stepped back and looked around the room. "A prop for what, Mistress? This is Millennium equipment, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then who is being fooled?" After asking the question, Virgo blinked. The facets of her gem-like eyes flashed with realization.

Mercury smiled. "So, you see it then?"

"If this not real... then this was to fool the Empire, fool the court."

"Yes." Mercury looked back at the Door. "It does not inspire confidence."

"Is that why you brought me here?" Virgo asked.

Mercury cradled the silver box. "Not quite," she said extending a tiny spire of ice from her finger.

"What then?" Virgo narrowed her eyes. "Why leave me here?"

"This was a safe place to put you."

"Here?" Virgo waved a hand around the massive reinforced walls and doors.

"Yes, for this room you hold sufficient authorization."

"Here?" she repeated looking at the gate.

"The Senshi, and top mages have access to this facility." Mercury glared at the gateway again. "Ostensibly to better protect and study it."

"And where were you?"

Mercury smirked. "A more secure place."

"More than here?" Virgo blinked. "We are deep under Moon, yes?" she somewhat rhetorically asked, she and Orion had done much of the moving and knew how expansive and remote this facility was. She had also learned to loath the crates of wine that Mercury had secreted with the rest of their equipment.

"Deeper." Mercury grinned. "There are powers greater than you, greater than me," Mercury said as she worked the lock. Being one of the Guardian Senshi, the magical aspect was simple enough; it was what allowed her to get to the box in the first place. However, the physical aspects of the lock took a little bit more work.

Virgo chuckled. "Greater than the demon I suppose?"

"Oh much," Mercury chuckled and the lock popped open. The lid eased open and the blue-haired woman gasped in delight.

Virgo peered over trying to look inside.

"Well, what is it?"

Giving a slight frown, Mercury angled the box so the crystalline woman could see the silver-framed jewel nestled in a velvet bed.

A sculpted eyebrow rose. It was made out of the same semi-translucent filaments as the woman's long hair. She began to reach for the box.

Mercury snapped it shut with a neutral expression. "Not yet."

Virgo tilted her head "When then?"

"Just because something doesn't work once doesn't mean you can't try again," Giving a resigned sigh, Mercury studied the engravings on the outside of the silver box. "It just means you have to be cautious with your timing."

Virgo nodded. "Then we can go?"

Laughing, Mercury began to walk out of the observation room.

The former Amazon followed her into a bare corridor. Long rectangular rooms branched off. Most were empty save for piles of bolts, struts and the occasional stack of papers and cables. Runes had been scrawled into the floors, most of them encircling equipment that had been removed eons ago.

However in some of the rooms, the runes and cables plugged into equipment that was still there. Hulking machines that despite their age still gave slight hums. Virgo found Mercury before one of the great machines.

It looked somewhat like a medical scanner but had sleek robotic arms on either side of the work surface that gave it a distinctly industrial appearance. The blue-haired woman had placed the silver box on the machine's console and was powering the device up.

"We're not leaving?"

"Oh no," Mercury gave a satisfied nod as the device started up. "While this may be a Potemkin laboratory, it is still a laboratory."

"Potemkin?"

Annoyance crossed Mercury's face. "There's a story about Catherine the Great, a Russian Empress. She was being shown newly conquered lands, but according to the story they were actually desolate. One of her Ministers Grigory Potemkin had overseen the campaign, and he had a solution."

"Ah," Virgo nodded. "He made fakes yes? He tricked his queen?"

Mercury gave a cold smile. "I suppose the context makes it obvious. Yes, the legend has it that he built several villages, fake villages, Potemkin villages, along the banks of Catherine's journey. Though in reality he did build villages to impress her, save much of them were largely real.

"Like this stuff?" Virgo gestured to the machinery. "This why you brought me here."

"My, my," Mercury chuckled. "It's too late for cold feet now." She glanced down at the translucent purple boots Virgo wore. "It's too late for feet period I think."

Virgo set her jaw.

"Really, being obstinate now?" Brushing a hand against her ice-skirt Mercury chuckled.

"Suspicious." Virgo raised an eyebrow.

Stepping forward, Mercury smiled. "Really? You don't trust me, and after all I've done for you." She reached out and traced her finger over Virgo's crystalline skirt.

"And now you do more?"

Mercury's laugh returned. "Of course, now do I need to force you or will you obey?" She grinned tight lipped. "Your choice."

Virgo squared her shoulders. "Is it?"

"In as much as you choose how long you delay the inevitable."

"Our fate is already sealed then?"

Mercury nodded at her reflection in Virgo's shiny skin. "I suppose it is, but this is nothing new. We are merely continuing the improvements I've promised you."

Sensing her mistress being slightly less than truthful, Virgo smirked. "All for me, yes?"

"Your vengeance, our queen." Mercury eyed the silver box. "They're all so interrelated."

"Useful pawn then."

"Naturally. On the table please."

Sighing, Virgo pulled herself up onto the flat metal work surface.

The ice-skirted Senshi looked at the supine woman. As the arms started up she smirked. "Don't worry. This will just... refine you."

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Kasumi looked up from her coffee. "Yes, what's wrong?"

Akane pouted and took the chair across the table from Kasumi. "How'd..."

Leaning on the kitchen counter, Ukyou smirked. "I can smell it all over you."

Frowning, Akane blinked at Kasumi.

"Body language. You're on edge, but you're not being aggressive so it can't be combat." She sipped from her mug. "Problems with Nariko?" she asked, eyeing Ukyou.

"No," Akane bit her lip. "It's not about her." Flaring her nostrils Akane slowly looked around the room.

"Just spill it. Mother won't care," Ukyou got up and patted Akane's head before slipping an arm around her in a light hug. "You can do this."

Kasumi raised an eyebrow.

Akane leaned onto the blonde. "But she's so wound up!"

"Ranma? How serious?" Kasumi carefully lowered her mug and let go; an unsteady hand causing a spill would just make things worse.

"Akane's working up the courage to talk to you about it. So, not that bad," Ukyou flashed a weak smile. "A real threat would have her, would have us running to you, Nariko, grandma, Auntie Eve, anyone."

Kasumi nodded. "It's about Miss Tsukino, then?"

Akane looked down. "Mother's getting fed up; she's getting tired; you can feel her pulse quicken and her muscles tense."

"You know how Mom gets when faced with a stubborn challenge," Ukyou added pulling herself out of the hug and taking a seat between the two Tendo sisters.

"She's spending less and less time with us," Akane petulantly, added.

"A valid concern," Kasumi admitted. "But why tell me? Nariko or Major Saotome or Captain Jarvis are... closer." The lieutenant flexed her fingers.

"You're my sister." Akane frowned.

"You have four other sisters." Kasumi curtly said.

"We wanted to talk to someone... out of the brood." Ukyou coughed. "But someone that knows Mom," the platinum blonde hastily added.

Kasumi gave a light smirk. "The list of humans who 'know' her is rather short."

"That's a factor, you're not..." Ukyou shook her head. "Mother isn't as much of a part of your life."

"I don't have her fishhooks in my brain you mean?" Kasumi laughed slightly. "I have had sex with her, that was..." A smile formed but it was quickly crushed. "Still Akane, why me? We haven't exactly been close."

"You think we've drifted further apart?" Blinking, Akane seemed to curl inward. "Why, because I was turned into a demon?"

"Partially."

Akane stared then laughed, her clouded expression breaking apart. "Yes, your poor little sister transformed into a savage killing machine. Well Sis, you beat me on that score by several years."

Kasumi tilted her head.

"You're a Company officer, Operations Section. You are a killer." A smile formed on Akane's lips that touched her eyes. "And that's a good thing. Too many humans try to deny the reality of their species, but you... you embrace what you are, what humanity can be."

"You're saying we had already drifted apart."

"Please, I hardly saw you. You were always out... somewhere working for the Company, and when you came back you weren't Kasumi. You weren't even that shell-shocked girl that killed her classmates to keep from being raped. No, what would a real warrior have in common with some spoiled Ichinensei playing at martial arts." Akane sighed. "At least you were born in Japan, not that it matters anymore. Father's little deal with the Drake changed all that."

"But now that you're a demon?"

"We train together; we fight together; we live together. We've spent more time with each other like this than we have in years."

"And next you'll tell me that I'm closer with Nabiki too?"

Akane raised an eyebrow and tilted her head.

"Fine, fine." Kasumi exhaled. "I see your point. It's just... weird."

"You're hardly blameless." Ukyou said.

"Yeah, you slept with your sister's mother."

Kasumi chuckled. "That did complicate things." Her face darkened. "I suppose you may have a point."

"What did you see?"

"Last night Ranma was pretty eager to help Captain Jarvis."

"She wanted to work out some stress then?"

"She seemed really put out when Murdock gave up resisting." Kasumi looked at her mug. After a few seconds she exhaled. "Okay, you've got a point."

"What do you think we should do?"

"Talk with Major Saotome."

Akane looked down. "What if she thinks we're being silly?"

Kasumi put her hand on the demon's pale arm. "Don't worry; I'll support you, and I don't think she'll brush aside our concerns."

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Meiou stepped into the darkened barracks room. The light coming in through the doorway reflected off a giant golden figure that dominated a corner of the room.

The green haired woman looked over to the beds where Makoto and Rei lay. After watching them long enough to be reasonably sure of their unconsciousness, she walked up to the golden figure.

The ruby crescent moon atop the crown flashed. "Yes?" Minako's voice quietly asked.

Meiou closed her eyes. The teenage girl's form shimmered and her clothing shifted into black iridescent armored plate and skirting. A small leather pouch appeared between Pluto's gloved fingers.

Minako chuckled through the gem. "I'll wake her up."

The golden queen shifted and rose in height. After a couple seconds of motion, her silver face tilted and her blue eyes lit up. "Yes?" Serenity asked, eyeing Pluto.

Pluto opened the leather pouch revealing a purple-gemmed amulet. The star-shaped object hung from a silver chain.

"Is that...?" Serenity asked.

"It's hers." Pluto eyed the gem. "Your mother never had the chance to give it, but it was right where Mina said it would be." She eyed the ruby crescent moon.

Serenity reached out. The prongs of her wand-cannon acted like simple fingers.

Pluto pulled her arm back.

Golden lips shifted into a frown. "Problem?" Serenity asked.

"I'm not sure such a bauble is the right way to show you're sorry. DarkStar is deeply disappointed in you, and while she has some fondness for her mother, she'll be apprehensive to accept anything that reinforces her role as one of us."

Serenity bowered her head. "It's just her transformation device. She doesn't even need it."

"Which is why I'm not sure it's the best idea. Not right now at least."

"It's not like she won't figure it out." Serenity laughed glancing up at one of the cameras mounted up on the ceiling

Pluto sighed. "There's a difference between them knowing we've dug up an artifact from Ranma's past life, and you gracelessly giving it to her as if it were some great magnanimous symbol of your contrition."

Serenity's eyes flashed.

Pluto held out the amulet. "Just think it over. You don't want her upset."

"Right," Serenity's claws grabbed the amulet and part of her chest armor slid open. The gem was then placed inside the gleaming cavity.

Pluto held back a sigh. "When are you planning to give it to her?"

Serenity blinked. "I... I don't know."

"Well, if you want help I'm sure we can come up with a good time."

"Oh?"

Pluto watched the armor reseal. "I'm not against the idea of a gift, not exactly. I'm just worried that if you do it wrong it'll set off Ranma. Or worse... she'll ignore it."

"Worse?"

Pluto shrugged. "DarkStar's not one to care about such trinkets. Not if they don't have any meaning behind them. You're really going to have to think about why you're giving this to her, what it all represents."

"Ah," the queen nodded.

"Sleep over it," Pluto suggested.

"Right." Serenity paused. "Thanks, for getting it." The eyes dimmed and the figure stilled.

Pluto stared at the ruby. She waited until she was sure that Usagi was asleep, or at least insensate. After she was sure she kept waiting.

Eventually, the crescent moon gem flashed. "Yes?" Minako hesitantly asked.

"You should have made the pickup," Pluto stated.

"I was unavailable."

Running a hand over the silver sword, Pluto laughed. "Yes, I see."

"You have concerns?"

"Obviously." Pluto rolled her eyes. "Are you planning to tell your little host who picked that piece of jewelry up for her?"

"Do you wish to upset her?" Minako asked, the queen's face contorting to frustration.

Pluto smiled up at the hulking figure of frigid femininity. "Perhaps, she's been coddled too much. Perhaps what the queen needs is to be upset."

The gem flashed a couple times but Minako did not speak.

"Your urge to protect her is admirable, but standing here, can you say that you haven't gone astray?"

Minako raised the queen's chin, haughtily.

"Really?" Pluto stepped back shaking her head. "You're either rising far above your station, armor. Or," the small green haired woman smiled. "Or, you've carried out your coup."

"I am loyal to the queen. I love Usagi!" Minako wailed.

"Mercury has the exact same stance." Pluto's smile sharpened. "So do I for that matter." She ran a finger down the side of the large wand cannon. "You of all people should know how... flexible loyalty is."

Minako was silent.

"Is that why you refused to go to the pickup? Yes, it was a dead-drop, but there was a chance Mercury would be there. Were you afraid of being tempted? Were you more afraid of leaving Usagi alone?"

After asking her question, Pluto waited. She sighed at the lack of response. "Pretending to be a mere robot will only increase the... concerns the others have. The queen... the Princess is not solely yours to use."

Minako watched the pensive Senshi. "Others?"

Pluto looked to the beds where Makoto and Rei slept; the last of the... normal Guardian Senshi.

"Really now?" Minako chuckled. "It would seem that I'm not the only one making a power play."

Pluto tilted her chin. Her playful smile slipped away. "No, no, I'd never be that... transparent." Shaking her head she left the room, leaving the golden queen in the darkness.

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Sitting at Eve's desk, Ranma reviewed the report on Murdock's "interview". The office had gained a bit more of a human touch, a second chair had been added behind the desk, and sitting at the corners were several brass-framed photographs. The redhead wore her riding leathers and had her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail.

There was a knock and Ranma looked up from the laptop. "Yes, Nabiki?" she asked. "Please come in."

Nabiki slipped through the door and looked at her mother. She wore a light pastel periwinkle cheongsam trimmed in a blue snowflake pattern. Her hair was pulled back in two little buns while the rest of it fell free.

"What's wrong?" Ranma locked the machine and stood.

"Well.." Trailing off, Nabiki's eyes darted to the door.

"Are you in any trouble? Is something wrong?"

The tiny demon shook her head.

"Your sisters? The rest of the brood?"

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "Well, no..."

"And it's not an attack as we'd already be fighting." Ranma smiled at Nabiki. "So what is wrong?"

"Ukyou and Akane have some worries," Nabiki sighed.

"Uh oh, are they teasing you?" Ranma hugged her.

"No, it's not me. They're worried about you."

Ranma blinked. "Why?"

"Just come to the commissary. They're waiting for you."

The redhead's confusion grew. "Why didn't they come?"

"Because everyone wouldn't fit in here." Nabiki coughed.

A moment of suspicion crossed Ranma's face. "Uh, okay." She exited the office, locked the door, and followed her daughter down the hallway.

Her nose tickling, Ranma blinked at the various scents. Horns tingling too, the brood mother turned back to her daughter. The redhead gave the girl a raised eyebrow. She then looked back to the front door of the commissary.

The young succubus kept her face neutral.

Ranma turned and raised an eyebrow.

Coughing, Nabiki squared her shoulders. "You're a real pain to surprise mother. You know that?"

"What's this about?"

Nabiki simply gestured towards the doorknob. By the look on her mother's face, the girl guessed that if her mother's tail were out it would have drooped a tad.

The redhead hesitated.

"Mother please," Nabiki pleaded. After a moment she sighed and opened the door. She stepped through.

Frowning minutely, Ranma entered. In the commissary was what she expected. The eager, slightly concerned faces of her daughters. The five girls had been somewhat crammed onto one of the benches around a table. Her mother and Eve stood behind them while Cecilia sat alone a bit off to the side. Kasumi sat opposite Cecilia if a bit closer to her sisters. On the table were several glasses of water and a bowl of plums.

Nabiki closed the door behind the redhead, ran past her mother, and sat down squeezing between Ukyou and Akane.

"What's this then?" Ranma asked looking around at the group.

"What's wrong mother?" Nariko asked her voice was hurt but concerned. She tilted her head meaningfully. "Why are you upset to see us?"

"I'm not upset. I just thought you had work." Ranma frowned. "I mean someone should be watching Usagi." She looked around. "Eve, that'd be your daughters?" She looked to her sister.

Eve exhaled but nodded. "Yes."

Nodoka gave a sad nod. "You were right, Lieutenant."

Kasumi shrugged. "It was Akane and Ukyou that brought my attention to it."

"Attention to what?" Ranma crossed her arms. "What's going on?" she asked, somewhat frustrated and concerned.

Eve was about to look away but she kept her gaze steady on her sister. "Perhaps you have been overworked."

"Huh?" Ranma asked, her arms falling to her sides. "What's going on?" She looked to her daughters' concerned faces.

"I was a skeptic but... seeing you like this." Eve cleared her throat. "We're worried about you. You're getting far too wound up about this Tsukino situation . It's getting to you."

"I just... didn't expect..." Ranma sagged forward. Her horns and wings appeared as did her tail which was low and limp.

"We're worried about you, Dear," Nodoka walked up to the redhead. For once Ranma actually seemed smaller than the taller officer as she hugged her daughter .

"That's what this is about?" Ranma distantly asked leaning into the hug. Following her Mother's lead. Her feet took her forward and on automatic she ended up in the middle of her daughters. Sitting in the center of the long table's bench, she was between Nabiki and Ukyou. Misako and Nariko sat at the far ends flanking the brood.

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Ranma looked to her daughters. Nariko met her gaze while Misako and Nabiki looked away. Akane and Ukyou also steadily eyed their mother.

The redhead opened her mouth, then closed it. She paused. "Huh, and this is coming from Miss Workaholic."

"I'm making time for my kids," Eve said a bit primly.

Ranma clenched her jaw.

"It's not just that. You're losing your professional detachment," Eve clarified.

After staring at her sister, the redhead laughed. Shoulders slumped forward she pushed the bench back slightly. Tile flooring scratched due to the weight. Her legs spread out slightly as she leaned forward onto the table top.

"What do ya' want me to do?" Ranma squeezed the edge of the table "I'm kind of in a limited place here."

"The cyborgs will kill the stupid blonde," Misako said

"Is that worth sacrificing your family?" Eve asked.

"But it's all about duty. Are you asking as Captain Jarvis or as Mommy-Eve? How do you juggle those duties?

Eve looked down. "I know you, I know which way you'd pick."

Ranma sighed. "Still... It's not that bad... not yet. In the meantime, I'm stuck babysitting her."

Nodoka shook her head. "No, you're not."

"Oh?" Ranma's voice cracked as she pulled her hands off the table. She leaned back and spread her arms over her daughters' shoulders. She looked down at the fruit bowl. "You're in the same boat as Eve as me. We have a responsibility that is greater than our families. We all fight knowing the risks, knowing what it could mean for our daughters, our sisters."

Nodoka nodded. "It is a challenge, but you're losing sight of things. You don't have to pick between your family and Usagi."

"Really?" Ranma's eyes flashed.

Nodoka kept her gaze.

Ranma pulled her head aside.

The scientist frowned; she knew her daughter's reaction, her daughter's feelings but there was still a... gap.

"Maybe your joke about just killing her is the best idea after all?" Ranma asked.

The blonde lowered her head. "Yes. It might come to that. And that's a far better option than losing you due to stress because of her. Strategic success does not require her presence, only that she does not sabotage it."

Sighing, Ranma sagged a bit more, bringing her daughters down via the group hug.

"But Mother, why don't you just kill her?" Misako asked. Curly orange hair framed an innocent-seeming face with wide bright green eyes. "Or just let that other blonde nitwit continue to control her. That armor seems to be a pretty good way to keep her under control."

Pulling at her own platinum blonde hair, Ukyou looked at her mate and sighed. "This is why we were worried Misa-chan."

Eve reached out to Ranma. "Yes, we are worried about you. When was the last time you spent quality time with your girls?"

"We still sleep together and train... ah... damn," Ranma slumped further down pulling her daughters closer to her.

"Mother is stressed." Nariko finally said. "She should take a vacation."

Akane smiled. "That is the idea, Nari-chan. How about it Mom?"

"I can't, Akane..." Ranma said, her voice almost a whine. For a moment she looked her age. Instead of a mature, powerful brood mother in the center of her power surrounded by her spawn, there sat a pale teenager who felt the pressures of responsibility weighting her down.

Eve and Nodoka both reached out to the girl.

Nodoka looked over and saw Eve react as if there was an... electric contact. The scientist felt a tinge of regret.

"I can't," Ranma repeated; she shook her head. "Between training and watching the Princess, there's no time." Frowning, she picked up a plum.

Sighing, Eve straightened herself up. "I'm sorry Ranma, but you don't understand."

Nodoka tapped Ranma's hand. "We are here for you."

"Thank you, Mother" Ranma nodded.

Nodoka gave a little smile. She glanced at Eve. Despite it all, despite the advantages Eve had, she, not Eve, was Ranma's mother.

Taking a bite, Ranma blinked. "What are you talking about Eve?"

"Succinctly? We're not sure if it's best for you to be around Miss Tsukino like this. With how stressed you are, you'll just antagonize her, and it will be counterproductive."

The redhead's violet eyes widened. "Oh. Really," she stated, flatly.

"I'm afraid so."

"Didn't we have a plan?" Ranma quietly asked. "We'd work Usagi over and if she started to show any improvement I'd begrudgingly give her approval and string her along that way?" She asked, her hair writhing and the shadows deepening around her form.

"Do you think you can still do that?" Eve asked. "That's a lot of acting and commitment to the part. A lot of patience and dealing with her, and not the big armored version, but the real Miss Tsukino."

Ranma broke away from Eve's gaze and her hair stilled. She morosely took a bite.

The blonde brood mother lowered her head. "I'm sorry."

"But..." Ranma shook her head. "Jacob thought I could; he approved the plan. He-"

"Since when does great DarkStar seek the approval of a WIC Colonel?"

Putting the half eaten plum down, Ranma looked down at the silent broodlings clinging to her staring at her.

"Also when does Executor Edwards ask if a special contractor can handle a simple job? Repeatedly."

"You all knew." Ranma exhaled, she closed her eyes and concentrated on sensing her daughter's heartbeats, anything to keep her from curling up.

Kasumi nodded. "And it's not just overwork, it's the kind of work you're doing, or not doing. This Tsukino stuff has kept you from training that JTF2 platoon, and they really should see what a powerful Pattern D is capable of."

Nodoka shook her head. "No Dear, we were all worried but then your daughters started talking with Lieutenant Tendo and myself."

"While the senior staff started talking to me," Eve explained. "It was when I went to Major Saotome that we pieced it all together and realized that we were all worried about you."

Ranma laughed. "Great, secret meetings behind my back."

Eve tiled her head and gave a big smile. "Why hello!" she said in a cheery bombastic voice. "Welcome to Willard International Consulting. You must be new here!"

"Yeah Mom. 'We spy on you because we care' is practically the Company motto," Ukyou said.

Ranma gave a weak chuckle. "I suppose that much is true. Underhanded spying is what we do."

Eve allowed herself an inner smile at the use of "we" and a large outer one at her sister's slight improvement in mood. "Oh yes." She tapped her chin. "Now are you sure there's no one you want us to assassinate? How about abducted and presented to you bound and blindfolded?"

The redhead pulled herself up, bringing her daughters with her. "Well... we already got Murdock."

"It's good to see you getting your claws into the artistic side mother," Misako smiled. "Maybe you can do that to relax."

Ranma raised an eyebrow at her daughter.

"What? It was one of Mother-Alexia's favorite ways to unwind."

Cecilia shivered. "Misa is correct." She shook her head at the memories.

"Huh," Ranma frowned. "I'm not sure I should take... pleasure in that kind of stuff."

"While I have a professional detachment with the whole process, I should remind you that you take pleasure from far more pain inducing and lethal pursuits than mere torture," Eve stated. "However, if killing some people is what you want to do for a vacation, I'm sure the Company can find some targets."

Ranma looked up in thought. "True, that could be fun, but combat is pretty stressful too. What's a more relaxing... well... way to relax?"

Smiling, Cecilia gave a light giggle. "That's a very loaded question."

"Relaxation then? Suggestions?" Eve took out a slim notepad.

The lavender-haired woman blinked. "Really?" She looked around the table at the demons and agents. "Huh."

"I have some ideas," Misako offered.

"Other than killing," Ukyou sighed.

"A salon treatment could do wonders."

"I don't want to look like a carrot," Ranma grumbled.

Misako harrumphed. "Well there's other things. Looking pretty does help unwind, as does being treated by servants."

"She has a point," Cecilia coughed. "That's what the whole spa treatment is about."

"Yes, I can see that," Eve marked some notes.

"If you want mother to relax, take away the things that trouble her and satisfy her urges, the things she wants to do, like sex."

"Again, this is stuff you want," Ukyou stated before sighing again.

Ranma blushed a bit while Kasumi looked away and put a hand over her mouth.

Cecilia grinned.

Nabiki eyed the former call-girl. "I suppose this is right up your alley."

"Well, yes. I have extensive experience in... relaxation and actual non-carnal relaxation."

Nabiki and some of the other broodlings blinked.

"What? When you get into my price range the customer rarely asks for just sex."

"Ah," Nodoka looked over to the notes Eve was writing. "Hence your expertise in this field."

"I was paid good money to ensure the enjoyment and relaxation of some very stressed people," Cecilia shrugged. "Granted they didn't deal with quite this level of pressure, but they weren't this nice."

"Interesting suggestion. We do have a full day to fill, and a full night." Eve looked down at the timeline she had begun to fill out.

"Wait, what?" Ranma blinked. "You're planning to just hook me up with someone?"

"Well, there's security and scheduling issues to work out."

"I have my not-so-little black book," Cecilia offered.

"That could be a good starting point," Eve nodded. "Though we could simply go to an appropriate bar."

Ranma leaned back. "Really?"

"Of course, you're more than attractive and attracting enough to snag anyone with even a mild interest," Eve assured with a little smile.

A slight blush crept up the redhead's neck. "Well, I'm not so sure... well." She looked up around her family. "Okay, fine. I would like sex, but I'm not sure on the idea of just anyone." She shook her head and looked up with a little smile. "The rest sounds nice though. Anything to just stop."

"Some good food too then." Eve then glanced to Cecilia. The lavender haired woman pulled a thick black leather address book out of her purse. The blonde gave a little nod and turned back to her other sister. "Don't worry Ranma, we'll make sure you have a lovely day off."

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Kiri looked up from the dossier. Mars and Jupiter had returned. Both were wearing their metallic uniforms and looked beat, worn.

Holding a canteen, Jupiter slumped onto her bunk. She gave Mars a tired glance but leaned back onto the wall. She then crossed her legs with a pained wince.

Mars stepped over to the younger Senshi and pointedly looked over Kiri's shoulder.

Without turning, the Senshi of Pluto raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Rei?"

"That's Murdock's... confession?" Mars asked before turning to Jupiter. "You sure you're okay Mako-chan?"

"Peachy, the skirting armor took most of the blow," Jupiter nodded.

"With the expected omissions of course." Meiou Kiri nodded. "Where is the queen?"

"Doing another test with Dr. Saotome," Jupiter said as she worked a kink out of her knee. "Not like she got worn down by that Tendo girl's insane training."

Kiri raised an eyebrow.

"Doctor?" Mars laughed. "She's a mad scientist, who's also the Demon's mother." She narrowed her eyes at the diminutive green-haired woman. "And here you are staying in to read up on the Mage responsible for all this, the same man that the Demon let go."

Kiri held a finger to her chin. "The takeaway, I'm left with is that you left the Queen alone with, as you describe her, a mad scientist. Why? So, you could yell at me?"

Eyes narrowing, Mars laughed again. "Right, she can't be alone. And that's the problem."

Kiri turned to face Mars. "The status quo is unacceptable then?"

"Damn right! This is all your fault."

"My, now you're exaggerating my abilities?" Grinning, Kiri pushed a strand of hair off her forehead. She then glanced down to the report where a large portion of Murdock's testimony had been redacted. "Someone else did much the same."

Mars snorted. "Please, if you didn't want Minako to merge with Usagi and become her armor you'd never let it happen."

"Or at least you'd reverse it. This only happening because you're letting it," Jupiter added.

"You too, then?" Disappointment edged Kiri's voice.

"Oh, come off it. We're all that's left!" Flames sprung into existence around Mars' fists. "You've quarantined the outers and spore. Ami's gone insane. Minako's not much better, and now Usagi's getting all strange."

"Hardly a recent event, you recall the toy store, what she did to the Kronecker and his cult, the Path of the Will?"

Mars stilled. "I was there." Flames crept up her arms forming a second set of gloves.

"She crushed his skull, bare handed." Kiri warmly smiled. "Perhaps you should be more worried about the internal changes instead of the external ones."

"Thanks to you and Venus she is an internal change," Mars spat. Fire began to flicker through her hair like sparking red and yellow ribbons.

Kiri's smile died and she folded the dossier closed. "I think you need to calm down Rei," she steadily, calmly said.

"Oh, you'll put me down if I get out of line?" Mars' teeth flashed. "I guess having me out of control isn't..."

"Quite the opposite, your... passion for the Queen is admirable, and exceptionally useful. However, if you get too excitable..." Kiri tilted her head. "Yes, there they are."

The door to the bunk room slammed open and Sophie stood just beyond the threshold off to one side. Her expression was neutral, and she kept her Pug low but the intention was clear.

Morgan stood next to her, easily shouldering her rifle. Unlike her sister, Morgan had the long 25mm rifle held straight over Mars' smoldering form. Though her finger was held outside of the trigger guard. She used the iron sights below the scope, at this range a scope would useless and a hindrance to peripheral vision.

"Ladies, is there a problem?" Sophie asked, flashing a thin smile.

Slowly Mars turned to face Morgan who easily stood and held the rifle offhand without wobbling. She gave a light chuckle.

"Normally, you guys aren't this... aggressive," Jupiter frowned.

Sophie scoffed. "Our cousins are a bit... soft. They're far more patient."

Morgan raised an eyebrow. For a split second she caught Sophie's eye then allowed the corners of her lips to form a smug, knowing smile.

"Yes, I smell it too," Sophie agreed. Her attention went back to the Senshi. "You are here as guests; the Company would appreciate it if you did not try to burn the facility down." The black-haired demon flashed a toothy smile. "And if you have this much... nervous energy after training, well, we'll just have to inform Lieutenant Tendo that she's not working you girls hard enough."

Mars set her jaw.

"A conflict here does not benefit us. Even if you could beat them," Kiri said.

"That red-haired lunatic is pointing a gun at me," Mars growled, flames running down her obsidian tresses in streaks and tracers.

"Hence my qualifier." Kiri laughed. "Making enemies of the Company is a Rubicon you do not want to cross."

"So, they can come in here armed and point weapons at us?"

Kiri gave a pitying look. "They're Company agents and succubae. They're never unarmed. As for aggressive gestures, need I remind you that you are a very powerful Pattern Silver, and that you are on fire."

Mars whipped her head back around. Her hair flailed around catching the bunk bed. Scorching cuts dug into the metal frame and mattress. Some strands actually brushed against Kiri's skin and clothes. They were put out by tiny iridescent sparks that bubbled up and popped taking the flames with them.

Catching her breath, Mars flexed her fingers, which were now wholly encased in twisting deep red flames that flickered with white flare-ups. "I note you're not worried about them."

"I'm not the one being visibly aggressive." Kiri leaned back. "Besides, they're simply doing what the Canadian government is paying them to do. Deal with aggressive Patterns."

The flames along Mars' arms snuffed out. She exhaled. "Puu... we can't do this. Look at me." She gestured to her bronze-red armored seifuku and the sparking flames that were still weaving through her hair. "If I'm getting this... well just this, how well do you think Usagi is handling it?"

"Just because we can't see her freaking out doesn't mean she's okay," Jupiter added, giving Mars a wary glance.

"Minako is making sure she's okay," Kiri stated. She was watching the two agents. Their stance seemed to get a bit less tense, and their tails went from straight and angled low to a more fluid swishing.

"Making sure." Mars laughed. "Great, we've got one blonde pumping another blonde full of happy juice. And this is a combat form. You want her to be blissed out of her mind in a fight?"

"She won't be out of control," Kiri stated.

"No, she'll be controlled."

Jupiter looked down. "This isn't encasing Usagi in armor. This is inserting a giant battery into Minako."

Mars nodded. "Yeah, who do we knows really in control?"

"Does it make a difference?" Kiri smiled. Red eyes went to the two succubae and her grin grew. "Either Mina is controlling Usagi, or Usagi is letting herself fall into this state and is willingly hiding."

Mars glared.

"Which do you prefer? Personally, I'm leaning towards the self delusion and hiding from reality angle."

"I'd prefer you help us with Usagi," Jupiter stated.

Kiri raised an eyebrow; she recalled her nighttime delivery and she had made up her mind but she had to know what the others thought. "And if I don't? What if I take Mina's side? Will you two form your own little splinter group? Will you join Ami and Naru perhaps?"

"I'd try to get the Outers," Mars said.

"And if you can't get them? Or if they're... on my side."

Mars' eyes smoldered. Again her gaze went back to the two demons at the door. "At that point I'd rather go to the brood for help. At least I know what they want, and right now DarkStar's plans for the Princess are still better than Mina's or Ami's."

Staring at the woman with flickering, sparking hair, Kiri allowed a small smile to form. "Good."

"Great, a test." Jupiter sighed. "Really how much commitment do we have to prove?"

"It's not your commitment I question." Meiou looked at the dossier. "After all, Ami is very committed to the princess, and Minako's commitment borders on the disturbing."

Jupiter rubbed her forehead. "So, will you help?"

"Is it really down to me or a Faustian bargain?" Kiri turned to smile at the demons.

"If you're serious our mother can make quite the offer," Sophie said as she motioned for Morgan to lower her anti-material rifle.

The dark auburn haired succubus gave a disappointed murmur as she straightened herself back to a more at ease stance.

Kiri chuckled. "Well Rei? I'm willing to help with your Mina problem, or would you rather work with the demons?"

The flames in her hair extinguishing, Mars' shoulders slumped. "Well... that depends on what your plan is."

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After taking a seat, Cecilia tapped a worn hairbrush against the couch's armrest.

Eve put her pencil on her notebook and studied the young woman. Under her notebook was a large ledger style address book: Cecilia's client list.

She wore a crisp white blouse over an airy periwinkle skirt that concealed little of her legs. Her curly lavender locks were loosely held back with a long white ribbon.

Under the blonde's steady gaze, Cecilia inhaled. Meeting Eve's eyes, the brood mother crossed her arms. "Yes?" she asked, frowning at Eve's sharp, stare. High necked, long-skirted, and trimmed in black lines, the tight blue dress was an illustration of gross sensual power.

"Ah." Eve cracked a smile. "So?"

"She complained at first, but we got over that little problem." The lavender-haired woman frowned at her brush. "Though I'm glad I bought a spare."

Eve chuckled. "Next time don't do her hair until after she's calmed down."

"I'm amazed I got anything out of her, and I guess what I did get was a miracle." Cecilia said. She eyed the notebook. "So, what do you think?"

"You've made some interesting connections."

"Connections were everything in my business." Cecilia smirked. "You know how the law is in this country."

"I looked it up. It's rather fascinating, the act of prostitution is legal here, but none of the associated advertising, networking, or soliciting is. Must be challenging."

"Not really," Cecilia shrugged. "Once I got my first good clients the rest fell into place. People with money form their own networks."

"And with your skills you could name your own prices."

Cecilia nodded. "I know most of my clients would be ill-suited, but someone could work."

"Well, you do get around... some of them are on the Company's associate list."

Cecilia chuckled. "Well yes, I did run in nearly the same circle as The Drake."

Eve raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't his type," the lavender haired succubus explained. "Mr. Kuno has particular tastes when it comes to women."

"Yes, he is a man that did not take the death of his wife well," Eve said.

Cecilia giggled.

"It is a handy list."

"I suppose we could get someone on the city council."

"I doubt that's her type." Eve chuckled. "As if she'd agree with this."

"Depends on who you pick," Cecilia looked over Eve's shoulder. "Ranma did grumble about wanting some carnal fun without any strings attached."

"She said she wanted a one night stand, not being setup with one of your clients, and we don't really have time."

Cecilia shrugged. "So, we don't have time. It can always be done later."

"That only postpones the problem."

"What problem?"

"Can Ranma handle this?"

"Why not?"

Eve raised an eyebrow.

"And if anyone knows how to separate romantic bonds from sex it's me. This was my job." Cecilia raised an eyebrow. "I know who'd be more than happy to try a blind date."

"My how... honest." Eve gave a toothy grin. "No guarantee of sex, but no charge."

"Other than the meal." Shrugging Cecilia looked over the list. "Not bad... I suppose you'll need to check backgrounds. We're on short time."

"I suppose it's fortunate that you just happen to have a list of... compatible and willing locals." Eve chuckled.

"Didn't expect you'd have to be doing this kind of work?"

"Oh no, I've had to play matchmaker before. Never for family, but the Company's had me do stranger work." Eve frowned at the list. "I'm just not sure who'd be Ranma's type."

"In my experience succubae aren't too picky. Satisfy the security and background means, and as long as you pick a person that Ranma won't be repulsed by they'll be just fine."

"Someone's cynical about love."

Cecilia snorted. "You sound like Meredith. It's not the same with humans. We just can't connect with them, not at the same level with each other."

Thinking about Ranma's failed relationship with Kasumi, Eve made a mark on her notes. "Maybe."

"She needs this. Too tense, far too tense." Feeling the familiar scent, Cecilia turned her head towards the entranceway.

"I could say much the same about you." Ranma stepped in from the hallway into the living room. Her motions had the same languid confidence, but there was a bit more smoothness and precision to her form. She held her hands clasped before her. She tapped the pearlescent purple lacquered tips of her left hand's nails into those on her right. Her steps were measured and light, though her footwear contributed.

Thin heeled purple pumps pushed her feet to a pointed pinnacle and helped shape and accent legs skinned in pale hosiery that bore the barest hint of rouge. Just below the knees her shapely legs vanished into the scalloped hem of a fluted and flounced silk dress.

Backless, the dress was made of a nearly shimmering deep purple. Matching the edging around her skirting, the hem around her bosom was done in white embroidery that transitioned seamlessly to décolletage. Thrust up and edged in lace, the presentation was flattering, ostentatious.

Shining against her alabaster skin, a gold chain necklace held a small obsidian sphere that was set just above the cleft in the white lace edging. Framing this, a delicate stole draped over her shoulders. Pure white silk, it reflected light with a noticeable shine.

Warm pastel makeup adorned her face, accenting the redhead's beauty and highlighting her near luminous eyes. Her lips were done in a rich glossy lavender that brought out her eyes and was the same shade as her stockings. The makeup was in a more mature and subdued style that complemented her beauty. Obsidian studs adorned her ears.

However, Eve's attention was on her sister's neck. Save for the chain to her necklace, it was bare and gave a striking contrast from the normally concealing mass of hair.

Ranma's hair, all of the flowing curled mass, had been pulled up and sculpted. Waist-length tresses had been folded, twisted and folded again. As thick as her head at the base, the crafted bun appeared to be a natural extension and added to an unearthly grace about her.

Gently curving, the bun was topped, five inches above her head, by a purple ribbon that tied off the hairdo. The ribbon then tumbled down in two spiraled tails. Further support was provided by a series of long obsidian-headed plain hairpins that encircled her bun halfway towards the summit.

Nose flaring, Eve stood and strode to her sister, her long stride eating up the distance. As Eve circled her, Ranma smirked. She then embraced the taller demon when the blonde paused in her circuit. Feeling Eve's hands go to her hair, the redhead giggled.

"Soft," Eve said, allowing one arm to explore the pert upper thighs and buttocks the skirting hinted at. With her new hair and her delicately high heels, Ranma was only a few inches shorter than Eve, which gave the blonde a level view of the bun's beribboned summit.

"Of course, no nasty hairspray or product for my girls," Cecilia smirked. "Succubae are a wonder to style once they calm down."

Enjoying Eve's ministrations, Ranma blushed, keeping her hands folded before her..

Feeling something, Eve blinked. "Your horns are out."

"Oh yes," Ranma purred. "Having them buried like this is wonderful. No one can see them."

"So you won't feel like you're feeling through gauze when out in public?"

"That's a reason." Ranma stretched up and kissed Eve, on the cheek.

"Well, your girls will be ecstatic to see you dressed up like this," Eve smiled enjoying the sensation.

Ranma blushed. "Shame they can't come."

"Not for the whole day, someone does have to stay on watch for the day," Eve said, watching Ranma stride over to Cecilia.

"Sissy, this is lovely. I'd never be this relaxed on my own." Ranma leaned down and kissed the sitting succubus' forehead. "All that brushing..."

"Oh the day's just starting," Cecilia beckoned Ranma and planted a kiss of her own. Lavender glossy lipstick mixed with matte lavender lipgloss. Cecilia felt the redhead's deeper power, as their energies gently blended at the contact. However while Ranma was the stronger, Cecilia was more experienced.

She adjusted her lips and hugged the brood mother, using a technique that brought the diminutive demon to her knees and onto Cecilia. Cradling the pliant, pleased redhead, Cecilia summoned her wings and used them as an impromptu blanket, and began a light massage.

With a shimmer, the wings withdrew and a contented redhead primly sat in Cecilia's lap. Her dress was immaculate, her makeup, even her lipstick, was perfect, and most importantly not a hair was out of place. Cecilia was similarly spotless, save for a purple four pointed star that flared on her forehead.

Mindful of her bun, Ranma leaned her head on Cecilia, and purred. "Yes, you'll make a wonderful sister."

Red tinged Cecilia's cheeks as a flush bloomed. She looked down at the serene and polished demon leaning on her. Despite her power, despite her grace, there was still an air of inexperience about her. Ranma was still a young woman barely into adulthood.

Cecilia ran an arm over Ranma's décolletage.

The redhead cooed.

"So, Ranma I heard you wanted to unwind," the lavender-haired girl asked with a little smirk.

"Well, isn't that what today is about?" Ranma asked.

"Oh very much," Eve said folding her notebook and handing it over to Cecilia.

Holding it out of Ranma's sight, Cecilia looked at the circled names. "Oh? It's short notice."

"Well, we have a full day otherwise and there's always finding someone at a bar."

Ranma crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm right here," she pouted.

Eve wrapped an arm around the coiffed redhead. "Yes, you are, but the point of today is to let us take care of things for you."

"And don't worry, I'm an expert in that," Cecilia assured, shifting some of Ranma's curled hair ribbons.

End Ch 27

I'd like to thank my pre-readers. They read through my most egregious mistakes so you don't have to. J St C Patrick, Pale Wolf, DGC, Wray, Kevin Hammel, and Ikarus.

I'd also like to apologize for the delay in posting this (and let's just bypass the delays in my other works). I had planned to get this finished earlier but had a couple other projects that took precedence. Also despite my efforts this chapter got larger than I expected. However, I am working on the next chapter and on AiTDW and some other projects.

Terms: Boffin; British slang for scientist, engineer, or other technical person has connotations of egghead and absent-minded-professor. Nome de guerre; French, an alias used in war.


	30. Interlude 3 Down Time

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Josh "Sunshine" Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.

Other website Temple of Ranma's Senshi Seifuku

C&C as always is wanted.

Fanart for this chapter can be found in the Fukufics fanart board, or on the fanart link on the backup website.

Interlude 3: Down Time.

The booth was in a quiet corner of the Greek restaurant. It was made more-so by having the neighboring booths emptied. The coifed redhead leaned back, careful to avoid hitting the wall with her updo. Curving upward and held with purple pins, the hair bun added nearly half a foot to her height and was crowned by a pair of purple ribbons that spiraled down from the summit. She wore a backless purple dress that was edged in lace and embroidery that bordered on ostentatious.

"This is relaxing," Ranma smiled as she looked at her sisters flanking her and Nariko and Akane who sat across from her. Nariko was wrapped in a dark blue kimono with a white sash and little cloud and lightning accents while her mate wore a matching short cheongsam in a brighter blue.

Pulling the corners of her lips, Eve gave a little nod. "Just so you have a good time. This is supposed to be your day," she said, returning to her lunch.

Ranma sipped her juice and eyed a small plum that sat alone on a yellow plate with green leaf-partnered edging. "A day off? How luxurious."

Cecilia gave a tiny smile. "Isn't that the idea?"

"It's starting," Ranma admitted as she picked up the plum and nibbled onto it.

"So, you're getting down to Condition Yellow?" Cecilia picked at her bougatsa. She had requested minced meat added to the custard and cheese filling but was reconsidering her order.

The other succubae swiveled to the lavender-haired woman.

"What?" the former call-girl asked. "Isn't that the right term?"

Eve raised an eyebrow. "Well, yes. It's just odd to hear it stated that way, from –well- you."

Nariko wiped her mouth. "Auntie Cecilia has a point. You're pushing yourself into Condition Red when dealing with Miss Tsukino."

Eve gave a little smile. "Conditional threat. If X then Y, 'I may have to shoot that person.' " She frowned into her coffee and looked up at Ranma. "My, is that how you've been feeling? Constantly on? Continuously waiting and readying yourself?"

Holding her knees together, Ranma coughed. This was part of why she found the long hem of her dress troublesome. Sure she could simply morph out of the dress, but in a fight that would be a split second delay. "Well, it's not like I was alone. We all feel that way."

Akane leaned onto her mother and let a burst of love pour over the redhead.

Smiling, Ranma purred slightly and returned the gesture.

"I suppose Yellow is as relaxed as you can get," Cecilia put her fork down. "Condition White isn't an option for you anymore?"

"Speaking for yourself?" Nariko asked with a bright smile. "Would you like to live in that world? Unaware? Unprepared?"

"There's nothing wrong with living at Condition Yellow." Cecilia exhaled and picked up her fork.

"One hopes. That's the reality of the universe. Condition White is an illusion, those that live in such a state are –well- deluded." After glancing behind herself, Eve took a sip from her cup. "A relaxed alert is the best we can hope for. After all you may have to kill someone today."

Cecilia nodded. "It just seems so hard."

Ranma put an arm around the slightly taller woman and pulled her into a group hug with Akane and Nariko. "You're doing great! You're the most devoted brood mother I've seen. There's nothing you won't do for your girls."

Blushing slightly, Cecilia coughed. "I'm supposed to be helping you."

"You are." Her smile growing, Ranma gave the woman's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "It's good to know why I'm putting myself though all this pressure, and it's good to know I'm not alone."

"So you won't try to suffer in secret or take on a greater burden all to try to protect us?" Akane asked.

"Oh, Akane honey," Ranma laughed before turning somewhat pensive. "But you're not worried about me getting hurt, not physically at least. It's something else?"

Akane glanced to Nariko.

"Perhaps solving the Tsukino situation sooner rather than later would be for the best," Nariko gave a little sigh. "It would seem that Misa-chan has managed to be right again."

"Don't confuse directness with wisdom," Eve stated. "Often the quick solution isn't the best."

"But it's often the most satisfying," Ranma smiled as she bit the sausage she had sliced.

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Stepping out of the dojo, Ranma surveyed the backyard. She then looked down and wriggled her bare feet. High heels would not do inside; not on the mats.

"Well, aren't you pretty," Kasumi drawled walking up to the brood mother. The officer was wearing a grey coat and pants cut in a severe business style. A bit of fringe on her blouse was the only feminine accenting.

Ranma blushed slightly. While she had removed her heels she had stuck with her dress. The ankle-length shimmering purple silk gown stuck out, especially when compared to the Lycra exercise suits the other succubae wore. "Well, it was Cecilia's idea..." Her cheeks pinked slightly, the extra, the special, attention her brood gave her was... nice.

Glancing into the dojo, Kasumi smirked. "Yes, and how is she?" The older woman's question coincided with the sound of rushed feet, impacting bodies, and gasps. "Having fun?"

"Training's good for her." The redhead's eyes brightened. "Fun? Why? You making an offer?"

Kasumi inclined her head. "We... we have been down that road."

Ranma turned away. "Yeah, not much new to see."

"I wouldn't say that, you do look good with your hair up." Kasumi stepped towards the demoness but hesitated. "Think it'll impress your date?" she asked, crossing her arms behind her back.

"Maybe. I mean, it should be easy; I am a succubus." Ranma sniffed the air and frowned at Kasumi's emotional state. "Least it'll be fun for you guys to watch."

Kasumi snorted. "Please, you've been on surveillance duty. You know what it's like in the barrel. Besides isn't that what you're doing right now?"

"Oh?"

"You're not actually sparring dressed like that," Kasumi waved at the long and ruffled dress Ranma wore.

"No... Nariko's doing most of the teaching. What's your point?"

Kasumi let go of her arms and had them go to her sides. "Not sure."

Ranma whistled. "Uncertainty. Doesn't suit you."

"Yeah, it's just been strange. Good to see you realizing." Lieutenant Tendo frowned.

"Oh!" Ranma's eyes flashed slightly. "Jealousy." She tilted her head and gave the officer a mock inspection. "Yes... that seems to fit you. Worried about tonight?"

"On sexuality? I hardly have a leg to stand on with that issue." Kasumi coughed. "What about you? You've been... limited on this aspect of your powers."

Ranma put a finger to the dangling gold necklace she wore. " I am curious," she admitted. "I'm not even sure what I'll do. But... I want to at least try it."

"All you've done and this is what you hesitate on?"

The demoness looked down. "Fighting is easy... it got easy. Even all the spook games and surveillance are straightforward, when you get to the core of it.

"Things go bad and I'm right at the front, regardless of what I was doing. This time-" Ranma turned back to Kasumi. She pushed aside one of the ribbons that spilled from her updo. "I feel like you guys are actually guarding me. That I'm some silly princess."

"You're not talking about today," Kasumi stated.

"Hah, no... today's a break from dealing with something I can't... simply napalm and gut."

"And yet a blind date is what makes you scared." Kasumi shook her head. "Well, in a way... you are a princess. Technically."

Ranma rolled her eyes.

"Ignore that. The whole idea for today is to give you a break from Miss Tsukino. Anything else on your mind? Other than Tsukino and your date?"

"I did see Cecilia change into her little lavender Lycra leotard and-"

Kasumi raised an eyebrow.

"Not like that. I've already seen her naked. No, but she got to train, she got to go down and grapple, get all sweaty and tired."

"Oh my, too easy." The Company agent laughed. "I think Cecilia's right. You do need to get out."

Ranma sighed. "Yes, very funny, I'll have my chance tonight."

"I was more thinking Cecilia's more than experienced in sweaty grappling."

The brood mother shook her head.

"If you want to train, go train. Hell, you could change into your leathers and go for a nice ride."

"Yes, I could, but Sissy and Eve already got me the dress." Ranma idly smoothed a bit of purple skirting.

Kasumi stepped closer and looked down at the demoness meeting her gaze. "You know how easy it is for you to change clothes and back. That's just an excuse. This is supposed to be your day, and a lot of people went through a lot of trouble to make sure of it."

"And I am having a good time." Ranma shook her head. "Can't I just watch? I'm going to use this day to not do stuff, and if that requires me to wear a fancy dress then okay. Besides, Nariko's more than capable at teaching and she wanted to lead a class today."

"So you are having fun?"

"Watching my girls is very nice, relaxing."

"Really? Even with what Nabiki and Misako have planned?" Kasumi asked.

"Misako?"

Tilting her head, Kasumi smirked. The sounds from inside had stopped.

"Cute," Ranma's voice was flat.

"It's okay." Kasumi closed to Ranma and put a hand on her shoulder while the other went to her head and pushed aside a couple lavender ribbons.

Ranma leaned into the hug. "Really? You've read the reports. You know the Love Coda and the approaching Cycle."

Kasumi sighed. "Yes, yes. Apocalyptic collapse and madness; all the more reason for us to keep you sharp."

"Right; a dull tool isn't very useful."

"Company compassion at work," Kasumi said as her hand ran through Ranma's bun. She stopped when she found one of the horns. "Huh."

Ranma happily murmured.

"Interesting," Feeling the succubus start to go limp, Kasumi pulled the hug tighter

The door slid open and Cecilia stepped through. Her hair had been pulled back into a tight ponytail and sweat gleamed on her brow. "Huh... looks like Akane won the pool, Nabiki won't be happy."

"Wha?" Ranma dreamily asked.

"No kissing though," Cecilia held a finger to her chin. "Challenging."

"Of course." Kasumi nodded, but did not release the redhead.

"Yes of course, this is Mother's day," Nariko walked up behind Cecilia. She wore a black leotard with dark red trim and her sword and scabbard was slid though a sash around her waist.

Shifting in the embrace, Ranma smirked. "Yes, so keep it up."

"What about the sparring?" Cecilia tapped her foot.

Ranma looked to the doorway where both her and Cecilia's daughters were watching. "I'm taking a break, the rest of you can get back to work."

Nariko bowed her head and gently touched Cecilia's elbow.

Ranma smiled toothily and turned to her brood. "Girls, get your sparring partners back inside. We won't be long out here." She turned back and looked up at Kasumi. "Right Lieutenant?"

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"Sunny!" Sam said as she and Naoko ran up to the coifed redhead. Both teenage girls were wearing matching sleek black dresses with blue trim.

"Hi!" Ranma hugged them both. "Oh, it's great to see you too." She looked down. "Been a while."

Naoko looked around the Cajun Thai fusion restaurant. She caught Eve's eye. The tall blonde gave a little nod. "Guess you've been busy."

"You've got no idea." Ranma sighed. "But it's great to see you guys! A wonderful surprise." She turned to look back at Eve who was talking with the hostess. "I'm guessing she called you two."

"Yeah, said something about a surprise vacation for you, but she didn't mention it was fancy dress," Sam said, eyeing Ranma's clothes.

"She did pick up these for us," Naoko admitted, pulling at the sleeve to her dress.

Ranma laughed. "Eve is full of surprises today. Though Cecilia may have been behind that one."

"Cecilia, the brood mother you just met?" Naoko asked.

"That's her, very sweet woman," Ranma nodded. "Has a good leg sweep too."

"She's very nice, real sweet," Naoko said.

"Yes, a lot like you," Sam added as they went to their table. She sat down in the booth next to Ranma, while Naoko sat next to Eve.

"Oh? The mother thing." Ranma blushed a bit.

"I believe the phrase is 'sappy demon mommy'," Naoko grinned. Her expression was cut short by the quizzical look of the waitress.

"Ah, civilians," Eve said with a tight lipped smile as the server left with their drink orders.

"Other than work, how have things been?" Sam asked.

Ranma blinked. "Huh." Sighing softly, she looked down.

"Oh, it's not that bad," Naoko put an arm around the redhead. "How's things been with your family's school?"

Ranma relaxed further into the soft red booth's cushion. "Good, I mean I've been busy, but I've been working on some new stuff. Trying some things to speed up reaction time, also trying to figure which hits you can take with the least combat loss."

Naoko blinked. "Huh... what, letting yourself get stabbed so you can win?"

The redhead smiled.

"That's crazy," Sam said, sharing Naoko's admittedly mild shock.

"Cecilia said the same thing today." Ranma's grin sharpened.

"Her girls do need more training," Eve allowed.

"Oh dear... training fun?" Naoko asked.

Ranma smirked.

"I've warned her," Eve shook her head. "But we do heal well and in some fights..."

"And sometimes you don't get to pick where you're hurt. Galina's got a real edge in speed, and you're the one that's real big on shooting with only your off hand," Ranma crossed her arms over her chest.

"And dragging yourself if you've got a bum leg," Eve added.

"And I'm the one that needs a warning," Ranma sniffed. "Anything can be a weapon."

"Of course, I agree with that."

"My how manly," Naoko joked, playfully leaning on Ranma's side.

"It's sensible tactics," Ranma pouted.

"Awww, don't get too sad," Sam teased.

"I do put a lot of work into it," Ranma frowned as the waitress came up to the group; she eyed the coiffed well-dressed women and gave a big smile.

Eve intervened ordering their appetizer soups, twin orders of tom-yum and gumbo that the four could share for their late lunch. "Sometimes too much," Eve noted once the waitress left.

"Hey, if it wasn't for training I'd hardly have any down time."

"Yes, that is my point."

Sam looked down. "Oh. Um... Sunny, you know that's really pretty bad."

"Yeah, we thought you guys pulled out of high school to get some time off. Did it all get eaten up?"

Ranma sighed. "Yeah."

"Work's been busy?" Sam frowned. "There haven't been that many explosions."

"At least after the big fire on the East side," Naoko added.

"I kinda prefer if there'd be a fight. That way maybe this mess'll get sorted out."

Eve narrowed her eyes. "Careful now."

"What? I can't say bad things about the Princess?" Ranma grumbled as the waitress returned and presented their water and their tea.

Eve waited for the waitress to leave. "I was more concerned about you tempting fate."

Ranma winced. "You think?"

"This is your first real day off since this combat cyborg thing heated up. What do you think?"

The redhead nodded. "My, my." She sunk deeper into the booth. "That'd make a mess of things."

"Combat cyborgs?" Sam asked.

A bit of apprehension flickered across Ranma's face. "Enemy group, they're causing trouble."

Nodding, Eve looked between Ranma and the human girls. She leaned back slightly. "It's a group of Russian cyborg mercenaries. They're targeting someone under contract. You should not be a target, but your observation teams know what's going on."

Sam looked up at the redhead. "When were you going to tell us?"

"Huh?" Ranma blinked.

"To be fair, we don't tell you about every threat. That would take too long." Eve kept her face neutral.

"We're your friends, Sunny," Naoko said.

"Which means this is normal, isn't it?" Sam asked.

Ranma sighed. "Yes, yay for normality."

"Not that there's anything wrong with being strange."

The redhead raised an eyebrow. "Really now?"

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Smoothing his tie, Murdock descended the steps into the dive. The bright light at his back was rapidly replaced by scant fluorescent lighting that buzzed behind cheap red-tinted plastic filters. Built into a basement, the establishment had a low ceiling and walls done in gaudy faux wood paneling that was starting to pop out of place. Walking up to the bar, the mage noted that it was really a series of mismatched kitchen countertops strung together and held up by cheap cabinetry.

He gave a smile at the dregs of humanity that surrounded seedy, warped bar and the wobbly, darkened tables. After all, he was not so different. He had been in worse bars. On the other hand, he was still better dressed, rumpled suit notwithstanding.

The runic mage nodded to bartender, who gave a blink of vague recognition. "So, ya gunna order somethin', or not?" the balding, unpleasantly-greasy gourd of a man asked.

Murdock smiled. "Yes, I think I will. Gin, neat."

The bartender eyed the watery-grey eyed man but poured the drink.

"Thanks," Murdock accepted and took a sip. It was watered down, but given the cheapness of the liquor that was an advantage. "Gimmie three more."

The bartender shrugged, and filled three more glasses. Murdock paid and turned away from the bar. As he studied the tables, he ran the tip of his left index finger over the rims of three of the four glasses. In one corner sat a trio of glowering men. Pulling a broad smile, Murdock sauntered over to them.

"Hello, Mister Posh," the man in the center smiled, revealing bright clean teeth that contrasted with his rough stubble and unkempt brown hair. A natty sport-coat was draped over a threadbare black button-down shirt. Brown-black eyes sparkled with a wry amusement that contrasted with the rest of his rough brutality.

"Why, hello Mortimer," Murdock sat down across from the man and nodded to his two companions. Both were larger than Mortimer but one was thinner while the other was stockier. Wearing cheaper, even more worn coats and shirts, they loomed over Mortimer as if they were a budget bodyguard.

Murdock put the drinks down immediately, grabbed his glass and took a sip. He then pushed the others forward, paying particular attention to the center one that ended up before Mortimer.

"I was worried that you'd have chickened out, given how long it took you to you finally decide to take our services. Now, as I understand it the clock is ticking on your... friend," Mortimer leered after gulping down the dodgy gin.

"Well, this will be my last opportunity," Murdock reached into his jacket. He paused and noted that only Mortimer seemed to be watching his hand. Shrugging, he pulled out a pair of envelopes. One was thick and heavy with bills while the other was thin containing a handful of photographs.

Murdock handed the packets over while Mortimer's companions downed their drinks.  
Mortimer thumbed through the tan-brown notes and pocketed the envelope. His attention then turned to the photographs. "My... isn't she a piece of class."

The taller man to his left chuckled. "Prissy. You want us to take her down a few notches?"

"Lenny, quiet," Mortimer growled.

"Yes Leonard, be polite." Grinning, Murdock picked up his tie and slid the silver pin off. With a light toss, it landed between the photographs.

Picking up the tie clasp, Mortimer frowned.

The stocky man to the right chuckled. "Oh, that's good. You want us to show her it before or after?"

"What?" Mortimer asked.

"Your friend Gerald is rather perceptive." Murdock sipped from his glass. "Wear it on your shirt. I want her to see it right off the bat."

"You're the boss." Mortimer snorted. "So we've got the who, now we need the where and the when."

"Not going to ask for a why?"

Lenny looked to Gerald and both men sniggered.

Mortimer leaned forward. "You see, Mister, I have my own reasons. We all do. It's enough that you've given me something pretty." He tapped his jacket where the money was. "Two things."

"Well," Murdock gave a greasy smile, matched by a dull glint in his watery-grey eyes. "I can't argue with that."

"So, details?" Mortimer pressed, eagerly.

Smiling, Murdock reached into his coat again. He pulled out a small pad of paper, tore a sheet off, pocketed the rest of the pad, and wrote down two addresses and a time.

After being slid to him, Mortimer looked up at the grinning man. "Fancy hotel and... someplace nearby? No room number though."

"Oh no, too risky inside. She'll be leaving out the back. That's what the other address is for, backs to an alleyway. I'll drive her to you and..." Murdock flipped up his hand and let it go limp.

"We'll do what you paid us to do," Mortimer completed.

"Yes, yes you will."

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It was the gap between late afternoon and early evening and most of the seats in the Red Turtle were full with the post work crowd. The rush of people venturing downtown for a night out would come later. Amid the drab, almost business-like patrons four pale women shone brightly.

"You are shameless, Mother," Nabiki said from her seat next to the redhead. She radiated innocence and youth, but with enough maturity to make the temptation less guilt-ridden. A long shiny lacquered case was slid through a blue sash tied around her waist, highlighting her hips.

She had powder blue hair cut into a playful hime-cut, long and straight with level flat bangs with the addition of twin pastel pink bows tied in back. There was little makeup, letting her youth carry the day. Her cheongsam was shiny white with blue snowflake and butterfly accents along the skirting that was barely below her waist. Wedge-heel sandals dangled off her feet, while a triangular neon-blue spaghetti-strap purse was slung over her shoulder.

"I am?" Ranma asked as she sipped scotch from her tumbler. It was her first of the night and had hardly been touched.

Nabiki ran a hand along her mother's thigh. "Everyone's looking at you."

Looking around the bar, Ukyou raised an eyebrow. "A third of the people here are Company." She wore a metallic sliver-white slip of a dress with gold accents that matched her long platinum-blond hair. A big light orange bow tied some of her hair back at the base of her neck.

"I'm still seeing no less than four men and two women that are intrigued by you... non-professionally," Cecilia added from her stool next to Ukyou. Her lavender hair held up with a long white ribbon, she was dazzling in an airy periwinkle skirt and a stiff white blouse with matching accents.

"Only half a dozen?" Nabiki giggled and patted Ranma's thigh. "You can do better than that, right Mom?"

Ranma gave a little smile. "I guess... I mean, I've already got a date."

Nabiki reached up and adjusted one of Ranma's hair pins such that it ran into one of the horns concealed in her updo. "Treat it as practice then..."

"Oooh?" The redhead straightened her shoulders and things shifted. Her sleeveless low-backed dress now seemed perfectly cut for her body and the position she was sitting in. With her thighs crossed, shoulders square she sat like a magazine girl from a previous age, only now with more experience. She looked as though she could have posed for a bomber's nose art and had done so, before the practice was banned.

"Much better," Nabiki whispered as she continued to "adjust" her mother's hair.

"Lovely," Ranma smiled as she adjusted her seat. The scalloped hem to her dress fell higher revealing more leg. Darker, now smoke colored stockings and held by crimson garters that flashed whenever she moved her thighs.

"I thought you'd like it," Nabiki sat back down and motioned to the bartender. She then whispered into his ear. The man looked at the redhead and nodded.

"Are you nervous about tonight?" Ukyou asked, giving a smile at her mother. She put a hand on the woman's backside and gave her a light hug.

"Well..." Ranma looked down and her shoulders slumped a bit.

"Cheer up, Mom!" Nabiki assured, returning to the hair pins

Hit by the multiple contacts, Ranma found herself grinning and letting out a slight purr. "Nabiki...what-" the redhead almost asked before the bartender returned and placed a large cocktail glass in front of her.

Incongruently, the delicate glass was filled with a thick-pinkish fluid of a malt-like consistency. Next to the glass was a large metal cup used in making milkshakes. "Strawberry chocolate rum. Enjoy." The bartender said before slipping a slice of chocolate-dipped strawberry on the edge of the glass.

Ranma took an experimental sip that quickly turned into an almost greedy gulp. Still keeping a hand on a pin, Nabiki made sure to keep the glass full. After a couple glasses, the redhead's cheeks began to flush bright red. She gave off a smoothed, happy murmur.

"How is it?" Nabiki asked with a smirk.

"Delicious, you can't even taste the alcohol."

"You going to finish?"

Ranma eyed the freshly refilled glass. "Well..."

Ukyou who had kept her hand at the base of her mother's spine and tail, nudged it forward. "Come on Mom, it's not enough to hurt you, and you can have a bit of fun."

Giving something almost like a giggle, the redhead found the glass being pulled to her waiting mouth. For a while all she knew was chocolate and strawberry and seemingly hints of rum, all swirling with the massive pressure of her daughter's love.

Her shoulders returned to their straight, thrusting position and her posture sharpened even as her eyes got duller and her dress more strained. The lacy edging gave the illusion of modesty. Despite having a tiny lushness to her middle, she had an hourglass figure, if only due to the rest of her. While there was little skin visible, the cut of her dress combined with the fact that it seemed at least one size too small helped make that almost a technicality.

Poised, confident, playful, and predatory, the redhead sat at the corner of the Red Turtle like a big cat surveying her hunting grounds. Fingers bearing inch and a half long pearlescent purple nails gracefully picked up a cocktail glass by the stem.

Behind her, at the bar, Nabiki took the tumbler of scotch and pulled it to the side and ordered another shake for her mother.

"Well, that got more interest," Cecilia noted.

"Nothing changed... right?" Ranma frowned and took a sip.

Ukyou smiled. "Body language does count for a lot."

Nabiki's smile was somewhat strained. "Oh? Well, Misa-chan could have some fun."

"Yes... Misako's at the hotel, right?" Ranma asked.

"She does have a surprise for both of us," Ukyou smirked.

"My, how lovely," Ranma took another sip and recrossed her legs.

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A different trio of succubae walked along the hotel's balcony. Below them and across the rich lobby carpet was the bar. Their attention was on a specific patron who sat at a table on the open border between the bar and the rest of the hotel.

"There's Charles," Cecilia lazily gestured towards a man in charcoal suit sitting at the bar sipping scotch. His black hair was graying at the temples, giving him a distinguished air, which was enhanced by a roguish smirk that only partially met his eyes. Their playful mirth was tempered by how his gaze kept moving, scanning.

"Are you sure?" Not breaking her stride, Ranma glanced down. She focused her senses and caught of waft of his scent. She smiled slightly.

"Oh yes, that's him." Cecilia smiled.

"Yes, yes, that's a spook," Ranma nodded.

Eve gave a tiny smile as they exited the balcony onto a branch hallway.

"A spook?" Cecilia shrugged.

"He's had training," Ranma noted before taking in another breath. They then entered the elevator.

"I suppose Navy counts," Cecilia said drawing mildly critical glances from Ranma and Eve.

"A bit more than Navy," Eve corrected as they arrived at their floor. "And he's done... work in this part in the world. He's a useful consultant."

"But he's retired." Cecilia said, reproachfully. "I figured that someone more... experienced would be more Ranma's speed. He's also had problems in love, so seemed like a fair match. You did approve this," she said; the group gracefully stepping out of the elevator.

Following her sisters down the corridor Eve smiled. "Yes, after doing my homework."

Ranma looked down at her hands. "I don't know... I mean he's..." She sniffed her nose and blinked at the hotel door.

"One sec." Pausing before their room door, Eve took stock. Feeling nothing untoward, she unlocked the door and swept into the room.

Cecilia chuckled as Eve relaxed.

Already inside the room, Misako looked up from a large tacklebox she had open on a dresser. "Hello mother," she said, sweeping across the room. After hugging the redhead she gave her a critical look. "Yes, very workable."

Closing the door behind her, Cecilia raised an eyebrow.

"You were one of Mother-Alexia's treasures.

Cecilia raised an eyebrow as Misako addressed her, "You..."

"Which is why she tried to hide you," Misako assured putting an arm around the brood mother.

"Misa-chan?"

Misako smirked. "What? You didn't think I'd miss out on this? Did you Mom?"

Ranma shook her head. "I guess you do have experience."

"Some," Misako allowed with a broad toothy smile.

"I was worried she'd affect your nerves," Eve coughed.

"Oh, no it's not that," Ranma said hugging Misako again, but she did eye the makeup box suspiciously. "I'm more worried about how... mature he is."

"Age? You're concerned about that?" Eve ran a hand over Ranma's bun.

Sitting on the bed Ranma brightened. "You're right, he can't be much older than you were as a man."

Eve blinked.

"That explains why you agreed to him," Cecilia poured herself a glass of water.

Misako giggled.

A hint of pink crept up Ranma's cheeks.

Eve cleared her throat. "Sunny... how old do you think I am?"

Ranma blushed. "Sorry!"

"Charles is over a decade older than Eve, I'd suppose," Cecilia clinically said as she studied the redhead. "Nariko's seventeen... but how old are you Ranma?"

"We normally go with about thirty-five. About my age," Eve groused.

Cecilia sat down at Ranma's right and summoned her wings. "Well that's no fun. Let's give Charles something more... becoming."

"What I thought you'd already made-" Ranma's concerns were cut off by a membranous cocoon engulfing her body. Purring, the redhead felt herself ensconced in Cecilia's love. The lavender haired woman kissed Ranma and held it, deepening the embrace. Maternal and other energies washed over her. She felt a weight hitting her left side and the extra pressure and softness of Eve's wings. Finally, Misako's doting, but prickly love, was added when her wings enveloped too.

Cecilia shifted her wings to allow Eve access and the three succubae traded off embracing, feeding their sister, their brood mother, their brood queen. Ranma tried to return the favor but found herself receiving more than she gave. Overwhelmed three to one, she felt herself being washed away.

The only respite came when Misako occasionally stepped aside, but the orange-haired demoness soon returned with some new trinket or cosmetic. As Misako worked her hands would slide in, inspecting the progress and basking in the love of her aunts. In one brief free moment, Ranma gasped as her body filled with love and then overfilled. Love pulsed through her seemingly washing her away.

Eventually, the wings withdrew and a beaming and star-marked Cecilia helped the brood mother so she could sit under her own weight. Misako took out a makeup brush and did a final smooth on her mother's blush. The blond-highlighted redheaded woman caught a glimpse of Eve's awed shock before looking at the mirror before her. "Oh my," Ranma said, as she studied... herself.

Her makeup was a more adult and... subtle style. Eye shadow was a pale lavender, and her cheeks were rouged to give her a slight, by human standards, blush. However by the standards of succubae biology, she would look furiously flushed.

Eyelashes curled and fluttered in broad arcs while her eyebrows were trimmed to tiny blonde arcs. Her lips had grown, becoming plumper, fuller and had changed to a glossy pink. It emphasized her sensuality, it obscured her age with a feminine ideal which could place her within a span of a decade from matured youth to preserved prime.

Her bun had swelled, gaining several inches and delicate waves and dangling curls. Technically red, the crimson was beginning to be crowded out by a bit of blonde streaking through. Ranging from platinum to honey tips, streaks and curls of blonde were laced through her hair becoming more dominant the further from the root. This included thin blonde eyebrows and a pair of curled tendril tresses that ran from her temples to frame her face.

"You really have lovely hair," Misako assured as she replaced her mother's hair pins. They were fixed to one side in a backwards arc to look as if the brood mother had put them in herself. Their obsidian heads had bloomed, transforming into tiny black lotuses with amethyst centers.

However there were four that were out of place. Near the wide bottom of the bun, they were two to a side and the brood mother practically swooned as Misako slowly, lovingly inserted them. Misako leaned in and whispered into a bejeweled ear. "We gave you something special, don't let the other pair poke out."

As Ranma gave a happy nod, Misako adjusted the frothing hair ribbons. More of them had spiraled out, adorning the summit of her bun, forming a gentle avalanche of periwinkle curls.

Her nails had lengthened into feminine talons lacquered French-tip style with pearlescent purple bodies and reflective white tips that overhung by nearly half an inch. They were then hidden by a pair of pink gloves that were slipped up her sleeves.

Checking the shoes, Misako smiled. She had managed to grow them into soft violet patent leather pumps and sneak more heel onto them and add platforms in the toes that added nearly half a foot to her mother's height. Snaking up her mother's skirt, she then gave a brief check to the brood mother's foundation garments, as they would be on display later in the night.

Giggling, Misako pulled back and looked up at her flustered mother. Immediately her new "height" became more apparent when Ranma stood up, with her expanded but tighter purple gown constricting her legs. The bottom hem had grown from just below knee to nearly ankle length.

The slip beneath her skirting had stiffened forming straps and supports. A cross between a crinoline and a bustle the structures and gatherings fluffed out around her hips exaggerating and thrusting out her butt and thighs. Combined with the tightness of the dress around her thighs and knees made it look like her hips had broadened, and that she had a heftier, rounder bottom.

This formed her skirting into a smoothly fluted shape. The dress flared out near bottom of the skirt at shin level. The scalloped hem was edged in fluffy lace and puffed out adding to the fluted look. She took a tiny step forward and found that bottom of the dress flounced with enthusiastic femininity.

Her bosom was divided by lines of ruffles that went down the center of her torso to meet up with more ruffles that encircled her waist in several light purple tiers. Filled with ruffles and lace the dress above her waist gave a strong contrast to the smooth expanse below.

Lacy and puffy loops, like strands of icing edging a layer cake, connected her dress' upper hem and encircled her upper arms to form the tops of thin sleeves Her shoulders and back were bare, giving a clear demarcation between the dress and her body, in much the same manner that her wasp-waist was the line between her sleek skirts and her ruffled top.

All these masses of frills accented her chest such an over the top fashion that the exposed cleavage was expected, anticipated. Smiling, Misako took a few of the dark purple bows and began pinning them in place: one between her breasts just below the hem, several tiny ones on the upper frills of her sleeves, one on the toe of each shoe, and one with wide bows on the base of her spine, drawing attention to the swell of her backside.

A purple choker bearing star shaped rubies served as the anchor to a great amber pendant. Silver chains went from the choker to the egg-shaped gem, supporting it half way between her choker and the edging frills. A series of dangling pearls also hung from her neck in long loops, further drawing the eye low and to the front. They were matched by loops strung around her wrists and just above her demi-sleeves.

Together it all formed a sensual woman, one who might still be wild but was now festooned in feminine finery. The brood mother looked at her reflection entranced.

Closing up her box Misako gave another smirk. Now mother was starting to look her station. "So, you need me?" she asked hugging her mother.

The brood mother gave a little gasp at the nursing nip. "You're not going to... watch?"

Misako continued draining her mother, who now towered over her. "Well... Ukyou will be coming off her watch and..."

Running a hand over Misako's head the strawberry blonde giggled. "I understand daughter." She hugged tighter, and Misako leaned onto the slightly shorter woman. "I'm sorry I ever called this 'Slut Warpaint', you have a gift Misa-chan." Stepping forward, the brood mother found narrow almost pencil-skirt style gown caused her to take short little steps, especially when combined with her shoes. A tinge of anxiety borne of how hobbled she was combat-wise swam in the sea of contentment that filled her.

"That's more what you said about Akane." Purring into her mother's embrace. Misako smirked.

"Though this isn't really your style," the brood mother noted.

"It's not," Misako lightly said. "It's yours."

The blonde and redheaded woman frowned fractionally.

"Well... it's what I thought would look good on you. Speaking of that," Misako rose up slightly, due to her mother's very high shoes, and planted her amber lips against her mother's glossy pink.

The brood mother gave a happy murmur and returned the kiss. For a moment she lost herself in the layers of makeup, hair product, silk, leather and lace. When she blissfully came out, she found Misako withdrawing. The brood mother pouted slightly.

Misako took the strawberry-blonde's chin. "Good... solid hold, won't need much touchup."

"You... you know your makeup," the brood mother gasped.

"I'm glad you love it, Mommy. Have fun tonight." Misako hugged her mother again and gave another little push both physical and mental and was rewarded by more warmth and another giggle. She eyed the strawberry-blonde. "Well... Ukyou better hurry up."

"Or she'll miss my new look?"

"That and I really want to... talk with her." Misako flashed her fangs.

After hesitating for a step, Cecilia added to the hug. "Yes, we promise whatever happens you should enjoy yourself, that's the important part, don't let yourself be uncomfortable."

"You look like a true mother; you look like Nodoka; you look delicious," Eve purred, taking position along the brood queen's backside.

"I do?" the brood mother said with a little whisper. The blonde streaks in her hair throbbed softly and her thick lips curled into a blissful smile.

"Very much," Eve said reaching out to rub the redhead's middle, feeling the lace edging, and smooth tautness of the gowns' silk.

The brood mother happily cooed and stepped forward, her flared and bustled bottom swaying behind her in a puffed out and built train. Looking at her reflection she angled her backside and her thrust out and ruffled front. Her cheeks flushed pink and then stayed flushed as she gave a light giggle.

"Are you ready?" Eve asked, rubbing her sister's waist again.

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Charles had moved to the intimate low lights of the dining room and was quietly, almost whispering, to his phone. "All I'm saying is that you should make your class a bit more... interactive. Yes, I'm sure your students learn a lot. I know, I was there for a lot of it, but come on, it's a bit dry. Maybe you should go out on a date. Well... I know a certain Irishwoman that would love some excitement."

After taking a sip of his scotch, Charles felt a chill roll down his spine like a combination of a soft caress and lover's whisper. Adjusting his stance so his rig carried better, he swallowed and turned around. A vision approached. "Hey Mikie, my lady friend just came. So, no calling until morning... maybe later." There was a slight tremor when he closed his phone. A slight flowery scent tickled his nose

Watching her steadily, contently close-in Charles studied the woman. He recognized her from the balcony but closer she seemed almost unreal. The deep purples, rich reds, and ivory whites were too vivid. Her curves were too luscious. Her hair looked too soft, too two-toned, and also somehow too sculpted and it also bore spiraled ribbons that should have clashed with the whole playfully coy, but buxom matriarch vibe.

The whole look seemed far overdone, she looked more appropriate for a ball or wedding, not for dinner, fancy or no. Despite wearing a dress that should have restricted her movement, she moved with a fluid, almost predatory grace. Though she did have to pause as she stepped up over a lip when the floor transitioned from carpet to tile.

He found himself standing up. The woman was shorter than him, but her piled hair, and ruffled gown helped extend her presence.

"Why hello, Mr. Finley. I'm Sunshine Vestal." Rose lips quirked into a grin as the woman extending a hand.

"Well Mrs. Vestal, you can call me Chuck if I can call you Sunny," the man grinned taking her hand and giving it a kiss. Feeling a slight jolt he got a bit more of her sakura scent from her perfume or herbal oils she used in her hair. It could also be the dyes, given the blonde eyebrows and red roots her hair had to have been dyed some color.

Enjoying the gentle nip of energy from the contact Sunshine smiled. "Oh please do." She returned her hand to being clasped before her.

Giving a quick smile, Charles pulled out a chair for her, then took her outstretched hand to help her to her seat and once she was settled pushed her seat in. He watched as the complex structures that extended her buttocks compressed revealing the true, and generous, shape of her backside

"My, manners." Sunshine said, taking note of the muted grayscale tie, gold wrist watch, pinky ring... and concealed shoulder holster he wore. She then watched him take his seat, noting the crease of his suit pants.

"I aim to please." Studying the well-coifed woman, he flashed another grin. "So how do you know Sissy?"

"Our daughters play with each other." Sunshine said.

"You've got kids? No kidding," Charles smiled.

Looking down Sunshine blushed. "I'm sorry..." she pulled back.

"Oh look, I didn't mean," Charles took her wrist and for a split second it tensed and felt hot. It passed and he pulled her willing arm forward. "We don't have to do anything. Cecilia's a good friend of mine and she said you needed some relaxation."

Exhaling, Sunshine's shoulders sagged, the oscillating results of which caught Charles' eye. Though when that much lace and frills moved it was hard to miss it. She pulled herself back up and nodded at him. "That's fine; you don't need to worry about me."

"I take it there's no Mr. Vestal?"

Sunshine raised a delicate blonde eyebrow. "No. There... well there was recently a blonde. Pretty... self-centered... incompetent."

"Sunny, younger men are nothing but trouble. You should know that buy now."

The demoness stared and blinked. After a moment she put her hand to her mouth and laughed awkwardly. "My, my Chuck, speaking from experience are we?" Sunshine then smiled broadly, showing her teeth.

Charles coughed. "Well, no that's not what I mean, I've just seen a lot of stupid things young people have done, I've done most of them myself.

Sunshine put a finger over his lips, the point of her nail scratching his nose. "Don't worry. We've both got plenty of baggage. And besides, it was a young woman."

Charles waited for her to withdraw her finger. "Oh? Oh my."

"You don't mind?" Sunshine asked.

Charles laughed. "Nah, I always enjoyed a bit of competition. Same holds true for women. You have to be careful with the young ones, especially those with a temper. They can blow up like that."

"Do tell," Sunshine dryly said.

"I'm not speaking figuratively either."

"My," Sunshine noted.

A waiter came up and took their drink orders. To Charles' surprise, Sunshine ordered what he was drinking.

"So you're a Scotch drinker?" Charles asked after the waiter returned and Sunshine took a sip. The sparkling cuts in the heavy crystal tumbler complimenting the pearlescence of her manicured nails.

"My boss got me into it," Sunshine said, taking in the aromas around her. "I was drinking something else tonight but... it was too sweet."

Charles nodded. "So, after this pretty girl you decided you needed a change?"

There was a flicker of hesitation as the woman tilted her head and seemed to look though her companion. "Something like that." She quickly said, seeming to snap back. Even her eyes had resumed their delighted shine.

"Well old Chuck is more than welcome to help a lovely lady make the rebound a bit softer."

"Really?" Sunshine felt her cheeks burning with a bit more nervousness

Feeling a shapely leg brush against his and rise up to his knee. Charles' eyebrows shot up. After making sure the foot was there for contact and not to kick him, he reached down and removed the shoe and began to massage. Special attention was paid to the toes and inner arch.

Sunshine gave a surprised gasp and her chest heaved. "Mr. Finley!" She cried nearly spilling her scotch.

"Lady, you put it there."

"Yes." Looking him in the eye, she placed her glass on the table and raised her other leg. "There, now there won't be any... more spills."

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"I did not expect this," Eve said after taking a glance at Sunshine.

Cecilia raised an eyebrow but did not look. Both were sitting at an angle to Sunshine and Charles' table. "This is how it works for us." She said, taking a look as part of a sweeping glance over the room.

After the appetizers, Sunshine had Charles move her seat so it was next to him, and was blissfully leaning on his side. Like her stole, his left arm was wrapped over her shoulders and disappeared into the frills and cascaded down her chest. That left his right arm to ferry food from their plates to their mouths.

Eve inclined her head slightly. "She's playing him?"

Cecilia nodded. "Look at how she's got both her arms free and how he only feeds her at her signal. We are mimics; we look like our food. Of course overt appearances will be misleading."

Eve caught the two kissing. Sunshine leaned forward to initiate, but after that Charles took charge and led the kiss. He took her cheek in his palm, while he used his right arm to go under her bosom and split the difference between that and her belly.

"My, she's a natural." Not even looking, Cecilia's nostrils flared.

"Is this hurting him?"

"Not unless our sister wants to."

"Is this hurting her?" Eve quietly asked.

Cecilia put her hand on Eve's. "You wanted her to unwind. You're the one that marked her so. Frivolous carnality is a natural. I know Charles; he's happy entertaining his lady friends and doesn't get that hung up about it."

"One wonders why he needed to buy your services."

"Who said I charged him?"

Eve blinked. "I suppose you aren't required to charge someone."

"I'm not running a tab on either of you," Cecilia smirked.

"So he can handle it, what about our sister?"

Cecilia shrugged. "She's a succubus. He's a human. There's no chance of it becoming anything more than what it is."

Eve took a bite of her steak. "Tell that to Kasumi."

"They broke up because of that very incompatibility. Also he's male." Cecilia gave a little smile. "Males are quite delicious to us, but that's about it. I don't think we need to worry about her getting infatuated with her food." Cecilia daintily ripped an arm off her lobster.

"Really?" Eve looked at the blood oozing out of her rare steak.

"Well if something does develop, then we have a new sister, and Sunny finally gets a mate."

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Bearing a guarded little smile, the woman with blonde-highlights closed the door and slowly turned away.

"I trust you had fun," Eve said, somewhat muted.

"Jealous?" the blonde-highlighted woman teased as she glided towards the full blonde.

"It's simple deduction," Eve's eyes went to the door. "He's still alive, therefore you had to have had fun, otherwise..."

Cecilia raised a lavender eyebrow. There was another simple deduction; one that could be found by the mere half hour their sister had spent with Mr. Finley. The gown alone would have taken several minutes to remove, not that the process could not be made most enticing. Putting it back on, however, would be more difficult to make entertaining.

"Oh yes, if he had been... naughty I would have had to have taken care of him, which would have been fun... afterwards." Licking her lips, the brood mother put a hand to her belly.

Cecilia continued to study the coifed matron. Her gown was slightly askew though her bustle and tight bodice looked to still be in place, even if the ties on the latter looked freshly redone. Lipstick and had been redone and there was now dainty cream colored lace edging her gloves.

"But he was such a gentleman," the blondish-redhead purred. Her expression sharpened. "You two must have done your homework to dig him up."

"Well, when one finds someone on both my list and Eve's," Cecilia coughed.

"Yes... you found an operator with experience and playfulness." The demoness stalked closer to Cecilia.

The lavender-haired demoness looked up as the redhead dominated her vision, her senses. High heels, bustles, bodices, sculpted hair, layers of silk, piles of ribbon, constellations of jewelry, and shimmering makeup gave a hint of the brood queen's power. It was a placeholder, a representation of the immense scale and pull the matriarch commanded. Cecilia found herself drawn in and for a moment was lost in a wash of softness and warmth.

Embracing the younger demon, the brood queen leaned down to whisper into her ear. "You know my... tastes better than I do. Maybe... maybe another time I'll be more ready." Ranma kissed Cecilia on the lips. "But, I still had a wonderful time."

Flushing, Cecilia found herself stepping free of the hug and bowing her head. "Thank you. I had hoped you two would hit it off."

"And he's not upset?" Eve asked.

Clasping her hands, Ranma giggled. "I still showed my appreciation and... interest," she said, somewhat primly.

Raising an eyebrow, Cecilia glanced at Eve.

The blonde cleared her throat. "Ah, so you had a good time?" she asked as they walked down the corridor towards the elevator.

"It was certainly interesting." Waiting for the elevator, Ranma shifted her dress. "Is that how it normally goes?"

"A high class call-girl set you up with a former spook who's been seen drinking with those Tan Berets up in CFB Trenton."

"Which special forces group, ours?" Cecilia asked, having learned what the tan beret meant on a Canadian.

"Same overall command as the JTF2 platoon we're training, but no he's been seen with CJIRU. Which is on par with what our boys'll deal with." Eve said, referring to the Canadian Joint Incident Response Unit.

"And yet I'm still not sure he's related to our little Spearhead Project." Ranma rubbed her chin. "Strange no?" she asked as they stepped into the elevator.

"Mr. Finley has his fingers in a lot of pies. Granted not in any of the NH areas, as far as we know." Eve let the implied question hang.

Ranma laughed. "I'm supposed to be on vacation today."

Eve looked at the polished steel door before them. "Yes, but it's still... useful."

The doors opened and the trio stepped into the lobby. "CJIRU... So the guys called in when a nuke or a biological weapon gets out are on par with what you all do?" Cecilia asked.

Eve smiled thinly. "I suppose when put that way, that makes our situation a bit melodramatic."

"Vacation me," Ranma muttered with a bit of mock frustration as they went through the lobby to the back side of the hotel.

"Oh hush, it's not like we asked you to pump him for information," Eve sighed wistfully. "He's done plenty of work in the Caribbean and in Colombia, you know. We always were weak in South America"

"I thought you guys were everywhere, waiting to pounce on any wayward demon," Cecilia said with a trace of bitterness.

"Well, we like to cultivate that impression," Eve patted Cecilia on the back and opened the pair of service doors.

Ranma stepped out into the night and smiled as the cold tried to cut through her layers of silks. The wind blew against her and she had a moment of enjoying it ruffle her dress about while her hair stayed frozen, instead of the more normal opposite effect.

Shaking off her brief reverie, Ranma looked at the Company truck waiting at the service exit. She sniffed the air. "Oh, dear."

"What?" Eve turned away from Lieutenant Patterson. She tried to work out what had her sister's attention.

"Another present," Ranma grinned, revealing her teeth. She pulled up her skirts and started down the alleyway, away from the Company truck. After a few steps she stopped and looked back to Eve. "You are coming, right?"

"Should I try to stop you?"

Cecilia blinked. "Trap?"

"Probably!" The woman with blonde-highlights giggled.

Eve sighed and motioned to Patterson before taking off after her sister. The tiny lanes and alleys got tighter as the glass buildings gave way to brick. Cans of refuse, broken crates and other bits of debris, began to crowd out the crumbling walls and uneven ground.

Though all this, Ranma smoothly glided ahead. Her piled, sparkling hair, and fluffy gown completely at odds with her surroundings.

Hand on her sidearm, Eve followed her around a blind curve and saw three large men in grungy slacks and black synthetic coats crowding around the redhead.

"There they are! Just like he said," the man in the center gloated as he drew a large knife from a scabbard concealed by his jacket.

Ranma gave a little pout at the knives the other two had drawn. Noticing the silver tie clasp pinned to the center man's shirt pocket, she instantly perked up.

To his left a stouter man in between the height of his two partners, looked up at Eve in her tight blue dress.

"Go after the redhead. She can't run all fancied up," the man sneered. "Hello, whore, Mr. Murdock's got a problem with how you treated him, so he sent me and my boys to repay the favor." He tapped the silver clasp idly. "Though according to him you've got enough kinks that it'll be hard to make you squeal, in pain that is." He wriggled the knife. "But me and my boys aim to do our best."

Just behind Eve Cecilia's eyes flared.

Looking at the trio of glowering... hungry men and their shining knives, Ranma clapped her hands in joy. "My, my. Such a lovely gesture. Maybe I was wrong about Murdock."

Not taking her eyes off the men, Eve suppressed a sigh. "You want to play, then?" she asked Ranma.

The trio blinked with the two flanking men looking to their leader. "Don't think you can get away!" he shouted.

Ranma smiled. "He went through all the trouble to set up a pathetic little ambush."

"And if it's a real ambush?"

"Patterson and his men are right behind us. I know you, they're securing the area."

"What the fuck are you talking about? Crazy bitch, you don't even look that much like the photo."

"Shhh," Ranma stepped forward and put a finger to the man's lips. "You were talking about how you were going to cut me up, make me scream? Bask in the power of just taking another person so totally?" She gave a little purr. "Were you going to save anything? Or maybe take a little snack right here?"

"He said you were twisted," the man spat to the ground. "Lenny, Gerald, grab her."

The two men on either side each took an arm at the wrist and pulled them to the sides putting her in a bit of a T shape. The third man stepped closer to her and loomed over her.

"Could you tell me your name?" Ranma asked arching her neck back.

The man pricked his knife into the top of her gown and slit it to the side, the gauzy white covering, silk décolletage, and streamers of pearls were cut away, revealing heaving, upthrust cleavage. "You can call me Mortimer, Mort."

"Lovely, someone had a sense of drama then." Inhaling deeply, Ranma licked her lips and arched her back a bit more.

Mort snorted. "You're one kinky bitch, but you know this isn't some little game."

"More than you do."

"Yeah, right," Mort looked up, he saw the blonde and the light purple haired one standing several paces behind the fluffy blondish-redhead. Both bore disgusted and strangely... critical expressions. "Guess your little friends like to watch. What do you say we give them a show?"

" Lenny, Gerald, rip!"

The two men pulled and the lacy sleeves and puffy hemlines tore away, taking much of the top of her gown with them. Lenny blinked as the sleeve and ruffles he held seemed to fall apart, but he simply dropped them and readied his knife.

Pearls rained onto the sidewalk. As that happened, Mort sliced her bodice down, leaving her bare from her choker to the fluting of her skirt. Somehow the little cream colored gloves managed to stay on.

"There, showing you more of what you really are," Mort pressed the knife below her belly button. "You can try to cover it up, but beneath all this you're just an animal."

Squaring her hips, the strawberry blonde held up her arms so they could be grabbed again. "My, my. Where _did_ Murdock find you?"

"Shut up!" Mort sliced across her beehive hair bun, taking the top off. Hair pins joined the pearls in falling to the ground. The remaining hair fell, mostly down her back, but some settled across her eyes forming a crimson and blonde curtain that veiled everything but her glossy lips and bright, bright teeth.

"Enough playing," Mort snarled as he drew his blade lower. The instant it crossed the woman's waist her expression hardened and the smile on her lips went from amused to something... else.

Ranma's arms muscled in and Lenny and Gerald tumbled forward. Claws flicked out and both had their right hands neatly lopped off. Her tail shot out the front of her skirting, dispatching Mort's hand with far more mess.

Eyes flashed and burned messy lines into Mort's temples and along the sides of his head. She dove forward and tackled the crying man to the ground. As she knelt down on his stomach, her skirting fell around him. She put a hand around his mouth and with a thumb under his jaw kept it closed. Claws sliced as she began to cut away his coat, peel off his shirt sleeves, and then his skin.

Inhaling, Ranma gave a dreamy smile. "Do you want to see what you really are?"

Behind her immovable grip, Mort gibbered.

Watching, the lavender-haired succubus nearly cried out in shock. Her mother was Alexia, she had seen such violence before; she had felt the sympathetic hunger and was able to revel in the sensation. However, the predatory savagery still worried her.

The blonde-red tressed demoness narrowed her eyes and started running her tail over his right leg. Twisting her back she looked over to Eve and Cecilia. Glancing back to the stunned, bleeding Lenny and Gerald, she narrowed her eyes and raked twin purple beams against their gasping mewling forms.

Satisfied she returned to her sisters. "Would you two be a dear pair and help me?"

Cecilia swallowed, and after hesitating indulged herself. Kneeling down to the man, to her prey, she began to feed. It was different. Instead of having prey that needed to be coaxed into release, this time a lump of yowling meat was presented before her.

In spite of the blood loss, the ripped muscles, the shredded entrails, and the swaths of missing skin, the man the redhead straddled was still alive. His heart and lungs were still intact, and air bubbled out of the ruin of his nose and around the hand clamped over his mouth.

Straddling the man her face clouded. As she drained, she took the choice bits of muscle and organs. She narrowed eyes gave a quick claw swipe and took his life. She had felt his pain, his fear; too much soured the meal.

Pausing she looked over and saw Eve performing a similar maneuver as she cracked open a rib cage to extract a freshly-stilled heart. However, the part that truly chilled and exited the lavender-haired brood mother was seeing the queen work.

Then with a contented sigh, the demoness looked down. Foreplay was over and she started deeper, more excavating cuts. Now, she was simply cutting up her food into manageable bites. Though she would occasionally skip that aspect and dive into the carcass with her mouth. Blood and viscera splattering against the remnants of her dress and caking the accessories that had yet to fall off.

After finishing, the demon queen rose from the pile of broken bones, torn muscles, shredded clothing, offal, and generous splatters and pools of blood. The alley darkened. Shadows spread from around her torn skirting, covering the brutalized bodies and littered ground. Her bare torso shone before the shadows deepened and her form obscured further.

Then the inky tendrils drew in. Bits of silk, silver bows, blonde and red curls, pearls and other debris were pulled with the retreating darkness. The ground was scoured of blood and flesh was scoured from the bones.

Pulsing with purple flashes, the shadows obscuring her form shimmered. Once the alleyway was picked clean, the shadows covering her began to lighten and fade revealing that bloody torn cloth and pale skin had given way to lace, silk, and ribbon all crisp and clean. Stepping forward, the demon queen held a small contented smile, and folded her hands before her. The melting darkness revealed that her hair had regained its curled and piled structure.

After dabbing at her lips with a handkerchief, Cecilia gave an appreciated whistle, especially at the curves that the strawberry blonde was resting her hands on. Feeling her body tingle, she closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the sensation.

After radioing in their status, Eve walked over to the queen. Smirking, the blonde put a hand close and patted the redhead's hands, and then her full stomach. "I suppose that works. Suspicious though," she said feeling her sister's stretched side skirting, confirming wider more powerful hips.

"Yes, but still, lovely little gift," Ranma smiled and bowed at the waist to the waiting agents behind her sisters. "Apologies for the delay Lieutenant Patterson, I promise I'll make it up to you and your men."

Patterson looked up and met her gaze. "I'm sure we can work out some training," he said, his voice and eyes steady. The carnage was bad, but that's what happens when one tugs the tiger's tail. It was especially one sided, these were punks, at least cultists had an idea what they were up against.

He turned to his men and took a read of their expressions. Porter seemed a bit green about the gills. Franklin had worked with the brood before and seemed more contemptuous of the punk's foolishness than anything else. Only Stockton was frowning with disapproval and distaste. Though it might be at the thought of having to stay and guard the alley until he cleaners came.

The lieutenant was reminded of the bank robbery that Red, the late Aram and Gabriel had foiled. She didn't eat anyone that time. Then again the Company did set her loose in an Assembly base where she gleefully slaughtered them by the dozens. Compared to that the cleanup and containment for this would go much quicker.

Blissful almost dazed, Ranma happily nodded before turning to Eve. "Shall we go?" She looked as she did before, perfectly polished and poised.  
There were only two changes: her form had bulged out, gravid with food, and she bore Murdock's silver tie clasp nestled upon her chest.

Looking demurely content, she looked at the agents; a frown fluttered across her face. The demoness made a show of turning and looking back at the alleyway and inspecting the carnage. It could have been worse. When she had reformed her dress she had pulled most of the... mess in with her, scrubbing as she went.

Idly sniffing the air, she zeroed in on the most apprehensive of the agents.

"Red?" Patterson asked as she glided past.

"She's just checking something out, Lieutenant," Eve assured as she straightened up herself.

Approaching Stockton, Ranma looked at his stance and how the black-haired man held his arms. "It's good to see you on active duty. Was the recovery difficult?"

Stiffing his back and keeping his eyes on her, Franz Stockton shook his head. "No Ma'am, turret rounds went through and through. Bleed bad but could have been a lot worse. Spent more time getting my muscles to mend than anything else." His tone was stiff but undercut with pride.

"I'm glad." Smiling, Ranma reached out, but then pulled her hand back and clasped it before her. "The Russians..." she shook her head. "Not to mention what happened to Green and Gold team."

"Green is making a comeback," Stockton assured, as Porter and Franklin nodded in agreement.

Ranma glanced back again. "I am sorry," she eventually said, softly seemingly surprised with herself.

"Ma'am."

The demoness' smile returned. "Such a useful phrase."

"Yes, Ma'am." Stockton nodded to himself, approving her answer. "Sorry for what, Ma'am?"

A blonde eyebrow rose. "For inconveniencing you all. I shouldn't have indulged in such a messy way."

"I'd rather this than babysitting those Pattern Silvers," Patterson added, glancing at Stockton. Normally, he would end his subordinate's line of questioning, but the officer was curious too.

"You could have taken them out and feed later," Stockton suggested.

"Yes, I'm sure you'd be far more comfortable playing the deliverymen. Ranma laughed. "Going to stock our larder too?"

Ranma looked down. She was still in all her finery. Ruffles and pearls replaced blood and claws so smoothly that they were two sides to the same coin. "No, this is better... for you."

Stockton narrowed his eyes fractionally. "Yes. Enjoy the rest of your evening, Ma'am."

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Following the heady, overpowering scent, Eve stepped into the kitchen. Her eyes widened at the sight before her.

Her back to Eve, Ranma bent down and opened the oven. Lace edged hips flared out in generous and widely spaced arcs. Her gown had pulled in closer and had lightened from shades of purple to off-white with lavender ruffles and lace. It was like night and day. The pallet-swap had gone from dark solid colors fit for evening wear to fresh, almost spring-time, pastels that made her radiant and bright.

A tail thicker than Eve's arm swished out behind the blonde-highlighted redhead. When viewed from behind, her curves pushed against her silk gown. Carrying a pan bearing glistening cinnamon buns, the brood mother returned to a standing position. Giving a happy giggle, she closed the oven and placed the pan atop the stove

Her horns had finally broken free from her shiny hair bun. Glossy ebony, they were tightly spiraled like a ram's and stuck out to nearly shoulder width. A smaller more delicate pair was immediately before them, their tips just sticking out of the bun.

Gracefully, she spun on a heel. Her stiletto-heeled purple platform pumps, also now periwinkle, nearly dug gouges in the tile floor. Eve found herself gasping. The brood queen wore a sleek, shiny white half-apron that ended just under her bosom.

A mix of smoothing chin-line and subtle age lines had further converted her. She bore the face of a woman proudly standing on the dawn of middle age. The ethereal, almost painful beauty of her youth shone through the imperfections, and the mischievous inviting smile up on her glossed lips. If anything they were an enhancement, the earned battle scars of a life devoted to her children. A slim pair of silver-framed half-lens glasses were perched on her nose.

Blushing brightly, the brood queen clasped her hands before her and coquettishly lowered her gaze. The blonde demon before her had more of a presence, her tail seemed more energetic, her motions stronger, her hair brighter and more full of body.

Ranma smiled. Looking over the purple lenses her gaze faintly glowed and Eve felt her knees nearly give out as she grabbed the counter.

"My... so you met Nodoka?" Eve coughed. When she dropped Ranma off from their meal after the hotel... the redhead was... refreshed, but not quite like this.

Lips glistening, Ranma pouted. "Perhaps this was a bit much."

Eve nodded. "Maybe, maybe."

"Did you come in just to ogle my buns?" Ranma asked as she bent forward to check out the oven again.

"Breakfast themed double-entendres aside, I came to tell you that the object is secure." She said her face growing more concerned.

"Yes, Murdock's little gift is either his resignation to the order or a trap to me." The blonde and redheaded brood mother stood back up and looked over the cooling pastries.

"Either way you shouldn't have put it on," Eve stated.

"I wanted to save it, and I was pretty messy."

"You cleaned up well," Eve's frown retreated when she rubbed her belly. "And really, I shouldn't have eaten either..."

"That crossed a line for you?" Ranma blinked.

"Please, I'm thinking security not morality. We didn't know who those guys were, only that Murdock set them up, that's a risk."

"What risk? They're dead, we ate them. That's what we do with our enemies."

"And he knew that." Eve frowned. "I know we reject most any poison and regenerate but he might have tried something, like maybe the poisons we're not immune to, or something that would have retarded regeneration."

"Right, but you're researching those boys, just like you're running tests on the samples Lieutenant Patterson took," Ranma crossed her arms before her. "I know you were doing more than just locking up a silver tie clasp in the C facility."

"Yes, I was doing more than just that. I was talking with Cecilia."

"Oh? What's wrong? I told her I had a wonderful time and that Mr. Finely was a true gentlemen. Just because I wasn't ready for... sex."

Eve broke into a smile at the brood mother's bashful blush. "That's not what has her worried."

"Does she think Murdock's stunt ruined things?"

Eve eyed the ruffled and aproned brood-mother. "You tell me. How did it make you feel?"

"Good." Ranma turned and neatened up a few items on the counter. "You know what they were trying to do. This was their business. Not my fault they got in over their head."

Eve tapped her chin. "You've been talking with Nodoka about it?"

Turning back, Ranma gave a little smile. "She was... worried that I drew things out but... that's different. I have done worse.

"Really? These were basic street scum, and you seemed to... go with particular relish tonight."

Ranma's eyes clouded. "So? This wasn't the first time I've made it slow, and it's not the first time I've crushed someone like a bug. Remember the Assembly base? They weren't all Priests and Acolytes. Would you have rather I took prisoners or... what? Or how about all the broodlings, baby succubae that fell by the dozen, what about them?"

Eve gave a bittersweet little smile. "Are you sure I'm the right person to ask? Even with all you've done, all you've help me do torture Murdock, torture that poor little green-haired broodling of Alexia's, my hands are still far dirtier than yours."

"And you're the one worrying I crossed some line tonight." Ranma laughed. "Dirty hands? We all have those."

"Not Cecilia."

"Even with her feeding?"

"You know how gentle she is; she doesn't need to compel men towards her, especially when you consider what Alexia did to make her."

Ranma blinked and lowered her head. "Oh... so this would have been shocking."

"Yes, you see, tonight was her first."

Ranma laughed. "Hah! Really? Miss Seduction was a virgin? She's drained plenty of people."

"Drained yes, this was the first time she actually killed someone and tore out their organs."

"Good for her," Ranma nodded thoughtfully. "And here she was trying to setup my first time."

Eve raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"It's just that you think her first time killing a man is a good thing."

Ranma sighed. "It had to happen eventually. Better like this." She looked at her clothes she wore, at the costume.

"Sounds more like something I'd say."

"I did make you my sister."

Eve felt the love pulse from Ranma's form, but she also felt a growing knot of anxiety.

"You know the first human I killed, I ate?" Ranma's tongue flicked across her lips. "I don't even know his name."

"Paladin, Earl Winters. Assembly of Man sniper," Eve automatically supplied.

"Yes, I remember that last part." Ranma's hand went to her side where the Demon Bane round hit, taking a shot meant for Ukyou. "That was..." She looked down over her clothes at the apron and ruffles and shoes. She could feel her hair and horns weighing down her head. Her lip quivered and her shoulders rose then slumped.

Eve nodded. "I've read the reports on the scene."

"It was the same! The man I killed tonight. I savored it." Sobbing, her face fell, her stance that of a woman under immense loads. "I've done it before, right from the start. And you know what kept it from being worse? It started to taste bad!"

Scooping her in her arms, Eve embraced the shivering demon. "Tonight was different. You know what they wanted to do to you."

"That's not it, I've got no sympathy for hired rapists. I might have more for a soldier doing his job but that won't stop me. I'm in control." Soft giggles came out. "Self control won, but at the cost of the self."

"I'm scared because I can't blame the demon. I am the demon." Her voice was a tight whisper. "I can't blame some dark side of me taking control and having me do these things." She looked up and despite the filtering of the purple glasses her eyes locked onto Eve's. "We are in control. Everything I've done, _I've_ done. It was all me. I made it happen, and with this body, my body I... liked it."

"Ranma?"

The demoness laughed. "I was a innocent kid named Ranma. Bit of an ass, a clueless dope really, but a good heart. He never would've done what I've had to do. He never had to face what I'd have done, the choices I had to make. I don't know what he would have done. He left...That's for the best. I don't think he could have handled it, not without..." Smiling, the redhead pulled into the hug and opened the floodgates. "I'm whole with all of you."

Eve's eyes widened the love and anxiety she had been feeling before was just a trickle, she was now under a torrent of emotive power. "Sunny?" she eventually gasped out.

The redheaded brood mother's eyes flashed. "That's a fake name, a name given as a joke. No. No, I'm Ranma. He left; he couldn't hack it. I stayed; I fought; I bled; I killed. I've sacrificed everything for my children. I won that name. It's _mine_. Mine." An almost growling edge entered her voice.

Eve barely noticed the words. Especially as the emotive equivalent pounded her. Ranma had been put into a crucible and much had been burned away: Her innocence, her humanity, his gender. But what remained was a tempered loving strength that stood and supported the whole brood.

The sensations grew and Eve felt the web of connections, the empathic bonds that ran out from Ranma. There was the bright channel that wrapped around the two of them, the throbbing beams that stretched out to her daughters. There were connections that reached out to Cecilia and her daughters, and, Eve noted with a blush, there were links with Sophie, Morgan, and Morison.

There was a smattering of other connections. Ones that when compared to the others seemed almost stunted and one-way. Two stuck out in Eve's mind. One that despite the limitations was still heavy and full of love that linked to Nodoka who was nearby and another that was fussed over had been broken but mended, that could only be to Kasumi. Eve sensed others ones that were less distinct but could guess that they went to Ranma's father, Nariko's father, her school-girl friends, many of the agents, and even Jacob.

Eve found herself falling into her sister's arms. Her mind drifted, floating on the flooding emotions coming from Ranma. Her experiences, her sacrifices had taken much, but what remained and what was reinforced stood. Ranma stood. She supported her brood, but they in turn supported her. They gave her the drive to move forward.

Looking at the bonds between herself and Ranma and Ranma and her own daughters, the next realization hit Eve, weakening her knees. She had the same bonds and the same support structure that drove Ranma. Her daughters depended on her; she depended on them. She was not alone. :

Purring, the blonde pulled into the embrace and sank to fluffy contentment. "Love you, Sis," she said before giving her a quick, sisterly kiss.

Blissful, Ranma tightened the hug.

Leaning onto Ranma cheek to cheek, Eve almost missed the redhead's quiet question. "What?" Eve blinked, focusing her attention.

"Cecilia, I asked if she was worried?" The redhead frowned and helped Eve get up. "She seemed happy when you guys dropped me off here. How's she taking it, now?"

"You were thinking about her?"

"I was thinking about both of you." Ranma smiled. "But I know how you're feeling."

Eve blushed.

"Thanks for the help," Ranma squeezed her. "I have to know it's... worth it."

"It is," Eve assured. "For Cecilia... she's still thinking it over. It's a lot for her, she's not like us."

"Not killers you mean?" Ranma's eyes glinted. "She should be so lucky. I should go see her after breakfast."

"She would get a kick out of your latest additions," Eve said, pulling at Ranma's apron.

Ranma blushed again. "That was Nabiki and Mom, they thought it looked cute."

Eve smirked. "Yes, I can see their influence." She tilted her head towards the entranceway that led to the back porch. "Have they been helping you?"

"Is it that obvious?" Nodoka entered the kitchen, with a languid, relaxed pace. She looked at the hugging demons with a bit of apprehension and put her hands to her sides. "I felt... are you okay."

Ranma split away from Eve and went to her mother. "Mommy," she purred.

Nodoka drew the shorter, if larger, woman to her side and kissed her on the forehead and patted her on the belly before giving her another hug. "Are you still having... trouble?"

Eve watched as the brood queen, happily purred and seemed to almost melt into the... younger woman's embrace. The blonde raised an eyebrow. Looking between the two, Ranma seemed to be obviously older, if far more attractive. She looked almost the same as during her date, perhaps the location and hue of her dress contributed.

"Eve helped remind me of who I am. I missed you," Ranma added in an almost soft voice.

"Mmm, now dear, you wanted to be mature, be the mommy. I'm only helping." Nodoka idly straightened the top hem of the brood queen's apron. She then adjusted the puffy ruffles that added to the width and girth of the brood queen's bosom.

"Thank you, Mother," Ranma happily said.

"Well, I'll have to compliment your technique," Eve pulled herself up and with Ranma's attention diverted regained her composure. She could see Nodoka's pressure and guidance at work and wondered if this was how she was "correcting" her daughter. Was she nudging Ranma to a less violent, more domestic... more domesticated style? Or was the senior officer simply getting bleedback from Ranma's own maternal feelings.

Fussing over her happily purring daughter, Nodoka chuckled. "I am her mother. That and you and Cecilia did soften her up."

Ranma squared her shoulders. "Really, the pun?" She asked picking up a bowl of icing. Introspection aside, breakfast had to be made. Again, responsibilities trumped.

"Well you do seem to be enjoying the... good life," Eve coughed as Ranma used a spoon to drizzle sugary white icing onto the buns.

Shaking her head, Ranma went to the pan and ran a finger over the white icing that had spilled off one of the buns. "You're being a naughty little sister aren't you?" she asked, licking some off.

Laughing Eve, watched Ranma's stance.

"Careful, naughty sisters might not get their breakfast." Ranma said before busying herself with a cast iron pan and a bulging paper packet of bacon.

Luxuriating in the scene of a well-fed, well-satisfied brood mother, Eve pulled the brood mother away from the meat and kissed Ranma.

Pausing Ranma happily moaned.

"No." Eve ran a finger down Ranma's cheeks, first those on her face and then down the strawberry-blonde's other pair. "You've got a lot of hungry mouths to feed."

Blushing, Ranma returned to her work. A contented smile grew, as did her full lips, and she spread the bacon and set the pan. For her brood, she could endure. For her brood, she could accept who she had become.

"Don't forget the sausages," Nodoka said.

Ranma was intercepted on her way to the fridge.

"You really must be careful with up there," Nodoka admonished straightening the top hem of her daughter's tight dress.

Still blushing, Ranma looked down, and wondered if her collar bones were always so hard to see. She shrugged and went to the fridge and bent down to get the sausages off the bottom shelf.

"And watch the skirting," Nodoka admonished as she pulled the material in and had it lie flatter against the strawberry blonde's thighs.

"Yes mother," Ranma assured as her bottom swayed. She got up, and put the sausages on the counter and after bending over to get a second pan out she felt Eve adjusting her apron.

The meal preparation continued in this fashion. The brood mother arranged, cooked, moved, and set places. While her mother and sister gave suggestions, made adjustments, and gave various displays of affection of support.

Hearing a transport pull into the driveway, Ranma quickly carried a juice carafe to the sideboard and then inspected the dining room.  
Giving a satisfied nod, she flushed with warmth and turned to face her broodlings who had just arrived.

The five demons stared. Before them stood their mother. "Daughters."

"Mommy," Nariko cried as she rushed forward and latched onto her mother's side. The spell broken, the other broodlings followed. Forming a purring group hug that the brood queen seemed well-suited to support.

On either side Ukyou and Akane reached out and gave a gentle stroke on each of their mother's horns. They gasped as mother's tail snaked around. It pulled the daughters in closer, and Ranma's wings appeared and slipped over the broodlings.

In the kitchen Nodoka stood with Eve. "Well daughter, that seems worth it."

"Uh-huh," Eve nodded.

"We can join in." Nodoka said to Eve. Laughing, she followed the demon's gesture and embraced her family and sit down with them for breakfast. The meal passed in relative silence. Though, Nodoka noted, her daughter, her daughters, still had full appetites.

After the meal, Ranma happily purred and slid out of her chair. Standing, she twisted her neck causing her hair to fall down her back. She arched her shoulders and smoothed her hands down her torso shifting her ruffled silk dress into a sleek Lycra bodysuit.

Smirking, her features shifted to a slightly sharper cast and she pulled off her purple glasses. "So, training then?" The brood mother looked at her mildly shocked daughters. "Misa-chan, Akane-chan, I noticed you were a bit slow on your forms yesterday... and Nari-chan... you really should be sparring more with Misako, she's got experience. Nabiki you're also lacking in upper body strength, and all five of you need to work more on your abilities."

Nariko frowned slightly while the other broodlings whimpered.

"Well, that was quick," Eve muttered sipping her coffee.

"And then there's you and your girls."

Eve nodded her head in acceptance.

The redhead chuckled. "You were right, I did need a vacation. I needed to recharge. Your love, your concern did that for me. I can now focus on what's important, and what's important is making sure I'm doing all I can for you." Ranma looked over her family. "All of you." She clapped her hands. "Right, let's get started."

End Interlude 3

I'd like to thank my pre-readers. They read through my most egregious mistakes so you don't have to. J St C Patrick, Pale Wolf, DGC, Wray, Kevin Hammel, and Ikarus.

I'd also like to thank frice2000 on the Fukufics Forum for some excellent comments that triggered a pretty big rewrite.

"If that was REALLY Chuck Finley" Omake typed up in 5 minutes by Bree R (frice2000).

Not taking her eyes off the men, Eve suppressed a sigh. "You want to play, then?" she asked Ranma.

The trio blinked with the two flanking men looking to their leader. "Don't think you can get away!" he shouted.

"Now, now didn't your mother ever teach you it isn't nice to threaten a nice sophisticated set of ladies like these?" Chuck Finley asked approaching from the opposite direction seemingly having come through the wall.

"Chuck?" Sunny asked bewildered. Turning to Eve she quietly sniped, "How exactly did he get through Patterson's team?"

Overhearing Chuck only laughed softly. "Those guys in the grey uniforms? Heh, they might be nice guys but they're nowhere near my level. Did a classic Mike-inspired misdirection."

"Damn it! None of you are taking this seriously enough. You see this! It's a big damned knife! And I'm going to cut all your heads off with it." Mort proclaimed angrily before tears came into his eyes. "The least you could do is at least pretend to act afraid."

"Hey man! Don't worry we'll kill the guy and make the girls squeal don't let them get you down." Lenny said patting Mort on the back.

"Err...actually maybe Murdock was just laughing at us huh, Sis?" Eve said, amused.

"Now, now the ladies and myself know not to worry about trash." Charles said icily. The succubae only rolled their eyes at the posturing the humans were going through. "Now if you would be so kind ladies I'll take out the trash for you...especially if I get a extra little gift later." Chuck winked at the ladies causing them to uncontrollably swoon before shaking their heads shocked they had been effected by such blatant macho male charm.

"Look Chuck I didn't call you in to get hurt they can handle..." Cecilia began flustered and blushing at a almost human level.

Chuck Finley only shook his head. "Don't worry just give me five minutes with these guys."

Five minutes later.

All of the attacking men were on the ground bleeding from a few wounds but alive. The succubae were all attached to Chuck's body hugging and cuddling with him.

"That was the most impressive and indescribable piece of martial arts and soldiering I've ever seen..." Eve commented before kissing Chuck on the cheek.

"I told you he was a manly man." Cecilia swooned from her position on Chuck's other arm.

"Yum...Sorry about before Honey...Will you be my sensei in the Art?" Sunny said burrowing deeper into Chuck's chest fiddling with his nipple briefly before kissing him. "And show me those big muscles in better detail?"

"Heh of course. Now then ladies why don't we go back to my motel room and I can show you all a few...moves."

"Oh of course Charles!" the three succubae said dreamily walking out of the alley all hanging onto Chuck's body and past Patterson's arriving men.

"What just happened?" Ramirez asked looking over the unconscious men and the retreating succubae.

"God damn I hate Seals." Paterson grumbled.

End OMAKE


	31. Chapter 28 Redesign & Relaxation Part 2

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Sunshine Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.

Temporary Backup Site.

Other website Temple of Ranma's Senshi Seifuku

C&C as always is wanted.

Chapter 28 Redesign and Relaxation Part 2

Standing on a wooded mountain bluff, Setsuna, in her adult form and dressed in her former dark red and white seifuku rather than the obsidian armored version she had worn of late, watched the small village below. With a mix of thatched roofs and Bavarian styling, it was picturesque. The small buildings and avenues were also perfectly groomed and brightly painted and the little gardens were prefect. It was surrounded by fields and orchards that were equally bright and vibrant.

Encircling the cleared lands were sylvan forests which slowly turned thicker and more wild the further out one looked. Completing the fairy-tale look were the crystal and white marble spires of the castle that rose from the bluffs just north of where Setsuna stood.

Compared to the brutal elegance of the castle the pristine village seemed merely quaint and cozy. Setsuna knew that the Princess would not have it any other way. The castle protectively loomed over the village, but it did not cast its shadow over the princess. Here, at least, the Queens were still alive.

Focusing her attention on one of the pastel-painted buildings, Setsuna watched the Princess and her five closest friends trot out in a happy gaggle. Naru and Mercury were among them, restored as Usagi wished they one day would be.

Setsuna's gaze went down the street to where she saw herself, or at least the younger version "Kiri" running towards the group. Setsuna smiled. She knew how this dream worked. As the Queens' envoy, Kiri would present missions that could only be solved by the Sailor Senshi.

Setsuna watched the events unfold. Even here, the Princess could not escape her duties. The Guardian of the Space-Time Door was hit by a bit of melancholy and a tinge of cold, old jealousy. Being Sailor Senshi, especially these bright idealized ones, was escapist.

She pushed those thoughts aside and let her Princess dream.

In the real world, about a hundred kilometers to the North of where the Princess slept, there was a weak spot in the structure of reality. This was not surprising; such things were why the Senshi had been moved across continents.

Feeling something pierce though the weak point, Setsuna's eyes widened, light burst around her body, and a swarm of iridescent spheres flew out from the aura. She could sense that her response was not alone. The Company had detected the breach and alerts were already being triggered.

It was like using a laser to burn through a rubber sheet. Normally, the photons were too weak and the matter too solid to cut through. However, stretch the sheet thing enough, and then dial the laser power up... and the light beam will punch a hole right through the sheet.

Setsuna was about to wake Usagi, but just as suddenly, the beam cut out and the hole began to close. The dream continued, and for a moment Setsuna's confusion grew. Then the beam turned on. And off then on again.

Seeing the pulsing energy, and then feeling the ripples it caused across the world, Setsuna realized its purpose. The beam was the inter-dimensional equivalent of radar. Energy would be emitted, and a detector on the other side of the hole would pick it up. It was also akin to shining a light into a darkened room to see what was inside.

After less than a minute the emission cut out entirely and the soft-spot closed and dimensional stability returned to its slow decay. Setsuna kept her spheres out but the... incursion, such as it was, had stopped. And feeling the pulsing ripples herself, she had a fair idea who was behind it.

Shivering, her attention turned back to the dream. The Senshi, even the ones that were mere figments of the Princess's imagination, had not even noticed. "Well, I never thought. He would bother with a recon sweep."

"It was not Him," a smooth voice said from what seemed to be empty air.

Setsuna felt the vibrations subtly twist the dream as the sun dropped to the west and night fell. The starry darkness before her precipitated into a trim female humanoid form.

She wore jeweled sandals, gold gloves, and heavy gold bracelets set with lapis lazuli and rubies. Heavy gold ankh earrings hung from ears made from literal darkness. Gold lips curled into a lazy smile. Intricate, golden makeup surrounded mirthful eyes with golden "whites", deep maroon irises and pupils that were deep starry fields that showed galaxies that had been dead for eons.

A precisely sculpted pageboy with an even fan of bangs had formed from a thousands and thousands of golden strands that moved with an eerie fluidity and uniformity that gave the impression of a single flexible mass..

Instead of a jewel, the center of her silver tiara held a cobra raging up ready to strike. The silver serpent had ruby eyes and alternating ruby and sapphire scales on the belly and hood.

While her hemlines had gold trim and a few other jeweled accents, her clothing was a plain white silk. This gave an elegant and understated contrast to the riotous wealth the rest of the woman's accessories suggested. However, Setsuna's greatest surprise was the style of clothing the new woman wore: a crisp white Seifuku with gold bows. The gem in the center of her chest bow was a large circle of milky-white polished adularia and bore an opalescent bluish sheen.

Looking into those deep, deep eyes, Setsuna's heart fell. The Egyptian theme made it blatantly obvious who she was talking to, and it was little wonder she would defend her father. "Nuit," she said, using the being's most common name. "You do not belong here, and you certainly do not belong in that uniform."

"Why should I not dress this way?" She asked as the ruby eyes to her serpent headpiece flashed. She paused and looked into the distance.

"Am I not 'She Who Protects'?" Nuit then bowed her head. "I am Nuit, and I have come so that I may enfold and protect you from all things evil," she stated, her words sliding out as if recalled by rote. She stood confidently and her expression was a self-assured mask.

Setsuna laughed.

"Oh? Come now." The woman's voice was even. She serenely waited for Setsuna to calm herself.

"You wear the same uniform," Nuit said, stretching her shoulders and peered over the bluff. The Princess' dream was still proceeding. The younger Kiri was busy explaining how sudden nightfall showed the importance of completing the Senshi's "mission."

Nuit held her hand out and found it fixed in the air. An iridescent wall appeared around her palm. She looked out and saw that the "shell" covered the whole of the village and the forest. Her face was controlled

"Did you think I would not ward you?" Setsuna asked narrowing her eyes at the woman. "The Princess shall have her dreams. Right now you are in _my_ dream, and my dream is to merely watch her dream. Changing the night sky was enough for you."

"You care for her," Nuit observed gold and red eyes widening. Jealousy clouding her face, she stepped back from the barrier.

"Because, I am Sailor Pluto. That is what it means to wear this uniform," Setsuna said, hoping that no uncertainty, no regret leaked into her voice.

"Have you fallen so deeply into bondage?" Now pity flashed across the stellar-skinned woman's face. "Perhaps you need to wake up?" she asked. Now concern edged her smooth, resonant voice.

"Big words for one such as you," Setsuna stepped forward iridescence flaring over her uniform.

"Peace." Nuit gracefully held her gloved hands up. "I have brought neither my crook nor my flail. I am not here to fight."

"If you had brought them I would have taken them and bent you over my knee," Setsuna stated. "You were not expected, not here, not now."

"Is that a promise to do said bending on a later date then?" Nuit asked, golden eyebrow raised.

"Stupid meddling outsiders," Setsuna grumbled, brushing Nuit's comment aside.

"And do not blame the summoners. In looking they shall find what they seek," she flatly said as ruby snake-eyes glowed.

"You cannot measure something without changing it. When you look into the abyss..." Setsuna exhaled and looked at the sky then back down at the village. "You're the abyss staring back."

"And I have found you." Nuit stepped to Setsuna's right side.

Setsuna looked down and realized how short and how... young the being next to her was. Despite her poise and grace, the form she assumed could not be much older than the Princess or the other Inner Senshi.

"I should apologize for the actions of my worshipers," Nuit bowed her head. "But they did get my attention, and I saw you..."

"Cut the act."

"Act?" For a moment the woman's façade slipped and a bit of panic oozed between the cracks in her expression. She quickly recovered. "An act? From you, given who you are, who you work for? Besides. I _like_ this act," Nuit flipped one of the pleats of her skirt and ran a hand through her hair. She leaned on the taller woman and looked up.

Setsuna returned the gaze. However, she first looked at the snake's eyes as they flickered on and off. Now that she was prepared, Nuit's maroon eyes bore no danger. Within those ancient starry pupils Sailor Pluto saw a being of calm, eternal patience. Worship, wrath, waiting, it was all the same to her. She would do what she had been created to do.

Nuit held her stance. She felt the time slip by, but it was dream time, and compared to the wait for her summons, this was nothing.

Setsuna put an arm around Nuit's shoulder. "What... what do you want?"

"You're lonely. You've done your duty. The time spent alone should be immaterial, but we both know that it wasn't. You felt the years go past, and while you've got companions now, they don't understand do they?" Nuit put her arm around Setsuna's waist, mirroring the older woman's actions.

"That doesn't answer my question"

"If you need someone to... talk to," Nuit paused her voice cracking.

Setsuna broke away from the starry-woman's eyes. "You... you want a friend?"

"You are the Guardian, you understand. Mortals do not. Immortals are not good company."

"Not a fan of your father's friends."

Nuit shook her head.

"I will be busy."

"So shall I," Nuit coyly said.

"Are you that lonely?"

"Are you? This is your dream," Nuit gave Setsuna another hug. "You can banish me from this place whenever you wish."

"Maybe I'm drawing out more information from you," Setsuna said.

"I could say the same." Nuit looked down seemingly unsure of herself.

"What will you be busy with, pray tell?" Setsuna asked.

Nuit looked Sailor Pluto up and down. "Much the same as you. I am 'She Who Protects'? I have come so that I may enfold and protect you from all things evil," she repeated in the same smooth tone as before. The eyes on her serpent head piece stopped glowing. "Though I'll admit, I don't have a Princess to protect. Not even one with such unique sleeping arrangements," she looked down and the stars embedded in her cheeks grew brighter in something akin to an embarrassed blush.

Setsuna kept her face neutral. She would bet good money that Nuit knew full well about the Venus Armor, but the stellar-woman could be simply referring to the dream-valley. It was galling to have something like Nuit take exception towards the Princess' life, but Setsuna could understand.

"I don't have team mates either," Nuit continued, her voice cracking. "Even mortals that don't truly understand."

"Completely trustworthy." Setsuna slipped out of the light hug. Her crimson eyes looked over the eldritch goddess pausing at her far more alien maroon eyes. "You realize my situation. Despite the highly, highly suspect timing of your appearance you haven't done anything wrong. Well, other than invade my dream to pop in and say 'Hi.' "

Nuit's golden lips slowly curled into a bashful smile that grew more confident. "But this is not your dream. Unless you're so deeply into servitude that your dream is to be a servant."

Setsuna's expression stiffened. "Not that I have any moral compunction about eliminating potential threats but..." She hesitated seeing the shorter woman's growing mask of confident poise. Setsuna cleared her throat. "But I'm left with two choices. In both cases you're new here and have been summoned by something from beyond the stars. Thus you either just fell off the turnip truck, stumbled into existence, and are so new at this that you came to the nearest being of power asking to make friends."

Setsuna then grinned. "Or you're a very, very patient offshoot of your Father, who deliberately adjusted your form to catch my eye and gain my sympathy in the first steps of a plan to subvert me to your... team." She studied the woman before her. In her duties as Sailor Pluto, and before, she had run into many beings. At least this one kept the tentacles out of sight and did not indulge in surrounding herself with worshipers, servitors, and brood. In some ways the subtlety betrayed a disturbing knowledge of human norms and culture.

Some were like Nuit, in many ways they were worlds unto themselves splinters of power that broke off of something greater and would seek to complete their duty, to complete themselves. Understanding their motives was key to understanding the threat they posed.

Nuit gave a gentle clap. "Either way I've yet to try your patience." She bowed her head slightly. Her golden hair shifted forward.

Setsuna glanced back at the valley. The dream was proceeding without her. As it should be, it was not her place to interfere with the Princess' dreams. "Speaking of that, my patience is at an end. I'm sorry but I cannot spend all night talking with you."

Nuit's eyes darted to the group of Sailor Senshi leaving the village to go on their grand adventure.

"No, I have other duties." Setsuna exhaled and cupped her hands summoning a grapefruit-sized black sphere that rippled and glowed with iridescence.

"Consider my offer," Nuit's grin became uncertain but more eager. "If you need someone to talk to, if your duties become too much of a burden, look me up. You know how to find me, right?" she coyly asked.

The sphere started to drift from Setsuna's fingers. "Well... yes. I did just hear your wakeup call."

Nodding, Nuit held her hands to her sides palms out. She raised her chin and Setsuna released the sphere. It shot forward and exploded into a shimmering rainbow like mass that expanded to envelop the goddess and wash her out of the dream in a multi-colored burst of sparkling motes of light.

Nuit smiled as she vanished. Instead of trying to backtrack to where Nuit truly dwelled, Setsuna had simply severed the link that allowed her to project herself into the dream.

Setsuna walked around in a circle. She checked the dream. She checked the shield around the village and valley. She checked the soft spots out in lower Ontario. Then she linked up with the Time-Space Door. Like her staff, the door was a prop but, in its way, was a comforting one, one that symbolized her power and her... duties.

Finally, she gave Usagi yet another check. She was secure and safe, even though she was currently sleeping inside a golden animate and sapient armor.

Only then did the Senshi of Pluto open her eyes, her real eyes, or at least the eyes of the physical body she currently inhabited. Rolling her shoulders, she straightened her knees and got out of a meditative position. Her legs ached from sitting on the concrete floor, but she pushed that aside.

Standing up, she sighed. She was back in her Kiri body, which was serviceable, albeit too short. She looked around the dim room. The rest of the Senshi... at least those that were human, on this continent, and not under Murdock's sway slept.

Kiri walked to the gleaming armored form of the queen. Glowing jewels and reflective metal cast and spread a soft throbbing light. She lay asleep on one of the bunk beds, the heavy weight of the armor compressing the mattress and frame springs. The form was still. Done in heavy gold and silver, she looked somewhat like a sarcophagus.

Her face literally was a silver mask that shone with nearly enough light to read by. Her lips were gold, but unlike Nuit her eyes were solid blue crystal. She also put Nuit's hair to shame. The Queen bore a solid helmet of white gold armor that had been sculpted into a high bouffant that also covered the back and sides of her head.

Thick chest and bodice armor encircled her body and led to the anchor ring for the layers of interlocking armored skirts. Her hands were not visible, being concealed by a hefty wand cannon on her right, and a sword gauntlet that linked to a silver blade over her left. Combined with the high pauldrons that covered her shoulders and the armored sleeves, she looked like some sort of battle-ball gown.

This impression was supported by the various bits of crystal, engraved etchings, and the innumerable crescent moons that adored the armor. The whole thing looked more like a statue of a queen than the real thing.

This time Kiri's sigh was deeper, resigned, and apprehensive. She supposed that was accurate. The whole armor was a monument to both Usagi's and Minako's fears. She shook her head. Makoto and Rei were right. Especially when compared to the likes of Nuit or the likes of DarkStar, this armor-Queen was an imitator.

Kiri nodded. In the morning she would make her move, but first she had someone to warn. She walked over to the door and turned the lock. A pair of company agents were on guard. As she got their attention and explained who she needed to talk to, Kiri realized that they and the strangely old-fashioned looking tripod-mounted machine gun were not just placed to fire at anyone trying to break into the room, but they were also placed in case they needed to fire in the opposite direction. She wondered how far away the crews with missile tubes and the heavier vehicle mounted weapons were.

The Senshi shrugged at that. It was a wonder that her guard was not heavier. Usually there was at least one demon skulking about.

Following her escort, Kiri was led to the hanger. There was a pair of helicopters waiting on the perforated plate that made up the temporary landing pad. Their engines were spun up causing a reverberating whine that went into the empty night. That they were running at idle showed the Company was ready to deploy them at a moment's notice, and yet they had not already been deployed.

Seeing a flash of red, the Senshi of Pluto went straight to the demons. They were kitted up in arms and armor. Though the bulk of the brood had taken the lull to flop down onto whatever chairs or cleared bits of concrete they could find. Half of them were resting not asleep, but more calmly waiting. The rest, including Eve were checking out their gear and equipment. While Nariko and Morrison were intently studying a screen with a scanner read out.

Ranma was different and paced slightly with her hand to her headset. She was dressed in her Kevlar vest and skirt with inset armor plates over a Kevlar bodysuit. She wore heavy boots and a web-harness that contained the various kit she had accumulated over time. Her deep red hair was pulled back in a wild fall that ran down between her wings and to her tail. It seemed to bristle and move with the tone of her voice.

She only had one pair of horns visible, but Kiri knew the demon had acquired more. The tip of her tail would periodically roll to one side before turning back over. "Are you sure? I know that's what the UAVs say but... yeah. I know." The demon turned and faced the youthful looking Senshi. Her focused, almost predatory, face sized the shorter woman up.

"Took you long enough," Ranma stated. "Spill."

Taking in the accusation, Kiri stalled. Near-instantly she recovered by putting her hand to her chest and taking an affronted tone. "Oh? Must you blame everything mysterious and sinister on me?"

"I'm not blaming you, but clearly you know something." Ranma's jaw tensed. "Is there time for games then? Why can't you ever drop by with something nice? The War Museum's got a fascinating new exhibit, but no..." Her gaze went to her daughters who, despite the hour, were ready and attentive.

"My, a date? Well as much as I love reliving history, I may have to pass." Kiri then thought the demons were a bit too attentive, sitting there waiting for their Mother's command. However, she could sense the apprehension and the real question Ranma had left unsaid.

"No... I don't think we've got a beachhead situation," Kiri said. The truth seemed wrong to her, but she did not know her... visitor's intentions, nor her true allegiance.  
Ranma's tail relaxed. "Not yet, but someone did come in and peek through the curtains."

Kiri inclined her head. "What did this grand sensor network of yours pick up?"

"Grand?" Ranma scoffed. "Half of the long range scanners the Canadians bought. And without a UAV up in the area the resolution's for shit. And even if we had a UAV aloft, ours aren't big enough to carry the really precise scanners. That far out it's a tripwire not a camera."

Kiri held her tongue, from what she knew of WIC's technology that as a bit of an understatement, but not much. "What about jamming?"

Ranma cocked an eyebrow. "Our jammers are even bulkier. Well, save for these." She gestured to the bow on her chest which was a WIC jammer antennae hooked up to a kludge of WIC tech and Silver Millennium magic and powered by the demon's Sailor Senshi abilities.

Kiri assumed that WIC had managed to miniaturized the technology for general purpose, though production and execution would be harder without a Pattern Silver to work off of.

The demon shrugged. "I suppose we'll know if someone ports into downtown with an invasion force, but we need more time to install more scanners."

"And money, hence the Canadian cost-share," Kiri tapped her chin. "But I'm betting you did send a UAV in. So what do you know?"

"Based on the decay? Someone with a bit of expertise and power decided to do a bit of recon. Know who?" Ranma demanded.

"Do you or your associates know?"

The succubus looked to some of the officers. She caught her sister's eye and exchanged a glance with the blonde. "We're still-"

"Collating the data," Kiri completed with a bit of elation. Clearly, she had no moral problem with concealing information, but it was handy to know the situation was reciprocal. "Well... that puts you ahead on that count."

Ranma studied the shorter woman. "And what count are you ahead on?"

Kiri sighed. "It was more than a reconnaissance sweep. The energy pulse had a pattern, a signal."

The demoness swore. "Jacob was right. Of course he was." She tapped her headset. "Red here. Wakeup Call has been confirmed. Repeat Wakeup Call." There was a pause. "Yes Sir. I agree, expand the sweep. Sure, update JTF2." As she listened she nodded and gave the occasional bit of advice.

Kiri found herself smirking. "That's why you're still on alert." she then nodded in understanding. "You thought it could be a message too."

"Anything can be a message: a flare, a shot in the dark, a cup of coffee on a table, a bit of tape on a lamppost. One example that really stuck out during our training class was this message an imprisoned spy sent out. Jacob told us how the man, code named number six, knew anything he sent out would be picked up and analyzed by the guards.

"So he put three blank pages in an envelope and hid it for a dead drop that never came. Naturally, the guards found it and confronted with what had to be a secret message sent the papers to a laboratory for analysis." The demon chuckled. "Doing exactly what the spy wanted. Of course they could not find anything and dutifully reported the results."

"Ah, so his controllers had penetrated the laboratory." Kiri surmised. She studied the demon. She had let slip that she was being trained by the WIC officers. This was part of the test. "The message was the number of pages wasn't it?" she asked, noting the details that Ranma had provided.

"Right, though could have been how the pages were folded too, or the type of envelope." Ranma nodded. "Just as long as you've setup what the codes all mean a head of time. And boring a hole in reality big enough to send a message is a lot cheaper than one big enough to send people." Ranma shrugged. "What kind of message was sent out? Activating pathfinders? Sleeper cell?"

Kiri laughed.

"Yes?"

"Oh sorry, but wakeup call, sleeper cell." The green-haired woman laughed again. "You don't know how right you are."

The demoness exhaled. "What woke up?" She followed Kiri's gaze and looked at her broodlings. "Love-Coda?"

Kiri nodded. "But not... not one of the big ones. Technically, she doesn't even have an alias in the Love-Coda system."

"How bad?"

Kiri shook her head. "I don't know... she seemed nice enough but you know how it goes when powerful secretive beings seem nice." She flashed her teeth at the demon.

"You talked with her?" Ranma's curiosity rose and she paused to check her own senses to see if anything was... amiss.

"She found me." Kiri said a tad defensively. "I was communing with the Time-Space Door and she popped up and basically we exchanged business cards."

Ranma snickered. "Right. Just the crowd you run with?"

"You know the kind of things the Old Queen had me do. The kind of people she would have me talk with."

The demoness rubbed her forefinger against her thumb. "Actually, I don't. But I can guess."

"Right." Kiri began to turn away.

"And where are you going?" Ranma locked her eyes to Kiri's. "I need a full brief on what we're up against. This sounds like a major player in our 'Little Problem'."

Kiri chuckled. "Oh trust me, she's a newbie."

"That doesn't get you off the hook," Ranma insisted. "I've only been back from vacation a couple days and this Queen babysitting is getting tedious. If we have a new enemy, I want in."

The Senshi of Pluto snickered. "Honestly? I don't know." She deliberately broke the gaze and looked back the way she had come. "But I do know I should wake the Senshi up and warn them."

"After you went straight to me to warn us first," the demon smirked.

"You were already prepped and ready to fight. It was the smart move," Kiri admitted.

Ranma nodded. "Go warn them. Not sure they really need to know this second but," she turned and smiled at her daughters, "being suddenly woken in the middle of the night not knowing if you'll have to fight for your life is good training."

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A length of chain looped through a pair of handcuffs with each end going to an eyebolt screwed into the heavy steel table. The bound man sat at the table and scanned the walls, bright green eyes shone as he studied the guards who filled the opposite side of the small concrete room.

There were three of them: two male, one female. Their shoulder patches displayed a pair of gold keys over a white Greek cross on a red field. The men wore body-armor and leveled Sturmgewehr 57's at the prisoner. He studied the battle-rifles; he pinned his hopes on their great length given the confines of the room.

However, the woman, the nun, worried the Assemblyman. In her left hand she held a softly glowing silver cross, the top of which was looped to a chord that went around her neck. Her right hand held a SIG P220 that was pointed at the low ready. The Assemblyman's attention was more on the simple silver ring around her middle finger, instead of the weapon it held.

Like her companions, her deep blue eyes were hard and steady, but unlike their neutral, distant faces, she bore a slight, almost pitying, smile. Her stance adjusted slightly as the door unlocked, and the guard to her left pivoted to cover the door and the prisoner.

The door opened, and a broad-shouldered, barrel-chested giant of a man swept into the room. A pair of black pants and matching tunic made his broad ruddy face and orange-red hair seem to float into the room. The same could be said for the great silver cross he wore upside-down and the pair of silver cufflinks at his sleeve. However, the brightest part was the exposed white square of his clerical collar; it was a stark contrast to the faded, ragged clothes the prisoner wore.

Seemingly ignoring the bare concrete and the chains, Bishop O'Malley smiled at the room. He nodded to one of the guards who lowered his weapon and then at the nun who stepped to the side Still bearing a serene smile, he approached the table and the manacled man. "Why, hello my, Son. Is there anything you'd like to confess?"

"Papal scum. There's no limit to your treachery is there?" the man tried to spit but his mouth was too dry.

O'Malley's eyes twinkled. "Oh? And what's that... Father?"

The Assembly priest blinked.

"Not in the mood for theology, Chauncey? I'm sure the good sister here could warrant a nice rant based on Exodus 22:18."

"What?" Father Chauncey Ramones asked.

"Surely you're not that ignorant? You do know what the bible is?"

Ramones' eyes began to flare up.

The sister's cross glowed a bit brighter and the Assemblyman's eyes snapped back to normal.

O'Malley's grin sharpened. "Yes, I suppose a prohibition against sorcery wouldn't be something your kind could get behind. Maybe something from Mark Five then?"

"The grenade?" The Assemblyman blinked; his eyes darting from the pair of silver crosses to the pair of battle rifles.

"My, my. You really are a sorry creature, Father. Fifth chapter of the Gospel of Mark, miracles of the Lord... including a man possessed by demons." O'Malley shook his head. "Has the Company really degraded your lot this much? Aren't you supposed to be a warrior priest? Defending the flock of humanity from the Pit?"

Chauncey set his jaw.

"How bad is recruiting? If an ignorant coward like you is able to rise above acolyte?"

Chauncey's eyes flickered again.

Glaring down at the Assemblyman, O'Malley turned and paced, always staying between the guards. "It's... it's not that hard. The laziest mail-order priest can find enough fire and brimstone to incite a flock. Why can't you? Aren't you supposed to be on a Holy Mission?"

"Who are you to claim God's will?" Chauncey yelled.

O'Malley chuckled. "Is that what it takes? How much does your pride have to be hurt?"

"We would have won!" Chauncey looked down. "It wasn't... fair."

"You lost, you tried and you were beaten. Had you done so many courier missions that you'd lost your edge?"

Chauncey glared.

"You were eager to get back into the field... and look how you performed." O'Malley sniffed. "Are you the best that High Father Corvine could attract? Perhaps he should have switched to a different Abrahamic religion and started trolling Baluchistan. Even a drugged-out suicidal Mohammedan would be more useful than you."

Chauncey stared.

"Really? I just suggested that your spiritual and military leader should switch religions and start looking for terrorists. That at least deservers a 'Die heretic!' or maybe a 'Blasphemer!' " The Papal Intelligence Chief sighed. "Did all the Assembly's competence die with Bishop Fortson?"

"The Bishop was a great man," the green-eyed man said reflexively and flatly.

O'Malley leaned towards the sullen man. "Am I facing the dregs? Fools promoted beyond their competence to give the illusion of a fighting force?"

Chauncey leaned back and lowered his gaze.

O'Malley stepped to the side of the table. "I know you've lost much. You've seen your friends die, and you know what the Company, what those demons have done to you and yours." Still standing outside of reach, he loomed over the Assemblyman.

"Then why are you helping them?" Chauncey demanded. "I mean, demons, for Christ's sake! They're actual creatures in league with Satan. Your God should be happy that we are smiting them."

"My God? What's your God then? The smiting would seem to be a bit one-sided Father."

Chauncey averted his eyes again.

"Good God, man, you're supposed to be a church militant, a knight templar." O'Malley smirked. "Well, I suppose the latter's more ours than yours."

"Is the Pope taking the side of the demons then? What of God's will?"

"Presumptuous fool!" O'Malley's face reddened. "You dare speak in place of God. Such arrogance. That-" He chuckled. "-is our job."

"They're still demons, fallen, cast out of Heaven."

"Oh? You think the beings that have slaughtered your lot are the Fallen?" O'Malley gave a light chuckle. "Please, if you think the Adversary's ranks are mere horns and claws..." He shook his head. "The resurgence of old evils proceeds and you focus on the superficialities."

"What are you talking about?"

O'Malley shook his head again and turned to the nun. "Can you believe it Sister Sarah?"

Sarah gave a little frown. "He is comforted in his ignorance."

Turning back, O'Malley nodded. "Son, there's one thing you Americans and your firebrand-backwoods preaching has got right. Bad times are coming, but we'd be lucky if it was plain old Scratch and his pitchfork."

"What?"

O'Malley leaned in. "It's a metaphor. The Creation, the Rebellion, the End, it's all too much for us to comprehend. Most of us can barely understand Redemption, and that was deliberately dumbed down to our level. Do you understand how out of our depth we are?" The bishop turned aside. "But all children must grow up."

"So... you are talking about Satan right?" Chauncey looked down confused.

O'Malley shook his head. "What I would give to merely be facing a suave man in a black and red suit or a contemptibly-swarthy man with goat legs and leering eyes. No, those... masks are shadows of the enemy we face."

"Shadows?"

Still standing to the side, O'Malley sighed and raised his arm. In the harsh light it's shadow began to creep across the metal surface, towards where Chauncey was staring. "The table. See my arm?"

Looking at the shadow, Chauncey nodded.

"No... you don't. What you see is a simplification, a projection. It follows the motions of my arm. It can obscure and interact with other shadows, but it's nothing but an absence of light."

"Then what..." the Assemblyman looked around the dark, dry room. "What are you talking about. What's the real Adversary?"

"Pride, contempt, arrogance. A projection, but one among many. We face a being that grew fat in the shadow of the Almighty. A corruption that oozes and leaks through the holes of the universe. There is a whole writhing entity that seeks to come through and like all of the true Fallen it seeks to make a mockery of the Almighty's plan."

Chauncey felt his skin crawl. He was reminded of the times he had seen Fortson and his Inquisitors pass. They were the masked enforcers of the Assembly of Man and their presence always carried a greasy pressure, the sense that they were the tip of something greater, something just outside of sight. Chauncey had considered such moments one of the few times he had felt anything religious, but now...

He looked back up at the Catholic priest and blinked.

O'Malley nodded. "Those mercenaries, those demons especially they... understand this. As they should. Who better to understand the twisting power of the Adversary than some of its earliest victims."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend then?"

"No. The enemy of my enemy is my ally. Key difference."

"I doubt the Assembly of Man is considered either an ally or a friend."

"True." O'Malley nodded. "But are they your ally?"

Chauncey raises an eyebrow. "Really?" He lifted up his arms showing the chains. "I hardly think they've done worse to me."

O'Malley stepped back. "They're the ones that sent you on this last mission. The Assembly has been greatly weakened, and Company reprisals have made your situation even worse. Why attack the Church?"

"You've worked with them," Chauncey spat but his glare softened..

"Son, you know better than that," O'Malley sighed. "What was the first thing you accused me of?"

Chauncey stared ahead.

"You accused the Church of treachery. Now, did you mean my church or yours?"

"More lies."

The Irishman laughed. "Naturally. But whose?"

Chauncey watched as the Bishop walked around the far side of the table.

"You recall the mission previous to this debacle?"

The Assemblyman looked up. "What?"

"You delivered a package. Buenos Aires, if memory serves."

"How?"

"The Church has... cordial relationships with the local government. Though the Protestants have been making inroads."

Leaning back, Chauncey snickered. "Nice, going to convince me that my bosses tried to bump me off? Because I knew too much?"

"No, not really." O'Malley shook his head. "If they wanted to make sure you were dead, they'd accuse you of heresy and kill you."

Chauncey blinked.

"Your Inquisitors? There's a reason we gave up on that idea, Son."

"And my men?"

"It's your organization. I suppose it could be worse. You should have looked a bit closer at the people you were being a package boy for; that might have frightened you into... action."

"What? Who was I working for?"

"We have our suspicions," O'Malley frowned. "There are jackals and then there are jackals." The bishop shook his head. "What would have happened to your men?"

"Usually the acolytes are spared, unless they rebel and try to take the fallen priest's side." Chauncey looked down. "Still, better odds than my men got."

"Miss Clementine and Mister Francis are recovering. It is a shame about Parker, but your actions gave my men little choice."

Chauncey let his arms fall to the table.

"You need to consider your future." O'Malley looked to the door. "You could live a long, long life. Secure, everything taken care of. We could give you all the scripture and reference books you want. Maybe you'd actually learn what it means to be a shepherd of the Lord."

"Secure? Stuffed into a little cell." Chauncey shook his head. "You'll have to give me a better offer if you want me to talk."

O'Malley laughed. "No, that's our offer if you don't talk." He stepped to the side.

"If I do talk, you'll forgive my sins then?"

The Bishop shook his head. "It doesn't work that way. Yes, it'd be easier if you confessed your sins, and I hope that if you do seek forgiveness from the Lord that you will help us in your work."

"Trusting of you."

"Really?" O'Malley raised an eyebrow and looked to the guards and nun behind him. "If you say so." He started walking towards the door.

"Wait."

O'Malley slowly turned back to the bound man. "Yes?" He stepped closer until he loomed over the hunched priest.

"What is it that you want? I mean, exactly."

"What do you want?"

Chauncey blinked.

"It's simple. Your conditions are... adequate and your men are being taken care of, but I'm sure there's something extra we can do for you. " O'Malley smiled warmly. "What do you desire?"

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Kiri stalked towards the large lacquer-haired blonde. The Senshi of Pluto looked over her... queen. She reassured herself that Mars and Jupiter were right. While this was a more controllable form, it was not worth it. The hassle of transporting her from WIC's testing Range to their Downtown Facility underscored that. Mobility was simply a major problem. Assenting to it made the situation worse than what Mercury proposed; at least her plans were for an _independent,_ domineering queen.

"Ah good," the armored queen stated, her voice smooth and deep. "I have been thinking about DarkStar." She paused. "And that... alien signal."

"My Queen?" Kiri asked with a mix of mock diffidence and genuine trepidation. At least the Queen was currently in a guise that could pass for human, albeit a rather large woman, but still human enough. "There was more to that briefing than just a reconnaissance sweep," she gently chided.

"Yes, yes. Do you have the gift?"

Kiri nodded, then seemingly to herself nodded again. "They were right, we must fix this," she muttered, half under her breath.

Golden brows rose in confusion. "Puu? What's going on?" The queen's gaze shifted to see Mars and Jupiter standing at the doorway. Their metallic armor sullenly reflecting the light.

Standing before the woman, Kiri shrugged. "Just taking some advice." She looked to Mars and Jupiter.

The black-haired young woman gave a firm nod. After a moment's hesitation, her brunette partner nodded as well.

Kiri flexed her fingers. Lengthening by several inches, her nails turned iridescent.

"What is this?" The queen demanded.

"We're worried about you. We're worried about what you're becoming, who you are. But also..." Mars exhaled. "Who are we? Are we your friends? Are we your retainers? Your subjects? What's happening to us?

"Rei, I..." The golden woman stopped and looked as if she was trying to cry. Then the human-seeming woman separated her arms, withdrawing her wand cannon and bladed claws from the muff. "Stand down! Answer your Queen," she demanded her voice deepening.

"Hmmm, sensible instincts. Finally." Kiri sighed and looked up, above the woman's big blue eyes. "Mina, Imperial override: Case Charlie Threshold."

The ruby crescent moon on the queen's forehead throbbed. "Gatekeeper acknowledged," Mina's voice said from the crimson gem.

Kiri squared her shoulders. "In the Name of the Silver Key, release wards," she stated, her voice seeming to come from the walls, the ceiling, the floor, from the air itself.

The ruby flashed again, but was soon swallowed by her silver forehead. The woman's face turned into a snarl as her human guise slipped away, returning her form to that of heavy silver and gold. "No! You will not have her! I won't lose anyone else! Never again!" Usagi's voice cried, its high pitch clashing with the scale of the woman she pretended to be. "Mina! Answer me!"

Sighing, Kiri stepped forward. Her hair whipped about and her black armor gleamed with a squirming iridescence. "I should not have let things be, but I suppose that bridge is long crossed."

Raising her arms, the queen blinked in confusion. Her mind was silent, her friend had retreated. Then Kiri went into motion. The green-haired young woman crossed the last few feet separating the two in a blink.

Kiri sunk her nails into the Queen's chest. Jupiter cried out. Iridescent bubbles danced over the heavy golden bodice, and it split open with a meaty crack. With that breach completed, Kiri cut straight down, ripping through the waist's anchor ring and the armor skirting.

Armor melting around her, the queen gasped in surprise and stumbled to her knees. The face covering sloughed off in streams of room temperature metallic liquid, revealing the ruby crescent moon, which flared back to life. Kiri stepped back and watched the woman rise from the pool of melted armor. She retched and a blob of golden goop cut with little ruby tendrils slipped past her lips.

Kiri stood over the mess. Worry filled her face as she waited to see what would emerge from the liquid gold and broken armor.

"Oh look, another costume," Mars laughed as Serenity in her campaigning armor rose.

Luna looked up from an upper bunk bed. "It's familiar at least," the cat commented.

Serenity's hair was the same glossy silver-grey and was held in a tight French braid bun. Nearly six feet tall, her body was willowy but powerful with wiry muscles and statuesque curves.

The metal gauntlets over her arms were a bit more silvery than before. Her high collared blouse was embellished with patterns of gold thread woven through it. And similar gold thread formed the embroidery edging the dark blue silk bow pinned over her chest.

The gold piping to the matching blue jacket was thicker. Her skirting was still three layers. An inner layer golden, ankle-length with silver trim was mostly covered by overlapping pleats of heavy dark blue material.

The silver-grey armor that formed the outer layer was minimally changed. The resemblance to Venus' metallic armor was even stronger. Her boots were unchanged, being armored and only somewhat sleek. The only jewelry she wore was a thick heavy tiara that bore a ruby crescent moon. A silver hilted sword was buckled at her hip held in a gold trimmed ebony scabbard, and her wand staff was slung over a shoulder.

For several seconds, the woman blinked with confusion and stared at her hands. Then her ruby crescent moon began to glow and the muted glaze eased from her eyes and her stance straightened. The woman shook her head, and stretched her shoulders.

"Well, someone interrupted a truly adorable little dream," Serenity said in a resonant but human ranged voice. Curled at her feet was a slight double-ponytailed blonde in golden armor. She bore a matching ruby crescent moon on her tiara. "Come on Moon," Serenity helped the blonde to her feet. In the form of teenage Usagi, she wore the golden equivalent of the metallic armor the other Senshi wore. The original Venus markings having been replaced with crescent moons.

The blonde, Minako dressed as Usagi, smirked and leaned on the taller woman's side.

"Pluto, Pluto, Pluto, what will I do with you?" Usagi, dressed as Serenity, asked, her gem flashing. Her expression turned grave. "I suppose I should thank you." She turned to the others. "And you two."

Serenity clasped her hands and bowed at her waist.

Minako held her tongue.

"I'm sorry. I was greedy. I took advantage of... all of you. It will not happen again." Serenity rose back up. "And we don't have time for me to run off and hide. We still have the DarkStar and Nuit issues to sort out."

"No one else has seen this Nuit woman," Jupiter reminded.

"No one else saw Mistress Lyra either," Mars added. "Didn't stop Ami from trying to use her as a boogyman against us. That is until Mina exposed her," she bowed her head.

Kiri turned her nose up at Mars' accusation. "Well, if not for myself and the others' you'd still be in that lotus-eater machine, no offense, Mina," Kiri apologized to the simulated Sailor Moon.

"I was just helping her, not my fault she wanted a dream-world where she could hide. Even if it was a lovely place where she could pretend she's going on harmless adventures with her friends," Minako stated.

Jupiter stepped forward and put her hand on the blonde's shoulder "Mina... that's not... What happened was bad for you two. You both became... something else."

"No... " Minako swallowed her eyes flashing red. "No, you're right. I'm sorry." She leaned forward so Serenity and Jupiter both caught her.

Jupiter hugged Minako. "Its... it'll be okay. We were worried."

"With good reason," Mars stated, her expression warmed and she put an arm around Minako. "This is all so strange."

"But we did it out of concern. We... care," Jupiter said.

"I love you guys too," Minako smiled. She then blinked and her gaze became distant. The door clicked as it was unlocked, and the blonde squared her shoulders and stood up straight as it opened.

"You should listen to them Serena," Ranma's voice smoothly chuckled as she entered the room. "There's little more dangerous than ill-placed good intentions."

Serenity raised an eyebrow. Instead of a slight and youthful succubus, the woman that stood before her was a demon queen. All curves and gentle arcs, the demon's purple dress hugged her body.

Despite her grace, or perhaps because of it, when she entered the room, her hips brushed against Mars, while the side of her chest ran across Jupiter. For Kiri, her thick muscular tail nearly knocked the green-haired girl down. Smooth, lightly toned arms ended with long purple nails that flashed with a pearlescence similar to Kiri's manicure.

Her wings were similarly enlarged, now functioning something like a suspended cloak that went from the demon's luxuriant and puffy hair bun to her skyscraper heels. Bright blonde and orange, highlights and streaks added depth to rich crimson tresses.

However, Serenity's attention was on the demon's face. Much like Serenity herself it bore the maturity warranting full adulthood, even more on the demon's case. Where Serenity's was more stark and worried, the demon's was different.

She bore the laugh lines and the gentle rounding from a rich if very well preserved life. Smooth and raised, her cheeks gave a splash of vitality that complemented if contrasted with the rest of her face.

Behind slim purple glasses, violet eyes sparkled while obsidian jewelry flashed at her ears, neck, and halfway up her seven inch tall updo. She walked with presence, but the lavender lipstick, and fall of curly ribbons atop her hair served as a feminine reminder that this was a succubus' power. There was also an undercurrent of... uncertainty about the woman. As given by how little skin she actually showed and how much of her figure was augmented by lace and ruffles.

Glancing to Minako, Serenity gave a brief nod. She then bowed. "Brood Queen. Apologies if my... knights' actions disturbed you."

Ranma smiled and her face briefly became an incarnation of one of her pseudonyms. Still beaming, she strode forward. Serenity smelled her subtle, flowery perfume, and felt the floor start to shift. Her gaze returned to the demon's face and the tantalizingly blonde eyebrows and highlights.

The demon eyed the Moon-cat and her expression hardened for a split second before going back to the Lunar Royal.

Serenity exhaled and focused, the floor stopped its gentle rocking and her head cleared, her mind sharpened. "Haven't asked, your vacation... it seems you fed well?" She inquired once she had regained control.

Noting the long second, and far larger, pair spiraled horns the demoness now bore, Serenity raised an eyebrows again. In the two days since Ranma had come back from her "vacation" Serenity had the feeling that the demon was holding something back. Now she had proof.

She met Ranma's gaze and for a moment felt herself being pulled in again. Warm, hungry sensuality ran though her brain like a hot caress, much like being with Minako. Serenity shook her head and pulled back. Cool focus returned.

"More than you can understand," Ranma laughed as her tail swept back and forth, slowing as it neared Kiri. "Or are you offering something?"

Keeping her nails long, Kiri made her way around back to Serenity's side.

Ranma nodded to the younger looking woman. "Good work; there were concerns the armor would be too much to give up."

Serenity frowned, eyeing the demon queen's tail. Then she followed Kiri's gaze and looked to the door, and saw Eve enter. Wearing a custom fitted dress uniform, the blonde succubus sauntered in. With her powerful and mature figure she actually looked like a relative to the more matronly brood queen. Between the queen's figure, presence, and softly mature face, Eve actually looked like the younger of the two.

"I'm not sure she realizes the cost of such an offer, Dear Sister." Looking at the shocked and... blushing Mars and Jupiter, Eve smirked.

"Perhaps she does. Serenity was always willing to... deal with demons in the past."

"Speaking of deal..." Eve looked to the Senshi and let her question hang.

Ranma nodded. "I talked with the Colonel. I'm thinking about it."

"Talk with Lieutenant Tendo."

"She would know, wouldn't she?" Ranma nodded.

"What's going on?" Serenity asked.

"Just a bit if business, sorry for the interruption," Eve bowed her head.

"What about you?" Ranma asked her sister.

Eve smiled. "Talking to them? It was some help... kept me until you came along."

"If that's not a ringing endorsement of our shrinks I don't know what is." Ranma slipped off her glasses and renewed her warm smile.

"What's wrong?" Serenity asked catching Ranma's eye.

_"No!" _Minako's voice cried in Serenity's mind via the gem. _"Look away."_

Looking at the demon, Serenity felt as if she were being drawn into a warm bath, like she was back in the armor. The pressure increased, she wobbled as her focus melted away.

Ranma sniffed and put her glasses back on.

Gazing at the woman, Serenity steeled herself and extended her arms embracing the demoness. Rewarded with a surprised squeak, Serenity released a portion of her magic to power the summoning. She clasped her hands and a gleaming choker appeared. Silver bands held a deeply purple gem cut into a four pointed star.

Pluto held her peace. She had warned Serenity. She had done her best to check out the artifact and the silver box it had been given to her in.

Ranma looked quizzical.

"I never accepted you as a Senshi." Serenity lowered her gaze. "I apologize. I've forgotten that you're one of us."

Eyes smoldering, Mars set her jaw.

"Don't make a scene," Jupiter whispered to her.

The demoness reached out and held the star up by a strap. "Huh... I've been getting a lot of stuff lately."

"What?" Serenity blinked.

The demoness smiled. "Yes, Murdock gave me a present three nights ago."

"You spent your time off with... him?" Serenity mirrored Minako's motions and tried to straighten her stance into something more formal.

"Nope, he sent some goons to rape and kill me. One of them was wearing Murdock's tie clasp. He was sending a message."

"And that was a present?" Serenity blinked and turned to Kiri. "I don't get it... Puu, maybe being with Mina did fry my brain."

The small Senshi gave a laugh that was somewhat forced and nervous, while the blonde Senshi sniffed and turned away from her queen.

"He ruined your day off with an assassination attempt?" Jupiter shook her head. "Remind me... why did you let him go?"

"Oh, it's not like it was an effective attempt." Ranma waved her hand dismissively.

"Then... present- how?" Serenity asked.

"The assassination attempt was the present." Meiou's tone was deadpan.

"Or, entertainment. Whichever. One of those." Mars narrowed her eyes at the demoness. "The hit-men, you ate them, didn't you?"

Ranma chuckled. "No. I gave them a lecture about the immorality of molesting women and purified their dark hearts."

"So, you mocked them as you killed them and ate their organs," Mars spat before giving Serenity a meaningful glance.

The redhead's smirk grew. "It wasn't burning them alive, but I was short on options.

Mars huffed and turned her back to Ranma. "Lovely choice in allies, oh wise queen."

"It's not unexpected," Luna commented. "Working with the likes of House BlackSky is one of the more... colorful family traditions."

Serenity spun on a heel and glared at Mars and her cat. "I'm trying to apologize to DarkStar."

"Well, then. By all means flatter the torturing demon who can be bribed by being fed rapists, and who has been arrogantly insulting you at every turn. I suppose it's natural given what it took to get you to stop using Minako like a fancy blouse and new skirt. I'm sorry for risking your relationship with such a valuable teammate." Mars bowed her head in mock apology.

"The latter one's not exactly the same caliber of offense," Jupiter said.

"Yes, what about the time, she cut Usagi's.. err mine... her the queen's hair," Minako coughed.

"That was Eve," Kiri reminded.

Ranma ignored the other Senshi. "They have a point." She said walking to Serenity and brushed an errant strand of hair. "What if I've got some evil scheme for you?"

"Nefarious Mephistophelian plots aren't your style." Eve said from her position leaning next to the doorway.

"I made Mercury an offer," Ranma pouted.

"And how did that work out?" Eve teased.

"You've seen Ami, too?" Mars shook her head and turned to Serenity. "We should be concerned right?"

"That was a couple weeks back," Ranma dismissed. "I told you about that meeting."

"Right, the one at the bar where she had a freeze spell set on a deadman," Kiri Meiou said.

"Besides I'm not the only one having clandestine moonlit meetings with shady characters." Ranma gave Kiri a meaningful glance. "And yeah, that was clever of Akumi."

"Why would that stop you? You've killed far more humans than that?"

Eying the black-haired woman, the demoness gave a frosty smile. "Because, apparently, Akumi knows me far better than you do."

"What's that supposed to mean? She used human shields to keep you from attacking her. Why?"

"Because it worked." The succubus blinked in disbelief. "Yes, I've killed. Lots of times. But the people in that restaurant were not my enemy. They were bystanders, innocents. No, it was your friend that abused a demon's morals to secure her escape."

"Oh." Mars sighed again, embarrassed.

"She has done worse," Venus reminded.

Stepping back from Ranma, Serenity's eyes widened. "Oh. Uh... can we have some... privacy?" she looked to Eve and then to her Senshi.

"Privacy isn't an option." Ranma glanced up to one of the cameras in the room.

"Usagi..." Mars hissed.

"No. That's the wrong word." Serenity rested her hand on the side of her scepter's leather holster. "I just want a one on one. I don't care if it's recorded. You'd just write up the conversation later and report it back to your... associates."

Smirking at the unintended double entendre, Ranma bowed her head. "Eve, can you give us some time."

Eve eyed Mars. "Sure."

Mars stared right back at the demoness. Her smoldering, burning gaze beat back the demon's cold, sharp and predatory eyes. "Puu should stay."

"Trusting me?" Kiri chuckled.

"Mina's spent enough time with the Queen, and if not me and Mako-chan well... who's left?" Mars looked down at the shorter girl. "Don't prove me wrong."

"Luna's staying too," Serenity said looking to the cat.

Ranma eyed the cat flaring her nostrils slightly, curling her tail, which had its razor filaments extend out before the demoness withdrew them back in, but made no other comment.

"Oh?" Kiri asked.

"She's been with me from the start," Serenity stated.

Bowing her head, Luna backed away from the demoness. "Uh... I can go, really that's perfectly fine."

Serenity shook her head. "No, you can stay."

The cat sighed.

Eve stepped back from the door and allowed the three Senshi to file out. She then closed the armored door behind her.

After hearing lock shut, Ranma let her shoulders slump down and her posture relax. Flopping onto one of the bunk beds shattered the last of her prim poise. Her wings were loosely folded and fell behind her while the spade-tipped end of her long tail flipped back and forth. Though she did manage to keep her knees together, if only due to the constriction of her dress. She held up the purple star-shaped gem and inspected it before gently setting it down onto the bed next to her.

After a moment, Serenity sat down on the bed next to the demoness while Kiri stood at her side. The beds were close and Serenity found her knees only a couple inches from the demon's. Luna hopped down and curled up next to her queen.

Ranma pulled off her glasses and instead of the sensual assault, Serenity was hit by a soft wave of reproachful embarrassment with an undercurrent of shame.

"I... I should be the one to apologize." Ranma rubbed the corners of her eyes. "I've been under pressure constant pressure for so long. I've given up so much... and everyone..." She closed her eyes. "Everyone went along with it. The Company, my daughters, my sisters, my mother. Even my father... ultimately... he encouraged me. And then you come along, you with just as much weight on your shoulders, you who had lived through so much and remained so... naïve, so lily-white. We've got cultists, Russians, demons, mercenaries, eldritch goddesses, fallen magical girls, and god knows what, but you just keep going."

Serenity narrowed her eyes. "What are you saying?"

The demoness clenched her teeth. She exhaled through sharp gleaming fangs. Again she eyed the cat with an almost hungry expression. "And it all got taken care of for you. You faced monsters, your friends died, and it all got... better. Someone would always step in and help you, protect you."

Kiri spoke up. "And here you are... with your family protecting..."

Leaning forward, Ranma nodded.

"You're jealous." Serenity looked down at the succubus.

The demon's tail straightened and knocked a couple sheets off the bed.

Despite herself, Serenity laughed. "Jealous. Look at me, this isn't my life." She pointed to the armored gown she wore. "Everything's been passed down from my Mother. I'm living her legacy, and what's not her legacy has been taken away by other people trying to use me like a pawn. I should count myself lucky that I don't have more of a legacy to worry about. Queen Serenity is burden enough. Look at what Puu has to deal with."

Kiri set her jaw and nodded.

"I lost my fiance; my daughter mocks me just as much as you do; cultists think I'm gonna destroy the world, and crazy Russians are trying to kill me. Hell, I can't even use my name anymore! What could you possibly be jealous of?"

Leaning back, the demoness raised an eyebrow. She slowly dusted off the top hem of her gown. "Did you miss the whole, always protected always... insulated thing?"

"I started out alone, and a few times..." Serenity looked down. "I ended things. Alone."

An approving smile crossed Ranma's face.

"Geeze, you really have a one-track mind," Serenity stated, though her eyes softened.

"I know what it's like to live up to your legacy. To have the weight of history pressing down on you. To have even more responsibility on your shoulders."

"Which is why you're jealous, why you lecture, why you... resent me?" Serenity ventured.

Purple eyes looked to blue-silver. "Your life has been one crucible after another. You've been pitted against nightmares, monsters, and fallen friends and it's been getting worse and worse. Well maybe Akumi isn't quite as bad as having your daughter or your lover turned against you."

Kiri's brows furrowed. It was easy to forget that the demoness had access to WIC's records and dossiers and was obviously intimately familiar with them. The capacity for horrific levels of violence was not the only capability the demoness normally concealed.

"You didn't answer my question," Serenity said.

Ranma played with the glasses in her hands before returning them to her face. "You've been through the crucible, yet nothing changed. You didn't grow. You didn't learn. You didn't harden. You didn't even break. Who the hell wouldn't be jealous and angry?"

Serenity gaped but the demon's tone was resigned. It was like the redhead's anger had cooled to a cynical disappointment.

Ranma sighed. "It's like it all rolled off of you. Like you never experienced it at all!"

Serenity shook her head. "No. That's not true. You didn't know me... you don't know what I was like. I was just a kid. I fought and I won. I kept winning. Yes..." the queen exhaled. "Yes I made mistakes, mistakes that cost me dearly, but I learned. I didn't give up. I clawed my way up from starting out along being thrown into this mess with just a broach and a cat with no memory..."

"Hey!" Luna groused. "You were the whiny crybaby that couldn't figure out who Mamoru was. Remember when your crying was actually a weapon?"

Ranma blinked. "I'm trying to be less... well less of a demonic bitch. So, I'll try to not be visibly frightened by the idea of how bad you must have been. However, it sounds like you were nothing more than a little girl playing princess with her plastic ponies."

"I was hardly fourteen! I _was_ playing princess!" Serenity nearly screamed. "You can't make short what I've been through. I didn't have training like you, I didn't spend my whole life learning to fight. I didn't have a mercenary army to help me. No one taught me how to fight.

"I was barely fifteen when this started for me," Ranma reminded.

"It's a good thing I was already a klutz." Serenity gave a pained laugh. "That way my parents didn't question the bruises and cuts. Nope just silly little clumsy-bunny. I was alone. Then later... we were alone."

Feeling guilty, Luna leaned and nuzzled Serenity while Kiri held the taller woman's shoulder and squeezed.

Watching, the demoness crossed her arms, thinking of the training her Father was putting her through at fourteen. As she reflected her anger lessened, and her sympathy for Usagi grew. Genma had put her through hell for years on end, but what the Senshi went through at Antarctica was a special kind of pain.

Serenity flexed her hands and looked to Kiri. "Wait... that's your point?"

"That's why she said 'rolled off'," Kiri reminded.

"Can you even comprehend what I had to give up? Imagine losing your gender, your species, your humanity. Having to cut down and compromise your morals because you're faced between choices that are bad and worse," Ranma looked off at the wall behind Serenity. Her eyes seemed to grow and once more drew the young queen in.

"Pick, and choose. Is it more important to protect your daughter, or to protect the people who'll be massacred by the monster you're sending her up against? Narrow it down to the absolute last things you'll ever give up... and live afraid of what'll happen when you have to choose one of them," the demon said, haunted.

"Is that why "Is that why your sister is talking about you going to counseling?" Serenity asked.

Ranma exhaled and held her gaze. "We all have our limits. There's no shame but... I just want to make sure I'm not wasting my time. I've done so much..." she slowly closed her eyes and opened them again.

"I've had the fate of the world in my hands. I've been the doom of alien invaders and other civilizations, time and reality have bent to my will. I've reset the world, and robbed death blind. I've been able to stick to it and win. If I push and believe in myself..." Serenity trailed off.

Ranma pulled back and looked to the silver-haired woman. "Is that your coping mechanism then? Pretend it's all easy, that there aren't hard choices if you're good enough and pure enough?"

"Yes, that's exactly how it is. I guess it's easy to make my ideals sound lame if you're cynical enough." Serenity coldly stated.

"I'm not doubting the power of Love. Though I do think the universe is sorely lacking any type of Justice that isn't nasty, brutish, and short."

Kiri chuckled. "I thought you were trying to apologize."

Ranma shrugged. "I was, then the Princess wanted to know why I'm jealous and resentful."

Serenity reached out and put a hand on the demon's knee. "You're in a brutal, bloody world. You live with compromised morals and sacrificed values. And I..."

"Stay clean and pure." Ranma looked at Serenity's hand. Even the Lunar campaigning armor was pure and crisp, shining metal and gold detail-work. "We live in the same world, Princess."

"Yes, and it can be the better world. Things don't have to be that grim." Serenity squeezed Ranma's knee.

Rocking her hips, Ranma scooted forward so that her legs bumped into Serenity's causing them to separate as the demon's knees slid in between the moon queen's. The motion also caused her hand to skip up and come back down on the strawberry-blonde's upper thigh just below the ruffles that went around the waist of her gown.

Placing her hand back onto Serenity's and pressing it in-place, Ranma exhaled and leaned forward. "Don't you think I'd want that? If I could trust someone enough to know that my family, my daughters would be safe." Inches from Serenity's face she lowered her glasses with her free hand.

Feeling the succubus's warm breath and body. Serenity swallowed. "I..." She closed her eyes and rebuilt her concentration. "I promise. I will not abuse your trust."  
She reached out and took the demon's cheek in her hand. "My strength is not like your strength, but I have fought, I have won. But... I'll listen to you. I told you no one ever taught me."

Ranma lightly leaned into the physical contact, satisfaction and cautious longing bubbled up.

Feeling then emotional pressure, Serenity kept looking into the demon's eyes. "This is too..."

"Too much?" Using her feet, Ranma pushed herself forward and twisted so that her thighs slid atop Serenity's lap with her legs dangling between Serenity's pressing over the silver-haired woman's dress.

"Too little?" she asked smelling Usagi and gauging her comfort level. The demoness unsummoned her wings and curled her tail around Serenity's waist. Ranma inhaled again and gave a little smile. Keeping pressure on Serenity's hand, Ranma made sure it was against the uppermost part of the inner half of her thigh.

The redhead then leaned over and rested her head on the taller woman's chest. She tilted her head so that the point of one of her larger horns poked Serenity in the sternum. Via her expanded horns, she paused to take in Serenity's emotions.

Gasping at the surge of emotion, Serenity saw her other hand fall over the demoness embracing her.

"I'm not as up to date on my pre-Unification Lunar history, did DarkStar and the Elder Queen Serenity carry on like this?" Luna asked Kiri.

"On occasion," the Senshi of Pluto replied, smirking

Sighing contently, Ranma looked up at the Moon Queen. "How can I trust you if you can't trust yourself?"

"What? I don't doubt myself... well not anymore, I just-" Serenity's explanation was cut off when the succubus lifted her head and kissed Serenity. The queen found her arms, hands, and thighs tightening as she held the demoness closer to her. Despite neither opening their mouths, Serenity found herself beginning to wash away.

Then it broke off.

"Mmm... he really was a lucky man," Ranma purred as she put her head back onto Serenity's chest.

"Uh... yeah." Serenity blushed. She thought of Mamoru and her mind immediately slid to the daughter they shared. With Chibi-Usa alive, he would never truly be gone.

Ranma shifted to make herself more comfortable, and Serenity a bit less. The horn dug in a bit more and the tail tightened. "You don't doubt yourself, but that's not enough. Look at you, you were just hiding inside a dream-machine made out of a dear friend, and you can hardly handle the chaste teasing of a succubus."

"You call this chaste?" Serenity cried.

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "If I really wanted to I'd have you on the ground begging to be turned," the demoness' tone was matter of fact.

Kiri shifted her stance slightly.

Serenity let her grip loosen. "And you don't? Wouldn't it be easier for you?"

"Just because it's easy doesn't mean it's right," the demon spat. "Besides, I'd have to placate the other Senshi."

"Why wouldn't you just have your new demon-bride do it for you?" Kiri suggested.

Rubbing her chin, Ranma nodded. "That's a good point. I guess the reason is... well.. I'm not a cheap two-bit villain. That whole capture you and make you turn your friends is Mercury's style."

"You're vamped up in a frilly gown, painful looking heels, ridiculously fancy hair, and are sitting in my lap trying to seduce me."

"I'm a _classy_ two-bit villain." The demoness squeezed her legs trapping Serenity's hand. "Or would that be a five-bit villain?"

"Why not go for a full eight-bits, that way you'd be a loonie?" Luna suggested.

Ranma, snickered. "Good one, yah foul little beast."

"Ranma!" Serenity chided.

"I don't like cats." The demon glared. She could always handle them one at a time, and it had taken months and months of heavy and bloody combat to have a desensitizing effect... She wondered if clawing and biting people as they screamed in terror was a fair way to lessen a primal fear of the same. It sounded as far as one could get from legitimate exposure therapy, but it seemed to work.

"Oh-kay..." the queen shook her head. "And you being a crazy person?"

Ranma blinked, her mind coming back from the dark pit that dominated that part of her childhood.

"Loonie, for loon, the type of bird on the dollar coins in this country," Kiri explained.

Staring at her advisors, Serenity felt the feelings the demon had been pushing on her lesson with the disbelieving shock. "That's real?"

"You've been living here for months, and you don't know this yet?" Luna asked.

"I was busy! I knew there was a bird on some of the coins, but pardon me for not researching the type and checking if it matched up with some weird foreign pun."

"Huh," Kiri looked between the demoness and the queen who was still hugging her. "Well, I think everyone who ever talks about a dollar here says 'loonie'... You'd hear it four times buying snacks..."

"I thought they were just weird; this is Canada."

"Which is why they call it the loonie."

Ranma cleared her throat. "As interesting as currency puns are, we have more pressing matters."

"Like convincing Serenity to resume fondling you? Or maybe just some good-old fashioned necking?" Kiri asked with a big innocent-looking smile.

"Those are, indeed, among them. But there is the matter of cybernetic assassins and a potential invasion supported by eldritch sleeper cells. "

"I have failed you." Serenity lowered her head and kissed the glossy, ridged surface of the offered horn.

Eyes half closing in bliss, she heard a rusting and the sound of metal on crystal. "Oh?" she removed her glasses and they faded off into a stream of violet shadows.

Serenity held the choker by its four-pointed star. "You are a Senshi, and you have sacrificed for me, but not as a Senshi. I never tired to understand who you are, who you used to be. You came to become jealous of me and I let it stand." Finding her left hand still trapped between the demon's legs, Serenity awkwardly rolled the choker around Ranma's neck. "I didn't treat you like a teammate or a friend, let alone someone willing to fight for me, to protect me."

"As a matter of fact, you treated her like a mercenary, contracting out her services. Which is still valid," Kiri reminded.

The succubus softly laughed and after a moment put the cool band in place so that Serenity could clasp it. She had a moment to be stunned by the effect, or lack of effect: there was no spark of energy, or flash of magic, or trickle of power.

However, Serenity did take the demoness by the horn, gently angled her neck and pressing her lips resumed their embrace.

Basking in the sensations, Ranma concentrated and her gown begin to... constrict. Cloth gave way to a single wrapping sheet of metal. Polished to where it reflected dark purples and reds the glossy black titanium material hugged her body and formed along her curves as if it had been poured in place. The purple ruffles on her upper hem paled and became golden ribbon that tied the top of her dress in place while the bow in the center grew and became deep ruby red.

The dress itself lengthened, going from knee to shin length, while at the same time it squeezed into a form-fitting shape. Veins of cobalt blue and the rich violet of cobalt chloride appeared over the length of the dress curling and arcing, especially down her legs and around her torso where they took a pattern somewhat reminiscent of corsetry.

A matching soft bow tied itself around the base of her tail and the ruffles around her waist spread and grew into a short purple pleated overskirt that barely reached her thighs. An obsidian purple star set in a silver frame grew at the center of her chest ribbon, and her horns were gilt by spirals of the same purple metal that ended in little golden ribbons at the tips.

A mix of gold dust and more of the purple cobalt compound settled over her hair and linked up, transforming her tresses into a fully sculpted and encased piece of jewelry that seamlessly mated up with her horns. It then thickened; the layered links providing the sense of formed and shaped beauty about the demoness.

This impression was enhanced by her alabaster skin. Her makeup was the same soft warm shades but was not a shade more metallic than pastel, especially her lips, which were almost mirror-like in their gloss.

Breaking the kiss, Ranma looked down. Licking her lips she smiled and flexed her shoulders. "Well what do you think? A bit gaudy but it could grow on me," she stated, hoping that Dirac's scanners were recording.

"You combined the new Senshi's uniform style with my old moon gowns?" Serenity asked gently tugged a golden horn bow.

Purring, the demoness pushed herself closer to Serenity and rested her head on the larger woman's chest, presenting her horns. "You helped. Impractical as hell though."

"I'm pretty sure you'd kill me if I tried messing with your clothes... on my own, but if you want to wear this stuff..." Serenity bent down and kissed a coated horn. "Though I'd prefer to see you dress like this when you're cooking us dinner."

Nonplused, Kiri's only response was a simple question: "Cooking us dinner?" She smiled, it seemed that Mars was right. Her role was to chaperone and make sure neither party did anything too... rash.

Luna blinked at the display. "Huh, well this breed of chauvinism does run in the family."

"Well, yes. Playing dress-up is fun." Shivering slightly, the demon queen smiled. "Now what next? You have a plan?"

"Next?" Serenity looked down at the demoness.

"A bit longer term than that," Ranma gently chided. "The Russians are a considerable threat, but they are merely a symptom of the problems you face. We know almost nothing about Nuit and her allies. Actually, I'll be doing a ride along with JTF2 as they scope out where the pulse broke through."

"Some fieldwork should help them. Even if it's a milk-run," Ranma added.

"You've made quite the list of enemies, and while you've... neutralized most of them. Enough remain. Not to mention those your mother angered." Ranma glanced at Kiri as she said the last.

Serenity looked to Kiri then to the succubus. "You have a plan?"

"Me?" Ranma tried to look innocent. "Well, today's training will hopefully mix things up, but that's not exactly what I meant." She raised her free arm and snapped her fingers.

"What?" Serenity went back to Kiri. "Puu, are you part of this?"

The younger looking woman sighed. "No, but I can figure it out."

The door to the room unlocked and Kiri noted that Ranma still turned her head to face it, and that the demon had freed both her hands and had them at the ready.

Opening the door, Eve stepped in with a slight smile. "Well, this is a surprise," she said, stepping between the bunk beds and running a hand over Ranma's, and Serenity's, shoulders

"Please, you were watching it. Why else would Ranma give that obvious gesture."

"We've tried being subtle." The tall blonde's smile actually started to reach her eyes. "And it looks like the direct approach has some dividends." She lifted the star-shaped choker's jewel. "Pretty enough."

"I'd think the shiny liquid-metal dress or turning my hair into a formed sculpture would be more impressive." Ranma said as she swung her tail back and forth.

"I suppose one is symbolic of the other," Eve slipped a hand around Ranma's waist and straightened the bow tied at the base of her tail. She then took the opposite bunk where Ranma had been sitting.

"And you showed remarkable restraint," Eve said to Serenity.

The queen coughed. "Really?"

"Sure. Not a single crescent moon."

"I..." Serenity looked at the demon in her lap. "That seemed a bit... well no."

Eve shrugged. "I'm actually a bit disappointed. A couple could have looked very nice as hanging earrings."

Ranma made a thoughtful noise.

"Now you're just teasing me," Serenity pouted. "Well, at least you didn't say anything about the uniforms. Though I'll agree that Ranma's original one was far too skimpy and a bit of a joke, not as bad a my daughter's. So much pink." She gave a wistful laugh.

The demon winced, empathizing with the other mother's pain. "Aww thanks." Ranma kissed Serenity and looked contemplative. "Dress-up is just part of it, we could also have some real fun."

"What kind?"

"That a challenge?" Ranma asked, giving a throaty chuckle.

"What?" Serenity blinked as the demon stood up. "Ah, you have something in mind."

The demoness closed her eyes and her form, her clothes, her skin, her hair, her horns took on a dark shimmer. It then began to brighten, going from deep purple to a bright, almost frothy lavender. Her sculpted updo shone and throbbed with a golden glow. The glow expanded, drawing in the great curled horns on either side of her head and wrapping them in layers of golden bands and binding in the larger pair until they were obscured from view.

Her dress puffed and shifted as her pleats raced down her skirting, transforming the metallic garment into a dark blue flowing silk that ran from a white V-style waist down to her ankles.

The top of her dress turned white as it too softened and grew up and over her chest. White silk grew up until it came in just under the demon's choker. There it ended with a thin blue collar with white piping. Crisp white sleeves inched down to her elbows. They were met by red-trimmed silk gloves that encased thin hands. Built into the tip of each glove were shiny silver covers that moved with the demon's extended little claws.

Shifting her footing, one high heel shifted, then the other. The shoes pulling in and becoming more shiny as the demon's ankles retreated back. She lifted one foot off the ground and when it came down it had become a dainty-looking silver hoof.

She repeated the gesture and another hoof came down. Red leather formed to cover from the flesh above her hooves to her new ankles. The spats were trimmed in white and bore little gold crescent moons as accents. Wings shrank in and lost breath and width as they turned pale white on the inside and soft silver on the outside with golden "fingers" and supports between the membranes.

The demoness gave a sigh as her face softened and smoothed, becoming a bit smaller as the years seemed to pull back. The dress adjusted as the rest of her frame retreated inward to match a more youthful and delicate figure. The makeup on her eyes dialed down as it became simpler and more understated. The rest of her cosmetics also became more subdued, her lipstick becoming a pinkish partially metallic gloss.

The glowing over her hair bun flared and the whole sculpture broke down. With a soft rustle, two thick golden-blonde ponytails spilled out and fell to her shins ending with little curls on the end. Reddish-pink highlights ran though the twin tails in looping whorls.

Unlike the expected round odango style buns, these ponytails emerged from a pair of buns formed by wrapping hair around the spirals of the shrunken-by-half horns on either side of her head until they became tight little, pink accented, coiled buns that stuck out atop her head. The tips of each was tied off with a little red bow.

Her inner and smaller horns served as the anchors to a thin golden tiara that went down between blonde bangs to rest on her brow. Dangling crescent moon earrings formed on ears with little, almost elfin, points.

The bow on her chest shrank, going from purple to red as it moved from the center to above her left breast where it served as more of an accent. It seemed that the extra material went to the tails of the crimson bow at the back of her waist. Both ribbons then wrapped around her tail. The appendage was completely concealed ending with a secondary bow tied at the end that obscured the tailfins.

Her eyes still closed, the demoness gave a tight lipped smile, and... shifted. Serenity gasped. The demon's face pulled in a bit and her nose became more delicate. When the changes stopped, Serenity, Usagi, was looking at a younger version of herself. A version a bit older, but a bit shorter than Kiri. Not how Usagi ever was, but an idealized version with perfect skin and figure, and eyes a bit too large.

Then the demon opened her eyes. They were big and startling turquoise with no whites. And only a bit of violet around her vertically silted pupils.

"The Pretty Senshi of Earth Sailor DarkStar is ready!" She cheered striking a pose, her hoof making almost a musical ringing as she put it down and threw the V for victory sign and smiled toothily revealing four gleaming fangs sticking above the rest of her bright white teeth.

Eve blinked and stepped close. "Well, blonde."

Luna tilted her head. "That's a bit familiar," the cat said.

Kiki stared at the shorter woman while the succubus gave a slow twirl. Smirking, she slipped out of the room and to the commissary.

Serenity for her part raced over and scooped up the diminutive, formally dressed Senshi in a big hug, lifting her hooves off the ground. "Oh, that's adorable!" she gushed.

The demoness leaned into the taller woman and gave a purring nuzzle.

It was a long hug with Serenity studying the dainty demoness. Of particular interest was the Sailor Moon style succubus' hair and clothes, particularly the spiraled buns and bows.

The demon's expression turned serious "My Queen," she added in a soft voice, eyes downcast.

Still holding the demon up she reached with a spare hand to clasp Ranma's in her own, feeling the dainty claws. Ranma looked up, into Serenity's eyes.

"No..." The queen closed her eyes and the glamour flickered away. Silver hair and a tall regal armored gown shifted into another blonde with twin ponytails and a white seifuku. This one had more fancy shoulder accents, a multicolored and multi-tiered skirt, and actually showed some skin.

Blushing, Sailor Moon hugged the demoness a new. She drew her in and kissed the shorter Senshi on the forehead. She then stepped back to the bed and sat down, placing the demon into her lap.

As she adjusted to the demon's sight weight, Moon nudged her wrapped tail to the side. She noticed that succubus had crossed her legs at the ankles a bit above her hooves. She put her arms around the demon's shoulders. "This is really very, very sweet of you," she whispered into her ear.

"Thank you," the demon gave a big smile and looked to Eve.

Eve raised an eyebrow but feeling the emotions between the two returned the expression and nodded.

"Such a lovely gesture," Usagi repeated as she absently played with one of Ranma's ponytails. She looked at the pinkish color and gave a wistful, but happy sigh.

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The man known as Todor Zhivkov was led through the low-lit, musky, dusty office. The same trim, dark-haired Russian woman had taken him past an office pool that had been converted into an impromptu armory and machine shop. Crates and storage boxes were piled between the desks, with several of the topmost ones open, revealing polished bits of rounded metal, gleaming canisters, and rows of baggies containing various electronic odds and ends.

There were a few maps pinned to the walls and a couple of desks were covered in diagrams and schematics. Both were in neat little piles. Small thermal charges were being used as paperweights.

As he walked down the hallway, he looked into a handful of open offices. Bedding and a cache of clothes and armor had been placed into the rooms but, aside from that, they were simply the empty, transient rooms, a place to crash.

As they passed, he glanced into what had been the office's break-room. Unlike the rest of the place the small kitchenette looked lived in. A cupboard door was open revealing a stock of enriched black bread and microwavable containers of soup. There were some bottles of spices on the counter next to a brand new dish rack. There was a bit of a mess of dirty dishes in the sink; far from military precision. On the room's battered table was an overturned paperback with a slim shiny blade used as a bookmark.

Zhivkov gave a little smile. It was rather like the living spaces his men were currently sequestered in, save for a bit neater housekeeping and a bit less openness with the pornography.

Desyat stopped at the door to the conference room and motioned for the Bulgarian mercenary to enter. Zhivkov nodded. He ignored the chill at his back as he passed in front of her. If they wanted to kill him, there was nothing he could do to stop them.

He did allow himself a smile as he crossed the seemingly cavernous room. If he failed to return, he had left orders. He had his doubts his men could take out all of these women, but the altercation would certainly get WIC's attention.

Galina A'deen sat at the end of the table. She had the deceptively delicate-looking face and figure of a ballet-dancer, excepting a bosom that was a tad too large to be proper for a ballerina. She looked up, her long brown hair was pulled over her left shoulder and partially obscured her face.

For a moment, the cyborg studied the man before her. Coming off the street, Zhivkov was dressed in his shabby suit and his dark brown crew-cut was getting a bit shaggy. His posture was forward and his jaw and cheeks hung a bit. It was only when one looked at his sharp hazel eyes and steady hands that his nature became clearer.

Galina allowed a smile. He would have good news. He would already have alerted them if there was anything untoward. Zhivkov was nothing if not prompt.

Zhivkov's eyes did another sweep of the room, he allowed himself to relax. There was no sign of that garishly dressed brute of a man. "Where is our... Comrade?"

"Mr. de Veste has an engagement up North."

Zhivkov raised an eyebrow. "He's moving against their training base then?"

Chuckling Galina shook her head. "No, they've been moving about, but at last they have returned to that facility. In a way that makes it easier."

Zhivkov's mood soured. He could accept the compartmentalization of intelligence, but that that hideous, smiling man warranted a greater need to know was galling.

"In doing so, he did manage to lend support to our own sensor net." Galina shrugged. "But no, his business is further to the North, at the capital."

The Bulgarian blinked and worked out his knowledge of geography. They were already in the provincial capital (in governance not action, the city was quite cosmopolitan and large enough to meet nearly all their fabrication needs). His mind was reluctant to make the conclusion but it was inescapable. If de Veste had not been sent to a provincial capital, that left only one place...

"Why?" Zhivkov asked, the word dripping with shocked disbelief. "If I may ask," he hesitantly added.

"He's acquiring some necessary equipment. I will inform you when the mission concludes."

Zhivkov's brow furrowed.

"He's being watched. I have Shest babysitting him," Galina explained. After the Pulse Incident Shest could use something with less stress, and this was a simple enough mission, and as a bonus one Shest was uniquely skilled to help on. It should be good for her, provided she could keep Mal from being too much of an irritant.

"Ah," Zhivkov nodded, seemingly satisfied. "No trouble then."

"Yes."

"And of the demon and your 'client'?"

Galina's gaze sharpened. "There's no love lost between the fluffy little Zaika and the Ryzhaya bestiya. The demon would kill the bunny, but she has a reason to keep her alive, and to spend a small fortune doing it. Not to mention this draws in her... corporate allies."

Zhivkov nodded. "Both of which ultimately depend on government patronage. Therefore..." he took a chair and sat down. His mind pondered the situation. Objectively, he had no... moral problems assisting in the assassination of a spoiled princess. He certainly had no ideological qualms about the destruction of royalists. However, he was enough of a realist, and a businessman, to look at the situation objectively. "Therefore these demons and their Company see a profit in keeping the bunny alive."

"An immense profit."

"And thus you investigate the governmental links," Zhivkov nodded. "There's just one fault. Of all people, why send him?"

Galina looked down at her neatly written notes and sighed. "He was available."

Zhivkov pushed aside the jealousy of why she didn't send some of his men with the realization that she could not spare any of her own. There were simply too few cyborgs left.

For a moment, Zhivkov saw the woman at her real age. He saw the worn refugee of a collapsed ideology, of a betrayed country, of a vanished world. She was supposed to be the future. Even now, decades later, she was one of the most lethal people on the planet.

Zhivkov kept his composure. He could relate. He had taken the Thracian Union and built it into a strong force. One that ensured it could survive and... He shook his head. That was it, there was no overturning Glasnost. That government did not even exist anymore. His men could fight, they could win, but for what? The Fatherland could not be restored, no more than Galina's Motherland.

He watched as Galina mulled over her own past. The Union had a distinct advantage. While there were very few of the old-guard left in the Union, recruitment was possible. There were always disenfranchised young men; men who could be propelled by ideology and the promise of some redistributive booty.

These women had no such luck. The consequences of Comrade Scaglietti's inability to mass produce his creations continued to haunt them.

"I see," Zhivkov stated, knowing the concerns the woman across from him had. If Scaglietti had been able to make more than a bare dozen or so cyborgs... If someone else in the Red Army had been able to continue his work... If the damn Chekists had not destroyed everything in a fit of jealous paranoia...

Zhivkov was enough of a nationalist to have little love for the Russian domination of the USSR but he had to admit that they were the best positioned to succeed... until they failed. Russia may now be a capitalist oligarchy ruled by the Chekists but at least they were honest enough about it, unlike the damnable Chinese who simultaneously preened about their Communism and Ancient Imperialism.

"I'm not the only one lost in the past then?" Galina asked with a sad little laugh.

Zhivkov exhaled. He knew why Galina had accepted this job, why she had kept with it despite the losses, why she had hired him, and why he had accepted, in spite of the risks to his men.

Galina nodded. "I trust you're here to discuss the progress of the technicals, mortars, and the artillery system. You have problems, but not insurmountable ones."

"Right. Would have warned you." Zhivkov leaned back. "For starters, those sighting systems you've given us should be most helpful."

Galina waved her hand. "We didn't have enough working turrets to put them in anyway. What's the problem?"

"Well, we've got them sighted co-axially with the existing systems. I'm not worried about them failing per se. The boys can handle losing a fancy laser, but..." The older man fatalistically spread his hands.

"You want a live-fire test." Galina sighed, expecting this. "Are you worried about the guns?"

"Hell no, we stowed the guns proper. Golakov and his boys unpacked them and tested them out... as much as he could." Zhivkov admitted, his pride deflating a bit before returning. "But you get a hit with the twins and I guarantee they'll take out anything."

"Would you bet your life on it?" Galina asked casually.

"Hell yes." The Bulgarian snorted. "You bet your life with any gun you take into battle. And that's my point. I trust the guns. The turret mounts and these fancy sights and controls not so much."

"You're worried that the guns will shear off their mountings? Hardscrabble Third-World militias can manage the task."

"And get 'em broken half the time." Zhivkov laughed. "No, they will stay. I have men that know how strong of a bolt to use and how much to torque 'em. But these guns weren't designed to be stuck on the back of a truck, and they certainly weren't designed to be remotely aimed, and they definitely weren't designed to be used against demons and frilly little magical girls."

Galina smirked. "Well, maybe not the latter. I can think of a better weapon for them."

Zhivkov nodded. Her proposal was to divide his forces, the bulk of the technicals would go with Group A, while the rest of his heavy weapons would go with the B group. He did not have much in the way of an artillery barrage, but if used at the right moment, it would be enough, especially when combined with the plethora of mortars and the vast amount of available small arms. Galina's contract was generous, and she had ordered everything the Thracian Union had to offer.

"Your men are taking the work well?" Galina then asked.

"The combat footage you've provided was... motivating. As were the edits."

Smiling slightly, Galina nodded her head. "Some discretion is seemed wise, a brutal enemy that takes no prisoners is one thing, but an enemy that will eat you as you lie screaming and thrashing?"

"Better to hear about than see," Zhivkov agreed. Unlike the bulk of his men, he and his officers had seen the full videos. "Either way they will fight to the death, but... without hope, without initiative."

"Sometimes experience and... pride makes up for a hopeless situation," Galina tightly said.

Zhivkov nodded "Still, it keeps them at their tasks, which is good. We have plenty of work, and a busy soldier is a happy soldier." Zhivkov then tapped the table and looked around the empty conference room once again.

Galina decided to allow him the soldier comment. "You have concerns still?" she asked after noting his pensive stare.

"The men are green."

"Oh? Have you got no more veterans? Has the quality of the Thracian Union sunk so low?" Galina teased, her warm smile almost breaking her dour façade.

"That is a lie, you know it." Zhivkov sighed. "However, we have yet to fight... demons or-" His distaste grew. "Magical girls. You've given footage, capabilities, even some training. But the men don't truly believe. They haven't been bloodied."

The combat cyborg waited.

"Perhaps that is for the best. If they don't truly know how bad it can get... they won't falter."

Galina forced herself to smile and to do so with warm, friendly eyes. She knew he was wrong. Experience would be the best protection his men could have. To be unaware, or to be overconfident would be ruinous. The demons were professional predators, equipped and trained by a mercenary organization specializing in non-human combat.

And while Galina put fair odds on the Union overcoming such a foe; it would not come cheap and victory on their part was not, strictly speaking, necessary for her plans.

"Zhivkov, I won't tell you which is better for your men. You know them better than I, but... I doubt we'll get a chance to 'freshen' them." Galina allowed her false smile to dissipate. "The enemy we face is hard to escape. Even my team can barely extract themselves. No, for your men to get away clear, they will need overwhelming firepower."

"And surprise will help," Zhivkov nodded. He disliked using untested equipment, and fighting an untested foe, but uncertainty was a part of life. "Which we will not have if we fight them multiple times."

"Indeed, they're already adapting towards my team, and I'm sure they have a fair idea your men are here."

Zhivkov grunted. "And to think it's come to this. We've lost a war without admitting who our real enemies were, and now we're scampering around yet another war we don't understand."

The room fell silent as Galina appraised the Bulgarian once again. She then nodded, a tiny but genuine smile forming. "You're correct. We're not a part of this. We were hired into it. They think we're the beaten scraps and ghosts of a failed and broken empire." Galina's smile grew, revealing her teeth. "We will show them what ghosts can do. If we are to be relegated to the dustbin of history then it is our duty to drag the little bunny queen down with us, one historical relic to another."

Zhivkov allowed a nod. The Union had already signed the contract, money had changed hands. He smirked a bit at the irony, but... it was a chance. Not since the bad-old days just after the Fall had the Union really cut loose.

"It was easier when it was just us and them," he muttered, knowing it was never that simple.

"Oh?"

"They were the enemy, we were saving the world against their greed, their exploitation." Zhivkov snorted. "Saving it for our master's greed and our exploitation it turned out."

Galina chuckled, and hoped Arisha was not listening in. "Both sides had their nomenklatura. The difference is that those in the West didn't have to fill gulags and mass graves with dissidents to get rich. Yes, they found it easier to pacify their populaces with trinkets and food, but that's the point, they could afford such opiates. In the West, over here, the impoverished could protest their masters, it was pointless but they could do it.

"Our masters had to make do with fear of the knock in the night to keep people in line." Galina sighed. "The worst part? After Stalin we lost the mass murder and then lost competence and merely coasted on inertia. I shudder to think that the two must be intrinsically related." Zhivkov held his tongue. It was always wise to indulge the one who paid the bills.

"Though I do take pleasure at one of the Chekists' great successes. They managed to convince the nomenklatura over here that enlightened, and enriching, technocratic rule could work. It was an appeal to vanity, the dirty communists were too stupid to make communism work. Feh."

Galina snorted. "The best the Chekists could do was plant the seeds of crude boutique-Bolshevism masking Nouveau riche aristocracy. I suppose it is better than the communist veneer our German... comrades put over their neo-fascist state."

"Fraternal Socialist Allies can be so vexing," Zhivkov agreed without a hint of irony.

"As bad as it is... I suppose it's not a return to Czarism, sure the soft-handed, pointed-headed glad-handlers invariably rule, but they don't think it's a divine right."

Zhivkov leaned back and allowed himself a barbed retort. "No, only the inexorable march of historical inevitability."

Galina laughed. "Too true. Too true. At least we can destroy one more royalist before we go."

Zhivkov returned with false laughter. de Vest was right about one thing, the Union was not quite so fatalistic, and had their own plans. Business was business, but survival was survival.

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Looking into the light-filled night sky, Mercury stared out the window of her suite in the Grand Hyatt Tokyo. Her hand clenched the stem of her wineglass. The cool glass felt strange in her ungloved hand. There was the noise of a low-lying helicopter. Her heart stilled. Behind her both Virgo and Orion stopped.

The purple Senshi lowered a matte grey case and cocked her head. "Civilian," she stated mildly before resuming her work.

Mercury snorted. "That doesn't mean anything. Pluto has chartered helicopters before."

"Is that why you went against the presidential suite?" Orion asked as she stepped into place at Mercury's heel. Her gaze matched Mercury's and momentarily looked up at the ceiling.

"No... no," Mercury shook her head and frowned at the sensation of hair against her neck. After having her hair up it felt weird to be wearing it down. Though she had kept it long. Cutting it seemed to be an unneeded sacrifice.

Mercury returned to looking out the floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows. "It seemed a bit much. Much as I would have loved a private pool and sundeck." She sighed and looked around the hundred and twenty square meter two bedroom suite she had rented.

"This place is larger than my old apartment... " Orion frowned. "Both of them. It's bigger than mother's old store," she added in a hushed voice.

"We can see it, if you like. I can make the time," Mercury offered giving Orion a small smile.

"No," Orion turned her head and went to the laptop that she had already unpacked. "Osa-P is gone."

Mercury nodded and turned back to the window. She had managed to avoid the temptation of a penthouse suite, but she had indulged in a south-eastern view. Before her sprawled Azabujuban, the Tokyo tower sat to the left of her view while half filled bits of Tokyo Bay were in the distance. "That's right we cannot go back. The past is done; all we have is the future."

She turned from the immense and skeletal orange tower to the relatively shorter buildings and lights that made up her former home. She took a sip of wine, careful not to spill on her clothes.

Mercury cared little for the skirt and blouse she wore, but the seifuku-style school uniform was familiar... if a bit ill-fitting before Virgo had worked on it to let out the blouse some. Mercury inclined her head as a thrumming vibration cut through the suite. It bounced off the warding over the windows causing a blue flicker for a moment before settling down.

"Secure," Virgo stated after silently taking the space Orion had occupied at Mercury's heel. "At least from the Sailors. Though in force, we'd have little time to teleport."

Mercury nodded absently. The lilac scent of the bouquet the staff had placed by the door dominated the room.

"You are concerned?"

Mercury spun around on her right heel, her unbound hair flying about same with her pleated skirt. She stomped her left foot, though unlike the respectable clack of a stiletto it was the soft thud of a Mary Jane.

She glared at Virgo, but the crystalline Senshi had a perfectly controlled expression. Her features had become more statuesque, and were even a bit stylized. Her hair was a sculpted piece of a large bun in the back, smaller twin purple odango buns on the sides with flexing ponytails. Her hairdo was made out of a crystal material that was lighter and more translucent shade of purple than the rest of her.

Both of Virgo's swords were holstered in an X pattern across her back. The shadows of their scabbards just visible through the thickness of her body and the clear bodysuit, gloves, and boots of her seifuku were made by giving those portions of her body a more milky white coloration and adding carvings of her constellation that were set with tiny blue gems. A gold Mercury mark was embossed on her neck and surrounded by a silver circle that centered an inset band that went around her neck forming an ersatz choker.

The only parts not sculpted as details on her body were her pleated skirt, her bows, and the sailor collar she wore. The crystalline golem stood before Mistress Mercury and waited. Virgo hummed with power to the extent that it caused little sparks and ripples against the pulsing signal scramblers.

The whole time Mercury had studied her, Virgo simply waited. Her faceted jewel-like eyes unblinking unmoving. Chest perfectly still, jewel-like eyes unblinking… unmoving. Reflections of the neon lights far bellow played across her sparkling surface, providing the beautiful statue with the illusion of motion, and life. Gloved hands, hands that were gloves, were clasped in front of her, and she neatly balanced on high heeled boots that were as much a part of her as her hair, lips, or tiara.

"Yes Virgo. I am concerned." Mercury replied. "I've returned. I'm going to meet my parents. You can understand my apprehension."

Suddenly moving, Virgo's eyelids expanded, narrowing her gaze. She tilted her head and went completely still. "More than you... my Mistress," she added.

"By your nature, you understand my apprehension. You've been changed more than I have, you're even less your mother's daughter." Mercury turned back to the window. "My worry. However, my parents have skills. Skills that I need; skills that even you could appreciate."

Virgo raised a silver-inlaid eyebrow. "As you say."

Mercury made a thoughtful noise. "Well, what would you do? If you could go back home, if you could find your estranged father."

"I got along with my father," Virgo stiffly said. She gazed out the window. Her quest for revenge had taken everything from her, but it had made her more powerful. If she returned to the village... Virgo looked down at her mistress. "Are you thinking about them, about-" she hesitated for a second. "About recruitment?"

Mercury sipped her wine. "You know what I plan. Do you think I would give your people greater due than my own parents?"

"From a tactical standpoint, your parents are far easier targets," Orion stated.

"As is your Mother," Virgo added.

"We have business." Mercury crossed her arms. "I've dressed down."

Virgo nodded and her form shimmered. Crystal skin and seifuku shimmered and the image of a young woman in a purple and white cheongsam appeared. Virgo looked at her hands and gave a slight shiver.

Mercury eyed Virgo. "Acceptable enough." She turned to Orion. "And you?"

Orion snapped her fingers and her double-bladed staff vanished and her Senshi uniform was replaced with a pale green dress tied with a white belt.

Mercury blinked. "You're staying as Janet?"

Orion eyed the equipment that they had built using the fabricators in the lunar laboratory adjacent to the Space-Time door. Combined with Mercury's original tools and what they had learned on the Venus and Virgo projects mass production was well within reach. She turned back to Mistress Mercury. "Why bother going back to Naru?"

"So that's it? We're all in agreement. There is no going back." A frown flickered across Mercury's face. "Yes, we must all look forward... and prepare." She smiled and gave a salute with her glass.

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Three armored Senshi sat around the table in the training center's commissary. The blonde wore a seifuku with golden fabric and white silk bows under gold plates and skirting. The brunette wore copper with broad section green with patina and polished accents. Wearing red-bronze armor Mars tapped table and looked around the commissary. "Just great... we shouldn't have left her alone." She sat next to Venus-as-Moon with Jupiter opposite her.

Sitting a distance away were Misako and Ukyou. Both succubae were armed and wore the bodysuit and inner-armor portions of their battle-dress. The outer armor sections were leaning on a couple chairs off to the side. The two demons would occasionally chat with each other, but spent most of their time cleaning their weapons and loading magazines.

"She's not alone," Minako stiffly stated.

Jupiter held the bridge of her nose.

"And did you see Eve get up and go? No doubt they've got the queen outnumbered."

"She's not alone," Minako repeated.

Mars eyed the blonde who looked so very much like the Princes... the Queen. "Yeah, she's with Pluto. And yeah... she did help Usagi. Still, I'd like to see this new enemy myself. And they're going to be late, don't we have training today?" she asked glancing at the demons watching them. The platinum blonde and orange-haired one were of Ranma's brood, while the one with short dark red hair was Eve's daughter. The blonde looked up from the box of over-sized ammunition and gave a cold smile.

"We agreed to get her help," Jupiter sighed as she looked around the concrete room.

The brunette Senshi gave the room another glance; Eve was still gone. Which figured. She brought her attention back to Mars and Venus.

Minako looked off in the distance, her eyes taking a flat red sheen. "So, you two were behind what Puu did to me."

"What you and Usagi were doing was making things worse," Jupiter stated.

"I know, but...we thought – I thought I was protecting her." Minako sniffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"She was shut away from the world. You were turning her into a robot," Jupiter explained.

"And not a useful one either. Do you know how big and clumsy you two were?" Rei reminded.

"Hey, we were getting pretty agile and fast! It would have worked if-" Minako looked down. "I am sorry."

Jupiter put a hand on Minako's. "You okay, Honey?"

Minako turned her head and her eyes flashed red for a second. "Been better."

Mars sighed. "DarkStar is right. The princess... is in trouble. She's still in that Serenity getup."

"Tell me about it," Minako snapped in reply, as she gestured to her own Sailor Moon style golden seifuku and twin blonde ponytails.

The doors to the commissary opened and Jupiter blinked. "I don't think that's a worry..."

Giving a coquettish smile, Kiri stepped into the room. She walked up to the table and gave a beckoning gesture.

"You left her alone with them?" Mars asked.

"When you came to me with your worries about the Queen, I trusted you. Come on" Kiri chuckled as she waved more emphatically.

Giving a perplexed shrug, Mars and the other two Senshi got up.

Misako perked up and gave a broad smirk. "Showing off mother's power?"

Giving off a purr, Ukyou seemed to sniff the air. "Well, glad to see Mother's feeling better."

"What?" Rei asked, scandalized.

Misako laughed. "It's not what you think. It's... nicer more innocent." The demoness licked her lips and gave a dreamy smile.

"Something like that." Kiri nodded. She turned around and left the commissary.

What's going on?" Mars asked as they followed Kiri down the hallway and around the corner.

"Oh, you have no flare for the dramatic," Kiri teased as they passed through the guard check point and returned to the Senshi's room.

"That's not reassuring," Jupiter said as Kiri knocked then opened the door.

Minako, Jupiter and Mars crossed the threshold. The first thing they saw was Sailor Moon, not Serenity, not the Queen, but their Princess.

Minako gave a little smile, her guise was just that. A disguise to fool outsiders. This was the real Usagi. Giving a serene, tranquil smile, Usagi waved an arm before returning to gently braiding the restful succubus's hair. She had two long ponytails, one was braided down its length and capped near the end with a red bow. The other was about halfway done.

"You're back!" Makoto cried as she ran towards the bed. She saw the dainty little pinkish-blonde demoness snuggled into Usagi's lap, but that was immaterial. It was not even an issue that the demoness looked a lot like Usagi; the real deal, the real Usagi, was sitting right there before the brunette. And the demon was so young, so small, so adorably and softly dressed that she seemed made for the Princess' lap.

And the demon looked more like Usagi's version of a succubus, cute, cuddly, and non-threatening. Her arms went out and to hug her princess she had to hug the princess'... dau-demoness. Usagi put down the partially braided ponytail and accepted the hug.

Rei blinked back a tear as she joined Minako in adding to Makoto's crushing hug. Feeling her Princess' presence, feeling it without glamours, without disguises, Rei's worries were pushed away. She even let the feelings from the other "Moon" Senshi in the group hug wash over her.

"Back to normal?" Rei asked, as the young demon purred.

Usagi blushed. "I wanted to be at ease. Sailor Earth –er- Ranma... Helped me. Didn't you honey?" she asked giving Ranma a fresh hug and basking in the love of her friends.

As the embrace broke up, Eve slipped in and gave Usagi and Ranma a strong hug. She held Usagi's gaze for a moment before looking to Ranma and smiling as she withdrew.

"Some help," Rei laughed with a hint of jealousy at the diminutive demon. However, looking into those great big turquoise eyes, Rei found her hostility begin to wane. She turned away.

"Oh, it really was," Usagi said, resuming braiding the demon's hair. "You were all a great help in this. Thank you."

"And the... hair?" Rei asked.

Usagi looked down at the nearly complete braid and blushed. "Oh, well I thought it would look cute."

Looking at her own twin ponytail style, Minako laughed.

Rei cracked a smile. "Yes, you would."

Nodding, Usagi did a few more braids.

"Everyone likes to play with my hair," Ranma said a bit smugly.

"I can see why," Usagi said as she neared the end. She then compared the two ponytails. "Okay, this one's done," she told Ranma, who closed her eyes and summoned a matching bow capping off both braided pinkish-blonde ponytails.

"But the whole look? I mean she's like a darling little moon demon."

Ranma preened a bit.

"Oh yeah!" Usagi giggles. "She's got the cutest little speech. You wanna show them?"

The demoness blushed and pulled in a bit.

"Come, on, it's really cute," Usagi kissed Ranma on the cheek. "And your hair is really nice, goes great with your uniform."

Looking at her braids, the demoness smiled and gave Usagi a quick hug. She then hopped off Moon's lap and hit the floor with a light clop. She backed away and standing on one hoof did a little spin that flowed into a skip-like dance step. As she moved and used her arms to pose, her long skirt flounced up, almost showing a bit of skin above her ankles.

She planted both hooves on the ground with a musical clomp. "The Pretty Lunar Demon Senshi: Sailor Earth, is ready for Love And Justice!" She gleefully shouted crossing her arms over her chest and shaking her head, causing her ankle-length braided twin-tails to bounce about.

"In the name of the Moon and Earth I'll punish you with my ribbon-tail!" she gleefully said as her silk-sheathed tail cutely coiled back and forth with a little twist and shake. After her cheer, she smiled revealing her fangs and triumphantly raised her right arm while moving her left arm from her hip to across her chest while extending out the V for victory sign.

"Wow, way to improvise!" Usagi clapped.

"By taking my material." Minako joked, having recognizing the finishing move from her own transformation sequence. She was always creeped out by the constant surveillance WIC had them under, but at least it allowed for some benefit.

The demon held the pose for a couple seconds before collapsing into giggles.

She was joined by the other Senshi. Even Eve smirked.

Looking between the two "lunar" Senshi, Rei felt her heart warm. She opened her mouth, but Jupiter stood up cutting her off.

"That was great. I can see why Usagi liked this..." Makoto bent down to the little demon's eye level. She looked to her princess, her queen, relaxed and happy, calm and content.

Rei hesitated and saw Minako stand up and join in. The two began to thank and hug the purring demoness. Exhaling, Rei closed her eyes. She stood up and walked to the demoness.

A tall Senshi in a red bronze armored uniform looked at the smaller, delicate, Senshi in her conservative, prim silken uniform. "Sailor Earth?"

Flanked by Jupiter and Minako, the demoness looked up. All three tensed as the black-haired woman stared at the demoness.

Looking into her eyes, Mars saw that they were not fully turquoise, there was a band of dark purple around the silted irises. "Sailor Earth," she repeated and then bowed. "Thank you."

Blinking, the demoness cantered forward and wrapped her arms around Mars. The black-haired Senshi stiffened but then realized that the demon only came up to her chest, with the red bowed tips of her spiraled odangos barely reaching Mars' shoulders.

Mars looked down at the braided hair, sparkling crescent moons, and soft silk blouse and skirting. "Sailor Earth.."

The demoness giggled at the title. "Yes?"

Reaching out, Mars slipped her arms under Sailor Earth's little wings. "If the Princess believes in you..." she hugged the small Senshi, lifting her off her hooves. "That's good enough for me... welcome to the team," she whispered.

Feeling the pulses of acceptance and love, the succubus gasped. What had been a wistful improvisation of the plan to "guide" the Queen had gotten away from her. The part of her that considered it all a plan had faded and faded until... Sailor Earth blushed and leaned her head onto Mars' shoulder. "Thank you," she gasped softly crying.

"Oh... it's okay. It's okay," Mars said, finding herself smiling. She reassuringly patting Earth on the back, Mars carried the demoness back to her Princess, and deposited gently sobbing Sailor Earth back into Sailor Moon's lap.

Usagi hugged Sailor Earth and the tears stopped. Savoring the little succubus' purr, she idly played with a braided ponytail before adjusting one of the bows on the tip of Earth's spiraled hair buns. "I'm... overwhelmed, by all of you." She looked to each of her Senshi, to Luna, to Eve.

Sailor Earth found herself giggling. It was clear to her, the Pattern Silvers, the Senshi, they were like their own little brood, one she was a part of. "I won."

"Really?" Kiri asked.

"Sure, I've got our Princess back to normal," the tiny demon contentedly sighed and leaned her head onto Usagi's chest. "And I've got another brood, another family."

"Yes you do, my little pretty Lunar demon," Usagi assured as she gently rocked the demoness.

Blushing, Earth blinked back a couple little tears. Sating herself in Usagi's affection she regained her composure. She was a mother, a brood queen, a contractor, a... Sailor Senshi...? Yet, she was not... one. She could feel the connection to the other girls, and to the very earth itself, a vast well of power arced around her, further than the horizon and as deep as the world... As she searched, her confidence began to reassert itself, and then something tripped in her.

Light flared from her again, but this time it was concentrated on her forehead which glowed deep purple with a four pointed star before it burst and was replaced with a bright rich green quartered circle: the symbol from earth. Spreading from the light her earrings changed going from gold crescent moons to earth symbols with the crescent moons overlaid at the bottom. Her choker glowed bright but instead of breaking the four pointed star there grew slightly and a circular backing formed with her Senshi sign visible behind the purple crystal. Power welled and the piece of jewelry became an artifact.

Her back arched as the piping on her collar and the trim on her spats and sleeves all changed to green. The glow continued to expand as the bows on the tips of her hair buns and the ends of her braided twin tails also changed color while the rest of her ribbons and bows stayed crimson. Then the light pulled back, like a retreating tide pulled by gravity it all receded into her. The energy pulsed over her, running though her hooves, to the spiraled hair buns, around her coiled and sheathed tail, to her dangling tiara, across her nearly floor length skirt, and arched over her silver claws and pointed ears. The energy pressed against diminutive frame her and the new Sailor Earth was formed and forged.

Sailor Earth gasped, as the connections to the Senshi, her Senshi bloomed in her mind. The feeling of another family struck her. It lacked the raw instinctual power of her children and sisters, but it was close. That was all over the heavy pulsing power of the Earth, her world. Nearly overwhelmed, she snuggled against Moon.

"Wow, guess you really are one of us." Makoto blinked, the air around her suddenly seemed a bit clearer. It was as if she could more easily... see the other Senshi. They stood out more sharply.

Eve nodded, her smug confidence betraying a tiny bit of worry behind her blue eyes.

Catching the look, Earth shook her head and gave a reassuring smile and pushed some of her emotions out so her sister could feel. The dam burst and a torrent of emotions and power flared out and swamped Eve, Earth's daughters, Eve's daughters, Cecilia and her daughters, and even trickled out to her mother, Nodoka.

Usagi, on the other hand, felt a growing contented warmth. She looked down at the new Senshi and felt proud, felt complete.

"Told you I was right," Mars laughed while Kiri gave an almost melancholy look, but quickly covered it up. The black haired woman frowned and looked at Kiri. She studied the green haired woman, unsure as to what was wrong with her expression... something about it seemed off, seemed false.

Stroking her hair, Usagi peered into her Senshi's blissful eyes. "Honey?"

The demon nodded, gathering her thoughts, feeling as if she had to gather herself back in. Seeing Usagi, her Princess, her spirits lifted further. She grinned and rolled over to hug Moon, this time extending out her little wings and wrapping them around her Princes.

Sailor Moon returned the hug and the two sat there for a while, until Makoto snickered at Mars' expression of near tearful joy. The hug broke apart with Earth blushing.

"Well, our work's just starting," Sailor Earth chirped as she wriggled her spiraled and sheathed tail. "We have some serious threats, and if we're going to be on the same team," she winked at Mars, "we'll have to keep up our training, and learn to work together."

"Back on topic?" Eve gave a little smirk, still relishing the feelings from her sister.

Sailor Earth pouted.

Eve gave a tiny sniff. "We do have some ideas, such as regaining initiative, both against the Russians and the Miss Mizuno. We are also sending the Canadians to investigate that 'soft spot' the signal originated from. They too can use the training."

"And you decided to let me just... play?" Usagi asked.

"I know I needed it...and so did you right?" Earth softly asked. She looked around at the other Senshi with a bit more empathy for their apprehension and fears, but also for their camaraderie.

"I did," Usagi assured.

"Now I won't take any slacking or incompetence, because we've got some training planned and this is important stuff," Sailor Earth blushed. "But I'm sure you'll do great."

End Chapter 28

I'd like to thank my pre-readers. They read through my most egregious mistakes so you don't have to. J St C Patrick, Pale Wolf, DGC, Wray, Kevin Hammel, and Ikarus.

Also, special thanks to frice2000 on the Fukufics form for inspiring the development and refinement of the "Sailor Earth" idea.

Fanart of Nuit by J St C Patrick can be found in the Fanart Section of the Fukufics forum.


	32. Chapter 29 Reconcile and Refine Part 1

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Sunshine Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.

At the Temple of Ranma's Senshi Seifuku

C&C as always is wanted.

Chapter 29 Reconcile and Refine Part 1

Standing before a sink that was too tall for her, Sailor Earth pulled her white elbow-length gloves back on, taking care to line up the little silver claw covers in the finger tips. Finished she looked up at her reflection.

Startling turquoise eyes with vertical pupils rimmed in dark violet looked back. They were set in an innocent, joyful looking face adorned with sparse touches of makeup. A bit of eyeliner for her big eyes and some pink lip gloss. Her nose was more delicate and the shape of her face was different, with a smaller jaw line and softer features. Her body was similarly delicate and youthful.

A gold tiara set with a polished emerald hung from her tiny inner horns, while her large curled horns were covered with bands of pinkish blonde hair until they became a pair of spiraled buns. Falling from the curled odangos were twin braided ponytails that nearly reached her ankles. The ends of which were tied off with green bows that matched the pair on the tips of her buns. Picking up one of the braids, she looked at Usagi's work and smiled as she played with it.

Below her ankles were a pair of crimson spats with little crescent moon buckles on the front Wrapped around her feet, the leather coverings were cut to expose the silver gleam of her little hooves. The spats themselves were hard to see given the ankle-height hem of her pleated skirting.

Earrings consisting of emerald quartered circle earth symbols braced by gold crescent moons at the bottom hung from long almost elfin ears. Dropping the braid she flicked one of the earrings and gave a happy sigh as the twin symbol of the Earth and the Moon rocked back and forth.

She wore a modest white top with a V waist, and a high hem around her neck with a little blue collar with green piping. Long sleeves came down and just overlapped with her gloves. Below the waist were the long blue pleats of her skirt.

A little red bow sat above her left chest, and was matched by a bigger one that proofed behind her waist, the trailing ribbons of which were wrapped around her coiled tail and then tied off in a third red bow. A pair of little golden wings with silver membranes spread from her back framing the image.

The door opened and closed and a tall, strong, sensual, almost severe woman stepped into the reflection. She wore the grey coat and skirt of a WIC dress uniform, and her blonde hair was pulled back in a tight bun. Eve's eyes softened at the sight of the little demoness.

"You didn't need to escort me," Sailor Earth said as she leaned back onto her sister.

Eve put her arms around the tiny demon who stood a full half a meter shorter than her. "But I did. Miss Tsukino seemed almost... heartbroken when you said you had to 'Use the little Demon's Room.' "

"It was more that you offered to take me before she could."

"You are my... little sister," Eve said a bit of worry entering her voice; after this she would have to talk with her superior officers to update them on the situation, and reduce their worry.

Sailor Earth felt it and more. She closed her eyes. "Yes, and I'm your older sister. Nothing will change that, but she is my... princess. Wow..." The demon opened her eyes and looked at her reflection anew. Little pointed ears, little pointed fangs, little pointed claws, even her hooves were small and fairly sharp ended.

Eve exhaled and squeezed her tighter.

"I know, you're wondering if I'm okay," Sailor Earth said in a soft voice.

"You just got formally inducted into the Pattern Silvers..."

Earth frowned slightly. The term seemed as impersonal and clinical as "Pattern D".

"Er Sailor Senshi. It seems like it was a big moment," Eve dryly added.

The pink-blonde demoness' innocent giggle turned into a more throaty chuckle. "Oh Eve." She closed her eyes and there was a green flash that darkened to purple as her form grew and her clothes shrank. "I always was a Senshi, but I was never accepted, I was never seen as one. However today... today I realized that despite it all, despite everything that's happened, Usagi would still accept me."

"The first DarkStar never called herself Sailor Earth; she wasn't truly accepted," Eve nodded. "And the age? The Tsukino look?"

Earth frowned. "Could you imagine being away from your girls for a couple weeks, let alone months? She was in pain. She sent her daughter off to be... safe. I can see why she wanted to shelter Usa from all this... I don't know if that's right, if she's just delaying the inevitable, or if whatever safety there is worth the time alone."

Eve gave a weak smile. "Humans have more options than we do."

Earth nodded. "Still, maybe this will be clearer."

Pink-blonde hair darkened to deep red as it unbraided, becoming a free fall and exposing her horns, while bows, pleats, and ribbons vanished. Turquoise gave way to deep purple as her eyes shifted to round pupils. Hooves were replaced by black leather high heels and her newly exposed tail straightened and her wings grew back to their full size and red and purple coloration.

Blue silk was replaced by a knee-length black leather skirt and green leather belt with her top becoming a plain deep purple blouse and leather jacket with green piping. The demon's face grew more mature and her features sharpened until she looked like someone else. Finally, her ears pulled in as the earrings shrank. The pair still had the same crescent moon and earth combo, but were now little gold and emerald stud earrings.

The only thing that remained unchanged was the choker with a purple crystal four pointed star over the Earth symbol. Now reaching up to her sister's chest, Ranma stretched her back. Her wings also stretched out and, as small as they were, still bumped against the bathroom's far wall.

Eve inhaled and concentrated. She could feel her sister; it was still her sister but now... now that bright beaming power from the earth was dialed down; more was visible. It was easier to feel the other connections. She could sense the radiant arcing lines and bonds that came from the brood queen, but now there were more. Similar, but different, less instinctual, more channeled and crafted.

The WIC officer squeezed her sister's hands.

"You can feel them?" Ranma asked.

Eve nodded; she noticed that her sister's fangs were actually less pronounced in her "normal" form.

"They're like us," she chuckled. "All our planning about the 'Pattern Silvers' and how come they couldn't be like us, and it turns out they're another brood. We're-"

"Another brood?" Eve completed.

"Close, very close," Ranma gave a happy smile that turned serious. "And I see how right we were in the training. We were going about it wrong though, but now we can do it better. We can train them, train the Princess." The redhead smiled.

"We did come up with some one-on-one training for today," Eve stated as she ran a hand through Ranma's hair.

"Good, today has been very helpful," Ranma smiled at her pale, sensual reflection. "We can keep building on this."

"Well," Eve coughed. "You do have that mission with JTF2."

"Damn," Ranma's shoulders slumped.

Eve bent down at the waist to reach her sister's eye level, even in her normal form Ranma was still far shorter than the German demoness. "You've still got a couple hours before, at least use that time to bond... Sailor Earth," Eve snickered.

"Oh?" Ranma gave a coquettish grin as she stepped back. "You asked for it." She tapped her choker with two fingers and shouted: "Earth Power Make-Up!" Purple light sprung over her until it completely obscured her form. A bright green Earth symbol flared on her forehead surrounded by the violet energy.

As she did a little spin that flowed into a skip-like dance step, the light contracted and began to turn green as her body and wings shrank. The outline of her hair parted down the middle, wrapped around her horns into buns, was fed into twin ponytails that were braided and capped with bows. As she moved and used her arms to pose, gloves came into existence and her blouse shifted into something more modest and fitting her smaller, shorter figure.

She turned, kicking up with one leg and a high heeled foot became a hoof and her skirt softened and grew and flounced up. Bows puffed around the base and tip of her tail, and she kicked with the other leg turning that into a hoof, and forming the matching spats. Bows, jewels, gloves, and other accents began to form out of the green light and gain definition.

As she planted both hooves on the ground with a ringing chime, her face changed back to the more youthful and innocent look. "The Pretty Lunar Demon Senshi: Sailor Earth, is ready for Love And Justice!" She gleefully shouted as the light faded, revealing her turquoise, slitted eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head, causing pink-blond twintails to flail to either side.

"In the name of the Moon and Earth: I'll punish you with my ribbon-tail!" she gleefully said as her coiled tail shook back and forth in its silk-sheath with a little twist and shake from her hips. Triumphantly showing her pronounced canines, she raised her right arm while moving her left arm from her hip to across her chest while extending out the V for victory sign and then finally lowered her right arm to point straight at Eve.

The tall demoness strode forward, her face carefully neutral. She reached out and flicked one of the little demon's large dangling earrings. "What I love is how you can keep coming up with original material," Eve stated, her tone cool.

Sailor Earth let her lower lip quiver as her ribbon-ensnared tail wavered back and forth.

Eve kept her neutral expression, though her eyes sparkled, and she knew her sister could feel her.

The little Senshi began to laugh. Eve smirked and chuckled. Sailor Earth stared for a moment and she broke down into fits of giggles.

Still laughing, Eve shook her head, and scooped up her sister in a big hug easily lifting the diminutive demon. "Come on, we've got a lot of work to do. And plenty of new introductions," she said carrying her out of the bathroom.

"Is this... too good?" Earth asked leaning her head on Eve's shoulder.

Stopping, Eve turned the demoness so they could face each other. She paused then stated. "Elaborate."

"Well, my daughters are strong and growing nicely. You've come a long way. Your girls are fitting in, even Sophie with her youth and Morrison vacillating on what she'll take as a new first name and her human family. Cecilia's family is settling into support training, which means the Fifth's coming along nicely as a unit, and now I'm with the Senshi. I'm worried the other shoe could drop, that-"

"You signed up for more than you expected?" Eve asked skepticism coloring her voice. She put her sister down and gave a sigh. "Well, I suppose if you should ask anyone about that, it's me."

"You did get more than you bargained for." Earth looked down at her uniform then pulled at a braid.

"And it has been too good to be true." Eve smiled. "Almost. You worried about new commitments?"

"Yeah, there's that. We've already been working with the Princess. And that contract is _still_ valid," she reminded with cold emphasis. "We still have a lot of work, not counting the inter-dim collapse."

"And you think you can be more persuasive if you're on the inside?"

Earth raised an eyebrow. "I _am_ on the inside. And don't make it sound so manipulative."

"Genuinely wanting to help someone and gaining their trust is a very effective way to persuade them."

"Yes," Earth smiled at her sister. "It worked very well for you."

Eve inclined her head. "And our plans? The contingencies?"

Earth glanced at the mirror again and caught the gold in her earrings and the sparkle from the matching crescent-shaped buckles just above her hooves. "I told you... the contract is valid." She closed her eyes. In addition to support and protection, Usagi and Setsuna had contracted Ranma as a... failsafe, just in case the Heir-Serenity truly fell.

The little demon opened her eyes. "The contingencies stay."

"Even with your new... connection?"

Sailor Earth gave a sad laugh. "If anything it's made it stronger. I understand what she stands for, the ideals she's trying to hold to, the powers she has." Her face turned grave. "Our estimates on the risks, the Silvers, the Senshi, we pose... I can see why Murdock, why the Rune Order, tried so hard to corrupt her."

"Some would take that to mean you don't trust your new team," Eve stated with a slight smile.

Earth caught the expression and smirked. "Far from it. You know what needs to be done."

Eve nodded, catching the implication. Not that the Company would stop its surveillance or contingency practices, but that her sister was still supporting them and considered them integral to continued operations was heartening. "So you while you do have concerns about the Senshi's performance, that's not your main worry is it?"

"In a way it is." Earth's ribboned tail drooped slightly. "The pressure isn't going away, and... well, they're my family. And you know how I feel about substandard training and skills, especially for those I care about."

"More pressure?"

Earth nodded. "Then add to that all these nice things. I'm finally getting along with them and now there will be more training, and more battles. And they will have ample time to prove their wiliness to match the outreach on our part."

"Too good to last." Eve frowned. Somehow seeing such existential dread on such an innocent looking face... "You know how dangerous things are. Being worried about loss is normal, especially when you have so much to lose," Eve hugged her. "Maybe you should talk with-"

Earth enjoyed the hug for a moment. "No... I mean... yes I think I maybe talking things with a... professional... but that's not my worry. Losing someone in battle is one thing, but losing them to..."

"Rejection? Betrayal?" Eve knew Ranma had experienced the first, and the Senshi had experienced the latter. "And the pressures from training, battle, from responsibilities... that would push them away?"

Sailor Earth nodded.

Instead of responding Eve took her sister's hand. Love, power, emotions flooded between the two. Eve took a moment to relish the sensations and stand in awe of her sister.

The vast branching array of connections flared in Sailor Earth's mind, her brood, her teams, her families, it was all _her_ family. Faint echoes of other people, WIC agents, her other family, popped up then faded back down but did not go dark. The succubus gave a little, almost reassured smile.

Still holding her sisters hand, Eve resumed walking.

With her spare hand, Sailor Earth held her chin, and pondered. "Yes, very strong but... wouldn't that make any breaks all the more painful?"

Standing before the door to the Senshi's room, Eve stopped and put an arm around Sailor Earth's shoulder.

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Feeling his neck tingle, Murdock scanned the crowd once more. His gaze lifted over the cheap paperback and swept across the plaza before the small outdoor table in front of the Belgian bar. Four and five story, brick and stone buildings lined the sides of the roughly rectangular plaza square, which was bordered by small roadways and centered with a slightly rundown fountain.

He spotted her on the sidewalk browsing at a rack of books and software packages that had been dragged in front of an electronics boutique. She was a woman at the young edge of middle age with brown hair cut in a short bob which combined with her sleekly expensive, but subdued, grey suit and skirt made her look like a finance executive. Her back was to him, but Murdock knew who it was. He could visualize her thin lips, severe cheekbones and grey eyes.

Putting down the book, he folded his hands below his chin and stared at her. It was horrible tradecraft but he did not have to wait long. She looked up from her browsing and gave a long glance across the plaza, taking in the scene before her. Her eyes passed over Murdock's bar, pausing only momentarily. She then took a couple steps and continued her browsing.

He smirked at her self control. Her eyes only widened on her second pass, and it took two more passes after that before she flung her arms down in disgust and began walking his way.

Murdock chuckled and returned to his book. It would take her at least a minute to cross the plaza, longer if she wanted to avoid the arcing granite fountain. The pipes mounted in the mouths of the rearing horses and other equestrian figures were poorly aimed and were serviced by water at uneven pressure. It had a habit of spraying water onto the benches around it. He watched as she waited to cross the road and strode across the cobbles of the square and cut through a pair of bollards to get back to the outer side of the road. Feeling a shadow draw over him, the mage put his book back on the table and took a sip of his drink.

Reaching him, the woman gave an oft used sigh. "Murdock, Murdock, Murdock… you can hide from the demons, the Senshi, the humans, but you know better than to hide from us." A feral, hungry smile crossed the woman's face. She could see that lesser mage had stiffened in his seat, and try to give his greasy, weaseling smile. She wore four silver rings each embedded with a different colored stone.

"Well, well, Catharine Longmans. I'd hardly call this hiding." Murdock said/

Still smiling, Murdock's shoulders relaxed and he leaned back in his chair. "Come, it's been a while. Care to take a seat?" he asked, waving across the table. He eyed the jade stone on her left ring finger.

Catharine's watery grey eyes widened slightly. "Really?" she purred contemplating his placid-seeming reaction. There were few things that Murdock was frightened of, and the associates she represented, the higher ups in the Rune Order, were on the top of that list. She flicked her fingers and, to Murdock's relief, a black stone on her right pointer finger flashed blue.

Murdock lifted up a tumbler and sniffed it. "It occurred to me, what leverage do you really have over me?" he asked, though to anyone outside the bubble it would be pure gibberish.

Catharine's lips pulled back slowly revealing neat little teeth.

"Seriously: torture, exposure, desiccation. Small potatoes when you get right down to it. All you've got left is killing me."

"That would bring a certain satisfaction." Catharine looked at Murdock's book, "Ruthless Rhymes for Heartless Homes", with confusion.

"Short term only."

Recovering a cold, polished composure, Catharine gave a wide smile.

Murdock sighed, eying the jade ring.. "Fine, it'd be a treasured memory. But my death would bring you no gain among the council. The Order has lost its muscle."

"That is more Corvine's problem." Catharine hissed, her calm slipping for a moment. "The Assembly of Man should have been more than sufficient to neutralize the brood."

"Perhaps." Murdock shrugged. "Instead it became a steady source of food for them." He ran a finger over the edge of his glass, causing a ringing hum. "Convenient. Your rival on the council is weakened, while your own scheme is strengthened."

"Except you never delivered." Catharine glared. "DarkStar is still beyond our grasp, and with her the Heir-Serenity, and now you quit."

"Yup!" Murdock chuckled. He knew things had gotten even worse for the Order. "Almost makes me wish I was at the council meeting when you told them that. My, the old men's reactions..."

"Futhark did have... choice words," Catharine said allowing anger to edge her voice.

"I still performed better than any of your other agents."

Catharine's smile drew back into a grimace.

"I only took out one. The others-" Murdock shrugged. "All I can say is neither the brood nor WIC took them out. Personally, I'd blame Miss Meiou."

The senior mage's expression hardened further.

"Ah." Murdock smoothed his tie. "You've got that much sense."

"You still haven't explained why I should just let you escape. I don't know what you'd get up to."

Murdock snorted. "The hell you say. I've worked for you for years. If you don't know what I'm capable of then you're worse at your job than I thought."

"Insults now?"

"You broke tradecraft to talk to me openly in the field. After knowing I'd been compromised."

Grey eyes simmering, Catharine raised an eyebrow. Her hands held the edge of the table and she stood straighter in her seat.

Murdock felt the flicker of her partially unveiled power. "Yes, yes, and it's not like I have contacts with organizations specializing in counter-magic warfare."

"You're not alone in that regard," Catharine hissed.

"Ah" Murdock nodded. "So is Jameson still playing around with those mercenaries of his? I suppose remnants of ideological failures do bring a certain desperate tenacity."

"What can you expect when someone sees their inevitable, their iron-strong, empire last a bare hundredth of the time they expected it to. They are failures, they're relics from a past world. Nightmares that even the most ignorant would recoil from, they're only able to pass among humanity in disguise." She smirked, her eyes flashing. "Fortunately the thinnest of veneers are sufficient."

Murdock raised an eyebrow, and played with his glass. "Well, no wonder Jameson thinks they're our kind of people."

"Our? I thought you quit." She ran a finger over the band of her jade ring.

Murdock's hand fell to the table, nearly knocking his glass over. "And I thought you were trying to bring me back."

"Jameson's building support. The Council is getting sick of these games. They're tired of cloak and dagger. They see Heir-Serenity as a growing risk. Besides... these won't be the first such mercenaries, will they?"

"The Russians. Such lovely work." Murdock leaned back. "Are you sure Jameson didn't hire them as his cat's paw? I'd be willing to consider him that intelligent."

"No, but I'd be willing to lie and say he did, if that'll get you to get with the program." She looked out at the fountain. A group of school children had fallen prey to the fluctuating water spouts. "You know what failure entails?"

Murdock's grin vanished and his eyes narrowed. "Careful. I know you didn't hire them, but I'd bet fair odds you know who did."

"Oh? Really? What makes you think I'm not behind it?" As she talked, Catherine's tone slipped, bits of anger burbled into her normally calm, even tone.

"You would have made sure they were properly briefed; you would have made sure they knew what they were up against instead of blindly stumbling into a brood of demons. And you'd have them start off with a snatch and grab, not an assassination."

Catharine bowed her head in assent. "Well done. Now do you want to know who did hire them?" she asked, her eyes sparkling.

"What's in it for me?"

"You want... payment for this secret?"

Murdock shook his head. " Catharine, Catharine, things have really fallen apart without me haven't they?"

"No, not at all." Catharine huffed.

"I'm sorry I was too busy being tortured by demons to help you."

Catharine stared as the man began to laugh, with what seemed to be genuine mirth.

"You don't get it do you? I didn't fail. What do you take me for? I know what failure means, for us, for the Order, for the world. The balls are just taking a bit longer to hit the ground. DarkStar's still spending time with the Princess."

"I am aware," Catharine stiffly said. The trio of children had run away from the fountain, their shock and surprise turned to joy.

"Are you?" Murdock sniggered but regained his composure. "Things are awakening; things are breaking through."

Catharine stared.

"You felt it too."

"The pulse."

"There was more than one." Murdock shook his head. "It's interesting what rival succubae do when you place them in close proximity for an extended period of time.

Catharine humored the man. "They fight, and the weaker is consumed by the stronger."

"Sometimes. Sometimes it's not so literal."

"Ah yes, your little matchmaker scheme," Catharine rolled her eyes. She looked at the mage and felt her anger lessen somewhat. Murdock always was a bright pupil, though he did have more fun trying to break the system than trying to win it. "That was why you killed the Father, instead of the daughter."

"And I have some scruples," Murdock said, almost insulted. "That was the main body of my work, I ensured proximity, means, and motive."

Catharine found herself nodding. "Given the raw materials you had to work with, you made a fair enough go."

At that moment a waiter walked up to the table. A slim, almost gaunt, middle-aged man he had a wispy moustache but wore his suit and apron with the crisp precision of a parade uniform. Pasuing to take in the foreigner's 'conversation' he gave a disdainful sniff. "May I take your order... Miss?" He asked in, of all things, British accented English.

Catharine's nostrils flared and she fumed at the waiter before forcing her expression into something like a smile. She tapped her ring. "No thank you, we're almost done."

"Oh, do try the apricot wine," Murdock offered as he tapped his clear drink.

The grey-eyed woman slowly turned back to Murdock. "No. I'm good."

"Sorry Reggie," Murdock made a point to study Catharine's visage, gave an exaggerated look of horror, and then playfully waved his hand shooing the waiter away.

"If I didn't know better I'd say you summoned him," Catharine said as the waiter glided away.

Murdock chuckled. "The apricot wine is quite good."

Catharine gave his glass a meaningful glance before she unclenched her fist. She stared at the small stones before reactivating the distortion ward.

"Now, now you act as if I-" Murdock's grin grew becoming a parody of open friendliness. "Sorry, you act as if _we_ failed."

"Lovely, the impatience gambit. Just a little bit more time, eh?"

"The horse may yet sing," Murdock assured.

Catharine blinked. "Ah, Nasrudin and the Sultan's Horse?" she asked recalling the story.

Murdock spread his hands.

"Yes, of course you would put yourself in the position of the captured con-man, and of course you would place me as the Sultan being convinced to show mercy." Catharine narrowed her eyes. "Do you want another year to prove your case?"

Chastised, Murdock nodded his assent. "That seems a bit long. A lot can happen in a year."

"Yes, the sultan might die. The horse might die. you might die," Catharine said, completing the story's moral with a thin smile. "You really think after all this DarkStar could still deliver Serenity's Heir to us?"

Murdock tilted his head. "Perhaps, but keep in mind who, and what, Serenity's Heir represents."

"Yes. That is the whole reason we're trying to contain her." Catharine crossed her arms in frustration. "That's the whole reason you were sent to twist those close to her into tools we could use, and to do it before anyone else did."

"Closed, a door prevents ingress and egress. Open... the same symmetry applies." He looked out over at the fountain and its jetting arcs of water. "We're seeing a lot more doors being opened, a lot more connections being made."

Catharine glowered. "Don't press, if you want to fix things I can make... arrangements."

"I'm sure you can, and you will need my help, given the... consequences of our work."

"What's your answer then? Will you come quietly? Will you help?"

Looking down, Murdock idly tapped his book. "No and yes. I'm not going back, I've had enough interrogations, but I'll still help you. Jameson's got no idea what kind of mess his boys are going to be dropped into."

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The door opened and Sailor Earth stepped inside. Feeling both her families, there was no surprise as her daughters cheered. The pinkish-blonde did get a bit of a start when she was immediately mobbed, not just by her daughters but by Eve's three daughters as well.

Taken into a great group hug, Earth realized just how short she had become. Even Nabiki was taller than her, and Eve's shortest daughter, Morgan towered over her. She caught a glimpse of her mother but the mass of broodlings soon obstructed the serene-looking auburn haired woman. She let herself fall into the warmth and love. It was only after the better part of a full minute that the hug began to break apart and the brood actually began to look at their mother.

Akane took in the longer fangs, the pointed ears, the claws, and especially the hooves. Though most of her attention was on the ribbon-wrapped tail. Swishing her own tail, she leaned in and whispered an inquiry as to what exactly her mother was keeping hidden.

Earth blushed and Ukyou took a measure of her little gold and silver wings. "Least I'm not alone in turning blonde," she joked leaning in close. Her face turned a bit more serious and Earth felt her daughter's gentle concerns wash over her. Ukyou was the most skilled at demonic empathy, and while her specialty lay in inserting emotions into other people she was also very skilled in reading others.

Feeling the grand tree of emotional connections, Earth could almost see Ukyou softly climbing over the branches. Satisfied, the platinum blonde demoness kissed her mother on the forehead just under her tiara.

Basking in the connections with her family, Earth blushed. She felt more... filled in, an aching hole of fear and rejection had been closed. She looked to the Senshi and bowed her head, presenting golden horns. "Thank you, all of you."

When she lifted her head back up, Ukyou had moved off and a short demoness took her place. Earth found the experience novel, so did her youngest daughter who giggled softly. Nabiki looked down at her mother, then at Usagi's face, then back at her mother. Smirking, she giggled and gave the tiny succubus another hug.

Staring into turquoise, vertically slitted eyes, Nariko took in her mother's mental state. Her own crimson eyes tracked to Sailor Moon. She watched as her mother and the moon princess shared a look. Nariko could sense the Princess' pain and longing, and nodded to her mother. Nodoka and Earth also shared a moment before more demons stepped in and blocked the view.

Her giant rifle slung over her back, Morgan stepped up. The redhead with the pageboy style hair looked to her own mother, who nodded. Morgan leaned forward and concentrated with her tiny black horns. She chuckled and beckoned to her sisters.

Morrison leaned in her face grave. She brushed back some of her rich green hair.

Earth smiled somewhat nervously.

Seeing the fangs the Agent stepped back with a smile.

Sophie stepped in. She blinked and whispered to her aunt. "I've got no idea what they're all doing. You smell the same to me; you've still got that refined predatory violence... just now you've made it look... cute." The black haired demoness laughed.

Earth giggled and Sophie was suddenly hugged by her sisters. Sophie's shock melted into a little purr.

"That's what I saw, not that being cute is rare for us," Morrison said shooting Morgan a glance.

The short sniper laughed as the trio went to their mother and just barely avoided being barreled into by the orange-haired demoness.  
Misako grabbed her mother and dragged her to a bed. She sat the little demoness down and began inspecting her makeup. Giving a vaguely satisfied sniff she then went to her hair.

"Mother, mother, mother, what have you gotten yourself into?" she asked undoing the bow at the end of Earth's right side braid. Removing the bow atop her right hair bun she began to expose the horn lying beneath.

Earth shivered a bit as the horn was exposed to the air and her daughter's prodding. Taking out a brush, Misako took apart the braid and smoothed out the great fall of blonde and pink hair on her mother's right side.

She looked at the loose hair, then at the curled bun and braided twin tail on the left side. The demoness began to push the hair around. She tried holding it up, having it fall back in the center, leaving it falling down but with a bit more bangs, she tried several more styles, one of which was a mass of bows that grew smaller as they got further away from her mother's head.

With each try her frown deepened and Misako's frustration grew. Growling, Misako dropped her hair brush and picks up the two green bows and begins rewinding hair around her mother's horn. Once the curled bun was recreated she started braiding the long ponytail.

She turned to Usagi who was standing over the bed, Nodoka at her side.. "We'll need to share from now on, okay?" she asked as she finished up the braiding and readied the bow so she could tie it off.

Quivering, Earth patiently waited until her hair was finished before jumping off the bed. Her hooves hit with a ringing clop and she took off with a run. "Mommy!" she happily cried as she wrapped her arms around Nodoka and Usagi.

Both taller women leaned down and hugged the little demon clinging to their mid sections. Purring, Sailor Earth looked up, pure adoration in her eyes.

Feeling a fluttery, warm feeling in her stomach, Usagi saw the demons in the room home in on her. Soon she found herself at the center of another massive group hug. She turned to see Nodoka serenely taking it all as she patted her daughter. Usagi found herself mirroring the elder Saotome's actions.

Eve had sidled up to just behind Nodoka and Usagi and looked over the shorter blonde's shoulder with a contemplative, knowing smile. Usagi glanced back and saw the rest of her Senshi, with Kiri in the lead, being drawn towards the giant huddle.

"I'm sorry," Usagi looked at each of the demons in turn. Unsurprisingly Misako seemed the most skeptical bordering on hostile, but Nariko was also guarded. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. I thought..."

Sailor Moon closed her eye and squeezed Sailor Earth tighter. "I thought I knew how things were going to go. I thought I could handle everything on my own, and anything else... I just hire you all to take care of."

She opened her eyes and looked into Earth's pensive expression. "I thought I could, my Senshi could handle it, while forgetting that you, all of you, were Senshi." She turned and took in the assembled demons. Feeling the weight of their eyes on her. "I forgot... that your mother was one of us."

"I didn't treat her that way, and it caused me, it caused you, it caused my friends a lot of heartache and pain." Sailor Moon sagged as her knees wobbled. "I'm sorry for my pride." She started to tremble, but found Kiri and Eve holding her shoulders while Minako and Makoto braced her back and sides, and Rei hugged her from behind looping her arms across Moon's chest. Earth ,of course, held her up by the waist.

Feeling herself go almost limp, Moon was held by her Senshi and surrounded by the brood. Concern wafted from both groups with little bursts of fear and hesitation from the former while the latter seemed mollified and more sympathetic. Slipping between her sisters, Nariko stepped forward and offered her hand.

Feeling an almost insistent, somewhat tingly sensation from where Earth held onto her Usagi blinked. The pressure waxed and waned. "That feels nice... that what it's like for all of the brood?"

With an embarrassed blush Earth pulled back a tad. "You can feel that?" Earth whispered, almost awestruck. Blinking Usagi found Nariko's pale hand, took it, and pulled was lifted back to her feet.

Bowing her head, Nariko took her arm back and put it around Earth's shoulder.

Mirroring the gesture, Usagi was then caught by the demon's deep red eyes. Like Earth's hair, the similarity with her own daughter caused her to ache.

Nariko leaned in. "Mother has put her trust in you; do not betray it. Perhaps she is on your team for a reason, eh? Do not dismiss her counsel," she whispered staring into Sailor Moon's eyes.

"Thank you, Nari-chan," Sailor Earth hugged her eldest daughter and returned to the bed. Flanked by Nodoka and Usagi, Earth sat down pressed between the two taller women. The little demon smiled at the assembled Senshi and succubae. Earth promised to herself that she would redouble her efforts. Her training, her family's training could make the difference for the Senshi, for the Princess, for Usagi.

Looking at the trio, Kiri cleared her throat. "Well, now that we're finished with our apologies and hugs, shall we get to business?"

"Finished? Well, maybe some more hugs, later." Earth gave a light giggle though her eyes were more mischievous.

Kiri rolled her eyes.

Earth smirked. "Anyway, for today's training we've got something a bit different in mind." She looked to each of the Senshi in turn. "Each of you will get personal training. Two on one. Nariko and Akane, you've got Minako."

Already having been briefed on this, the red eyed demon nodded to the blonde as Akane sidled up to Minako with a little smile.

"Sword work, Mother?" Nariko asked, idly tapping her scabbard.

Earth nodded.

"If you want to swap us, I could help with that," Misako said, giving a big grin.

"No, you and Ucchan will work with Rei," Earth reminded.

"With her?" Rei blinked at the grinning orange-haired demoness. "Really?"

Walking towards Rei, Ukyou nodded. "Yes, we've come up with some ideas. Misa-chan and I have a good range of experience, and I'm sure you'll find her a tenacious sparring partner."

Misako flexed her fingers then fluffed her curly-full bodied hair.

"Right, and you?"

Ukyou chuckled. "I'll be making sure you two don't kill each other for real."

Misako pouted.

"Insane," Sailor Mars muttered.

Sailor Earth gave an exaggerated nod of agreement. "Right, next we have Makoto, who will get Nabiki and Sophie.

Sophie gave a bit of an apprehensive wave to the brunette, copper-armored Senshi.

"That leaves, myself and Eve and Morgan and Morrison, we'll handle Usagi and Puu."

Eve raised an eyebrow at that. She looked at her sister and her mother and then at Miss Tsukino. "There's also a field exercise with JTF2. Investigating where the pulse broke through into our world."

Earth frowned. "Yeah... thanks for the reminder. I should go to the hanger." She leaned back and against both her mother and Usagi for a moment before straightening herself up.

"I can take care of it. You stay, I can go," Eve assured.

Earth nodded but looked a bit unsure.

"No," Usagi stated.

Sailor Earth blinked. "What?" Ranma asked looking up at the Princess.

"You don't have to drop everything. You made a deal to work with the Canadians today, you should keep it."

Ranma tilted her head causing her pink braids to rock back and forth. She nodded to herself. "Thank you," she hesitantly said. "I was planning to- well... but..."

"It's okay," Usagi squeezed Earth's hand. "I know how it seems like it's all missions with you ."

"No, there's training," Earth said, completely deadpan.

"And feeding," Eve reminded.

"And time with family," Nodoka added.

"Well... you could come along," Earth quietly offered.

"Really? That's..." Looking into the little demon's eyes Usagi halted. It was tempting, and there would be a lot of armed guards there but... "No...

"No?" Earth asked. Her eyes seemed to get bigger as her lip slowly quivered.

Usagi hugged her. "No. You've got a job to do up there. JTF2 as well. They can't be distracted by babysitting me, and even if they could it wouldn't be as safe. It'd be pretty selfish of me. Part of me wants to go, and not care about the threat, the risk to you and them and my Senshi. Part of me doesn't care about that stuff but... I do have to care." The blonde admitted as she stroked her Senshi's hair

Purring, Sailor Earth nuzzled Usagi. "That's right," she quietly said.

"A test?" Usagi asked, still petting the demon's horn shaped odangos.

Still purring, the tiny demoness smiled then met Moon's gaze. "I told you. I take this stuff seriously." After looking at a clock on the wall, she jumped up onto her hooves. "Well, I guess I should get going then."

"Okay... I'll do my best."

"Oh, I know you will," Earth smirked. "Don't worry, you'll be in good hands." She marched to the door and turned back. She winked and blew a kiss at Usagi before giving a smile to her family. She basked in the emotions from her connection with them and then opened the door.

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Work momentarily forgotten, the Comptroller looked out the window. Out in the fields farmers in ones and twos were harvesting the crop. It looked like quotas would be met, even if it required more power than had been estimated. Further out there were no farms. Once, the neat rows of bunched, waving tentacles bearing swollen silvery bulbs would transition into slick, branching forests, rustling, rippling meadows, or at least boulder-fields strewn with stubby shrubs that crawled between the rocks.

Now, there was nothing. It was worn, dull land. Over the years, even wasteland had given way to a rolling expanse as the mountains had worn down and the valleys had filled. Despite the view, the Comptroller felt hopeful. It was a rare but familiar feeling every other time had ended in disappointment, but such was hope.

Leaning back, the Comptroller's gaze went to the graceful sweeping towers that dotted the farmlands and the stubby city they ringed. Made of gleaming metal, the towers were the only brightness in the drab, sullen land. They reached up and up until it seemed they touched the sky. Atop each tower were seven arcing beams that stretched out, growing thinner and thinner. In between each group of towers the tips of the beams touched, forming immense buttresses that girdled the sky.

Above that were the ghost stars. The echoes of long dead suns and vacant galaxies reduced the night sky into a parody of vitality. However, even mirages had their purpose. The Astronomers used the historical record the light represented as a way to track and research the Cataclysm. For what that was worth.

Further from the city, the towers got sparser and the buttresses weaker. The Comptroller knew that the outermost ones had failed but... the horizon was okay. Things were stable. The Comptroller puffed its torso in relief. The tendrils that ringed the top of its body flared out as the clusters of sense organs returned to the work that had piled up on the plinth.

Some of the tendrils had their sense organs retracted and were used as flexible manipulators, while the rest studied the array of reports that were displayed on the plinth's glossy black surface. However... a couple tendrils were still facing backwards, looking out the window, studying the horizon.

That far out, the wastelands had been worn down to a nearly level plain. It gave a clear view of the angled kinks that made up the edge of the world. The Comptroller calmed itself and studied the data; the projections could be worse. At least they were managing the decline.

The door to the office opened and the Comptroller looked up. The Head Surveyor made a show of ducking through the rounded doorway. The Comptroller had to laugh. It remembered being sixty-four, the urge to show off was strong, and did not abate for at least two more stages.

Bobbing up to a stool with a cupped recess for sitting, the Surveyor bowed, lowering its torso as it waved its tendrils

"Punctual as always," the Comptroller said using a pair of tendrils wearing metallic bracelets that signified their conversational role. They were joined by several other tendrils to weave a joyful, if somewhat grandiose welcome.

"It is my pleasure. I had hoped..." The Surveyor paused, its tendrils stilling.

"Go on?" the Comptroller mildly asked, leaning back to conceal its greater bulk.

"Well, I feared you might need some... context on Echo-382."

The Comptroller saw something was wrong. "No joy? Your group may just have found the Holder of a Thousand Souls. Yes, you found the Enemy's presence, but we have come to expect that. Or has the analysis changed?" The Comptroller's interest was momentarily raised.

"Yes, Comptroller. My joy is tempered by the situation." The Surveyor's tendrils drooped. "We have found the Holder, but here we wait. The Explorers are ready, but they sit idled."

"Have we really found the Holder... the signal was faint and only came at the very end of our sweep."

"You think it is a false Holder? A false Coverer of the Sky?"

The Comptroller paused to think. Its reading put aside as this required its full attention. It looked out the window at the array of buttresses. Without the Holder they had to use this weak imitation to protect themselves. "The Holder of Souls, the Coverer of the Sky is the heir of our true god the Herald of the Outer Gods. And yet, it is not blasphemy to be skeptical. The Herald blessed us with minds; minds it expects us to use."

"The same god that provided our seers with the wisdom to build the buttresses," the Surveyor pointed out.

"What if instead of finding the Holder we have found another doomed world... like this?" the Comptroller asked a bit icily as it continued to work at the plinth. Truth be told, it only took a few tendrils to go through the quota reports..

"The same wisdom that went into the buttresses also went into my equipment, Comptroller," the Head Surveyor said

"We have had false positives before." The Comptroller leaned forward and flared its grey-green torso and orange tendrils. It wanted to make things clear; it was eight times the size of a lowly rank sixty-four Head Surveyor and there were plenty of waiting thirty-two's that would kill for its spot and the privilege to merge with another thirty-two. "What makes this different?"

"Yes, the Holder only stirred at the end of our Survey. Just as it was supposed to. Echo-382 is different. Its emissions were strange enough to push it towards the top of the survey list. A move that has paid off I might add."

The Comptroller exhaled in amusement. "Oh yes. I am aware. The survey signal was given to us by the Herald, specifically to engender that response." The Comptroller paused. In a bare breath, memories were accessed. Passed down from the previous Comptroller and the one before that in a daisy-chain of recollections and data.

Few Comptrollers had failed in office. Many were promoted after their service, thus merging was infrequently available. Copied data was not as good as absorbed data, but there were limits to even a Comptroller's privileges, even with a retired predecessor.

"Yes," the Comptroller said, the memories burning a clear awestruck devotion into its mind. "The Herald personally appeared and gave the signal to the first Comptroller. We were told that we would know when we found the Herald."

"Why are we waiting then? What if time is of the essence? What if the Holder is in danger? You said yourself the Enemy's work is apparent on Echo-382."

"What do you recommend?" The Comptroller asked, amused.

"Exploration. There is only so much a Survey Echo can reveal."

"Are you aware of the expense? Of the risk? We have only so much power, so much time."

"Exactly." The Surveyor gasped as its respiration slowed. "I know the point of Survey! We are the Pathfinders. While others learn how to empower the Holder, how to stave off the Enemy, we search for them both. What if we have found our goal? We cannot let it slip through our grasp. The Explorers are ready. We could send them this very moment."

"You are right, with conditions. Once we are certain, we will move." the Comptroller drew its attention back outside. "We will observe, we will learn, and when we are sure we will help the Holder defeat the Enemy."

"And if we are too slow?"

"If the Holder really is at Echo-382, then its presence will become abundantly clear."

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When the demoness entered the hanger, Major Wellwood Ellis Sifton stared. Next to him, Colonel Edwards looked and simply nodded. The company officer was wearing the grey almost suit-like Company dress uniform and held a small leather folder in one hand. With a face like that, Sifton wondered how well the Company officer could gamble.

Sifton regained his own composure. Over time he had gotten... acclimatized to the demons. Mentally, he could fit them into a historical context. Ancient armies would regularly recruit groups that had had more experience in the bush, looser rules of engagement, and a less formal command structure. Auxiliaries in the historical sense, and, it seemed in the present sense.

It could even account for the more... exotic and savage needs of his allies and trainers. However, he had gotten used to them as scarily strong pale women with powers and demonic accents.

Now... he kept his gaze locked onto the demon's startling turquoise, purple rimmed, slited eyes. Even if that required looking down due to her diminutive size. She looked familiar, like a mix of the blue-eyed blondes that WIC and the demons were watching and the redheaded, purple eyed head demon.

Now that he had made eye-contact, he tried to keep it. It kept him from staring at the ribbon-encased, spiraled tail, little cape-like wings, and most of all, the little silver hooves she balanced on..

However, by looking to her eyes, he was free to see the prominent choker around her neck, her pointed ears, prominent flans, and the twin pinkish blonde braid that spilled down form a pair of curled buns on either side of her head. She was adorned with green and red bows in various sizes that gave her an almost festive appearance. It was all rather disarming-looking.

Sifton concentrated, recalling just what these demons could do, despite how cute they could look. In the handful of seconds it took her to reach him, the sense of familiarity grew. Sifton glanced over to see the stone-faced Company officer's expression shift to something almost amused, or at least some breed of guarded interest.

The short demon wore a modest almost gown-like version of the magical girl's uniform, which combined with her hair and face made her look very much like the blonde and silver haired leaders of that group, albeit even younger and even more vulnerable looking. At her heel was a lanky company agent with a scanner display in one hand and a metal box in the other.

"Major Wellwood Sifton." Beaming, the young demoness clopped up to him.

The JTF2 officer smiled, the noise was a bit more musical, but familiar enough to a man who had grown up around cattle and horses. "And you are?" He supposed she was Miss Saotome or at least _a_ Miss Saotome, but he did not want to presume.

The succubus gave a playful smile. "Why the Pretty Lunar Demon Senshi: Sailor Earth of course." Catching Jacob's slight shift her grin grew. "No, I don't think I'll do the full introduction."

Sifton stared as he heard a couple of his staff suppress snickers.

Earth laughed. "Sorry. It's me Ranma."

"Miss Saotome?" Sifton blinked; there was a familiar... feeling around the little demon, but...

"I figured you should at least be familiar with this form too."

Jacob's eyebrows went up fractionally.

She shrugged. "I'm so sorry for the delay." She held out her hand and bowed her head, causing her ponytails to swing forward. "I was detained by a... friend... family business and then I had to talk with my daughters."

Sifton took the white gloved hand, and the sniggering grew slightly. Considering the circumstances they were holding up rather well. He looked down and saw that she had little silver claws integrated with the tips of the gloves.

Her eyes went to his staff, specifically Lieutenant Hanna Hill, the snickerer. The demon then gave a playful smirk.

Sifton gave a little nod. "It was my pleasure to wait for one of such skill and beauty, my young lady." He added, raising her hand and gave it a quick kiss.

"Such a gentleman," Earth giggled. She looked to Colonel Edwards.

"Yes, Miss Saotome. He is an accomplished military man. Your type, it would seem, perhaps you two can be more social at a later time, perhaps in a bit more appropriate... dress," Jacob offered completely straight-faced while he tapped his fingers against the stiff bound folder.

The demon laughed.

"But, I presume Agent Dirac wants a bit of your time as well," Jacob gestured to the Company agent standing to Earth's side.

Sailor Earth, Ranma, turned and bowed her head to Dirac. "I'm so sorry for rushing away. You did get the take from Usagi?"

Jared Dirac nodded. "Yes, Ma'am. Recorded her Pattern Silver emissions for the whole morning."

"That's good. I think she'll be okay, but it'll be good to check up on her..." Ranma's smile left her unspoken question hang.

"And the choker? Are we still examining it?" Dirac addressed Ranma but he caught Jacob's eye.

Earth sighed. "Right. Trust but verify?" her eye went to Jacob.

Jacob nodded. "On Major Saotome's and Captain Jarvis' recommendations. Which I support. A transformation device can also help refine kit and load outs for the Fifth."

"I agree, too," Sailor Earth admitted, fingering the choker. Usagi did have Puu dig it up out of an archive, and there was much WIC could learn from her new team's artifacts.

"What's this about?" Sifton looked between the company personnel. "If I may ask."

"Building another alliance," Ranma explained as she unbuckled her choker. The purple four-pointed star backed with the quartered circle symbol of earth fell into the padding of Dirac's box. The demoness closed her eyes and the silk dress, green bows and other accents, braided hair, and clothing began to brighten turning into a greenish, almost liquid, light that ran down her body.

As the light faded her form grew, gaining height and maturity. Her face became a bit leaner and sharper looking. The vanishing green glow exposed a succubus of the type Sifton was more familiar with. Pale skin, lithe but strong body, rich crimson tresses, and the Kevlar bodysuit and composite plate he had expected from the 5th Non Human Task Force.

Peeling off her body, the magical green light pooled around her hooves. Those were the last bits to be fade out as she simply stepped forward, revealing a pair of plain military-style boots. The remainder of the vibrant green light evaporated in a flash of purple sparkles. The demoness idly stretched her legs and lifted each to flex her ankles.

Ranma glanced at her watch. "We've still got a bit of time before the mission." She circled around to Sifton's side and looked at some of the waiting JTF2 personnel. They reminded her of the WIC regulars, though a bit older and with a lower ratio of women to men. There was also more of that mix of anxiety and boredom that only soldiers could truly combine.

"Have I missed the briefing?" Ranma asked Sifton after concluding her scan. The snickering had stopped and the JTF2 troops had seemed blasé about her entrance. The demon's mood lightened, that was one upside of the Venus armor debacle; it made people more accepting of... lesser changes.

"No, I was picking the Major's brain," Jacob stated.

"The Colonel was curious if there was a way to speed up the procurement of a surplused LAV III." Sifton eyed the... officer. That a mercenary group wanted an armored fighting vehicle was not the frightening bit. For one, they had larger weapons than that already.

"We don't need full functionality; it's for testing and eval purposes only," Jacob held up a hand.

"Well, the parts you do want will cause the delays," Sifton evenly said. No the truly frightening part was what these mercenaries were thinking of doing with the vehicle's 20mm main gun. Even with the Fifth's... abilities, that seemed to push the limits of what a "man-portable" weapon could be.

"Wait? So we might get a BTR first?" Ranma sighed. "If there's funding issues, we could ask on Usagi, Kiri has resources and connections."

"That's not the problem, but we could expand the contract. To be fair, Soviet surplus weapons are much easier to get," Jacob stated.

"Yes, as one of our enemies is proving." The demoness chuckled. "Still you'd think we could go up to a depot and pick one up. It's just a 20mm gun. We've already got a HIMARS battery."

"Not my decision," Sifton said, wondering exactly how the Company got the Army brass, let alone the Prime Minister, to agree to authorizing that.

"No tanks? The Royal Canadian Dragoons have some Leopard 2's up there too," Lieutenant Hanna Hill asked, breaking her silence.

Bearing a somewhat brittle smile, Ranma looked to Colonel Edwards.

Jacob tilted his head fractionally. "That seems to be a bit much for the Fifth. While I don't deny the usefulness of armor and cannot speak for all of WIC's procurement aims, allotting members o the Fifth to tanker school seems an ill use of their talents."

Sifton wanted to shout: _You've got trucks loaded with 227mm artillery rockets in the city and you're worried about tanks. _However, he held his tongue and merely grunted.

"Besides, when the situation becomes such where we need tanks then I'd trust them in the hands people specifically trained on them," Jacob said.

"Shame our meeting at the War Museum wasn't later, when that new exhibit about the Afgan war was setup," Ranma said with a little pout.

Sifton's ears perked. He was sure he knew what exhibit she was talking about: a pair of the twenty Leopard 2-A6Ms that Canada had borrowed and subsequently purchased from Germany for the Afghanistan deployment.

One was in the exhibition hall as part of the Afghan exhibit while the other was in the vehicle hall. Sifton did chuckle, the Canadian War Museum was in downtown Ottawa and having tanks in his nation's capitol had historical precedent.

Recalling Jacob's line Sifton blinked. "Wait when?"

"Pardon. If." Jacob clarified, he cleared his throat. "As last night's incident shows. We are not the only ones preparing and laying groundwork. That reminds me, we'll need to get coordination with 425 Tactical at CFB Bagotville."

Jacob turned to Sifton and his voice turned stern, almost chastising. "That is something we will _both_ have to do. Major, things _will_ get worse. It is our job to be ready when all hell breaks loose. That said we should, apply pressure to get some F18's moved to a place where they can respond in time. It'd be nice to have some heavy air power in our back pocket before the year is out."

"Why don't we just ask for a couple on the tarmac at Pearson with the rest of a squadron on back at Trenton?" Sifton asked managing to keep his voice even. "That way you can have some planes ready to go the second the red phone goes off."

The demon's eyes widened and she barked off a single laugh as she looked to Jacob. "Oh wonderful!"

Sifton blinked. He could see a bit of the youthful demoness within the redheaded succubus.

"Isn't that what you were thinking?" Ranma asked Jacob.

"Well, we considered Buttonville Airport. Person's an international airport and that much extra traffic could play hell with deployment."

Sifton boggled. He could accept a pathological desire for overwhelming firepower but the way they talked; it was almost as if they... "What if that's not enough? Why not setup a full forward base?" Sifton asked, taking a guess at his hunch

"We will need somewhere to put the Royal Canadian Dragoons," Ranma mused as she counted out on her fingers. "That is a lot of tanks."

"We might not need the whole regiment." Jacob shifted his leather folding pad to the other hand. "If we were so lucky."

Sifton nodded to himself. That was fear. The shape-shifting demon queen and the pinch-faced old spook were afraid. They thought they'd actually need that much firepower. "Our best bet is preventing the inter-dim collapse before it gets goin'?"

Jacob tapped his fingers. "See my previous comment about luck. For this campaign we need all contingencies open. I'd press for conscription if I didn't think it would take too long to pay off. However, it is a shame you got rid of your Genies. Though they were getting long in the tooth. But then in '84 you lost the capability of even launching a NATO loaner when you retired your Starfighters."

Sifton let the draft comment slide. It would require lots of time, a huge political cost, and a public admission of a true existential threat. All that _might_ keep the country intact, though it would ensure the Prime Minister never held office again. Compared to that nuclear weapons were... "The... AIR-2? You wish Canada had nukes? Well... less political fallout than conscription, anyway. And we have the raw material, processing, and knowledge to spin up production."

Disappointment crossed Jacob's face. "If things truly go pear-shaped I'd prefer that the door be slammed shut by your lot."

Sifton studied the man and wondered if he was saying that in the worst cast someone would need to 'slam the door' shut, and hopefully Canada was up to the challenge? Or was the Company man saying that WIC could do it, but felt it more diplomatic if Canada did it themselves? And if the latter... what in hell did WIC have? At least military hardware was a bit more reassuring, the abilities of the young women the Company seemed to collect were a whole other issue.

The Major cleared his throat. "Of course, location and rapid response is critical, both in averting a collapse and in the worse case containing one."

Ranma smiled. "Yes, which is why we want you to deploy more of your fancy planes and tanks."

"But that's what we want; what do you require?" Jacob asked.

Shifton shook his head. "No, scanners and jammers are the big thing. Detectors for when things get... soft and jammers to keep them from coming in." He eyed the demon and the spook. "But you've already started that. We're buying the damn things from you by the truckload. Though it would be nice if we had truckloads of the things. The politicians and the WOGs got first dibs. Though I can see priority going to command and the NDHQ," he admitted.

"Wog? What the hell does that mean?" Ranma asked.

"With-Out Guns: rear echelon support and command staff," Shifton explained. "Our HQ and a couple other big bases got them first, after the Prime Minister and Parliament of course."

The demoness shook her head at the idea of an organization that did not arm every single soldier. Though in actuality, WIC was unusual in its mandate of universal and constant armament.

"You are starting up factory lines to build your own," Jacob reminded. "You saw what happened last night. We're losing intel because we simply don't have enough assets. We've hardly got two cities covered and most of that is trip-wire grade stuff."

"And thus you turn a problem into a training opportunity," Sifton sighed.

Ranma patted the officer on the arm, "Don't worry, your men know how to use the personal Kaskade scanners, the Wasserfall is the same, just bigger."

Shifton looked down at the shorter woman, for a bare moment he though he could see a flare of turqoise in her deep purple eyes."And weighs a dozen kilos or so," he said carefully looking into her eyes and only broke eye contact after he had finished talking.

Looking at Sifton's vexed expression, Jacob lifted his bound folder. "Pardon the delay, but I do have some personal correspondence for Miss Saotome, a family issue. Won't take a minute."

Sifton frowned but nodded. "Of course. Family is important."

Ranma followed Jacob to the other end of the hangar. "What's this about?" she asked as they stopped in front of a wheeled metal frame that was holding up a partially disassembled turbo shaft engine. "Me taking up the mantle of Sailor Earth?"

"As I understood it you were always Sailor Earth, even your past incarnation was that Senshi. She never took up the name, and it would seem the power, due to political reasons," Jacob said as if he were giving a history lecture.

Ranma crossed her arms and tapped her chin. "Yeah, and I wasn't exactly willing to listen to Puu for a while, so it wasn't like I wanted to take up those powers."

"That has changed," Jacob stated.

The demoness gave a ghost of a smile and nodded to the officer. "Yes."

"You're now on the same team as them. You've offered your support, training, and guidance. Given a base of trust you'll build on that expanding ties and gaining more influence."

"You make it sound so cynical." Ranma sighed.

"Do I? Perhaps you doubt the sincerity and support I've offered then," Jacob said a bit lightly.

"Hah," the demoness shook her head. "You're not worried then?"

Jacob gave a little grunt. "Please, I'm always worried, but to use a crude phrase having them inside the tent pissing out is better than having them outside pissing in. Perhaps now our efforts to that end will be less clumsy.

"We need the Pattern Silvers. I'm confident in you and yours. Your brood are reliable and professional. I would rather depend on your family in battle, but they are Pattern D's first, Silvers second. The Silvers, especially Tsukino herself have a specific purpose in the coming troubles. The more we have the more margin we have the better chance we have at getting through this."

Ranma bristled a bit at the clinical terms, but it faded; she knew Jacob felt more comfortable talking about the Senshi in more abstract terms, especially in this kind of planning. "Right, I agree, Sir."

The older man gave a smile as subtle as the demon's had been. "That's why even in isolation your increased attunement to your powers is a good thing. And yes I do trust you, but remember Miss. Aino. It took outside action to make her and Miss Tsukino see the error of their ways." The Company officer narrowed his pale blue eyes. "And you can trust that I will not let you fall into similar self-indulgence."

Looking into the man's cold, steady gaze, Ranma shivered a tiny bit. His conviction and strength of will radiated in pulsing waves. "A close thing that Puu took action when she did."

"She realized her miscalculation... Not long after we did ourselves," Jacob admitted.

"You're concerned about Usagi?"

Jacob tilted his head slightly.

"Of course you are." Ranma gave a little laugh. "But, has today made things worse?"

"We wanted you to get closer to Miss Tsukino." The officer's eyes softened slightly. "And this certainly counts, but closeness comes with a cost."

The demoness nodded. She understood Jacob's subtext, the Senshi represented another set of obligations and loyalties.

"I know Usagi would choose support and love no matter what." Ranma's eyes narrowed and she let a trickle of her emotions out.

Jacob raised an eyebrow.

"Like her, you understand the magnitude of what we face. But unlike her you have supported my family and me from day one. It's your men who have fought and bled at my side."

Tapping his leather folder, Jacob gave a slight smile. "Indeed."

The demoness chuckled. "But, there's more that you wanted to talk to me about? Puu? Or family business?"

"While I am interested on what Captain Jarvis can get out of Miss Meiou…. No, you've got a few letters," Jacob opened his leather folder and handed her a pair of envelopes.

Ranma took the first square-shaped envelope. It was black with grey edges. On the back was written the name AlterCaela - BlackSky. Ranma raised her eyebrow. A claw came out and she slit the envelope. Inside were two pieces of paper: one grey, hand lettered with fine red ink, in Demonic, the other was white and typed out in English.

"Grandma?" Ranma eyed the translation and the original document. Her demonic was good enough to make out most of the letter, but it was easier to switch to the English, especially when BlackSky got more flowery and started asking about her great-granddaughters and giving bits of advice.

Eventually, Ranma did get to the point where BlackSky got around to admonishing Ranma for not writing as much and then mentioning that she had found a nice cousin, or at least someone from the RedStorm branch of the family, who worked for the same people and suggested that maybe they should set up a meeting.

"Verification and translation took a bit of time," Jacob stated.

"It's about another granddaughter of hers, named Yohko." Ranma lowered the letter and cocked her head to the side. "She wants to setup a playdate?"

"The former Miss Mano is a registered Pattern D, Class 13 and on the active roster."

Ranma snorted. Her own Pattern was a few rungs higher, but at those levels the class system was a rough scale at best. Most any being over Class 10 or so learned how to throttle the amount of power they leaked out. Ranma found it a bit embarrassing how long it took her to get control of her own abilities.

"She's done work in South East Asia mostly for our Singapore facility. Surprisingly little work in Japan... at least for us. " Jacob explained.

"What's the deal? And how come the Company didn't know they had another one of BlackSky's granddaughters working for them. How many succubae do you have? You've only got two other NH Task Forces."

"Our Miss RedStorm is an independent contractor. As for the connection it would seem that she is many generations removed from BlackSky. Given she's from a sub-House."

Ranma looked at the other letter which was written out in Japanese and was just a brief introduction, offer to meet, and list of contact methods. There was no accompanying translation. "And the letters came in on the same day. You're suspicious."

"BlackSky's came with Miss RedStorm's. We presume BlackSky's letter was hand delivered to RedStorm."

"Meaning BlackSky's having contact with my... cousin," Ranma looked at the letters; she then folded them up and put them back in their envelopes. "What do you think?"

Jacob gave a ghost of a smile. "You're worried about Alexia."

"Yeah, the last cousin from the old family," Ranma looked down. "I'm going to need the company's full file on Yohko. I've also gotta talk with grandma, see what she's really after."

"Concerns of a setup? False flag?"

Ranma's hand closed over the envelope. "Not quite... it feels like her, but she's still BlackSky you know? You've met her."

"And a most charming eldritch demon-empress. Even negating the political implications, this still leaves her rounding up members of your extended family and setting up 'playdates' as you call them, or perhaps she's playing matchmaker."

"We're related," Ranma stated.

Jacob shrugged. "She's your first cousin thrice removed. Though, I'm not sure BlackSky has that in mind and even if she did, I doubt she would be concerned if you were more closely related. Such is the way for royalty… human or otherwise."

Ranma huffed. "Thanks Colonel."

"It's not my fault your species makes genealogists cry."

The demon laughed.

Jacob gave a slight, almost approving nod.

"She is registered," Ranma admitted with a frown. She had issues with registration, but she was already tied to the Company... she shrugged. "And another Pattern D could be useful."

Jacob noted the nomenclature. "Thinking of expanding the Unit?"

"Perhaps, we'll see what we can do with the Senshi, the Pattern Silvers."

Jacob made a thoughtful of skeptical noise.

"You're the one that extended the offer to Miss Cecilia and her daughters."

"We needed the manpower, and they needed the work, it'll be good for them," Ranma stated.

"As it's good for your girls." Jacob nodded. "Later today, we should look over the budget. Most NH Task Forces do their own procurement and operations allotments. That allows them to be run as their own units and moved organically as needed."

"Great, add more onto my pile, as if-" Ranma blinked. "This is about delegating right?"

"You are only... well you're not human, but even you have limits." Jacob's ghost of a smile returned. "And it's not like you're one to shirk from responsibility," he neutrally reminded.

"Right, what else?"

"With you and Miss Tsukino. It was good work." Jacob then looked the demoness in the eye and waited.

"This again?" Ranma raised an eyebrow. "You're going to ask if I can handle things?"

"It's a wise precaution. You've accepted another position, more obligations."

The demon looked down at her boots then across the hanger at the Canadian officers. "I already took a day off, maybe another... sooner rather than later."

Jacob clasped his hands behind his back.

The demon studied the older human. "Fine. I know I've got my limits. I just had a whole chat with Usagi about them. Is that what this is about? You're worried I'm flying her flag? That I'll become her tool?"

"Regardless of affiliation, we should all worry about a person like Miss Tsukino turning others into her tools."

Ranma closed her eyes and exhaled. "I know. I'm not sure how close... I think I can help her though, but I'm worried..."

"I know you've said you're afraid that things are going too well," Jacob said mildly. "But that's only part of it. You're afraid of the inverse too."

"That things are falling apart. That I've stuck my tail into a situation I don't know and am making things... worse. Ami's still turned traitor and here I come playing the little lunar demon."

The redheaded demoness felt her body ripple and flex as she focused on her power. There was no physical change but she knew it was just a matter of will.

"You picked a form designed to appeal to Miss Tsukino's emotional needs and be disarming in the eyes of her friends."

"Classic succubus move, eh?" Ranma added a cold laugh.

"Classic spook too." Jacob paced keeping his hands behind his back. "But that's not to say there isn't genuine feelings, genuine loyalty at work. You just... used your training and natural talents."

The demoness gave a bemused snort. Then on reflection her tail drooped slightly. "So I'm a spook and a succubus, no matter the form I take," Ranma quietly said.

"Is that a fear of yours?" Jacob mildly asked. "I have every confidence in your character. You know who to reward with your trust."

Ranma chuckled, her tail swishing back and forth.

"To address your question. an example: even tools can break. A wise person knows to keep them maintained. People are more complicated than tools, but they are no less prone to failure."

"Eve already mentioned it." She paused. "Are we talking about counseling now?"

Jacob looked over the demon, from her stance to the curl of her tail. "We can. I won't lie, finding someone with the skill, experience, and clearance won't be easy, but the Company is large enough and we _will_ provide for you. We've had some luck in being able to prepare but our time is running out."

"We should get back to the Major," Ranma said, fighting back a slight blush.

Jacob nodded. "Of course. Personally, I don't like the feel of last night's sneak and peak, nor do I like that Miss Meiou is now announcing that her facility, or perhaps her dreamscape, has been compromised. It's actually reassuring that I have someone more trustworthy with Miss Tsukino's ear."

"You question the timing?" Ranma asked. "That little toy of Shest's did make things worse."

"That could be a factor, but there's also someone else sending out a signal, or-" Jacob shrugged in admission. "Or it could be a result of the inter-dim barriers weakening. We do expect things to get worse, and an incursion is a matter of when not if."

"That's what you told the Major." She handed the envelopes over. "Take care of these until I get back,"

"Of course." Jacob slipped the letters into his leather folder.

"Speaking of limits, be careful with Major Sifton, I think he's having a hard time dealing with the... scale of things. You coming in as Sailor Earth was shock enough.

"Still, it's better than it could be all those milk runs have shown him and his men that the NH world is a problem. On the upside last night's event gives him something tangible to look at, and gives him something to do."

Ranma gave a sympathetic sigh. "Yes, he still thinks of it as a serial killer or terrorist type problem, which fits with his combat experience."

She looked back. "He hasn't seen a major incursion yet. For that matter... neither have I."

Jacob's pace slowed. "Yes."

"I've read the reports," Ranma said before looking forward again. "Case Julia Train, the last inter-dim weakening, and Upsweep Whistle twenty years before that. I think we need to tell Sifton more."

"Him and his superiors." Jacob gave a tired grunt that could almost be considered a laugh. "For all that you are, for all that you sense, you hardly believe what we face. The magnitude of our threat."

Ranma stopped. She exhaled. "Yeah, an invasion."

"No, my dear Miss Saotome," Jacob said without any condescension. He shook his head. "A Beachhead Scenario would be a welcome relief."

"Oh?" Ranma nodded her head. "Right, that's because an invasion means there's somewhere to invade from, and somewhere to invade too."

"Indeed." Jacob smiled, cold satisfaction reaching his blue eyes. "Now let's get back to the good Major. There is much to teach."

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Stretching her neck, Mars stepped outside. The air was crisp and there was a gentle breeze from the North. The gently rolling hills of the Company training facility gave a false sense of natural tranquility. She only had to look up at the rusted hulks of vehicles and slit trenches, to see proof that this had been a battlefield. Further up the slope of a largish, now denuded hill, she could see the devastated wood, concrete, and stone.

Walking down a freshly installed gravel path, Mars felt her anger wax and wane. The sense of peace was further shattered by a pair of helicopters flying over low and fast. She saw soldiers sitting on either side of the open doors with their boots dangling. Mars looked up and could see their uniforms were dark green, and not the grey-green preferred by the Company.

She looked at her two... trainers and scowled. The Company was never subtle when it came to giving a message. The meaning here was clear enough. They had power. They had governmental support. They were the professionals.

Following along, Mars basked in her hatred of their arrogance. It formed a nice distraction until she noticed that the two demons in front of her had stopped in a small bit of graded grass.

For a moment, Mars studied the gouged and burnt ground. When she looked up she saw the orange-haired demoness unbuckling off her armored vest and skirting. She paused to unholster her sidearm and place the overly large pistol next to her grenade launcher.

"What going to go easy on me?" Mars snorted. "Giving me a handicap?"

Shrugging out of her armor Misako chuckled. Looking at Mars, she sniffed the air meaningfully.

Ukyou looked around the field. "This isn't cleared for firearms practice. Bullets tend to go far." She put down the long case she had shoulder and stared unzipping it.

"No..." Mars shook her head. "The armor."

Misako placed the outer armor layer down next to her weapons and smoothed it out a bit. Between the circumferentially articulated skirting, the contoured high-necked armored vest, and the twinned chest-mounted jammer antennas, the demons' armor looked a lot like a militarized Sailor Senshi Seifuku.

Mars smirked at that. Originally, the Senshi uniform looked a lot like a school uniform, which borrowed heavily from naval uniforms. However, her own seifuku had been modified to be more combative albeit with flexible metallic plate instead of dense Kevlar weave.

After she finished making sure everything was neatly folded, Misako rose and stretched her shoulders and flexed her wings a bit. She still wore the inner layer of her armor. Lighter, thinner, and lacking ballistic plates, it was a roughly skin-tight bodysuit of flexible Kevlar with the ability to breathe.

"Well? You don't have to go easy on me," Mars demanded her eyes flickering with anger. She would have preferred to stay with Usagi, or even Earth, but neither was around right now.

"Going easy?" Misako chuckled. "No, this is to maximize speed and mobility." Teeth flashing in a big grin, Misako swept one leg back and went into a loose and causally predatory stance.

"Oh," Mars frowned. She then noted that Misako had not unbuckled her elbow pads or knee pads.

"We do want to thank you." Ukyou stepped closer to Misako and took her mate's hand.

"Huh?" Mars asked.

"Accepting Mother. It means a lot to her; she... she really wanted to 'fit' in with well... people like her."

"Not her own kids," Misako clarified. "We're great and all, but Mom needed like... peers. Though Eve and Sissy really help."

Ukyou sighed. "Anyway, thanks for helping her. It means a lot to us."

"Ah, well..." Mars looked between the demons.

Misako streatched her neck. "Come on, you can accept our thanks by getting all bloody with me."

Mars starred at the green-eyed demon's near face-splitting grin.

"You sure you're up to this?" Ukyou asked as she removed a pair of elegantly but simply styled katanas from the bag, unwrapped them, and handed each over to Misako.

The orange haired succubus looked into the bag and saw a thick-handled long umbrella laying near the bottom. Holding the blades, she looked at it for a moment.

"Huh, aren't swords more Minako's thing?" Mars asked.

Stepping away from the bag, Misako eyed the Senshi. "Nariko's working with her, yes," she said as she tested the balance of each blade. "My... even Grandmother and Master Nishina's practice pieces are pieces of art."

"Wait, do you even know how to use those? I thought you were the team's heavy weapons and demolition person?"

"I prefer to use Sasha yes. But-" Misako chuckled. "I was a fast-tracked acolyte in the Assembly of Man. I used a blade back when I fought mother."

"I thought when you fought Earth... er.. DarkStar you were an evil... more evil demon?"

Misako rolled her eyes. "And before that. One thing I could do well as a human was fight. No matter the species or gender I could kill demons. Now they don't have to go to waste."

"Besides, we're basing this on Arisha's fighting style," Ukyou explained.

"Nariko showed me her moves during our sparing sessions," Misako assured as her grin grew. "Don't worry I won't go easy on you," she purred.

Mars glared then turned to the blonde demoness. "Do I get swords too then?"

"You should probably use what you'd normally fight with," Ukyou said.

"She isn't," Mars pointed.

"I'm not fighting as myself," Misako pouted. "Are you sure I can't use my tail?" she begged her mate.

Looking into Misako's bright, pulsing green eyes, Ukyou's stern expression shifted to a grin. "Maybe later." She turned back to Mars. "I've got spares; are you going to fight with a sword?" Ukyou asked as she rooted through the canvas bag. "I'm sure Pluto or one of the blonde princesses could whip something up."

"Good idea." Misako eyed the smoldering woman. "Maybe a whip could work. Oh! Or a riding crop."

"Let's get on with it then," Mars's words were clipped as she let her fingers flex..

"Huh," Ukyou walked over to Misako's armor and arms. She picked up the pile of ammunition and grenades and moved it another fifteen meters away from the other two.

"Mother did show your queen that leather shop." Misako sighted down the length of the sword, checking the blade. "I suppose they could take a custom order. Another corset? A nice bridle? Or maybe something in silk? I'm sure they could arrange for a two-for-one deal. They do look so cute together."

The demoness savored the emotions pulsing off the Senshi. "Yes, Mother makes an adorable addition to the team. I could tell you liked little Sailor Earth." Misako's tongue flicked out and ran over her lip. "Maybe you and Mother and the Princess could play house? One big happy family."

"That's it!" Mars snapped bright red flames flaring around her hands.

"Good," Misako smirked.

Mars screamed and a pillar of fire shot up and down from her hand before condensing into a bow made of a composite dark, thick-grained wood and dully gleaming bronze. The line of flames moved off becoming a tight beam of fire that pulled the recurved bow tips towards each other.

Raising the weapon, Mars summoned a notched arrow with a black wooden shaft, glowing bronze head and blue and red flaming fletches. A bronze and obsidian ring flashed over her thumb.

Suddenly her anger begin to subside. Hesitating, she stopped herself form drawing back the bow as she felt her frustration and rage being washed off in serene waves. She noticed the leaves looping and frittering as the wind blew them off the trees.

Then Mars noticed Ukyou steeping out from behind and to the left. The platinum blonde's orange eyes glowed, and she kept her hands down at her sides, just off the butts of the twin SSP's she had holstered hanging low on either side of her skirt.

"Perhaps I should remind you of the rules," Ukyou said, brightly.

"Nah, let her have her fun, this could get interesting." Licks of green flame started to appear on Misako's swords.

"Fine," Mars lowered the bow. She glared at the demon. Mars could feel the jealousy bubbling within herself. "But don't go rooting around in my mind."

"Please, I can only project. No reading." Ukyou rolled her eyes. "Anyway. Misa-chan's good at regeneration, but she's not as good as mother. So, you can't cut loose completely."

Ukyou turned to her mate. "And you, Rei can take a lot of punishment but don't cut her too much."

"No dismembering, no disemboweling..." Misako tapped her lips with the flat of the sword. "But I can bite her, right?"

"You can try," Mars glowered.

"That's the point," Ukyou said, her voice close to Mars. "Are you ready?"

"Yes!" Mars shouted, hearing a rustling in Ukyou's duffle bag. She figured the blonde demon was moving it to a safer location.

Ukyou paused and looked to Misako then back to Mars. "Are you still ready?"

"Yes!" Mars repeated as Ukyou returned to her previous position.

"Wrong!" Ukyou arced her arm back, fully extending the baton she held, and slammed it forward, driving the rounded tip of the metal shaft into Mars's knee.

Bronze armor absorbed most of the blow, but Mars screamed, loosed her arrow into the distance, fell to her knee, and screamed again. Glaring daggers, she summoned another arrow and snapped off a weak-shot at Ukyou.

Ukyou twirled the metal baton, deflecting the slow arrow. "Lesson number one: watch your six. Someone gets behind you and it's over."

She glanced at the arrow and nodded. "Counterattacking, not bad. Though at this range pure fire would be better."

"Crazy bitch!" Mars gasped trying to push herself back onto her feet. "I'm not fighting you."

Stepping forward, Misako chuckled. "Lesson two: trust no one. Minute Lucifer birthed the third demon, a conspiracy was hatched against the other two. Get up damn you!"

Mars looked up. The demoness was smiling, even laughing a little. She snapped. Flames raced from her scalp to the tips of her tresses, wreathing her hair in fire. " Smug! Arrogant! Whore!" She screamed and with each word shot off an arrow in rapid succession.

Flicking her green-flaming swords to deflect the arrows, Misako ran forward. She crossed the field in barely a second, with the third arrow being launched from only two meters away. She swung with her left sword going high to catch the bow, her right going low to catch Mars's right knee.

Despite the pain, Mars sidestepped and turned stepping back. The left sword swept up missing Mars's bow while the right similarly slashed past her leg. Mars then tried to get in when the swords were swinging away from her.

Then Misako pivoted and flipped the blades back The left came down. Grimacing, Mars turned her arm and stepped forward. The blade slammed into her bronze bracer with the force of a sledgehammer, and drew all of Mars's attention away from the demon's right blade.

Her elbow screamed and her shoulder was wrenched downward and forward, but the armor held. Another arrow appeared in her opposing hand; she thrust forward jabbing the blade through the demon's armor and into her side. She felt warm blood pour over her hand. Through the shaft she could feel organs being shredded by the burning tip.

Eyes widening, Mars yelped in shock and fear and... pain. She looked down to see that while she had caught one of Misako's blades, the other was free to slice through the armor over her stomach. The cut was shallow, but spots of blood were coming out of the wound.

"Oh god..." Mars released her grip on the arrow and tried to back away, but found her left arm stuck. The sword had bit deeply into her bracer.

"Good show!" Misako laughed madly as she grasped the wooden shaft and pulled. "Shame we cannot follow-through."

Mars found herself hyperventilating. "What the hell was that?"

"Training?" Ukyou said at Mars's ear.

The Senshi spun on her heel and her free hand came aflame just under Ukyou's chin.

Nodding with approval, the demoness handed her a tube of liquid skin sealant and some adhesive gauze. "I'm sure you'll be healed already, but too much blood will make things slick," Ukyou explained.

"Ah... right," Mars busied herself with cleaning and dressing her wound. Her hair had begun to go out. It kept her mind off things, like seeing Misako gleefully rip the barbed arrow out of her guts. She turned away, but the sound alone was somehow worse.

In addition to the wet, meaty noises, Mars could feel the uncertainty, the anxiety Ukyou was broadcasting. Mars lifted her head. "Uh... you need any help?"

"Nah." Misako gave a bloody smile and spat something pink and wobbly onto the grass. "But thanks. You did good."

"Um... thanks." Mars looked to the ground and was relieved to see no evidence of Misako's powers at work. Emotional manipulation and energy draining would be a hideous combination.

"You have considerable magical aptitude and strength. That makes you analogous to man-portable howitzers and the like. But once someone gets close in your options and most critically time are limited," Ukyou explained.

"Unfortunately, the Soviets Cyborgs specialize in close quarter combat," Misako chuckled. "They also can take a lot of punishment and when going for a kill will simply soak it up."

The Senshi snorted. "Yes, I've fought them before. They're a bitch to keep away, but you can do it," Mars's eyes flashed.

"What makes it worse is they have extensive internal armor and compartmentalization. However, they don't regenerate so in theory you can wear one down." Misako flicked some blood of a sword. "Viable if you hit one far off enough."

"As a courtesy, we'll ask you if you're ready... this time," Ukyou added.

Mars exhaled and ran a gloved hand against her forehead. There was the brushing noise of metal on metal as the armored back of her palm scraped against her tiara. The motion was reflexive - there was no sweat on her brow. "Right, gimme a sec."

The loud thundering whine of helicopter engines became louder. Grimacing, she looked up and saw more of the Canadian craft take to the air. The sight was surprisingly majestic and filled her with a bit of awe as the powerful machines clawed their way into the sky.

Mars slowly looked away and turned to Ukyou. "Get out of my damn head," she rasped concentrating on pushing out the... fluff that seemed to be pressing into her mind.

"Ah, a start." Ukyou's tail curled forward slightly. "But we'll really need to work on your emotional blocking."

"It's distracting."

"That's the point." Ukyou laughed and she paced around Mars. "I push the target, get her scared, confident, introspective, whatever gets her off her game, gets her sloppy."

Mars crossed her arms and tapped her bow against her elbow. "Yeah, the Russians can't do that."

"Don't be so sure. You don't need magical powers to do psyops" Ukyou stated. "Misa... I think another round will be illustrative."

"She going to mess with my head without magic?" Mars asked as she readied her bow.

The green-eyed demoness grinned as she hefted one of her swords and arced her left arm back.

"What?" Disbelief crossed Mars's face as her brows began to furrow. Then Misako whipped her arm forward. The sword lazily spun through the air as Mars rushed to the side to dodge. The blade slammed into the ground and stuck up at an angle.

Misako rushed forward, holding the remaining blade high and horizontal.

Clenching her jaw, Mars fired a spread of arrows They fanned out and exploded in deep red flames when they hit the demon. Which was uncomfortably close.

"You lunatic-" Mars's angered scream was cut short when Misako threw the second sword, like a spear.

The blade was not properly balanced for such a throw, but it managed the couple meters in distance before it slammed home in Mars's side, sinking through the armored plate of her uniform.

Sparing only a quick glance to the giant puncture wound, Mars took a couple of steps back. By then, Misako was on her. The demon's boot cut behind Mars's left leg and pulled it back, while Misako grabbed the impaled sword and pushed forward.

The two Senshi slammed onto the ground, and Mars found herself screaming. Pain burned in her shoulders from where she hit, and of course, her entire left side was throbbing in pain from the blade stuck into her.

And then the demon leaned forward, she was kneeling down and straddling Mars's thighs and hips, which locked Mars's legs to the ground. It was painful and embarrassing. The demon's face closed to Mars's and her lips parted in a wide grin.

"This is why you lose. You don't want for power, you don't even want for ruthlessness." Misako grabbed Mars's bow arm and pinned it to the ground at the wrist with one arm, while she took the hilt of the sword with the other. "What was the name of that Dark Kingdom General you murdered?"

Mars ground her teeth as her hair burst into flames and the grass around the pair began to burn. "Not... murder."

"Jadeite might disagree..." Misako purred as her own aura flared out. Green flames began to mix with red. "But let it out. The fire is your friend," she assured in a sweet, sultry voice.

"Shut up!" Mars screamed as her left arm raced up and she slammed her gauntleted fist into Misako's jaw. The demon's head snapped around and she flipped it back to resume looming. Her jaw was misshapen and looked partially dislodged.

"Nice," Misako rasped. Her mouth opened, working her broken jaw, which was already mending, and spit out a few fangs that had been loosened by the impact. A couple of them landed on Mars's neck and cheeks.

"You spotted the opening she left you," Ukyou said her voice seemingly being whispered in Mars's ear. "Now commit."

Blazing, Mars's eyes widened. She felt liquid bead on her forehead, drip down and then ignite. Her hair had burst into a flaming fan, flaring behind her. Her shoulders burned and the wound simmered as steam started to spray around the sword.

Misako's broken grin seemed to grow. "Yes... yes... Ucchan perhaps we should loosen the sparring limits. Our firebug seems to be learning. Mother was right to bring them into our little family," she crooned as her teeth began to straighten and grow back.

Like a glass rod breaking, Mars felt something shear apart inside her. Her flaming aura, flared, buffeting Misako's own flames. The demon's grip slipped and suddenly Mars had both hands free.

Cupping her palms, she joined them just under the demon's chest. A column of fire shot out. Curling and swirling, the flames were dense, forming a pillar that hammered the succubus and blasting her off the Senshi and into the sky. "Crazy! Arrogant! Whore!" Mars screamed her voice breaking.

Misako flopped and rolled over as bits of her uniform and the flesh beneath burned and charred. Mars tracked the demon's ascent and her heart lurched when she saw Misako's eyes refocus and her wings snap out.

"Awww... looks like someone's got a nickname," Ukyou laughed, her voice again seemingly in Mars's ear. "And someone else is learning to commit."

The demon quickly righted herself and tipped over into a steep dive.

Scrambling to her feet, Mars pulled out her bow. Her side throbbed in pain and she looked down to see that she was still impaled. "Why won't you stop?" she demanded as she snapped off a pair of arrows before jumping back.

Misako narrowed her eyes and a pair of bright green beams shot out and raked over Mars's skirting leaving twin smoldering tracks of melted metal. Any other day Mars would have screamed at the molten bronze trickling over her legs, but with her whole body enflamed it seemed a minor inconvenience at most.

At the bottom of her dive Misako leveled out and raced towards Mars. The Senshi sidestepped to dodge but her side still exploded in fire and blinding pain as the demon flew past. She staggered and saw that Misako had ripped the blade out of her side.

Cupping her hands again, she spun on her heel and saw the demon standing still with a pensive expression. The middle part of her sword was covered in flaming blood.

Mars glanced down and saw that her wound was slowly mending itself as the injury burned away being replaced by heat-patinaed metal and pinkish flesh. The splashes and spurts of blood that came out would hit the ground and instantly erupt in little fires that readily began spreading through the grass.

Misako's manic grin vanished. "We won't stop. We won't give in. Bad things happen if you fail: death, or worse capture."

"This is training," Mars gasped as she leveled her bow.

The demon's smile returned.

"We can stop," Ukyou cautioned. "I did warn you two about going too far."

"No way... she started this." Mars spat. She blinked in slight surprise when her saliva did not erupt into flames.

"Okay," Ukyou shrugged and stepped back a bit further.

"Not going to warn us not to kill each other?" Mars asked as the flames grew around her body, obscuring all the exposed skin below her neck.

"Huh? We can kill each other now?" Misako's eyes brightened.

"No." Ukyou sternly stated. "Mother'd be very angry at the mess and she'd be even more angry if we had to explain killing one of the Princess' friends. We might lose that contract," she added with a laugh.

"What about me? You don't think I could kill her?" Mars asked as she drew back the bowstring and concentrated, filling more power into the arrowhead.

Ukyou gave a whistle. "Honey, you don't wanna go down that road." She put her hand over the butt of her gun. "Least, you don't wanna tell us about it."

"Stop talking... more fighting..." Misako whined. She had retrieved both of her swords and had resumed her customary relaxed position a bare four meters from Mars

Mars gaped. "This is insane, this is insane," she muttered to herself as she released the arrow. The bow snapped forward, blasting the shaft in a dark red, almost black streak. Racing towards Misako, the arrowhead exploded.

But Mars had already started running and leapt at the demoness as the crimson engulfed her. A charred sword came down and Mars blocked with her right arm. There was a wet thunk as the blade sunk halfway into the heavy gauntlet. The impact caused her hand to spasm and drop the bow, but she held her arm up. Molten bronze on either side of the cut began to creep up the blade.

Still wreathed in Mars' fire, Misako's left sword came down low and the Senshi turned her knee so the armor caught it. There was a crunch as she felt the joint give way but the armor held. Screaming, Mars found herself sliding down.

Misako gave both blades a quick jerk, and, finding them stuck fast, released the hilts. Her hands then dove in to grapple with Mars while her right leg took out the Senshi's other knee.

As that happened Mars smacked her wrists together with such speed that the sword snapped off her arm, cupped her palms, and fired right into Misako's waist. There was a bright almost orange flash as both girls were knocked onto their backs.

Feeling feverish, her body shivering despite the heat, Mars pulled herself up, or tried too. Her knees expressed their displeasure in a most creative way that involved stabs and shrieks. Instead, she rolled over and curled herself back Looking down, Mars grabbed her bow and saw that once again the grass around her had been charred into ash.

Rising up on her hips, Mars saw that the demon had also pulled herself up and was sitting with her legs folded under her. Lengths of bloody and smoldering ropy things were in her hands and spilled out in front of her.

It was then that Mars realized that her last blast had burned through all the armor on the demon's belly and then through the belly itself. After a few seconds of watching the demoness reel her own intestines back in, Mars lurched to the side and learned something.

Her saliva would not catch on fire, and neither would her vomit and bile. However, that was small consolation as it did come up extra warm, which triggered yet another gagging session. The burning heat in her mouth contrasted with the steaming limp mass of hair that weighted down on her head and back.

Mars exhaled and spit and gagged again.

Misako looked up at her mate with a pout. "You said no disemboweling."

Ukyou knelt down and hugged her. "That was for you Sugar. I just told Rei to watch out the damage she gave you. One sec."

The blonde demoness rose, ran to her duffle bag and took out a towel and a large canteen. She then walked to the smoldering Senshi and eyed the flickering flames that were going out around and on her body.

Mars lifted her arm out and found the canteen just out of reach.

"You cool enough?" Ukyou asked. "I don't want you to get hit by steam... not sure if that'd hurt you."

"What better time to find out?" Misako asked as she finished stuffing her guts back in. "Oh come on, stupid organs!" she cried as she punched the last bits of intestines and then held her ragged skin with one hand while she pulled out a trauma kit from a undamaged pocket on her vest.

"Fine... I'm. I'm fine," Mars croaked out as she took the water. She filled her mouth and spit. After taking a few deep drinks, she poured the remainder onto the towel and unceremoniously dropped it atop her head. Looking up from the dripping covering, she found that Ukyou had returned with another canteen. "Thank you."

"How you feeling?" Ukyou knelt down and inhaled. "You gonna be able to walk?"

Mars eyed the demon looming over her, smelling her. She took a sip from the second canteen. "I've had worse."

Misako slumped her shoulders and poked at the bloody mess around her middle. The bandages had kept her somewhat intact, though they were not required for long. "Damn guts, I'd rip the stupid things out and eat 'em but that'd just make the problem worse."

Staring at the demoness, Mars absently took an end of the towel and patted her neck. "Are you... okay that looks... painful," she finished lamely looking down at her hands.

Misako snorted. "Of course it's painful! You burned my guts out you crazy pyro." The succubus pulled her lips back revealing an almost repaired smile.

Mars shivered at the not so neat rows of sharp fangs. Especially as she could actually see one of the lower canines twisting back into position.

"You've got the anger, I'll give you that." Misako turned away and spat something thick, red and phlegmy out. She then gave the rough bandaging over her stomach a final check and closed her eyes. The succubus's form and then her clothing began to ripple. Burnt, blasted, and simply absent bits of cloth and armor were quickly replaced with a new, pristine uniform.

At first Mars thought that the demoness had repaired her uniform, outer armor and all. Then the Senshi looked over and saw that Misako's ballistic vest and weapons were still stacked at the far edge of the burnt training grounds.

Mars' attention returned to the demon's clothes. The penny dropped. "That's a new set? You have spare seifuku you can summon?"

Misako laughed. "You don't?"

Ukyou cleared her throat. "We did kind of bootstrap our Senshi powers and equipment."

"And you didn't use it in the fight?"

With concerns of her own, Misako poked at the Kevlar over her stomach and muttered. Her attention returned to Mars and she looked up with a smug smile.

"Same reason you didn't use your guns, claws, and tail I guess..." Mars sighed. "But then you started flying and hit me with eyebeams."

Misako stared. "I cheated," she said as if explaining to a lax pupil.

Ukyou helped her mate to her feet then addressed Mars. "Yes, I suppose that wasn't the best training," she admitted extending a hand.

"You're insane, all of you." Mars stood. "But... you make a real tough target." She lifted her left leg then the other and shifted her weight.

"You okay?" Ukyou repeated the question.

"Now you're concerned?" Mars' voice was sharp. "Gimmie a sec," she closed her eyes. There was a flash of fire and her armor and jewelry vanished. Less intense, Rei's expression had softened, losing the burning focus. However she bore the haggard, stoop-shouldered posture of someone who had been through exhausting manual labor. It was quite incongruous with the clean and dry white, red-trimmed blouse, and still-creased black pants she wore.

"Where were you when the fight was getting out of hand?" Rei demanded.

Ukyou rolled her eyes. "I was warning you two and then hearing that you both wanted to keep beating on each other."

"Feh." Mars tried her legs again and nodded in relief. The soaked and hot towel had remained on her head, and Rei had pulled it off to give her face another rubdown. When she pulled it away she jumped back with a yelp.

The green-eyed demon had sidled up to her and now stood well within arm's reach.  
"Admit it, you had fun."

Eyes narrowing, Rei stepped back "That's crazy. It was brutal and violent."

Giving a tight little smile, Misako nodded approvingly.

Rei swallowed. In retrospect she preferred the giant toothy grins, at least those she could expect but this... it was like they had shared some deep secret. She could almost feel a link between herself and the demons; it was like Ranma, like Earth, had never left.

"Nice use of a question to make it look like you answered," Misako patted Mars on the shoulder. "Just remember to avoid lying to yourself. That's just bad strategy."

"I'm not lying," Rei huffed.

"I didn't say you were," Misako giggled. "You chose your words very carefully."

"Not everyone's a duplicitous little sneak."

Misako's nod returned, this time with a patronizing bent.

"Leave her alone, Sugar," Ukyou handed her mate her sidearm and grenade launcher. She then checked the somewhat damp grounds to make sure the fires had gone out.

Misako took a moment to holster her SSP and then cuddle with the surprisingly short 40mm grenade launcher. "Did you miss Mommy, Sasha? I know, I know. Poor lonely, Svetlana. I bet she would have wanted to play."

Rei felt her mouth go dry. She took another swig from her canteen. "Is she serious?"

"About talking to her gun or wanting to shoot you?" Ukyou hefted her duffle bag and the trio started walking back to the buildings.

Pulling a face that made her look even more exasperated, Rei just shook her head.

"Oh, and don't pretend you didn't enjoy blasting my mate's guts open. Your emotions were pretty obvious," Ukyou assured in a mock whisper.

Rei tried to control her expression. After a moment she realized what the blonde demon was actually talking about. "Stop reading my mind."

Ukyou laughed. "Told you, we don't do that. Not bad poker face though. Still need a bit more schooling in self-control."

Rei arched an eyebrow and looked to the giddy Misako. "From you lot?"

"Oh, can I be lecturing and arrogant now?" Misako happily asked.

Ukyou rubbed her neck. "No... no."

"Aw nuts," Misako pouted. "But I bet she doesn't know how to secure her dreams."

"Lecturing time's over."

"Yeah, I think that's something I've got you girls beat," Rei shook her head and snickered. She then stretched her neck. She felt better, if much less powerful, but there was still a mental fatigue to what she had been through.

"Yes, the miko, a Shinto shrine maiden. Consecrated virgin and all that," Misako nodded. "Actually that's really handy."

Rei's eyed widened. She was surprised that the demon had not made that last bit more suggestive. "You know that from being in the –um- Assembly right?"

"Hardly," Shaking her head, Ukyou lead them down another path. "The Assembly of Man was not big on Christian theology beyond 'Kill the minions of Satan' let alone comparative religions. No, we know about Shinto from mother... and our own childhoods." The platinum blonde demoness' voice became distant at the last.

'Well, I'm not just a miko in the modern sense. There's also the ancient and literal meaning: a shaman woman, an oracle for the kami."

"So little Miss Pyro has a bunch of invisible friends that only she can see that tell her secrets." Misako tapped her chin. "Do they tell you to burn things?"

"At least I don't talk to my weapons."

Laughing, Misako slapped Rei on the back. "Maybe you should! I bet Mr. Bow gets lonely."

Rei bristled and spun to glare at the demon. "Don't you touch me!"

Misako bowed her head.

Rei knew that was a sign of assent in her culture and among succubae presenting the horns had a similar connotation. However, the way Misako looked over her nose with her head inclined was pure predatory stalk.

"Good. Maybe when Mother returns we can share another group hug." Misako's grin slimmed, hiding her teeth. "And nice evasion."

"Evasion?" Rei asked.

"You should never tell someone what the fires tell you to burn. They wouldn't understand."

Rei looked to the waiting buildings and their promise of a shower. That kept her calm... however her curiosity would not abate. "Please tell me she's joking," Rei implored Ukyou.

"Sure, Misa-chan's just playing you." Ukyou stated her voice was bland almost monotone. "She's completely stable and this is all part of an intricate training and intelligence gathering exercise where we test the limits of your mental, magical, and physical capabilities. Mother would never stand for an unstable, unfit daughter."

"I love your hair!" Misako gushed. "So dark but with burning highlights. It's so you."

Rei eyed the orange-haired demoness. "Well... yours is nice too."

"Really? Let's swap!" Misako lowered her head again.

"What?" Rei asked as the demoness charged, head butting her in the forehead. There was a heavy "thud"; it felt like her skull cracked, and Rei was knocked over

"Did it work?" Misako asked leaning over Rei. She looked at the Senshi then pulled at her own hair. "Awww." Grabbing Rei's hand she stood up and dragged the black-haired girl with her.

"You're mad."

"Next time you should run too," Misako pouted. "I don't think we got enough relative speed at impact."

"No!" Rei screamed. "Stop trying to headbutt me!"

"I want your hair!"

"That's even worse! Why weren't you this crazy with your mother? You loved her Sailor Earth hair."

"Braids don't look good on me," Misako stated flatly. "Besides, mother would kick my ass if I tried to headbutt her."

"Really?" Rei was skeptical; from what she had seen the brood mother was more likely to pout and give a stern lecture than resort to corporal punishment.

"Trust me, there's more to her than looking cute."

"I know, I saw how vamped up she was dressed this morning," Rei sighed. "And quit distracting me, this still doesn't explain why you think a headbutt can swap hair."

Misako snorted. "It worked when I wanted Nabiki's dress."

"She was humoring you, Dear," Ukyou sighed. "Rei's not even a demon."

"We can fix that," Misako muttered. She looked to Rei and gave a little sigh. "You really would make a lovely demon."

Laughing, Ukyou pulled her mate to the side and forced a smile. "Sorry about this. I'd control her but I really don't care." The blonde frowned. "Well she hasn't hurt you... much."

"You're not exactly selling this whole demon-hood thing. Your mother is a much less threatening example." Rei rubbed her forehead, at least there did not seem to be any immediate swelling.

"Please, if we really wanted to recruit you we'd go heavy on the seduction," Ukyou said as she focused on Rei and pushed, just a little bit.

Eyeing the demons, Rei shivered. They were quite beautiful, she had known it in the abstract but seeing them now... Rei blinked and shook her head, feeling dirty but in a fun way. "Oh... I see," she stated with a violated shiver.

"But we'd never do that; it's wrong." Ukyou smirked. "And much simpler than actually showing a genuine interest in you as a person and what you value and can offer us on an intellectual and spiritual level."

"I dunno," Misako said as she absently nuzzled Ukyou. "That's a bit too overdone. At least this way we're not sugar-coating things. I think if we were really sinister about it we'd play up the cute and cuddly angle and push how much love and camaraderie there is in a brood.."

Rei ignored the bait. "You tried to bash my head in to steal my hair."

"And it would have worked! But someone didn't want to be a team player. Share your hair!" Misako's eyes flared.

"You're insane. All of you."

"Now Serenity, she had fabulous hair, but then she had to transform Minako into a bouffant updo." Misako absently shrugged. "At least she's better now."

"I really don't like agreeing with you about that." Rei frowned.

"Well, I did like that makeover Serenity... the Princess helped Mother with. Don't you agree that Sailor Earth just looks fabulous" Smirking, Misako eyed Rei.

"Uh..."

"Fine, fine." Misako waved her hand. "I think the best solution is to have Mother take the Princess back for a visit with Grandmother. Making Serenity into a proper Demon Queen should solve all of our problems. There. You agree with that?" the green eyed demon flatly asked.

"Lord no." Rei then nodded with relief. "Ah, much better."

"No problem," Misako slipped out of Ukyou's grip and slapped Rei on the back, hard. "That's what friends do. You have any other paranoid issues I can satisfy for you? Maybe a fear about your slowly eroding humanity or the growing madness of your Mistress and her key advisors. Or maybe that you're all happy about a demon on your team because she's cute and little. Or maybe the idea of serving a demon queen secretly thrills you especially since it'll quiet the whispering concerns you have that the Princess might not be able to handle things this time."

"It would take more than that to turn Usagi into a demon," Rei stated... with bravado.

"Oh? Do you know what's needed to make one of us?" Misako leered. Seizing on Rei's hesitation she leaned in. "We've got some books we can show you. Oh don't look that way, they're for kids, little broodlings. They'll also teach you how to read and write."

"Misako!" Ukyou called.

"Err no thanks," Rei grumbled and quickened her pace.

"What? You've got a problem with hard truths being thoughtlessly shoved into your face?"

"Okay, now I know you're screwing with me." Rei gave a bitter laugh.

"See! Feel better now?" Misako gave Rei another pat on the shoulder, and this time the Senshi did not stumble.

"Huh," Rei shook her head and resumed walking. The doors were only few meters away. She could handle a few more seconds of sarcastic, sociopathic demons. At least the others had to have been pounded just as bad as she had been.

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Leaning back in her seat on the outside patio, Orion looked at the cafe's large glass fronted window. In the reflection of the glossy smoked glass she could see the bulk of the Juuban Second General Hospital in the distance and across the street. In the evening darkness the white stone hospital practically glowed from all the lights. The street itself was lit almost as bright as day, with only the sky itself betraying the late hour.

Idly poking at one of the daifuku on her plate, she allowed herself a brief memory of seeing her mother go off to work. Pushing the thoughts aside, she picked up one of the small confections filled with sweetened red bean paste and took a bite.

Her attention moved to a different spot on the reflection. This one to a table at the far end of the cafe where two women sat. One was younger with longer hair, the other older with shorter, almost pixie-cut hair that curled at the bangs.

Both had hair of a deep blue shade and both sat square shouldered and confidently. The younger was dressed in a schoolgirl uniform that straddled the line where it could be called a sailor-style seifuku but an almost business-like cut to the coat and blouse. The colors were darker and the hem-lines were cleaner giving a more suit-like style and shape. However the skirt was still too short. Wearing a labcoat over plain but functional blouse and pants, the older of the two, a Doctor Saeko Mizuno, still seemed perturbed by her daughter's newfound... confidence.

"I hope this goes better than the Mistress Lyra debacle," Orion told to her companion.

"Who?" Virgo asked, she had her back to the window so she glanced over to the street and let her eyes follow a car until gaze intersected with the table in question. During the process, she lifted her cup and took a deep sniff over the steaming tea.

"You... want one?" Orion pushed the plate of daifuku forward.

The former Amazon gave a little smile and took a tiny sip of her tea. "No thank you. I'm good." She lowered the cup and made a point of brushing at the top hem of the shiny purple Lycra-like dress she wore. "Who was, Mistress Lyra?" she asked as she scanned along the street, the buildings, and even the sky. Orion was to watch in case they were needed to support the Mistress, Virgo was to watch in case someone else was watching, and she had been enhanced to help in that regard. Seeing in the dark was only the start of her new capabilities.

"This was Pre-Unification. Despite being from the Terran kingdom, she was an associate of Serenity. High sorceress, skilled in runes, enchantments, folding space, she specialized in artifacts and high dimensional geometry. Some of her work was used in the Space Time Door coverup.. Even helped the queen develop some... things. Was known for being serious, dour, and... " Orion paused and blushed. "More than a bit odd. She sometimes wore an odd spiky armor, sometimes she wore an, apparently, scandalous gown that somehow left nothing to the imagination, but really that was just the start."

"Oh?" Virgo took a spoon and stirred her tea. "But our Mistress is so restrained in dress and drive. And her creations," Virgo added and for a moment her eyes flashed to their faceted gem-like purple, which could detect more than her old eyes ever could, before her glamour reasserted itself giving her gaze a more human bent.

"It wasn't just the..." Orion looked down, but not before glancing back at the reflection. The discussion seemed to be progressing, with Mercury leaning forward with a smug little smile, and Doctor Mizuno leaning back with a bit of shock.

The auburn haired Senshi raised her gaze. "As you've guessed Lyra wasn't human... not all the way. Among other things, she was part unicorn, that's why she was so good at magic, in spite of her... handicaps. That magic skill was why she was able to… add to herself, this was why Serenity accepted her despite her… quirks. Personality… well, Serenity was more results oriented, especially in the early days." Orion shook her head.

"Our Mistress picked her for a reason." The purple-haired gem girl shrugged. "How does ancient history become a debacle? Did you try to summon her?" Virgo lightly asked.

"Close. We tried to use her memory. The real Mistress Lyra Haros disappeared on an expedition beyond the solar system. Contact was lost. Nothing was found. Given that and her powers she seemed like a perfect boogieman."

Virgo looked around and added in an even lower whisper. "Also, I do not see these mercenaries, but from I have been told they can watch remotely, which seems worse."

"Yeah the lack of overt surveillance is not WIC's style." Orion shivered.

Virgo chuckled, and then allowed herself another tiny sip. "So, an intricate plot failed?"

"It wasn't that intricate. This was before we had to... leave. Back when the Princess-" Orion's shoulder slumped and her eyes went to the reflection of the hospital. "Back when Usagi trusted us. We placed a bit of evidence and since Mercury was the Senshi's analyst the conclusion was inescapable: Mistress Lyra was the one pulling the strings."

"And because that Mistress was a phantom of our Mistress, Mercury could offer to improve the Senshi." Virgo held up her arm and rotated her wrist. "Protection from enchantment and such. I see the plan. How did it fail?"

Orion gritted her teeth before answering. "Because Pluto was more suspicious and paranoid than we were. Because Mercury pushed too hard. And because Minako asked the wrong questions, and the blonde bimbo blundered into guessing that Mercury was behind it all."

"Getting the enemy it underestimate you is valid tactically. And who is more underestimated than the bimbo? Even a warrior can be thought of as a stupid clod if she can't speak the language." Virgo looked into her tea and her prefect posture slipped into a slouch for a moment. "After you ran and took up the villain gig?"

Looking back to the reflection, Orion nodded. She saw that, Doctor Mizuno's shock had morphed into fully affronted horror. "Get ready, I think we might be needed," she whispered.

"You were right then? A shame our Mistress cannot predict like you." Virgo smirked.

At the other table the conversation's increasing heat and flaring tempers had started to boil over. "And what have you gotten yourself into?" Saeko Mizuno demanded as she glared at her daughter's... arrogant assertiveness. "You dress up like a... businesslike parody of a school girl and try to offer me a job? I told you; I can't move."

"Mother, that is a short-sighted view. I'm offering you a far more interesting opportunity... like your research." Mercury put her hand on her mother's and tried to warmly smile. "Remember before you started working in that bland parade of injury and sickness? Remember your laboratory work? Remember how you regretted work eating up so much of your time? Well... we can work together."

"Ami! These are sick and injured people you're brushing aside. How could you be so cold?" Saeko demanded.

Mercury looked affronted but forced a smile. "Oh there are ways, but consider how much more you could do, the greater help you could give."

"What are you talking about? Some research hospital in Canada?" Saeko asked, disbelief dripping from her voice. She grabbed her daughter's hand in hers and was surprised at how strong the grip actually was. "What about your friends? You were getting better Ami. You were so happy. I was afraid you'd be like those other child prodigies, alone, isolated. Have you cut yourself off again? You have friends that care about you; I care about you."

Squeezing her mother's hand Mercury smirked. "I know you do. And I know my friends do; they're just... misguided. But we can make them better. I promise you that."

"This is wrong!" Saeko shouted, shaking her head. "It's not normal for you to suddenly appear back in Japan and ambush me right after my shift." She glanced down the too-bright street.

"Normal? Hah. I can fill your days with research and developments that push the bounds of humanity. You can help us progress beyond the limits of our flesh." Mercury squeezed. "Just come with me back to the hotel. I can show you a presentation and if you're not convinced... well we can part our ways. Maybe we can send each other birthday and Christmas cards."

Saeko winced at the comment. That was the level of contact her ex-husband had with their daughter. "No. You are right that I've spent too much time apart from you, and your actions today have proved it. I'm not even going to comment on your hair or what you must be wearing under that blouse."

The doctor straightened herself. "No. This ends. In fact, I'm going to have to call Miss Meiou and discharge you. Clearly this exchange program has given you too many liberties. Not to mention the ghastly news coming from that city your school is in. Clearly the reputation of Canadian politeness is overrated. Then I'm going to call your friends, and their parents and figure out what's gotten into you."

"I'm afraid you're too late." Mercury's face hardened into a neutral, distant expression. "I've already been discharged." She snapped her fingers.

"What? You're not going to stop me, I'm your mother."

Looking Saeko in the eye, Mercury sadly shook her head. "It didn't have to be this way."

"Why didn't Miss Meiou tell me?" Saeko narrowed her eyes, but they widened when a pair of young women. One, auburn haired, in a business-like school uniform like her daughter, another, with long amethyst hair, in a shiny purple knee-length dress walked up and stood behind her on either side.

The auburn haired unceremoniously reached into Saeko's coat pocket, pulled out her phone, and placed it in her daughter's waiting hand.

"You had to make things harder mother." Mercury gave a sad frown and pulled the battery out of the device. She glanced at Virgo.

Again, the purple Senshi looked around, but shook her head. "I'm not getting any active surveillance. We could be missing something. Best not to wait and find out."

Mercury nodded. She could tell that there were not any jammers in the area, and as long as they had that going for them, teleporting and escape was still an option.

Saeko began to rise but the young lady in purple put her hand on the doctor's shoulder and she found herself unable to resist the force and was actually pushed back into her seat.

Still gripping her mother's hand, Mercury leaned across the table and with her free hand cupped Saeko's chin. "Mother. All I ask is that you come with me to the hotel. I'll show you the presentation. Where you'll work, the things you'll do. If you don't want a position in our organization... if the research is not your liking... you'll be free to go. You don't even have to make a decision right away, you can go back home and sleep on it."

"What about you?" Doctor Mizuno demanded. "What have you gotten yourself into?" She looked at the two young women her daughter's age. "Is this..."

Mercury smirked. "The strange things that have plagued Juuban? That have plagued Toronto? I promise. The presentation will answer all your questions. Let's go." Mercury nodded to her Senshi and dropped a few bills onto the table.

"You're lying." Saeko stated as she stood, sounding more disappointed over that than anything else.

"Not about this," Mercury assured as they left the cafe's patio. It was not far to the hotel and their suite. Once they got to the Grand Hyatt Tokyo everything would be made clear to her mother.

End chapter 29

I'd like to thank my pre-readers. They read through my most egregious mistakes so you don't have to. J St C Patrick, Pale Wolf, DGC, Wray, Kevin Hammel, and Ikarus.


	33. Chapter 30 Reconcile and Refine Part 2

The Return

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Sunshine Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.

Temporary Backup Site.

Other website Temple of Ranma's Senshi Seifuku

C&C as always is wanted.

Chapter 30 Reconcile and Refine Part 2

With grey walls that curved up to make the ceiling, long unadorned tables, and bare concrete floors, the room was plain, utilitarian. Most of those in the room wore grey and green uniforms. Even the succubae were more muted given that mode of dress.

However, at one of the tables a figure in gold drew all eyes towards her. Even shedding her armor only mitigated things. Minako still wore a gold bodysuit trimmed in silver and blue. Crescent moon marks adorned her collar and the breezy short blue skirt she had on over the bodysuit. Around Minako, demons sat at a table covered in a befuddling array of cleaning chemicals tools, and parts and pieces from their weapons.

"Dreams?" Minako slowly blinked. She was staring at one large bottle of oil. Its name had something to do with whales. A glass of water was in front of her. Appreciating the sentiment, she had taken a few sips.

Her hair was done in the expected twin ponytails, though thankfully they were a bit shorter than how the Princess, and Ranma, wore them. Her shoes were also plain flats which were more comfortable, especially after the hits her shins and ankles got during training. The demons seemed to have an aversion towards fighting fair.

"You were very close to Sere- to Usagi," Nariko innocently said as she checked the edge to her katana. The demoness frowned at a couple places; she then placed it on the table and picked up Venus' gold-accented broadsword.

"Ah," Minako chuckled and ran a hand through her hair and placed it against her brow. It was dry as usual. Even the succubae would sweat if they worked hard enough.

Nariko looked up from the Crystal Wink Venus sword. A small file, a set of drifts and pins, a couple picks, an oil cloth, some steel, brass, and fiber brushes, some cleaning pads, and a couple bottles of cleaning oils were laid out in front her.

Minako looked at the bottles and blinked. The names were strange. Hoppe's 9 Lubricating oil and the Rem-Oil were normal. She could understand the gun oils, but the neatsfoot, chronometer, arctic sperm-whale, and Rangoon oil were bizarre. The blonde's curiosity was dammed. She recalled when, a couple days ago, Rei had the same urge and asked exactly what a "neatsfoot" was.

She watched the succubus inspect her sword paying particular care to the edges and where the tang of the blade went into the hilt. Minako looked over and saw Akane cleaning one of her sidearms. The list of cleaners and lubricants was smaller but no less strange. Half of them seemed to be automotive. A big bottle of automatic transmission fluid was prominent, while a tub of bearing grease also sat on the table. Minako found the green Ballistol bottle reassuringly normal, if rather Germanic.

At least firearms was mentioned among the long list of supposed materials and the protecting, penetrating, lubricating, preserving cleaner could remedy. The most egregious example was the big bottle containing a sloshing red, mint-smelling liquid simply called: Marvel Mystery Oil. There was even a spray-bottle of blue window cleaner.

She would have accused the succubae of some sort of elaborate hoax or sabotage, save they were using the bizarre chemicals to maintain their weapons, along with the Senshi's. "Okay... what's with the Rangoon oil?" Minako asked picking up the green tin of heavy, viscous oil.

Akane looked up from the oversized pistol she was cleaning. "Like a normal gun oil but thick, evaporates slowly. Good for keeping out rust if your weapon's gonna get wet, especially if they're hot and steaming. Name came from the Rangoon where it was first used."

"Ahh," Minako put the can back down. She felt some relief at the normality of that. At least it was not as bad as she feared the whale-oil or the mystery oil would be. Her eyes went back to the table. This time on the two swords laying on tautly spread, power blue cleaning clothes. Of course, one was hers, the other was Nariko's

Minako was wary of the demon blade. Glowing a sullen, irritable red, the katana acted as a power channel. Each hit shocked Minako and then sapped her, leaving the golden Senshi a bit hollow. Sparring was bad enough, she did not relish the idea of a full fight.

Minako saw that Akane had her own collection of little tools and picks, including a bunch of brushes and jags that fit onto the end of a cleaning rod for her gun's barrel. The two demons busied themselves with their work.

Minako resumed her wait, she had become good at waiting.

"Any interesting dreams?" Nariko repeated.

"You're acting like... like I could see what she was seeing."

Nariko tilted her head. She tapped the hilt of the sword and flipped it over. "Yes."

"That's a huge invasion of privacy," Minako's voice rose but she pulled her arms in and crossed them under her chest.

Reaching out, Nariko put her hand over Minako's. "It's okay. I just thought you might want to talk about. Your Mistress and our mother are getting quite close..."

Minako blinked.

Nariko mentally noted, the blonde's lack of reaction to the use of the word "mistress".

"Not to mention Pluto driving you further away from your Mistress," Akane stated. Her gun's barrel went into the slide. She put it over the frame slid the slide back, snapped it forward, and set the forward retaining pin into place with a loud click.

"Well..." Minako looked down at her hands. She rotated her wrist watching the light reflect off the golden bracers. She could hear the demon doing a function check as she manipulated the weapon's pieces and did a safety and dry fire check. "Well, they're dreams... her dreams. She escapes."

"Better than nightmares," Nariko said brightly. She looked to Akane and smiled softly.

"She had those, sometimes," Minako admitted.

"But she wasn't alone." Nariko looked down at Venus' sword.

"What was her escape?" Akane asked leaning over the table. "She's got enemies and responsibilities here, did she imagine someone strong fighting them off for her? Maybe she fantasized that she was better, that she really was the queen?"

Minako shook her head. "It wasn't like that. The differences. She was... well we were there, the Inner Senshi, plus Naru. That made six of us. We were still Senshi, but Serenity, Serenity the First, was alive, and lived with her sister DarkStar. And Pluto was there... she's our... handler giving missions."

"And with Mother taking the mantle of Sailor Earth it's already obsolete," Nariko noted.

"The blonde bunny dreamed our mother was her aunt?" Akane dryly asked as she loaded one of the magazines with massive 500 S&W cartridges. Unlike many modern magazines these consisted of a single slim stack. The cartridges were such that a thicker higher capacity double stack was out of the question. Even a single row of cases made for a hefty, if relatively thin, grip. "Huh. Well after today, that doesn't seem too odd."

"No," Nariko looked up. "Queen Serenity was not her mother. Usagi was just Sailor Moon. Being the princess, that's what she was escaping from."

Minako nodded. "That and the violence. It was like the old days, our friendship could bring us together. Even Ami was good. But instead of being lost and unsure we knew we were part of a magical kingdom, we had a benevolent, if teasing mentor to help us.

"Serenity bore the weight of the Moon, DarkStar bore the weight of the Earth, and Usagi... Usagi was free to grow." Minako released her arms and patted the hilt of her sword.

She looked up and saw the pensive, distant looks the three demons were giving her. "What? Surely you've had dreams, little escapes. Your mother for-"

Akane cut her off. "Mother didn't have dreams like that."

"Not after she stopped living in denial," Nariko added force entering her voice.

Minako felt as if the pressure in the room had gone up. Unlike Rei's outbursts this far more focused, contained and tempered. _You're lying_, Minako thought. _Do you even realize? Or do you just idolize your mother and think there's nothing she can't do?_ Minako caught Nariko's eye.

The demon turned to the golden-Senshi and smiled. Some of the joy even touched her eyes. "Do you think you'll miss them?" Nariko sweetly asked.

"Miss them?" Minako blinked trying to regain her train of thought.

"Ah," the demoness nodded. "You intend to continue sleeping with your Mistress. Is that what you want?"

Minako felt herself blushing, and hoped that her cheeks were turning red. Sometimes she was worried about her skin shifting to a more golden hue when stressed.

"I don't know if Pluto will let you do that. I think she's got her own ideas," Akane teased.

"Yes, she does," Minako's voice was flat. "Your mother too."

"Is there something you need to talk about?" Nariko put her hand on Minako's and gave a little squeeze. "What about you in all this?"

"Well..." Minako looked away from Nariko's deep red eyes. She knew that among demons it was a faux pas, a sign of weakness, a lack of trust. Minako did not care.

A bit of disapproval crossed Nariko's face, but she tried to look sympathetic. "In all the rush to get their Princess back, do you feel you were pushed to the side?"

"That the others cared more about getting Usagi back?"

"Did they blame you?" Nariko's voice lowered.

Minako shook her head.

"If not the villain, maybe something worse... something that can't be blamed."

Keeping her head down, Minako laughed. "Like a tool? A thing of no will of it's own? Pitied and pushed to the side. It's not the lightbulb's fault it burns out. You just get a new one." There was a harsh, clipped edge to Minako's flat tone.

"You're okay, your friends do care about you," Nariko assured.

Minako nodded, evenly mechanically.

"You were forced, you became someone else and you tried to do what you thought was best. Maybe it was wrong, but you tried." Akane added her own hand. "We understand.

This time Minako's silent nod was more halting.

Nariko gave a little smile. "It's okay, we can talk about it later." She glanced at the door.

Minako saw that Akane had also tensed and the blonde herself could feel a bit of a... connection. Her concerns were cut off when Makoto entered the room followed by a delicate-looking small blue-haired demoness and a taller, more broad shouldered demon with shorter black hair.

Both demons wore their combat armor as did Makoto. Her patinaed copper plating and skirt segments bore a few gentle scorches and her brown hair was frayed at the ends and pulled into a messy, lopsided ponytail. Wobbly, Makoto made it to the table and slumped down while propping her head with her hands, which were contained by fairly thick gauntlets and armored gloves.

"You okay?" Minako asked.

"Sure. I'm unstoppable!" Makoto gave a strained laugh and snapped her armored fingers causing a flare of sparks.

"Really?" Minako turned to Nabiki. Studying the demon she could see the Kevlar sections of her armor had been pushed aside and part of the chest piece had even been dented a bit. The jammer antennas were also bent out of shape and there was some faint, fading discoloration to the demon's left cheek.

Sophie stood off to the side and gave a slow nod. "Well, yes."

Pulling up a chair, Nabiki shoehorned herself between Akane and Nariko and gave each sister a hug before settling down and drawing her knives. She flipped open the blades and gingerly set both on the table.

Looking at the collection of cleaning chemicals Sophie chuckled lightly. Company armorers were notorious for keeping stashes of the more... esoteric products. This was in spite of most weapons only needing a cleaning solvent, a bit of lubricant and a bit of grease.

She looked over and saw the brunette boggle at the vast collection of bizarre chemicals, especially the historical and automotive ones. Makoto blinked as she watched Nabiki hunt between the bottles like a sommelier looking for the proper vintage.

Minako also eyed Nabiki's knives and saw that their rich, dense wood grips were marred by little scratches and the ruddy gleaming metal of the blades seemed to look almost sullen. The blonde could swear she could see a couple sparks dance across the surface as Nabiki started cleaning the blades.

"Unstoppable?"

"Miss Kino is fair in hand to hand and flexible with her powers," Sophie explained. She looked at the table, hesitated, then took a seat. She nodded to Nariko with a smile.

Returning the gesture, Nariko reached out and put an arm around the woman.

Minako crossed her arms. "I'm a magical girl made out of enchanted metal with a silver crystal sword that can kill eldritch queens."

Makoto looked between the crystal wink sword and Nariko's understated plainly elegant katana. The brunette blinked. "You tried sword-fighting her? She's cut a combat cyborg in half!" Makoto looked to Nariko who gave a tiny smile.

"Well, what did you do?"

Smirking, Makoto cracked her knuckles. "I just charged my fists and gave her a shock whenever she tried to stab me."

Nabiki gave a little pout

"Really? That's it? And her exploding icicles? The fire? The eye beams?"

"It's not like I could use any of my real attacks." Makoto shrugged. "I'm like a head taller than her. So with the blades the reach is..." She coughed and looked at Nabiki. "Okay fine. You're a scary little demon and I figured the best way to keep you off was to clock you whenever you got too close."

Nabiki nodded. "Commitment is important."

Looking between Makoto and the demons, Minako forced a sigh. Her brunette friend was jittery and seemed charged up, while the succubae, especially Nabiki, were relaxed, almost like predators lounging after a fruitful hunt. "So I should have actually tried to gut Nariko then?"

Nariko's little, almost challenging, smile returned.

"Don't be cute," Nabiki stated, picking up a bottle of light gun oil and dabbing some on a cloth.

"That's your job, eh?" Akane smirked.

The young-looking demoness gave a big dimpled smile and tilted her head so the tresses framing her bangs fell swished across her face. "Whatever do you mean, Oneechan?" she asked checking the hinge on one of her weighted foot-long bladed folding knives.

Akane laughed. "You _are_ cuter, now."

Nariko caught her mate's eye and gave a demure cough.

Staring into her mate's deep red eyes, Akane whimpered and lowered her head. "Sorry. Least mother being turned all cute's not my fault."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow then nodded.

"You're just being a good sister," Nariko said her voice merry but stern.

Minako turned and saw that Makoto bore a similar expression.

"Family issues, best not to get involved," Sophie stated.

"And how are you?" Nariko reached out to black-haired agent.

Sophie took the offered hand. "I'm holding on. Mother... the Captain she's great." She gave a smile.

"And your sisters?"

"They're good," Sophie looked down. "Morgan's quiet but sweet. Morrison's still worried about her first name and... you know."

Nariko nodded. She knew she was lucky to have a human family that understood. She could not imagine what Morrison was going though, especially since she would be completely unrecognizable to them.

"Does Morgan bring Svetlana into bed?" Akane gave the hilt of Nariko's sword a playful caress.

"What?" Sophie blinked. "No. That'd get in the way."

"Svetlana? One of the Russians?" Minako asked.

"I think she's the sniper, the first one to try to kill... us." Makoto flexed her hands and wondered what the demons were doing. "You don't... have the body right?"

"No, Morgan ate her." Sophie wanted to roll her eyes, but decorum kept her from doing it. However, her stomach did tingle a bit at the idea of Mother presenting a fresh meal to them, to her daughters. She could just smell the blood and meat and feel the flickering life energy.

Nariko gave her cousin's hand a squeeze and turned to the Senshi. "Svetlana is the name Morgan gave her gun. Like how Misa-chan named her weapon Sasha."

"Ah." Makoto recalled in memory. "Morgan killed her with that gun right?"

"Her first with it." Nariko nodded.

"I see." Makoto shivered slightly. It was morbid, but she could understand a sniper naming her gun after a "worthy opponent",

"And what do you call your weapon?" Minako asked the elder sister.

Nariko released her hand from Sophie and ran a finger down the spine of the blade until it reached Akane's hand. "She doesn't have a name yet. Master Nishina said it will come in time, and be obvious."

"He said that about mine," Nabiki said before she tilted her head. "I thought he was just being lazy and didn't want to come up with a name himself."

"Nabiki!" Nariko scolded.

Minako then saw the other demons reacting similarly and focused her own attention at the door. For a moment, she wondered if it would be Rei or Usagi and Pluto. Then the doors slammed open.

Eyes wide and grinning madly, Rei stepped into the room. She was in civilian mode and had transformed out of her armor. Seeing her teammates her pace quickened and she marched directly to their table. She snaked past a handful agents and a couple tables without slowing down.

Minako saw the expected demonic escort and noted that Misako bore the same gleefully mad expression as the priestess. The platinum haired succubus at her side was more reserved but was still quite confident and looked almost smug with herself. Minako looked around the table and got a similar vibe from the rest of their "trainers".

Rei looked at the full table for a second then grabbed the nearest chair and swing it around. She eyed the Senshi still in their metallic uniforms. "So, how badly did you two get mangled?"

"I'm unstoppable," Makoto repeated.

"I reformed," Minako added.

Rei's brow furrowed at the potential meanings of the blonde's statement. "Right. Right." She laughed and tapped the table causing a couple sparks to flare up. "Well, I'm doing great. Turns out I can keep pace with the craziest of you lot," she smirked at the demons.

Misako's big grin shifted into a thoughtful little frown. She caught Ukyou's attention, but the platinum blonde succubus just shook her head. Misako pouted.

"What do you think the..." Rei glanced at Minako. "The Queen is up to? She's still off training with Puu and the creepy German demon."

Sophie straightened her posture and glared at the Pattern Silver. Her attention fell onto Rei and she... pushed. She could feel her presence, her will pressing out. The other demons, her cousins, smiled with Misako giving a toothy grin.

Glancing at Sophie, Rei coughed and turned back to her teammates.

Specialist Agent Sophie Addison knew, even being a demon, she was far weaker than the pyrokinetic magical girl, but she was a Company Agent, a member of the Fifth Non Human Task Force, and the unstable little blowhard had badmouthed her mother.

"Probably getting used to being outside of... her... of the armor." Makoto delicately stated hoping she avoided upsetting Minako or the demons.

"Whatever, it's something she's gotta learn," Rei stated. "Sorry Mina... uh Moon, but you turning into armor for your um... mother. Gah!" She shook her head. "Sorry, you just had to make an awkward charade even more confusing."

"It was an experiment, it didn't work out." Minako hissed crossing her arms. "I tried something new."

"Yeah... yeah. I hope Captain Jarvis isn't trying something new. Not after what she and DarkStar did earlier. All while Puu watched," Rei grumbled.

"You mean what Jarvis and the Queen did to DarkStar," Makoto clarified.

"I'm sure Auntie Eve's just proctoring while they fight each other," Ukyou explained.

Misako brightened. "Yes and then the winner will be rewarded with delicious heart and liver."

"You're joking," Makoto said, almost pleadingly.

The orange-haired demon huffed in exasperation. "Of course, if I really thought they'd be fighting to the death I wouldn't be in here with you all."

"Right, you wouldn't want to miss the show," Rei dryly stated.

"That's right new friend!" Misako slapped her on the back. "You're learning, now if we could only do something about your hairstyle."

Rei exhaled. She paused and cleared her mind and did not say the first thing that popped into her head. "What's wrong with my hair?" she slowly asked. "You said you loved it."

"The color, not the style and well… your friends are starting to outpace you."

Looking at Makoto's sloppy ponytail and Minako's golden odangos Rei snorted.

"Don't pretend you don't see it. Why do you think your queen spent so much time playing with my Mother's hair? Weren't you jealous of her?" Misako lowered her voice. "You don't want to be left behind?"

Rei shook her head. "My hair's fine."

"Oh yes, it really is a very nice start. Wonderful color," Misako agreed.

Nabiki snickered. "You're having too much fun, Sis."

"What? I helped you with your hair," Misako said.

"Right, where's the Princess?" Rei demanded cutting through the demonic banter. "Why isn't her training over with?"

Sophie tapped her headset. As she listened, a smile bloomed across her face. "Of course mother." She said into her headset as she got to her feet. "Yes, Miss Hino, the training is over for now." She savored the young woman's confusion and slight fear for a moment.

"Then where is she?" Rei asked.

Sophie's joy momentarily dimmed. "I'm afraid you'll have to ask Miss Meiou." She nodded to Nariko and the rest of her cousins.

Rei exchanged a glance with the other Senshi. "What?"

"Miss Meiou decided to take Serenity straight to the showers after training," Sophie calmly stated before turning on her heel and leaving the room to rendezvous with her mother and sisters.

Seeing both Rei and Minako fume at that Makoto blinked.

Misako snickered and gave a cocky smirk. "Really now?"

"Now, now Misa-chan. No need to be suggestive, I'm sure Puu is just taking care of her queen," Nariko said with just a hint of an edge to her voice.

Nabiki and Akane snickered. Ukyou raised an eyebrow but nodded; her elder sister's sarcasm was expected, especially when annoyed

Nariko turned to the Senshi and smiled. "I'm sure Puu wouldn't mind the help. If you hurry you won't miss out." She returned to inspecting her katana. "Or you could stay here."

Outside the mess hall, Sophie was already down the corridor when her nose twitched at familiar scents. Taking a different turn at a junction she found herself in the garage.

Lounging at one end of the concrete room were four Company agents. One had a serene-stern face and brunette hair cut into a pageboy. Next to her was a thin man with short black hair and olive green eyes. Particularly watchful, he immediately spotted Sophie, while the two other agents both with buzzed down dark brown hair and short solid builds were a touch slower. The one on the left had dark brown eyes and a narrow face while the other had guarded hazel eyes and a sharp chin and almost hawkish nose..

Seeing Sophie, the green eyed agent smiled and scooted over on the ribbed plastic crate he was sitting on. "How's the Fifth? Been enjoying the glamorous life of babysitting?" Agent Gabriel Smith asked.

"Fortunately, I was working with Miss Kino." The demon nodded to her former commanding officer. "Ma'am."

Lieutenant Kasumi Tendo returned the gesture. "Please take a seat," she said with a slight smile.

"Sorry, Ma'am but I've got a meeting with Mother-" Sophie's cheeks turned slightly red in what for a succubus was an embarrassed flush. "With Captain Jarvis."

"Our little demon is growing up," Agent Steven Deschain noted, his pale blue eyes glancing up from the nitrate chemistry text he was reading.

"Quiet you!" Sophie hissed her tail straightening out behind her. Looming, she paused then laughed. Gabriel and Steven joined in with Kasumi's smile growing.

The fourth man Agent Dom Whipple frowned slightly, his dark brown eyes tracking the demonic agent.

"You should spend more time with us, LT, uh with your sisters, that is." Sophie noted, while glancing at Whipple her... replacement.

Between Alexia's brood, the Assembly, the combat cyborgs and various other critters every team had needed replacements. Many replacements. Of the five strike teams, all had casualties and KIAs. Her old team Red was down to half of its starting members. Lieutenant Patterson's Green team was in a similar situation. Like Red they had one dead a member and one transferred over to the Fifth: Morrison.

Kasumi exhaled. "As a matter of fact Agent Addison, I'm planning to spend my upcoming twelve hour pass shopping with my sisters. No doubt they'll find some ghastly dress that I'll look gorgeous in." The officer theatrically sighed. "What about your sisters?"

"Clothes shopping? With those two?" Sophie broke into laughter. "Oh, I've gotta see that... I'm not even sure they really have civilian clothes."

"Though there have been some... interesting uniforms too. Perhaps Major Saotome can arrange for you to get a more... Senshi-like Uniform," Kasumi said her voice perfectly deadpan.

Sophie blinked and for a moment imagined herself with hooves, a long pleated silk skirt, and twin braids. She visible winced. "No. No... This skirt is bad enough."

"Really? The camera footage made Red look darling," Kasumi shook her head with exaggerated slowness. "And to think we used to date, turns out she really was too young for me…"

Still poking her Kevlar sheathed armor plate skirt, Sophie turned to Whipple. "Hey Dom, how you finding Red Team? Fitting in?"

"Doesn't have the ambiance of Blue, but Red team exists," Dom shrugged. Functionally Blue team ceased to exist as a team with Ramirez killed in action and later on losing their Lieutenant Speirs. The remaining two members Whipple and Stockton were wounded and subsequently transferred to other teams as they recovered.

"Fitting in just fine," Gabriel assured slapping Dom on the back. "Rounding out nicely as our team's requisite woman."

"My someone's feeling comfortable with his seniority," Kasumi noted.

"Patterson's Green Team doesn't have a woman," Deschain pointed out.

"Ma'am" Gabriel stated.

"Glad to see that you're back on the active roster," Sophie added.

Dom's right leg unconsciously bent a bit at the knee and he shifted his shoulder. His armor had stopped most of the shrapnel but some had gotten through. "Just puncture wounds, good thing we had plenty of blood." He rubbed the back of his neck; his palm going over the far edge of the scar tissue from the above his shoulder. "Got lucky. Could have had my knee blown out. Imagine how long the recovery would have been then?" He asked eyeing the demon.

Wincing a bit, Sophie nodded. She had been wounded worse, and was up and ready for duty in far less time. But at the cost of changing her species and family. "Yeah, well don't think you can take it easy under the LT here. She'll work you into the ground."

Dom's expression brightened. "Right."

"Is that a favorable comparison to Captain Jarvis?" Kasumi asked. "My, my."

Feeling his confidence mixed with mourning, Sophie found herself giving a bittersweet smile. With her transfer and Aram's death Gabriel was the senior agent under Kasumi. The sad part was that Red team, and Green, were still faring better than the other strike teams.

Gold was reorganized after their officer Lieutenant Richard and his aide Platt were charged, and later convicted, on treason. After being restaffed, they lost Sherman against one of the cyborgs and had another casualty. Rendering them like, Blue, into a hollow shell farmed out for internal replacements like Whipple and Stockton.

However, Orange Team had fared the worst, being wiped out in an ambush fighting the Russian mercenaries. Of the team-lead officers who started out the Toronto operations only Lieutenants Tendo and Patterson were left alive.

Bearing the same expression Sophie nodded again to Lieutenant Tendo.

Kasumi was experienced with succubus body language, but more importantly she knew Sophie. "It's okay. We know the job's hard. It's what we signed on to do. Death is part of the deal... you of all people should know that."

Sophie nodded; she knew that the constant operational tempo had yielded about fifty casualties, if one did not count those wounded in multiple engagements or Pattern D's who seemed to attract damage. That still left nearly two dozen agents, officers, pilots, and undercover operatives, killed in action.

Men and women who left behind families who would never know how or why they died only that they were never coming back. Sophie also knew that the only reason she was not part of that KIA list was because she had agreed to become a demon.

After studying her former subordinate, Kasumi's smile returned. "At least you're not blaming yourself. That's good."

"That's it?" Sophie asked her tail drooping slightly.

"What else is there?" Kasumi's expression hardened and her hand went to her dog tags.

"It's nice that you're helping take the load off babysitting," Gabriel smirked.

"These Pattern Silvers aren't the same as the brood," Deschain said.

"Yeah, following around Red is always a blast. I ever tell you the time me, her, and Aram stopped a bank robbery?"

"Yes, several times. Especially the part where the Colonel stops and has a beer with you three," Whipple sighed. "Shame about Aram."

"Shame about Ramirez," Gabriel replied.

Whipple grunted in thanks..

Her horns tingling, Sophie caught Kasumi's eye and nodded. "Well, I should go and report to Mother."

"Agent, give the Captain my best." Kasumi ordered,

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Roughly between Toronto and Ottawa was Weslemkoon Lake. The sprawling, vaguely starfish-shaped, body of water lay about a hundred kilometers east of the WIC training facility. In a clearing several kilometers south of the lake many of the JTF2 helicopters had landed on a basic helipad in a clearing maintained by the Bon Echo Provincial Park rangers.

Intended to serve as a place for medical evacuation helicopters to land and to stage forest firefighter crews, it had a couple of basic support shacks, plowing equipment, and access to many of the trails and roads in the area.

Several vehicles had already parked around the helipad and many of the buildings were in use. The location was designed as a prepositioning area and was the closest to the breakthrough point.

One of the CH-146 helicopters spooled up its engines and began to take off. Strapped into a seat, Major Wellwood Ellis Sifton ran a hand through his buzzed-short hair and looked at the map on his tablet. It was typical of this part of Ontario: forested, dotted with little lakes and relatively unpopulated. Being isolated helped; it was away from major towns which was a relief.

The area of interest was in Addington Highlands a sprawling _township_ of over a thousand square kilometers and hardly twenty-five hundred people. A contour plot overlaid the map showing the results of scanner sweeps with the more powerful helicopter borne equipment. It looked like a topographical map of rolling hills dominated by a narrow cliff-like mesa in the center.

The Major sighed and looked out the open door as the wind rushed past him. Trees and water flashed below him as the helicopter closed in on the breakthrough point. He shared the troop compartment with three other soldiers. Two were on the radios while one, who was not under his command, sat with her back to him and looked out the opposite door.

"Lieutenant Hill reports that the roadblocks are secure," Corporal Green said. Her voice came in over their headsets which dampened the engine noise and reduced the need to shout, somewhat.

Sifton nodded. The map was clear, the nearest paved road was ten kilometers away, but there was a trail that ran pretty close. "Right. Has Sergeant MacDowell reported?"

"Yes, Sir. So far no vehicle or... other tracks," Sergeant Brummet reported.

"Good," Sifton gave a relieved nod. Sergeant Billy MacDowell and his team had been ordered to check the trail for any signs of recent traffic.

"If something got through, they may not have used that trail to leave," the demon stated. Her voice resonant in spite of the electronic distortion and rotor noise.

"That's not my only concern." From earlier reports, Sifton knew the trail was too small for trucks and cars to pass, but it looked like ATVs and motor bikes would be able to use it. There were already plans to widen the trail; Sifton knew the higher ups would want to truck in plenty of heavy equipment to the Site.

The demon turned around to face him. Her deep purple eyes studied the officer for a moment. "Ah, a witness." Ranma nodded. "Troubling that."

"Any advice on how to deal with that?" the major asked, feeling slight distaste. Intimidating average citizens into shutting up did not appeal to him. At least the "brisk" interrogation methods were reserved for the enemy, what comfort that was, and then there was the Fifth's... dietary concerns.

The succubus shrugged. "Not my area. Check for recording devices and all that. Though the longer time passes the more chance someone'll upload anything strange."

He nodded. Video footage was the worst way to get outed. He recalled an operation in Kabul. What was supposed to be a simple, and unofficial, snatch-and-grab at Kardan University became a nightmare when a civil engineering student managed to use his webcam to record at least half of the ensuing firefight.

"Colonel Edwards or Sis- Captain Jarvis are the ones to talk to. The way they say it you've got two options. It's either crappy footage and you can have someone dismiss it out of hand, or if it's too good you can have someone come out and claim it's viral marketing."

"Really?" Brummet skeptically asked.

Sifton shared his subordinate's feelings. He doubted you could pass off a botched firefight as a movie, not when there was a shot-up dorm and a lecture-hall leveled by a improvised bomb.

"I know; it's cold and crazy." Ranma nodded at their expressions. "It helps if it looks outlandish, and then release your own footage 'proving' it's a fake. Course the key part is to make sure no one's got any hard evidence," the demon shrugged. "Not my thing, really."

The helicopter banked and as the clearing came into view the crew compartment hushed. Though the noise of the engines and the pilot and co-pilot ensured there was nothing even close to silence. Sifton saw the demon's pensive, focused expression and noted that the pilots had also taken a wide curve around the Site itself.

Oblong and the size of a smallish farm, the marshy clearing was half a square kilometer and covered with lumps of dry land. Groves of runty trees popped up in the drier places. Landing in one of the raised areas, the helicopter touched down near a sister CH-146 Griffon from the 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron. A large jammer device that took up much of the crew compartment was running its onboard generator off the helicopter's fuel supply.

Stepping behind the door-mounted Dillon Aero minigun, Sifton jumped off followed by the demon and the two JTF2 soldiers. Slinging their FAL's over their shoulders, each hefted a large plastic equipment crate and carried them two handed. The Major noticed that Ranma followed behind two, and kept a careful eye about her.

Stepping onto the ground she seemed to brighten for a moment, as if the dirt and grass itself was a pick-me-up; the ground itself seemed to lighten as if a break in the clouds just opened up. Then, inhaling deeply, she looked towards the Site. Her face clouded and her eyes hardened.

Seeing that her tail was held out long and straight behind her, Sifton expected the demon to have good situational awareness, but he did note that she constantly looked to the eastern side of the clearing.

Walking east, they crossed a bit of marshy terrain and met up with Sergeant MacDowell who had had his squad dig into the back side of a hill that faced the Site. Scanners were up and pointed towards the blackened spot of ground at the edge of the clearing. Other pieces of equipment were also unpacked and pointed in the same direction.

Sifton saw the demon put her arm to the bow-like collection of sheathed antennas on her chest. He could almost feel a slight vibration as she activated her personal jammer. "Sergeant. Status?" Sifton asked, giving a nod as he crouched next to the squad behind the somewhat excavated hillside.

"Sir, the situation... it's weird." MacDowell returned the gesture and motioned towards the Site, which lay down the opposite side of the hill less than hundred and fifty meters away.

Ranma gave a little smile at the lack of saluting. She had also crouched down and studied the Site with narrowed eyes. Her nostrils flared as she sniffed the air.

Sifton caught her expression with a shrug. His attention returned to the broad-shouldered very muscular trooper next to him. "Weird? You'll have to narrow it down, boy."

"Whole place is wrong. We're not picking up anything new, but the mercs are right," MacDowell nodded at the demon. "Something bad broke through here." The sergeant looked over to his support team with a somewhat relieved smile.

A bit down the line of cover, Corporal Jon Jones had the 87mm recoilless rifles at hand while Corporal Bishop, carried the pack full of High Explosive Dual Purpose shells with a couple unpacked and ready for loading.

Sergeant Billy MacDowell's team was trained to specialize in reconnaissance. That meant they got first crack at the mercenaries' fancy and balky electronics. However, the large man had found some of WIC's advice quite agreeable and made sure his men were qualified for the Carl Gustav recoilless rifle and that the section had at least one signed out at all times.

He had also volunteered to have the furniture on his team's C2A1's modified to allow rails and other equipment mounted on. Which allowed for the subsequent volunteering that allowed M203 40mm grenade launchers to be mounted under the barrels of their 7.56 NATO firing FALs.

He was a fan of reconnaissance in force, and on days like this his men's griping about the weight of their equipment seemed most worth it.

The fall air was crisp, but there was a sharp, almost decaying undertone to the air. Sifton frowned. "You kept a quarantine?"

MacDowell raised an eyebrow. "Sir, my men only got as close as Lieutenant Hill ordered. We let the drones do over-flight."

Feeling his men's unease, Sifton translated that into: "We obeyed the letter of the order as far as you'll know and kept our Carl G trained on that stupid burned stump the whole time."

Sifton looked over and caught the demon's eye. Her tail had begun to curl near the tip and her wings were pulled in close. The Albertan had grown up on a ranch and found the body language familiar enough. "Something really did break through here?"

Ranma blinked. She inhaled and shook her head. "No, if it did your men would already be shooting, but something did happen here." Her eyes caught the Site: a roughly circular patch of burned grass, burnt trees and dried dirt. "Maybe a breakthrough would have been better."

Major Sifton resumed looking at the Site. It was a bare hundred and fifty meters away. There were no birds, no insects, no animals. No sight or sound, but the helicopters could account for that. With a greasy, queasy feeling the major realized he was glad for that. The idea of being in this clearing alone without the helicopters and their guns and rockets, without their noise, without his men... all alone filled him with dread.

"How small have the men been split up?" he asked MacDowell.

"Assault groups, sir." MacDowell nodded in understanding. "I wanted to keep us in section size, but the LT overruled.

"Good. No one splits up into fire teams unless combat requires it, and don't ever split up alone." He then clicked on his radio and repeated the order to Lieutenant Hanna Hill.

"Yes, I agree two groups of four will cover the trail faster than one group of eight," Sifton sighed. "But you're not sitting out in a bog staring at a little patch of burnt ground feeling like you're about to be invaded. Keep your men together as much as possible." He clicked off the transmit button.

The demon gave an approving nod.

Setting up another bit of scanning equipment, Sergeant Brummet glanced at Corporal Lily Green. Being two troopers, _they_ were a fire team, half of an assault group, that had been detached from another section. Lilly shrugged and powered on the equipment. There were worse places to get stuck.

Sifton conferred with MacDowell for a bit and looked at the updated sensor feed form one of the Sergeant's men. There was nothing new. The Site was... wrong, but at least it did not seem active. He moved back to the demon who would have seemed fixated on the ashen spot if she had not kept occasionally looking to the sides, back, and above. "This isn't quite your thing is it Red?"

The demoness tilted her head. "Oh?" she asked with a hint of irritation.

"No offense intended, but you're normally called in when something goes wrong. You told me you don't do cover-ups, and I'm guessing you don't do over-watch or recon. Though I can't blame you for getting tweaked out here."

Sifton turned back to the Site. "I don't have your fancy powers and even I'm getting tweaked out here." He turned to MacDowell and each of the men (and women) in his section. "Good work, Sergeant, you have a strong team to keep it together alone out here."

Ranma waited for the MacDowell and his troops to awkwardly take the praise. Corporals Jones and Bishop, the recoilless rifle team seemed particularly embarrassed. Once the major had returned to giving her his partial attention, while keeping the bulk on the Site, the scanner feed, and his radio, Ranma cleared her throat.

"You're right." She shrugged. "I don't really do that other stuff. I've been branching out into training, but my main job is to kill whatever stupid things've decided to cause trouble."

"A trigger-puller, eh?

Ranma glanced down at her single SSP. The massive fifty caliber handgun was slung in a great holster strapped to her right hip that was longer than the Kevlar-sheathed plates of her skirt armor.

"Metaphorically," Sifton explained; he knew Red tended to rarely use firearms. Apparently, at the distances she normally worked at her innate powers were more than suitable.

The demoness chuckled. She flexed a black gloved hand. "Yeah, I suppose that's right."

Sifton nodded. He then turned away to check in on his radio. When he turned back the demon was still pensively looking out into the distance.

"Questions?" he asked.

She gave a slight smile. "I suppose you're not the only ones getting training today."

Sifton recalled the conversation the demon had with Colonel Edwards before leaving. "Being groomed for command then?"

The demoness shrugged.

"The Fifth Non Human," Sifton stated. The wind picked up and some of the taller weeds began to wave across the clearing. He looked at her and realized how young the woman actually was. Despite her demeanor, she could not have been older than a Royal Military College officer cadet.

"It is my brood," Ranma shrugged. "It's my responsibility."

Looking at his troops, Sifton nodded.

"Which is more than just trigger-pulling."

"Command does that." Sifton glanced at a display screen. The... effect of the Site seemed contained. "Have you started budgets and procurement paperwork yet?"

"Only a bit..." The redhead sighed. "It's scary to realize how expensive all this stuff is," she said sweeping her arms to encompass the helicopters, equipment, and weapons.

Sifton simply nodded. Even the black areas of JTF2 and the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command newly entrusted with defending the Dominion against other-worldly threats were nickel and dimed. The hard part was not getting approval to do operations, but justifying the expenses after the fact.

"You won't do the actual billing?" Sifton asked.

"Hmm?" Ranma blinked.

"The bills you guys send us."

The demon gave a tiny wince but quickly regained her composure. "Ah, no. I don't do that. It'll just be the internal budget. The rest-" She shrugged. "That's above my pay-grade."

Sifton nodded. At least the demon gave no excuses: there was no defense or explaining away the cost of the Company's services, or even that they were a mercenary army operating on Canadian soil.

The clearing grew quiet as the wind picked up in gusts and bursts. "Though I do agree with the Colonel's and the Commander's push to bring you guys in on this," Ranma admitted.

Looking at the Site, Sifton recalled the comments about artillery and fighter bomber support. "Yeah."

"At least things aren't too bad here. And you did coordinate with the 425TH Tactical."

Sifton nodded. CFB Bagotville was about 700km away. And the combat radius for an CF18 was only 540km. However, if things were dire enough that the Canadians needed to bomb themselves, the jet could simply land at an Ontario airstrip. Looking at the Site, the soft-spot, Sifton no longer found Colonel Edward's suggestion of staging fighters in Toronto quite so ludicrous. It even made the museum idea seem less insane.

He turned from the succubus to the Site. It was easy to calculate the threat escalation ladder. After the fighter-bombers came progressively heavier payloads until... well until Colonel Stillwater's comments about Canada retiring their nuclear launch capability came into high relief.

The officer exhaled. He turned to see the demon's pensive expression grow more concerned and thoughtful.

The demon glared at the Site. Her stomach lurched but she made her decision. "I'd like to try my Sailor Earth getup."

"The... uniform you wore before we left?" Sifton delicately asked.

Ranma gave a slightly embarrassed nod. "Yeah... that one."

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Eve stepped into the observation room with all three of her daughters at her heel. Major Saotome looked up with a smile. She knew they were coming. In a room such as this it would be hard to miss, though much of the take was encrypted and sent to their A Facility downtown. "Please, come in," Nodoka stated to her... elder daughter.

The room was a cinderblock box with some monitors bolted to the walls while several sat on the few metal tables that also held workstations and some radio equipment. Feed from several of the cameras and microphones that were spread throughout the training base were being displayed. One of the technicians, a small woman with mousy brown hair, was watching the access gates and perimeter detectors. Another, a fidgeting man with a shaved head and russet-colored skin, was on over-watch duty. While the last, a taller blonde-haired woman, was observing the Pattern Silvers. Scanner data was fed into supplemental windows that complemented the video and auditory take.

The blocky core to a Wasserfall long range pattern scanner sat in one corner of the room with one antennea array taking up half of a wall while thick cables sprouted from the top of the device connecting it to a larger array that had been mounted on the roof of an adjacent building.

There was a Thiel grade inter-dim jammer at work. Concealed by the same dark green steel plate box as the Wasserfal, the jammer looked much the same as the rest of the equipment. Its control pannel was slightly different, but it could easilly pass as a battery backup or even a generator.

To human eyes at least. For demons and others sensitive to such things the vibrations it produced were different than those of a scanner, and set Eve's teeth on edge and made her horns tingle. She knew that this was only one of several devices, another was secured in a guarded power vault that had been constructed to company specifications.

As the demons entered, Morgan angled her immense rifle to clear the doorway then kept it angled down towards the floor. Thus, while she held to Rule Number Two, her gun did fire a 25mm grenade which would cause _some_ damage no matter where it was pointed. Albeit shrapnel would be far less damaging than a direct hit. However, she also held to Rule Number Three and kept her finger indexed alongside the frame well outside the trigger guard.

Eve and Morrison simply kept their sidearms holstered and in Morrison's case her 17mm Pug was slung over her left shoulder muzzle facing down. Sophie slipped next to her mother and gave the taller demoness a quick but heartfelt hug.

Morrison unclipped a portable scanner from her uniform's harness. It was a larger version of the Kaskade series normally worn by members of the 5th.

It was actually identical to the model used by analysts such as Jarred Dirac, who Morrison handed the device to. He had a laptop out and was making notes on the recordings he had made earlier in the day. He had expected to record Miss Tsukino and later the other Pattern Silvers using their powers. Being able to track the activation and ascension of a new Senshi was something else entirely.

"What do you think of today's training?" Nodoka asked, stepping towards the blonde demoness. The room was large enough to hold eight people comfortably, and that was before the machinery and equipment was brought in, though that was about it.

Eve glanced at the security monitors then back to Nodoka. "Well, given what preceded it..."

Worry clouding her face, Nodoka exhaled. "That is an issue, but let's talk capabilities. I didn't expect the symbiotic armor to be discarded so easily."

Eve raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I know. It would seem that Miss Meiou has been pushing Miss Tsukino more. That's not what I'm asking about. How was she today?"

"_How is the leader of this new team my daughter's got herself tangled up with?"_ Eve mentally translated. "She has potential. It's interesting; Miss Tsukino has an odd type of stubbornness. For big things she won't ever give up, but the little things... she'll let them slide."

"Big things are made out of little things. You screw up on the small stuff the whole thing will fail." Doctor Nodoka Saotome scoffed in the way only an engineer could. Materials science was all about precision and process. For her, a little screw-up meant that someone's armor, arms or ammunition could fail, and that would get people, the wrong people, killed.

"Yes Ma'am," Eve agreed. "Basically, she's willing to die for what she believes in, but she's less willing to wake up early and work her ass off for what she believes in."

"And my daughter, your sister, has decided to become... closer with her?"

Eve pulled back her lips and gave a toothy smile that did not reach her eyes. "Ranma is an excellent motivator and a demanding teacher."

Nodoka nodded, reassured slightly. "So, how did you fare as her teacher?"

"You didn't watch?" Eve asked.

The scientist gave a slight smile. "Your impression?"

"She's afraid of failure, afraid of what she did. I don't think she wants to disappoint her friends, or Ranma."

"And the Pattern readings?"

"We'll have to see what Morrison picked up," Eve said as she stepped over to give her daughter a hug.

The green-haired succubus smiled and leaned back.

Looking over Dirac's shoulder, Nodoka gave a thoughtful murmur. Miss Tsukino was _the_ Pattern Silver. Every other Senshi was... degraded in some way. Even going from Sailor DarkStar to Sailor Earth was a mere refinement for her daughter.

Eve looked back. "You're concerned about the timing too?"

"Miss Meiou was content to leave Miss Tsukino concealed inside a golden golem, until we get probed by an exo-dimensional force, and then she abandons that plan. I can see her adjusting her plans in light of a new threat, but I am concerned with how much Miss Meiou knows, and her intentions." Nodoka frowned. "At least Sailor Earth has caught her by surprise."

"There is that. Miss Meiou was most agreeable with our plans. Although..." Eve shook her head and then glanced at the data Dirac had downloaded from Morrison's scanner. "She seemed to just go along with today's makeover fun."

Nodoka nodded, seemingly distracted by her thoughts.

Eve turned; she could feel the other woman's state, see her apprehension. The succubus hesitated then cleared her throat. "Mother? Is this... Earth situation that bad?"

Leaning to the side, Nodoka saw Eve's tail was hanging limply. "Oh Eve," she stepped forward and put her arms around Eve and the blonde's daughters. Morgan shifted her rifle before giving a bit of a purr.

"Mother?" Eve repeated as she nuzzled the older woman.

Nodoka looked at the taller woman and patted her on the head. "No, it's not just Sailor Earth. It's not Miss Meiou and the recon sweep either."

Eve held her tongue. Silence was often easier, and allowed her to concentrate on the other woman's emotions.

"I know about Miss RedStorm, Dear." Nodoka said chidingly. "The Colonel briefed me, before Ranma, which I'm not sure I agree with."

"BlackSky then?" Eve asked, eying the monitoring crew.

"Yes, I do wonder what she has planned." Nodoka's voice hardened. "Everyone wants something from Ranma." She sighed.

Eve shivered at that. "You would make-" the blonde paused. "You should talk to BlackSky then. One matriarch to another."

Nodoka pondered the slip of the tongue. "Is everything okay with you? You did have to let Ranma... go today."

"Her going off to train with JTF2 will be good for her."

Nodoka tilted her head.

"She needs to expand her command experience." Eve stated. "That's not what you meant is it?"

"You're not just talking about Major Sifton are you?"

"She can handle Miss Tsukino. We shouldn't be the only ones worried that we've got in over our heads."

Nodoka shook her head slightly.

"If she has... feelings for Miss Tsukino, then she should explore them, before she gets hurt." Eve returned to look at the monitors. Specifically, the camera recording Usagi and Kiri. After Ranma had left Usagi had changed to her Serenity form. She sat on a metal stool under the shower as Kiri washed her long silver hair. Kiri then turned off the water and took a comb and started combing out the long wet hair.

Nodoka exhaled. "You believe that?"

"It's Ranma's choice, but if Miss Tsukino hurts her, we will take care of her," Eve gave her daughters a squeeze. She continued to watch the feed. Maya had turned on the audio channel; Kiri was lecturing, giving an after-action debriefing.

Nodoka nodded.

"What about BlackSky? Sending another one of her granddaughters is a strong signal," Eve reminded as Morrison and Morgan snaked out of their mother's embrace.

"But not a clear one," Nodoka frowned. "Miss RedStorm was born on earth, and is a Company contractor."

"That is a message. I'm sure... grandmother has plenty of heirs that she could have sent from her Homeplane empire. However speculation only gets us so far."

"Yes." Seeing Eve's pensive expression, Nodoka gave her another hug. "We could always be proactive about this."

Eve turned to face the monitors and Nodoka followed. They looked at the screen displaying the mess hall, the Senshi, and the rest of the brood.

Looking at her granddaughters, Nodoka gave a little sigh.

"You should spend more time with them," Eve added. Again she looked to the monitors. Still sitting on her stool, Usagi was now wearing a white towel over her torso, and Kiri had finished drying off her hair. Obviously enjoying herself, the serene, younger looking, green haired woman began styling the Queen's silver hair.

Once the large twin _odangos__with their long ponytails were in place, Kiri presented Usagi with a mirror, the Queen smiled and hugged Kiri. Then the two left the room and the monitor was switched to a different camera to continue tracking._

"We just had that day off together," Nodoka stated. Her eyes went to Serenity and Kiri. She paused, remembering sitting next to Miss Tsukino on the bed. "You're right. I'll do my best."

Eve nodded. "That is all we can do." She turned to her own daughters and gave a smile.

"But I can do more," Nodoka said a bit sharply. "You're right; we need to know more about BlackSky's plans. I should talk with her," the scientist paused. "I can do that."

"And the Commander, the Colonel?" Eve asked.

"I can present my case to them, they understand the risks. Colonel Edwards has met BlackSky." Nodoka gave Eve another hug. "My daughter... my daughters, you have enough complications in your lives. But..." her eyes flickered to the monitor. "But what is one more."

Eve purred. "Is it that simple?"

"BlackSky cares for her long lost granddaughter. She wants to make sure she is loved and taken care of. I can show her that I'm fulfilling my duties."

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Major Sifton took MacDowell's offered binoculars and studied the burned stumps and logs from the Site. He briefly wondered about the cause of the burning at the breach location, and how long it would take to get a robot to go over and take soil samples. "That uniform. It's... cute. May I ask why?"

"Nicely put." Ranma chuckled. She flexed her tail. "I think, I'm more... in tune with my powers, I've got a stronger feeling of connection with things." The demon shrugged. "I just activated them today. This is the first chance in the field."

"More sensitive then?" Handing the binoculars back, Sifton nodded. "Are you sure you want to see this thing with stronger senses?"

"No," the demon immediately replied. "But... I should try anyway."

Sifton kept his expression neutral. He felt in over his head, but at least so did these mercenaries, and looking at the Site did not reassure him. They needed more information on what had happened here. "Do it."

"Let's see if I can do this without the whole song and dance," Ranma said as she swayed her hips. Whispering to herself, she tapped her forehead and a bright green glow began to emanate from the spot. It flashed over, spreading rapidly across her body. Obscured in green light, her gray-green armored vest began to shift while her pleated Kevlar-sheathed plate skirting began to flow down.

Brightening from red into a shiny pink, her hair parted down the middle, wrapped around the large horns on either side of her head, and began to braid itself into twin ponytails. The dark green jammer "bow" shrank and turned into a tiny crimson silk bow that moved from the center of her chest to above her left breast.

A matching red bow blossomed at the base of her spine, and ribbons spiraled out from it to encase and conceal her tail. Heavy boots transmuted over into dainty silver hooves with red leather spats adorned with golden crescent moons.

Her height shrank down as the green glow diminished revealing a dainty looking demoness with a delicate youthful face. She had cute little green bows on her braids, pointed ears, and claws. Her eyes had gone from purple to turquoise with a purple rim around her now silted pupils.

Softly smiling with her pink lips, she gave a little bow which dipped her hips in something like a curtsy. The maneuver was enhanced by the long blue skirt to her modestly demure blue and green-trimmed seifuku. Rising back up to her diminutive height, she shook her coiled tail back and forth as it began to spiral in on itself.

She looked at herself and gave a smirk. "I do make a pretty lunar demon," Sailor Earth said to herself.

"It makes sense that you'd be like them... the others I mean." Sifton noted that the demon's jewelry was not quite the same as before. She still had the tiara and earrings, but the choker was absent leaving her neck bare.

"Yes Major." The demoness' expression became more reserved. "It's a true shame I didn't see that earlier."

Lilly Green turned to Brummet who just shrugged. "What?" he quietly asked after another prodding. "We saw her change outta that getup before we left."

"Yeah, but this isn't exactly the place to go around dressed for high tea with the queen," Green replied as she adjusted the power supply for the scanner Brummet had lugged over from the helicopter.

"Well?" Sifton asked, echoing his subordinate's concerns. "Do you have a deeper connection in this form?"

Facing the Site, Earth nodded. Her senses expanded out and she could feel the buzzing of life in the clearing as the energies vibrated against her horns. The rich almost peaty smell of the ground rose up to meet her nose and clashed with the crisp smell of the newly turning leaves, the strong sharp odors of the troopers, and the flat scents of their equipment. However, pulsing beneath it all was the rank, almost wrong scent and... presence of the Site.

Feeling light headed, she realized that starting out as Earth in the company of the Senshi and her brood was a wise move. As powerful as the connections were, they were at least familiar and known quantities.

She blinked and nodded. "Yeah, I've... well I can feel more, and it's just... wrong. It's like a spill. A bit of their reality leaked into ours."

Sifton watched as the little demon seemed to drink in the air, and angle her head as if she could get better reception by tilting those giant buns on her head. "Is it still leaking?"

"I don't think so." The demoness looked down at her swaying braids.

Sifton raised an eyebrow.

The blonde and pink haired demoness tugged at one of the ponytails. She looked down at the green bow at the end and nodded to herself. "I'm gonna try something." Her eyes closed and the emerald set in her gold tiara glowed and was matched by twin pairs of bows on her braids.

Her eyes opened and for a moment her silted pupils widened in shock

"Red?" Sifton asked, noting that his men were watching with interest and... caution.

Staring at the site and turning her head, Earth's lip quivered, "Oh those bastards... ruining my home."

Watching the demon tilt her head, Sifton could almost catch sight bits of green flecks that moved from the green bow at the bottom of each braids to the green bows at the top. He noted that the braids went straight into large horn-like buns on either side of her head. "They're related to your horns?" he asked. "Like... adding a longer antennae to a radio receiver?"

"My Dear Major, that's exactly what they are." Earth smiled. Looking back at the site, her expression soured. She then turned her attention from the burned stumps and grass back to the shallow muddy trench she stood in. Her silver hooves were already covered in grime and splashes of dirt were on her red spats and the hem of her dress.

"You keep upping your sensitivity... here of all places?"

The little demoness nodded. "The hole was small and only open for an instant but... the other side... a taint spilled through and has soured this place." Irritation flashed and she looked down. "The dirt itself rejects the intrusion."

"Are we safe? Are our scanners right? Did anything get through?"

"I don't feel... here. If something got through it's gone. Everything in the clearing is from this world." Her tail curling into a tighter coil, she nodded. "But I would adhere to the quarantine protocols. And watching from here would be no fun." A silver-tipped claw tapped her chin.

Sifton and his men watched as the little demon pulled up her skirt a little bit and knelt down on her knees. Her long skirt fanned out a bit, exposing the green hose above the spats to her hooves. Twin braids fell to the ground and seemed to sparkle with a green light. Her tail also went limp and curled onto the ground. Spreading her little silver wings, she bent forward and planted her long, white-gloved hands onto the muddy dirt.

"What are you doing?"

"I can feel. I'm seeing what I can do," Earth said as she closed her eyes.

"Sir?" MacDowell asked.

"Let her be," Sifton ordered but he still motioned for Jones and Bishop to be ready with their Carl Gustav and that Green and Brummet were off their line but still had their rifles ready.

Heat pulsed out from the demon's hands and tiny licks of green and violet flames poked out from the wet ground. Like a billows she breathed in and out in deep steady breaths.

Major Sifton then saw that snaking lines of heat were coming from the demon's braids, tail, and knees. Wherever she contacted the ground the... whatever spread from. Steam began to puff up and was replaced by lines of running water as the ground started to dry.

The breathing deepened becoming labored as the wall of the hill started to gently heat and dry. Then, weeping water, the dirt began to pulse. With each breath the wall in front of them rose a few centimeters. It was slow, plodding work, and made slower each time the rising was stopped when the wall sank back down as the layers compacted. Even the sandbags MacDowell's section had emplaced shrank and hardened becoming something like bricks or rocks in the growing wall.

Gasping, the demoness let out a quick almost maniacal giggle and then resumed her steady breathing, though this time bearing a broad, smug grin.

"Damn, this is... somethin' else,eh?" Brummet noted.

Green raised an eyebrow. "Four of us with shovels could outpace her," she flatly stated. "Pretty though."

Sifton had to move his men back and prod them to keep them from watching the slow but steady growth. It was after the second rotation of men and fifth minute the he noticed Corporal Green's comment. He looked down and saw green shoots spreading around the kneeling demoness.

Unlike the slow steady work on the now waist-high and lengthening wall, the green grass quickly spread out popping up in the rich moist earth and growing into thick carpet-like turf as they watched.

"It's magic, damn magic," Bishop muttered as he glanced back at the manicured lawn that was growing into place.

"You were okay with their super strength and fireballs?" Jones reminded.

"That's not... this..." Bishop exhaled and rested the tube of the _Carlo_ on the upper surface of the wall. Crenellations with firing ports were even starting to slowly, slowly rise into place.

Sifton shifted his feet as the first shoots met his boots. He gave a slightly embarrassed shuffle. The growth might be unnaturally fast, but it still took time to fill in. "Damn... can all of you do this?"

"You have to have a... " Earth paused to breathe a few times. "A connection to life and... the planet." She resumed her work and the wall finished forming. It had stopped rising and instead had thickened and lengthened, forming a gentle arc that was waist-high on one side and a bare hand height on the side facing the Site. The ends curled in to give positions to protect against flanking and the ground on the inside was gently stepped with thick soft grass and sections that could serve as seats in a pinch.

Sifton noted with some relief that the "upgrades" were limited in area and hardly got more than five meters from where the demoness knelt. He keyed into his radio to update his, and her, status.

Letting her labored breath calm down, Earth drew back in her magic and the fires dampened and she rose back to her hooves. Now her spats, gloves, and skirt were spotless. Opening her eyes, she bowed her head to Sifton and then gave a deeper bow at the waist to the rest of the Canadian troopers. "How's this for a start, Major?" she asked with a playful smirk.

"It's something," Sifton shook his head the position was almost... livable. Though once the trail in was opened up proper buildings and concrete could be poured in. Sifton frowned, fully realizing that the Site would have to be watched and guarded from this point forward.

The diminutive succubus then blinked and looked at the miniature park she had created. "Oh wow," she gave a few deep breaths and blinked again at her heart-rate. It was still elevated. "How long?"

"Call it ten minutes," MacDowell stated looking at his watch. "And demons can do this?"

Sailor Earth sat down on one of the "seats". She could just see the Site from her vantage point. Worry crossed her face. " Mako-chan could do it, she's got power over plants... for moving the dirt... maybe if she were on her world. Though if that's true then Usagi could move moon rocks." She crossed her legs and her right hoof nervously kicked at the knee.

Major Sifton sat down next to her and placed his hand on her knees. "This really is something amazing you did."

"I just feel a... connection you know? Like this is my world, it's like how I can feel my family." Earth exhaled. "Sorry."

Sifton gave a quick laugh. "Compared to that," he pointed to the Site. "This is a little bit of Eden." His grin grew as he saw the young woman begin to blush.

Giving a silly smile, the demoness shook her head. The glow on her green bows faded and she blinked a few times. Her face drew more serious. "Wow, now I know why our horns are normally so small." She stretched her neck.

Sifton handed her a canteen. "How you feeling?"

After taking a long drink from the canteen, the demon gave a flat expression at odds with her adorable accoutrements. "Like I laid some sod right after digging out a hill and laying a foundation." She flexed her fingers. "Least my hands aren't aching. Sweet of you to ask." She chuckled and gave Sifton a peck on the cheek before standing back up.

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Sitting on a bench in Confederation Park, Shest looked across the narrow Rideau Canal. To her left was the pile of odd polygons that made up the National Arts Center, to her right and behind her was the sleek glass fronted Ottawa City Hall.

However, her attention was primarily on the large building on the opposite side of the canal. The target was a beige, roughly twenty story building consisting of three rectangular blocks. There were two towering blocks anchoring either end of a longer and shorter mid-section.. Even stranger the whole thing seemed to be on stilts. There was even a road that went under the center of the complex.

It was barricaded and closed. Which showed that the Canadians had some sense at least. On the other hand, there were several boats tied up on the canal right next to the building itself.

She ran a hand though her short pixie-cut hair. The sun was high and the air was cool. The fence around the building was short and there were hardly any guards posted outside. She extended her senses and hit an immense vibrating wall.

Looking at the Major-General George R Pearkes building, the combat-cyborg nodded slightly. There was another example of them being sensible. It seemed that inter-dim jammers were required around these parts. Though having such a device was a target in and of itself.

Trying her systems, Shest ran a diagnostic. She was careful to limit her output. Not for fear of attracting the mercenaries, she was over five hundred kilometers away from Toronto. Plenty of distance from their area of operations. Instead she was concerned about being detected by local forces. She was out in the open and her companion was not... inconspicuous.

A few seconds after she had completed her scan her companion cleared his throat. "You know there's a mall right across the street from it?" He was a large man with a strong chin and brutish features. This was enhanced by the hideous grey-green plaid suit with big shoulders and a wide paisley tie. His hair was dark and greased and hung in a long mop that showed more evidence of combing and care than should be possible given the result.

The whole ensemble hurt to look at and to Shest's eyes was even more horrible for how it actually matched. The grid of the plaid lines was not fully orthogonal and would cause distorted patterns. The whorls and dots on his tie were disturbingly suggestive. Even the mint-green pin stripes on his cream shirt seemed to bend and double back.

Looking at the hired-gun, Shest suppressed a shiver. Many would say this was man who did not know how to dress himself. Shest knew nothing could be further from the truth. Mal de Veste was a man who knew exactly what he was doing when he got up in the morning and picked out his wardrobe.

"Why? You want to do some shopping before we go? Maybe see if we can pick the item up in the appliance section?" Shest asked. "They don't sell those things next to toasters you know."

"Well no. Just you..." Mal gestured to the long white sweater and loose pants Shest wore over her red and grey bodysuit.

"Do not dare to criticize my fashion sense," Shest stated, her cheeks reddening slightly. There was a sliver of embarrassment as she had to admit she had dressed more for ease of ditching her street-clothes than anything else.

Mal was nonplused. "Ah. Don't have time anyway. Just wanted to make sure you had no problems with the natives..."

"Yes, they speak your language here," Shest eyed the man. He had a large alligator-skin briefcase on his knees. Which was, depressingly, the least garish part of his ensemble.

"My language?" Mal asked without a trace of French in his accent. He rolled his shoulders and adjusted the fit of the shoulder holster for his VZ 52. One advantage of a custom tailored suit was allowances for such things.

If anything to Shest's ear his clipped English sounded a bit more Germanic than anything else. However the man's pseudonym was obvious enough. "Yes, your language."

"Please, this provincial backwoods gutter-snipe of a pidgin is..." de Veste shook his head. "I suppose it could be worse. If these _were_ Frenchmen then they would be under the English Queen... unacceptable. Besides, right here we're not even in Quebec. We'd have to go North to cross the river to enter that debased mirror world."

"That is not part of our mission."

"Our mission." Mal grunted. "We are each part of a smaller whole. Brick by brick we will complete our mission. Good thing too. The call has gone out and they rise." He looked down at his gold ring with its shining stone. "Have you prepared for what is coming?"

Like most of her comrades, Shest was a lapsed communist. She was still more than wary of religion, especially, as it unfortunately turned out, of those who worshiped something that just might be real.

She looked at his face her brow furrowed in confusion. Like always, his eyes were hidden behind smoked aviator style glasses. "Are you trying to convert me?"

"Well, I have some literature." He tapped his briefcase then sadly shook his head. "But no, finding the right altar would take too long. I guess Canada's got granite, that's a start. And then there's finding the proper empty night to induct you. It's a cliche, but really, the stars would have to be just right. To be impatient is an insult, especially when dealing with a being that sees an eon as an eye blink."

"That's not what I meant." Shest groaned. "I've really got no interest in your god."

"Ah, but I'm sure she has an interest in you." Mal leered. "Reciprocity would only be polite. Your powers... seeing the unseen, ghosting through the walls of reality." He undid the clasps of his briefcase. "Maybe I should make our case to you."

"We have a mission. Galina will be told of this."

"Yes, yes, I wouldn't respect you if you didn't" Mal dismissively waved his hand. He cleared his throat and met Shest's skeptical gaze. "Have you ever suspected that reality is merely a front? That it is nothing more than a creaky, poorly-built facade. Surely you must have glimpsed the inner workings of the world? Beings of vast power beyond ours, the pillars and gears and machinery that keeps things spatially and temporally discreet... and discrete. The universe is a rusting machine that is grinding itself apart, spitting out parts."

"And you want me to sign on with the goddess that is going to fix all that?"

"Hah!" Mal shook his head. "Oh my no... we're all doomed. Those above us have no more ability to escape their fate than those below us. But we do have a chance for revenge, and that is what I offer." The brutish man leaned back and lifted the lid to his briefcase a couple centimeters. "You have been wronged, your comrades have been wronged. Yes, the world is unfair, the universe is an uncaring mess but you can still get your pound of flesh."

"No, just no." Shest slammed her fist onto the briefcase forcing it shut. She returned his gaze and fought the urge to rip his glasses off and throw them into the canal. "You're really bad at this whole recruiting thing are you?"

"My god is an eldritch abomination beyond space and time," the assassin said with all sincerity. He opened the briefcase a bit more and took a few baseball sized rounded cubes out. Dark grey and green, he fiddled with the recessed dials on the top of each before slipping them into his now bulging coat pockets. He then took a leather shoulder strap out of the briefcase and clipped it to the sides.

Shest suppressed a groan. "See previous."

"Right, right." Mal de Veste closed the latches on his briefcase and glanced at his watch.

Shest glanced at the clock on her heads up display. "We still have time. Or do you propose another revision to the plan?"

"We can get a head start," Mal stood and smoothed his coat.

Shest got to her feet and followed Mal towards the canal. "Mal, don't improvise. If you screw this up Galina will not be happy."

Mal looked down at the shorter woman. "I think that's a bit of an understatement." He looked across the park then back to the target building. "No, if someone screws up on this, Mademoiselle A'deen will be most creative with her displeasure."

"This has enough risk." Shaking her head, Shest had reached the path on the far edge of the canal and leaned on the railing. "I can't believe there's not a better place. This is their national military headquarters."

"Where else? Mademoiselle A'deen doesn't want us to raid a mercenary base, or attack those demons. That leaves the few the Canadians have on proving grounds, labs, or that factory they're starting up. All of which are on military bases, with infantry, tanks, and helicopters."

"Yes, I know what soldiers are. I've been raiding NATO bases since before you started worshiping gibbering gods."

The man glanced down at the shorter woman.

"And I'm aware of the irony that this is the less defended location." She eyed the building again. The defense in depth was nonexistent, parts of the building butted right up against the sidewalk.

Mal tapped his chin. "I suppose we could knock over 24 Sussex Drive. That's probably a bit better."

"No, we're not attacking the Prime Minister. This is bad enough. At least we know the vast majority of the people inside won't be armed."

"Exactly. Outside of battle soldiers tend to be disarmed." Mal smirked. "Thus is dirty secret of military bases. Consider your own experiences. How often did your superiors lock up the men's ammunition."

"I hardly think Canada is worried about a military coup."

Mal laughed.

"Not that your research is wrong," Shest sighed. She had done much the same, at least the West Germans, back when they existed, would have some semblance of defense on their rear-bases. "I'd say the West is soft but-"

"Your comrades do much the same. And I know you have found this situation useful in the past."

Reluctantly, Shest nodded. "Right, there was this one time we got onto a cruiser... the damn fools only carried one loaded magazine." She laughed, saw the pattern on his coat shift, blinked, then looked away.

Mal lifted his nose. "The British have a saying, lock a Tommy in a room with nothing save for two bowling balls overnight. In the morning you will find he has lost one and broken the other."

"Right." Shest's urge to rip his glasses off and toss them in the water grew. "What's your point?" she asked as they turned south and began walking towards the Laurier Avenue bridge

"My point is that the neo-aristocratic bureaucratic class does not trust the common man. Though the cultist in me does not find their position terribly disagreeable. After all this classism will be quite useful for us." He paused and waited for the intersection to clear before they could cross to the bridge.

Shest shivered, at least the brute was not directly spouting Marxist theory. "Yeah, yeah, get past the door, get to the subbasement. Secure the room." Shest narrowed her eyes. "Just don't improvise. Once they discover us, and they will discover who we are, it's a matter of when not if we have to make sure we get out before they run it all the way up the flagpole."

Stopping on their ascent of the stairs that connected the lane to the bridge, Mal chuckled. "Is that your real concern? You've had your own... flashes of improvisation."

"Yes, pardon me for being more afraid of cannibalistic demons than I am of Canadians."

"If I recall a good chunk of them are Canadian."

Reaching the top Shest looked around the tree-filled city. They were hardly ten meters higher up but the wind was sharper here, and the traffic over the bridge was faster. They stuck to the sidewalk and began to cross.

"And as you said small arms. Unless you screw up royally, worst I'll face is some 223 caliber. It's not like they'll bring in heavy weapons. And hitting a small, mobile, supernatural target with anything bigger? Not happening," Shest assured. That was their advantage, they were too heavily armored for small arms, and too mobile to be pinned down by heavy arms.

They paused on the mid-span of the bridge. Ostensibly, this was for her to call back to base and to see if there was any chatter from the city's emergency bands. At the same time Mal... she looked over and saw the man staring off to the North up the length of the canal. Though his smoky sunglasses, she could just make out a shining glint coming from his eyes.

Turning back to look at the water, and her heads up display, Shest's fingers twitched. This close to the target her Deep Diver was blocked, but she had other abilities. Normally, she would be better contained but the stresses had been piling. In addition to the parade of death and failure she had been exiled to playing nursemaid and evac...

Now, now she was stuck on a milk run with an arrogant French cultist who was trying to convert her to his crackpot religion and laughing at the demons. Shest allowed a tiny smile, at least her heartbeat had not risen. She was a combat cyborg, and no matter how ugly his suit was a blade could still pierce it.

Her hand twitched and she knew just a bit more motion could release one of her knives. Another motion and she could risk some of her onboard power and burn a whole through him.

As if hearing something distant Mal's head slowly tilted to one side.

Shest flexed her fingers; she knew she had not made a sound. She knew her hand had not gone near the man. Worry crossed her mind at the possibilities, but Galina knew of Mal, and she would not be so unwise to bring a reader into their midst... that is... Shest pushed her doubts aside and instead tensed herself.

"Ah," he eventually said. "When Galina first hired me for this mission I was... curious. And while my own professionalism stays my hand..." Mal made a show of putting his briefcase onto the ground and clasping the bridge's guardrail with both hands.

He shifted his weight slightly and grew more irritated . "It does not prevent me from defending myself. So, please continue. If you are going to ruin this mission, I'd rather you do it here where my escape will be easier."

"Though I'll confess I did spend a fair time preparing for this mission and it would be a shame to waste my efforts," he admitted hefting the briefcase and slinging it over his shoulder.

"Fine." Shest flexed her fingers stepped back from the guard rail. "Let's get to work."

"After you," Mal curtly gestured forward with his arm.

The two resumed their walk and crossed the bridge. Reaching the eastern shore the two looked to their left and saw the southern side of the National Defence Headquarters' principal building. The bridge ran right up against the building and the sidewalk connected directly to a second story entryway.

The glass doors were set back from the street under the overhang of the building and behind a fence consisting of thick metal bars. A gateway in the fence in front of the doors was open.

A couple of short boxy concrete bollards rose out of the sidewalk. Bearing no decoration, the stubby constructs had one purpose: to prevent a vehicle from being able to jump the sidewalk and crash into the building.

Chained to one of the bollards were a pair of newspaper dispensers. Mal went up to them and made a show of deciding between the Ottawa Sun and a local independent newspaper.

As she waited, Shest glanced through the doors. The security setup was the same as the last couple of times: tall heavy front desk, no less than four soldiers at least two of whom carried carbines, metal detectors, and another set of glass doors behind them.

She turned her attention back to the street. In and of itself, the room would be easy enough to crack, but it could not be breached quietly. They would be stuck on the wrong end of the building and have to fight their way down to their true objective.

Tapping her foot, Shest heard a slam of plastic on plastic and turned back to Mal. Shockingly, he had gone for the cheap, free actually, independent rag. She eyed the newspaper somewhat approvingly. At least the ink was not staining Mal's slab-like hands. She looked at the dispenser itself. Not only did it cost less, being free, but the dispenser itself was a bit cheaper, and the plastic door was at a slight angle, easier to jam.

"Anything good?" she asked, as they briskly continued their eastward walk. She noticed his coat pocket was less bulky than before and hoped that his tradecraft had held up.

"There's an art showing. Hmm... oh lovely, Socialist Realism," Mal sarcastically snorted.

Despite herself, Shest found herself nodding in agreement. "Ah yes. Skillful but unimaginative." The sidewalk descended as the road lowered from bridge height to street level. They were on the thin side of the building and quickly walked past its width.

"Finally, some taste," Mal looked behind him at the retreating building. Now to their left was a sunken green space with trees and a set of curving concrete benches. The metal fencing had followed at their side cutting across stairwells and concrete walls. This indicated that the encirclement was not part of the original, and more open, design. However, the age of the fence indicated that it was not a recent addition either.

They reached the intersection of Laurier and Nicholas. Instead of waiting at the crosswalk they simply turned north, continuing their circumnavigation of the NDHQ's block. At the corner was another bit of greenery with grass and a few small bushy trees in boxy planters. On the way, Mal stopped and used one of the pots to brace his shoe. After bending down to adjust his loafer he stood back up, his pockets a bit lighter.

They walked north until they got to the main entrance. Next to the road was a parallel driveway long enough to hold a couple busses. Behind that was a boxy security checkpoint. The driveway alongside it was the same avenue that ran underneath the building. Shest turned and could see the canal and Confederation Park in the clear space under the raised building.

The alleyway itself was blocked with raised barriers on either side of the checkpoint. A parking lot was to the right side of the squat concrete building while the green space they had passed earlier lay on the left.

Neither gave this area much pause. They had already dismissed it as too open and too defensible. Presuming they took out the guard building, that still left a good twenty meters of open ground to cover before the headquarters building itself.

The pair soon got to the corner of Nicholas and the Mackenzie King Bridge. There was another smaller guard building and yet another driveway to the parking section. As expected the station was manned and the white and red striped steel barriers were raised

Walking under the elevated Mackenzie King Bridge, they passed through a parking lot for a small bus station that sat to their left. To their right were the underground parking levels to the mall that Mal had pointed out earlier.

Two stories tall, the bus station was a rounded glass growth that clung to the North-eastern tip of the NDHQ. Going through the lower story Mal paused to throw something out before the two went up the stairs to the upper level and out the doors to Eastern side of the Mackenzie King Bridge.

Like the abutment of the Laurier Avenue Bridge the NDHQ ran right up to the sidewalk. If anything it was pressed even tighter with the perimeter fence a bare meter from the side of the building.

Walking away from the bus stop, Mal glanced at his watch. Putting something that looked like the ear-bulbs to a music player on, he looked over to a spot where the building's wall retreated from the fencing. In the middle of the inset area was a plain metal door. Thick and with hinges and locks on the inside the door was for service use only. The matching gate in the fencing was chained shut.

Shest gave the gate a glance and looked at the timer on her heads up display. She then rechecked the settings on her breathing system and her low light support displays. A moment later, Mal adjusted the shoulder strap on his case, nodded, and put his hands at his sides. The two waited and soon the sounds of screeching cars came from the South. Twenty seconds later screaming came from the bus station.

Shest caught a glimpse of panicked people running out the doors and bits of strangely shimmering smoke. Then Mal gave another nod and she turned back to the target. She only caught a glimpse of the grayish green smoke that began to billow out of the bus station.

Blades flicked into her hands and she sliced through the gate's chains and lock in one blow. Eyeing the alleyway, she tore the gate open and cut though the door. Behind her, Mal faced the street and stepped backwards. His right hand was already into his coat while his left went to his belt.

Digging into the doorframe she wrenched it open. Her feet dug into the sidewalk as the servos in her arms pulled and warped the door and tore it from the bolts holding it to the frame.

By now the alarms were going off in earnest. Part of Shest noted that they were at least a few in the distance. The door came suddenly free, and Shest pulled back on her power to keep it from slamming open. She could hear shouting on the other side of the door. There was no shooting, but that could mean the defenders were being patient.

"Clear!" Shest shouted.

Mal spun on his heel and sidestepped so he stood to one side of the door. He broke leather and in one hand was the heavy slab-like frame of his VZ 52 while the other held a small matte grey cylinder that had been clipped to his belt. Using a free thumb from his gun hand Mal pulled the pin, held it for a couple seconds, and gave a curt nod.  
Shest pulled the door open a bit and Mal lobbed the grenade into the brightly light corridor within. The grenade bounced off a wall and hit the ground. There was some frightened shouting and then loud, obnoxious pop.

Smoke billowed out, pushing past the small gap formed by Shest holding the edge of the door. With diffusion pressure like that, she knew how bad it had to be inside. The cyborg inhaled, and once again pulled the door open, this time a bit further.

Pulling a fresh grenade, Mal slipped through the doorway.  
The heavy gun barked twice. The sound would be deafening in the enclosed space; Mal's hot-loaded 7.62x25mm Tokarev cartridges would push a ninety grain soft tip racing out at over seventeen thousand feet per second.

Pushing into the corridor, Shest knew it would only get worse. They had trained, they had practiced, and the sight before her was still shocking. The entire corridor was filled with grey and green smoke that hung in the air.

Shifting patterns seemed to emerge and disperse. The haze would shift in density and suddenly a drunkenly leaning wall would sidle into view. Even the corners between the ceiling and the walls would meander about.

Shest felt a pulsing pressure against her ears and her nose itched with irritation. The true layout of the corridor flashed onto her heads up display, revealing a wide hallway that was used for storage and connecting a stairwell to another hallway and a steam room.

The whole thing drew in the senses, led them around the corner, then shot them in the back. Switching to her burner and setting the torch onto a longer beam, she took a covering position behind and to the side of Mal.

She almost bumped into him. He was in his element, and paid no mind to the smoke's irritation. If anything he reveled in its presence, and it reciprocated. The multi-hued smoke shifted with his motions helping conceal and mask his presence. Which, considering his sartorial display, was a blessing

After firing a tight beam of fire at a soldier who tried to edge around a corner behind them, Shest gave a giddy, gibbering chuckle. It only made sense. Of course de Veste's smoke bombs would be plaid. Why would they be anything else?

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Looking at the Site, Sailor Earth rolled her shoulders. She sighed and tapped the gem on her tiara. There was a green flash that blossomed out then began to turn purple.

Sifton watched the transformation. He noted that his men, especially Sergeant Brummet and Corporal Green seemed almost complacent with a demon changing from a delicate, demure figure in blue and white silk with braided pink-blonde hair and a coiled ribbon tail into an almost predatory figure in green-grey Kevlar and composite plate armor with deep red hair and purple eyes.

Ranma adjusted her neck as her hair unwound itself revealing her twin pairs of horns. The set on the side blackened and curled while the pair on her forehead were tiny and had also turned black losing their gilt coating when her tiara vanished. She blinked a couple times and checked her holster.

Idly wondering where her weapon went when she was in that other form... as well as the rest of her kit, Sifton noted that the demon seemed a bit more relieved without her more heightened powers. Though she did step on the grass with a slight frown. The major assumed that it was because, unlike her hooves, the boots she now wore insulated her feet.

Crossing the grassy steps, she walked over the length of the wall. A hand ran over the crenellated top of the compacted and reinforced earthworks. Her tail twitched and she gave a low whistle.

The recoilless rifle team shifted their gun tube when the demon passed them. Sifton caught up and fell into step next to her. "What is this?" he tapped the wall. The lush green turf seemed out of place with the more drab and dry vegetation of the rest of the clearing.

"Well, I got a new magical dress so new powers are expected... I'm not sure really." The demon's confidence waned. "I do have a greater connection to the Earth."

"Right, from that Moon Queen," Sifton shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess she'd be able to reshape the Moon," Ranma tapped her chin. "Could be how Serenity made the palace and all the bunkers up there."

"There's a palace on the moon?"

"Yup."

Sifton sighed. "Right, and the Americans have been keeping it a secret since the Apollo missions?" he sarcastically asked.

"Maybe." The demon shrugged. "But I doubt it. They landed nowhere near it. In any case it was just one city and the thing was blasted to bits at the end of the war, but the deep bunkers are still there."

Corporal Green shook her head.

"You know that sounds insane," Sifton said.

"Tell me about it, I'm a magical girl demon who remembers the damn palace and I only half believe in the damn thing." Ranma glanced up into the sky.

Sifton checked his radio. It was Lieutenant Hill. "Yes? Calm down, what's your status?" Hearing Lieutenant Hanna's exited tones the officer's face turned ashen. "Bombs? Repeat those descriptions." As his subordinated talked, the bottom fell out of Sifton's stomach The timing alone... "Shit. Right we'll redeploy."

The demon tilted her head. "Has someone tried to cross the perimeter?"

"No." Sifton gave a glance to the weak-spot. "At least something's going right. Thirty minutes ago there was an attack at the National Defence Headquarters," Sifton said as he motioned to Sergeant MacDowell. "The bastards are still in there, apparently fighting in the basement."

"Non Human?" Ranma asked as she tapped onto her own radio. "How many?" She frowned and talked with Company dispatch and was then bounced to Colonel Edwards.

"Not quite human, and two." Sifton shook his head and ordered MacDowell to organize a pull out with the helicopters. "They looked human, at first it was treated as a crazy terrorist thing, especially with the bombs outside, but once images of were sent out our boys at Dwyer Hill recognized your robotic friends," the officer explained his tone clipped and a bit detached.

Purple eyes The demon swore. "The Russians? How many?"

"Just one, but she's got that big guy, the cultist with her." Sifton looked up from his display pad. "Now you tell me Miss Saotome, why the hell are your enemies attacking my country's military HQ?"

After talking with Colonel Edwards, Ranma shook her head. "I don't know. Jacob, the Colonel, doesn't seem to have much extra information. The enemy seems contained...which is..." The demoness frowned.

"All kinds of wrong," Sifton pointed Corporal Jon Jones and Corporal Bishop out to MacDowell. It was a snap decision but he wanted some heavy mobile weaponry with him. Hill could rearrange her heavy equipment to keep an eye on the Site. "From the reports on these... women, they'd be able to tear through any small arms."

"With just one? I think you've got more than enough pissed off Canadians to keep them contained, especially with the jammer. But if they really wanted to escape they'd have made a bigger mess... well maybe they did." Her tail swished back and forth. "Do you have a description on which of the Russians it was?"

"Sir? Brummet asked as he stowed his scanner's display panel into the body of the device and locked the outside of the crate. The device would be able to operate autonomously and broadcast its readings until the batteries ran out

"We just got word. Half an hour ago there was an attack on the NDHQ. So far, just two active shooters, which, given that they're still alive, should tell you the problem they are. The situation's pretty confused and it took the brass this long to realize something spooky might be up. The whole situation stinks and I want to be ready for whatever these freaks try to pull. I'm peeling most of us back. Lieutenant Hill will maintain a small over-watch team here while the rest of us redeploy to Dwyer Hill. Once at base we'll get an update on the situation, figure out available resources, and given our luck have to deploy." Sifton explained.

Standing a bit off to the side, Ranma watched the soldiers' expressions. There was a bit of disbelief. They had just been told that there was an attack on their capital, and even worse, one that seemed insultingly small. But after sitting out in the mud observing a weak-spot in reality, they were now faced with the real possibility of deploying in downtown Ottawa.

"Which of the Numbers?" Ranma asked again as the equipment was quickly boxed up and the JTF2 troops made an orderly retreat back to the helicopters at MacDowell's orders.

"I don't know. Description wasn't reliable." Sifton rubbed his forehead. "Who the hell attacks a military HQ like this?"

Ranma stopped before pulling herself onto the helicopter. "They do."

"But as a team. Not babysitting one cultist." Sifton said as he sat down. "And they're mercenaries, assassins, they're hired to kill that blonde girl. What does going up to Ottawa have to do with that?"

"With just one cyborg? Could be a feint. Cause a high priority target, split up the forces guarding the target," Ranma shrugged as the Griffon's rotors spooled up.

"And yet you seem to be coming along," Sifton noted.

The demon narrowed her eyes. "They brought the cultist." She flatly stated. "They've been keeping Mal de Veste in reserve. And this time they deploy him?" Ranma shook her head. "No. This isn't just a diversion."

End Chapter 30

I'd like to thank my pre-readers. They read through my most egregious mistakes so you don't have to. J St C Patrick, Pale Wolf, DGC, Wray, Kevin Hammel, and Ikarus.


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